Asian shares rattled by Trump policy worries, dollar soft

A man walks past an electronic board showing Japan’s Nikkei average (top L), the Dow Jones average (top R) and the stock averages of other countries’ outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, January 26, 2017. — Photo REUTERS

Asian shares slipped on Tuesday as stringent curbs on travel to the United States ordered by President Donald Trump brought home to investors that he is serious about carrying out his controversial campaign pledges.

Global stocks posted their biggest loss in six weeks on Monday after Trump signed an executive order to bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and suspend travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries, sparking widespread protests.

European bourse are expected to remain fragile after big losses on Monday, with spread-betters seeing opening losses of as much as 0.1 per cent in major indexes, including Britain’s FTSE, Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC.

"Investors are becoming worried as it appears as if he was setting fire to geopolitical risks that already exist," said Yoshinori Shigemi, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.

Trump’s move drew criticism from some US policymakers, and business leaders, with technology companies, which depend on talent from around the world, planning to discuss a legal challenge.

"His stance is really inward-looking, making investors nervous about his ’moderateness’," said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5 per cent while Japan’s Nikkei dropped 1.7 per cent, its biggest fall in almost three months.

On Monday, the US S&P 500 Index fell 0.6 per cent, its biggest fall in a month, though it remained well above levels seen before the November 8 presidential election.

MSCI’s gauge of the world’s 46 stock markets shed 0.6 per cent, its largest loss in a month and a half.

The mood soured further when Trump fired the federal government’s top lawyer after she took the extraordinarily rare step of defying the White House.

US stock futures ESc1 shed 0.3 per cent on Tuesday and the dollar extended losses against the yen.

Still, most share prices were up on the month, supported by signs of accelerating momentum in the global economy and hopes of large fiscal stimulus from Trump.

MSCI’s ex-Japan Asian shares index was up 5.7 per cent this month while its index of world markets was up 2.5 per cent. They were also higher than their levels before the US elections.

In the currency market, the dollar was broadly weak and fell 0.3 per cent against the yen to 113.49 yen. It was down 3.1 per cent so far this month, after three straight months of sizable gains.

The Japanese currency showed no reaction after the Bank of Japan kept its policy on hold, as expected. A string of recent data has suggested the economy is slowly regaining traction.

The euro edged up to US$1.0710, consolidating after its rebound this month from its 14-year low of $1.0340 set on January 3.

In a possible sign of increased anxiety among investors, the safe-haven Swiss franc strengthened to a seven-month high of 1.0637 franc per euro on Monday.

Worries are also growing about a political shift to populist leaders in Europe.

French bond yields rose to the highest level since September 2015, on rising uncertainty over the Presidential election later this year.

Conservative leader Francois Fillon, seen as the front-runner, is now battling to contain a scandal over allegedly unlawful payments to his wife while the Socialists on Sunday picked a hard-left candidate, possibly helping popular far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Italian debt yields climbed to 1 1/2-year highs partly as early elections could be called following a ruling from the country’s constitutional court last week.

Italian assets have also been hit by worries over its banking sector after UniCredit, the country’s biggest bank, revealed on Monday it expects to book a net loss of around 11.8 billion euros ($12.6 billion) for 2016 and fall short of European Central Bank capital requirements.

By contrast, the yield on German debt fell on Monday even as data showed inflation in Germany hit a 3 1/2-year high in January.

News that Germany posted a national inflation rate of 1.9 per cent stoked talk of an unwinding of monetary stimulus by the ECB, even though the inflation outcome was below expectations.

Elevated uncertainty about Trump’s policies, including a lack of detail so far on his plans for tax cuts and fiscal spending, offset optimism on the US economy.

Data on Monday showed US consumer spending accelerated in December while inflation showed some signs of picking up last month.

The core PCE price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, rose 1.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis after a similar gain in November.

"We’ve seen a jump in US economic sentiment after Trump’s victory. But the improvement in hard economic data remains moderate," said Haruka Kazama, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute.

"And if Trump takes more steps to limit permits for immigrants, that would surely boost inflation as the US is now near a full employment," she added.

The Federal Reserve, which will start its two-day policy meeting today, is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged as it awaits greater clarity on Trump’s economic policies.

Oil prices dipped as rising US drilling activity offset efforts by OPEC and other producers to cut output in a move to prop up the market.

Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $55.14 per barrel, down 0.2 per cent from Monday’s settlement price.

vietnamnews.vn ( REUTERS)

Swinging chair game attracts crowds during Tết

The winner of the game holds the flag. — VNS Photo Phước Bửu

Hundreds of people flocked to Gia Viên, a village on the outskirts of Huế, early this morning to cheer the swinging chair game, called đu tiên in the Vietnamese language.

The game is set up on an empty plot in the village, with a swinging bamboo chair hanging on an at least 5m tall bamboo scaffolding structure. An official of the village’s committee of elders said the bamboo trees were brought to the site some 10 days ahead of Tết, or the Lunar New Year, for installation.

According to tradition, the game is held on the fourth day of Tết and the installation of the structure must be completed ahead Tết for safety checks under the expertise of the elderly. The game initially began as a form of recreation for villagers and residents of the nearby villages, until it gradually became a tradition over centuries.

According to the official, the game is also a means of promoting training for the physical fitness of villagers.

First an athlete steps up to stand on the swinging chair and ties himself with a rope to avoid falling from the chair during the game. He then rocks himself up and down to create momentum for the hanging bamboo chair to swing. The momentum keeps increasing so that the chair can swing high enough for the athlete to touch a flag hanging on top of the bamboo structure.

The athlete who touches the flag at its highest position winds the first place, while the others who touch the flag at a lower level get the second and third prize.

At the end, the elderly lit incense to thanks the gods for a safe and successful game, while wishing for the same in the following year.

All athletes playing the game are dressed in the áo dài – the Vietnamese traditional costume – and the fluttering of the dress flaps in the air lends the game a unique charm. Each swing of the chair is accompanied with loud cheers from the audience, resulting in a happy and joyful mood during Tết.

vietnamnews.vn by Phước Bửu and Nguyễn Văn Sum

Importation of antibiotics tightened

Illustrative image. Importation of antibiotic materials are only allowed for the production of veterinary medicines. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued regulations to tighten the import of antibiotics to prevent misuse of the substances in breeding of sea animals.

Accordingly, antibiotics importers are only licensed to import antibiotic materials to produce veterinary medicines that are granted certificates for circulation in the market or listed as permissible in Việt Nam.

Currently, there are 57 types of antibiotic materials on the list.

While seeking licences to import a batch of antibiotic materials, the importers must report on the use of the previous shipments and other information such as the addresses of the sellers.

“The traders are not permitted to sell the antibiotic materials to establishments which are not licensed to produce veterinary medicines,” Đàm Xuân Thành, deputy director of the ministry’s Veterinary Department said.

They are also not allowed to sell antibiotics to veterinary medicine dealers, who can then sell them to people to prevent and cure diseases in their animals, livestock and sea animals, and cannot even sell them directly to breeders and farmers for use, Thành added.

The overuse of antibiotics in breeding not only adversely affects consumers’ health, but also brings Vietnamese firms on the verge of losing export markets.

According to the ministry’s National Agro, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, there is no way to eliminate antibiotic residue in seafood during processing.

Due to chemical contamination and antibiotic residue exceeding permissible levels, many batches of Vietnamese seafood exports have been returned and exporters have received warnings.

Last year, there were 40 batches of Vietnamese goods which were found violating regulations of food safety of import markets, 30 batches less than in 2015. However, the situation has not been addressed seriously.

Most warnings about Vietnamese shipments came from Japan and EU partners.

To prevent the overuse of antibiotics in sea animals’ breeding, the Veterinary Department has temporarily ceased giving licences for the import of antibiotic Enrofloxacin.

Six firms were also suspended from operation from three to 12 months for violating regulations related to antibiotics trading.

Thành suggested that shipments receiving warnings of antibiotic residue be investigated to identify the violators.

He also asked the Ministry of Health to cooperate with the department in supervising the use and import of material antibiotics to produce medicines and ensuring that the sales of medicines comply with doctors’ prescriptions.

vietnamnews.vn

Vietnam fisherman on the front lines

A fisherman and his wife in the central coastal Province of Nghệ An, Diễn Châu District. — VNS Photo Việt Thanh vietnamnews.vn

Vietnamese fishermen in the South China Sea claim they are being harassed by the Chinese military for fishing in the hotly contested waters. CNN's Saima Mohsin reports in link : http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2016/05/22/vietnam-fisherman-south-china-sea-mohsin-pkg.cnn

VN targets vegetable, fruit export value at $3b

Fruit has great potential for export as people’s income increases, so does the demand for high-quality fruit. — File Photo

Việt Nam expects to achieve US$3 billion as its total export value of vegetables and fruits this year, exceeding the vegetable and fruit industry’s target of $2.4 billion.

“After many years of export value under $1 billion, in recent years, the export value has made a breakthrough, which is why it was able to exceed the target this year, although there were many difficulties,” Huỳnh Quang Đấu, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association, told Việt Nam News.

This year and beyond, the vegetable and fruit industry will face long-term difficulties, including climate change, which would result in a reduction of vegetable and fruit output and quality, and land accumulation for the industry, Đấu said.

Meanwhile, most enterprises of the industry are small- and medium-sized units with less capital, said Đấu, adding that technical barriers in vegetable and fruit importing countries have also increased further.

However, in recent years, Việt Nam’s vegetable and fruits have entered markets with strict ruless, such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Chile, following 4-5 years of successful negotiation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Further, farms and enterprises have produced vegetable and fruit products meeting the quality and food safety standards in those countries, he said.

“That would be the basis for promoting exports this year and beyond,” Đấu said.

Nguyễn Đỗ Anh Tuấn, head of the ministry’s Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said this year, enterprises and farmers would pour in investment into fruit, cashew and shrimp because those products have great potential in production and business.

In particular, they would invest in high-technological and clean agriculture to create leading brands for the global market, he said. The enterprises would focus on processing farming, forestry and fishery products to create new value and improve the level of Việt Nam’s products in the international market.

Fruit has great potential as people’s income increases, so does the demand for high-quality fruit, he said.

Last year, the nation’s total export value of vegetables and fruits was $2.4 billion, $200 million higher than the yearly target.

Solutions

Meanwhile, Mai Văn Trị, director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI), said export value of the vegetable and fruit industry has not met the industry’s potential because there are many kinds of fruits with low prices that do not have high export volume despite the high output.

For instance, Việt Nam mainly exported dried jackfruit or material of fresh jackfruit. Trị said local enterprises could process soft dried jackfruit to reduce the import of this product, Some other kinds of vegetables and fruits such as pomelo and purple sweet potato have output which just meets local demand, but not high enough to export.

Enterprises have not diversified their fruit processing and not seen sustainable development in material region for export processing, he said.

Đinh Cao Khuê, general director of Đồng Giao Export Food Joint Stock Company, said, so far, there are a small number of vegetable and fruit material regions nationwide that meet the demand of the processing industry.

In the north, there are pineapple regions in Đồng Giao, Ninh Bình and Lao Cai provinces, which produce a total of 70,000 tonnes per year, of which 50 per cent is used for local consumption and 50 per cent is for export processing.

Lục Ngạn District in Bắc Giang Province and Thanh Hà District in Hải Dương Province have high longan output, but the period for harvesting and processing this product is just one-and-a-half months. Meanwhile, other special fruit products, including orange in Hà Giang Province, Hàm Yên-Tuyên Quang Province, Cao Phong-Hòa Bình Province and Lục Ngạn-Bắc Giang Province, have output that is enough to meet domestic consumption requirements.

In fact, Việt Nam has many areas that can be used develop material regions of vegetable and fruit for export processing, bringing higher economic efficiency to provinces, Khuê said.

Central highlands provinces such as Đắk Nông and Gia Lai could develop material regions of passion fruit, Japanese sweet potato, sweet corn, spinach and pepper because there is high demand for these products in the global market. Meanwhile, the northern provinces of Lào Cai, Sơn La and Lai Châu are suitable to grow pineapple instead of rubber trees, which have a low level of development in these provinces.

The state needs to plan and develop material regions connecting with the development of processing factories and expanding the regions to neighbouring provinces, Khuê said. Đồng Giao Export Food JSC has enough material of pineapple for export processing because along with material regions in Ninh Bình Province, the company must combine with regions in the neighbouring provinces of Thanh Hóa, Thái Bình, Hải Dương and Bắc Giang, as well as Hà Giang and Tuyên Quang.

Additionally, Khuê said Việt Nam should promote advertising at international fairs for farming products to study and expand export markets, including fairs in Germany, France, Russia and Japan.

Phạm Công Dũng from the Department of Agricultural Forestry and Fishery Processing and Salt Industry said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has promoted restructuring of agriculture and planned material regions with advantages.

For export activities, the ministry has cooperated with relevant state offices to enhance trade promotion activities for Vietnamese fruit products to increase market share, he said.

Each trade office of Việt Nam in foreign countries would conduct marketing activities for local fruits for the Vietnamese community living abroad and the locals.

The ministry would control further import of fruits through technical barriers under international rules to protect local fruits in a legal manner and stop illegal fruit imports, he said.

vietnamnews.vn

Agriculture ministry working on plans to attract FDI

A delegation of Japanese and Vietnamese leaders visit Lang Biang Farm in Đà Lạt. — Photo thanhnien.vn

Co-operation between producers and companies is necessary to develop agriculture and to attract more investment in the sector, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường has said.

Thời Báo Kinh Doanh (Business Times) newspaper quoted him as saying companies are the most active link in the agricultural sector value chain.

They have the financial wherewithal to resolve problems, he explained.

An official from Eurocham said that besides the Government companies are also very important in attracting FDI in agriculture.

The Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) has reported that in many provinces and cities companies have drawn up plans to collaborate with foreign investors.

Many investors from Japan and South Korea have studied agricultural projects in Việt Nam, it said.

FDI attracting strategy

They envisage working with the Ministry of Investment and Planning to amend unfeasible regulations in Decree No 210/2013/NĐ-CP issued by the Government on attracting investment in the agricultural sector and rural areas.

The ministry lists four priority categories for FDI: development of new plant and animal strains, production of high value-added inputs for the feed industry and investment in clean farming technologies, agriculture-forestry-fisheries processes using modern technologies, and production of veterinary and plant protection medicines.

The minister also said that public – private partnerships (PPPs) are an important channel for attracting foreign direct investment in agriculture.

Last year was a tough one for the agricultural sector due to the effects of climate change on Việt Nam.

It achieved mere 1.2 per cent growth though exports expanded by 6 per cent to US$32.1 billion.

It failed to meet the FDI target.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment said FDI in the sector remains modest, with the cumulative investment as of last November being less than $4 billion.

The figure represents just 1.2 per cent of overall FDI in the country.

The ministry said the rate of annual FDI growth has been increasing since 2012, going up from 0.6 per cent then to 1.2 per cent last year.

But an FIA official said the investment remains very modest compared with the sector’s potential.

Moreover, foreign investments are not uniform in all areas of agriculture, with the lion’s share going into wood processing industry, animal husbandry and feed production, he said.

FDI in agricultural and fisheries processing is low, he said.

Experts blamed the lack of FDI in the agricultural sector on the failure to spell out priority projects for investment.

This worries investors, they said.

vietnamnews.vn

Prolific as hens in Year of the Rooster

Animation of a happy chicken family set at a park in Huế to celebrate the Year of the Rooster. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Văn Sum

The country is celebrating the first days of a lunar new year, the Year of the Rooster, with hopes for a better year compared with the previous Year of the Monkey, which was a difficult year accompanied by disasters, unfavourable weather, as well as a challenging economic situation.

Years of the Rooster are not the most favoured among the 12 zodiac animals, which include the cat, tiger, dog, rat and dragon. But they are not as bad as the Years of the Monkey, which have been seen in Vietnamese history to be the years of terrible famines, disasters, and bad luck.

In Vietnamese culture, chickens represent an unhurried rhythm of life, and of course, are not as poorly behaved and unstable as monkeys are. A family made up of a hen, rooster and chicks also stands for a happy family in the context of maintaining a peaceful rural ambiance.

A hen that fights off eagles, snakes or dogs to protect her chicks best suggests the love and tenderness between mothers and children. A rooster sometimes represents a man of dedication to his family, as the main wage earner.

In general, the chicken is hard-working and lives a tranquil rural life, thus Vietnamese people believe that a person born in the Years of the Rooster are those who are independent from their families and display less fighting with others as they seek career positions and wealth.

Vietnamese metaphors also refer to hens for women who have many children, and roosters as lady-killers.   

The chicken is the only poultry species listed among six domestic animals in Vietnamese families, including dogs, buffaloes, horses, goats and pigs. It is also one of the ritual offerings used in holy ceremonies that required the whole body of the animal, along with cows, goats, and pigs.

In royal life, roosters were raised separately for the combat of cock fighting, which was entertainment for kings and other royal family members.

Cock fighting, a hen with its chicks, and a child embracing a rooster were depicted in folk paintings of Đông Hồ Village in northern Bắc Ninh Province. Đông Hồ paintings are those produced with wooden plates and carved patterns on blocks that are painted black and white, along with colours, which are then pressed onto paper.

Roosters are seen as ornamentation on buildings, with the most famous being the Rooster Cathedral in the ‘Vietnamese villa town’ of Đà Lạt. The cathedral was built by the French and, of course, the Gallic rooster appeared on the rooftop of its bell tower.

A hen catches insects to feed its chicks, as depicted in a Đông Hồ folk painting.

Gà is the Vietnamese word for chicken, in general, and the Vietnamese language uses compound words for hen, rooster, chick and cock, respectively gà mái (mái means female), gà trống (trống means male), gà con (con means little) and gà đá (đá means fighting).

Also, the Vietnamese language includes the old slang of ‘rập mái’ for sexual intercourse and a metaphor ‘đẻ như gà’ for ‘as prolific as hens’ or ‘ngủ sớm như gà’, meaning ‘go to bed as early as a chicken’.

Youngsters also use gà as slang. Gà is sometimes as an adjective to describe a foolish boy. Or someone is said to be gà if he is dumb. Gà is used as verbs in gà bài and gà cờ, which means men acting to influence players of games of cards (bài) or playing chess (cờ) when they are not, themselves, taking part in the game.

The Vietnamese also have several sayings using the image of chickens. ‘Gà trống nuôi con’ or ‘A rooster raises its chicks’ describes a father raising his children without a mother. Vietnamese social norms dictate the woman’s role in raising children and the saying is used to sometimes appraise a man’s efforts, and other times to show sympathy for a troubled man whose wife passed away early in his marriage.

‘Gà cùng một mẹ chớ hoài đá nhau’ or ‘There should be no fighting between chick siblings’ is said to encourage solidarity between family members. ‘Thư sinh trói gà không chặt’ or ‘Students could not tie a rooster’ is used to refer to a man with less physical strength.

In ancient times, chickens were associated with good things in life, while in the modern era they produce a negative image due to the association of cock fighting, a popular gambling contest throughout the country.

However, chickens appear to play a positive role in reducing wildlife meat consumption among Vietnamese drinkers, as chicken meat could replace wild animal meats in a number of dishes in which chicken meat is served as specialty dishes

vietnamnews.vn by Phước Bửu

1.4 million rural labourers to get vocational training

Farmers in Hậu Giang Province make bamboo baskets as a way of improving their income. - VNA/VNS Photo

The agriculture and rural development ministry has approved a plan to provide vocational training to 1.4 million rural labourers over the next four years.

At least 80 per cent of labourers should have stable jobs or earn higher income in their current jobs after training, the ministry has estimated.

While one million labourers will undergo a three-month primary vocational training, around 400,000 will receive intermediate- and college-level training.

The training cost for primary levels will be VNĐ2 trillion (US$88.6 million). Of this, VNĐ1.1 trillion ($48.7 million) will be allocated from the National Target Programme on New Rural Development; the remaining funds will come from local authorities and other sources.

The ministry said the target group includes labourers involved in agriculture restructuring and new-style rural area buildings, those who work in farms, cooperatives and enterprises related to farmers, the disabled, the disadvantaged households and women.

Vocational training will focus on technical and management skills in cultivation, husbandry, fishing, fish farming, salt processing and salt production. There will also be programmes on restructuring agricultural production, adapting to climate change and addressing maritime environment pollution.

Every locality will have to select appropriate occupations related to large-scale agricultural production, chain production, high-tech products and food safety.

Pilot training courses will be suggested in key production areas, and the vocational training curriculum will be revised to suit the demands of the labour market. Teachers at vocational training centres will also get to do courses to improve their knowledge.

vietnamnews.vn 

Hà Nội puts 700 administrative procedures online.

A State employee instructs a citizen in Ngọc Khánh Ward, Ba Đình District about public services that allow applicants to complete and submit forms online. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn

People can fill in and submit forms for more than 700 administrative procedures in Hà Nội online this year, as the municipal People’s Committee has focused on promoting online public services.

According to Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications, Phan Lan Tú, 700 procedures are now available online, accounting for at least 40 per cent of 1,800 public services in the level-3 category.

Decree 43/2011/NĐ-CP on launching online public services defines four levels of public service registration:

Level 1: Procedures to fill in the required forms and information about process, time and service cost are available online.

Level 2: The service allows the user to download the required forms to be printed out and filled in later.

Level 3: The applicant can fill in and submit the forms online.

Level 4: Service payments can be settled online. Transaction results are available either online or by post, on request.

The online registration service level 4 will allow people, businesses and management units to perform administrative formalities, submit required forms, handle documents and payments and receive results using only a computer connected to the Internet.

Director Tú said that in July 2016, Hà Nội launched the portal egov.hanoi.gov.vn where residents can perform 7 administrative procedures, such as registering a birth, death or marriage. The city also started providing online public services in 144 wards of 10 districts from August 10 after successfully piloting the model in Long Biên and Nam Từ Liêm. Locals in the capital city can now access the website to process administrative procedures such as registering a birth, death or marriage, and certifying copied documents in Vietnamese. 

People’s Committees in wards and communes are in charge of receiving the requests and coordinating with authorised agencies in replying. The duration of processing a request is expected to be shortened from 20 days to five days, and will contribute to the preservation of citizens’ data online. 

The move is considered a breakthrough in Hà Nội’s administrative reform towards a simplified and transparent administration, which will help improve the city’s business environment as well as the responsibility of public servants. As of December 15 last year, the e-government system was available in all 584 urban wards and rural communes across the city.

From January 19, the city’s administrative agencies started offering 20 services at municipal level, with the Department of Justice installing 12 services for law practice registration and the Department of Culture and Sports opening 2 services on licencing advertisements. Meanwhile, the Tourism Department will provide 6 online services on issuing tour guide cards. Seven other services will be offered at district and ward/communal levels. In the first quarter of this year, the city plans to offer 120 online public services.

The city has set a target to provide 80 percent of public services online by 2020

vietnamnews.vn 

Đà Nẵng hills alive with Tết carnival

Nature reserve: Flower on Bà Nà Mountain. VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — A carnival will take place at the Bà Nà Hills Mountain Resort on January 28 to celebrate the first day of the Lunar New Year, Tết for foreign and Vietnamese tourists.

The management of the resort will also conduct a tour on the third day of the Lunar New Year to the temple complex Bà Chúa Thượng Ngàn (Goddess of the Forest), Linh Ứng Pagoda, the nine-storey Linh Phong tower and a four-tonne bronze bell tower on top of the 1,471m high mountain. Going to the pagoda during the first days of Tết is a local tradition.

The resort, a former French hill station, is located in the Trường Sơn Mountains west of the city of Da Nang in central Vietnam. The surrounding 17,641ha of primary forest are part of a nature reserve with six trekking routes.

During Tết flowers like the bell-shaped peach blossoms and the year-round hydrangeas cover the mountain.

In 2014, the resort introduced a new cable car route - its third - which has earned four Guinness World records for being the longest one-line cable car service in the world - 5,771.61m. It has the highest difference in height between the departure and destination points - 1,368.93m. It has the longest cable - 11,585m and the world’s heaviest cable rolls of 141.24 tonnes.

The cable carries visitors to the top of the mountain in 17 minutes.

More than 30,000 tourists visit the resort during the Lunar New Year festival annually.

The mountain resort has grown 400 cherry trees – a gift of the Japan-Đà Nẵng Friendship Association - since 2010. 

Colours galore: Bell-shaped peach blossoms on Bà Nà Mountain during Tết (lunar New Year). VNS Photo

Tet tradition: Tourists visit a pagoda on the top of Bà Nà Mountain in Đà Nẵng. VNS Photo Công Thành

Guinness record: A cable car system carries tourists to the top of Bà Nà Mountain on the 1,471m above sea level. VNS Photo

Serenity: Dawn on Bà Nà Mountain above Đà Nãng city. VNS Photo

vietnamnews.vn 

Nation celebrates New Year

People nation-wide enjoyed spectacular art and music performances to celebrate the most sacred moment of the Year of the Rooster 2017. Although there was no fireworks due to a Political Bureau’s directive which is aimed to save money for supporting the poor and underpriviledged people, cities’ centres are crowded with people attending various joyful outdoor activities. Vietnam News Agency and Việt Nam News photographers captured  images of the moment:

A countdown to the New Year 2017 - the Year of the Rooster at Hanoi Opera House. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

An art performance to celebrate the New Year in Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province. - VNA/VNS Photo Chuong Dai

A female artist dances with a paper fan at a celebration in Vi Thanh City, Hau Giang Province. - VNA/VNS Photo Duy Khuong

An art performance is held in Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province to celebrate the Year of the Rooster 2017. - VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Tu

People of all ages celebrate the lunar New Year at the Tran Hung Dao flower street in central Da Nang City. - VNS Photo Quoc Viet

A group of female artists take the stage during a singing and dancing performance to welcome the lunar New Year in the southernmost province of Ca Mau. - VNA/VNS Photo Huynh The Anh

Young people in Hanoi take the chance to make a profit by selling heart-shaped New Year balloons. - VNS Photo

A little boy in Vietnamese traditional costume for male poses for a photo by Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Two Hanoians do a selfie with the slogan Chuc Mung Nam Moi (Happy New Year) in the background. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

The centre of Ha Noi welcomes The Year of the Rooster 2017. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Little kids also stay awake all night to welcome the lunar New Year with their parents. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Thousands of people flood to an outdoor stage in front of the Ha Noi Opera House to watch a performance of dance and music. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Foreigners join Vietnamese for a free dance by Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Foreign visitors sit by the side of Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi to feel the sacred moment of the Year of The Rooster. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Electric kid cars for rent are available throughout the night to serve little customers in Ha Noi. - VNS Photo Viet Thanh

Street audience for an art performance in front of the Trang Tien Plaza shopping centre in Ha Noi. - VNS Photo Viet Hanh

One of the workers from the Urban Environment Company in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue works through the night to make sure the city is clear of rubbish on the very first day of the New Year. - VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Viet

vietnamnews.vn 

Unemployment greets Vietnamese overseas workers returning home

Workers who have acquired knowledge, skills, and experience in Japan can be referred to Japanese companies and manufacturers operating in Việt Nam. — Photo danviet.vn

The government may have advocated "labour export" as the means to alleviate unemployment and boost domestic labour skills, but Vietnamese overseas workers returning home continue to stare down the barrel of employment uncertainties.

Cương Gián Commune, in Nghi Xuân District of the central province of Hà Tĩnh, was once considered an exemplary "model" of labour export. It transformed itself from a poor fishing village to a prosperous commune, thanks to the remittances from abroad.

Many other rural areas have benefitted similarly from the remittances sent back home by those toiling in foreign lands.

Yet, behind that seemingly resounding success lie latent risks in terms of the labour structure, an official of the communal government told Dân Việt newspaper (Vietnamese People).

Hundreds of young workers in the commune who have returned home after completing their contract in developed countries such as Japan and South Korea are currently unemployed. They are unwilling to "resort" to traditional occupations such as in agriculture and aquaculture, and bide their time hoping to secure another overseas contract.

Trần Văn Tỉnh worked for three years in South Korea on a monthly pay of around US$1,000. After returning to his hometown, he washed his hands off the fishing career, used the money he had saved up to build a house. He contacted a number of recruitment agencies for fresh opportunities abroad, but as luck would have it, he was swindled out of his hard-earned money.

Cash-strapped, the family had to borrow money to open a small street-side drinking place to stay afloat.

Unfortunately, Tỉnh’s is not an isolated case. Thousands of youths returning from overseas works have undergone similar ordeals.

A government official from the Hải Trạch Commune, Bố Trạch District, in Quảng Bình Province, said many young people are looking for ways to work in Japan or South Korea right after graduating high school, only to enter a vicious circle.

“After returning home, they build houses, and spend lavishly. When the saved up money runs out, they borrow from banks and seek more jobs overseas,” he said.

No employment plan for returned workers

“We still do not have policies in place to mobilise and make the best use of the financial and human resources that overseas workers bring home,” Nguyễn Thanh Hoà, former Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA), admitted.

“Employment issues for the overseas workers have not been addressed; it is not in synchronisation with the government’s policy of encouraging labour export. We have not thought through this policy,” Hoà added.

“Looking back at the labour exchange between Japan and Việt Nam, I am disappointed to see that labourers come back home only to find themselves jobless or work in a profession not suited to the skills they have acquired in Japan,” said Yanagi Seiichi, general director of the Japan-based Sanup Company, which has employed many Vietnamese workers. He was speaking at a meeting of workers returning from Japan, an event organised regularly by the Hiteco Job Development Centre in South Việt Nam.

The current situation is a regrettable waste of labour resources and valuable skills obtained from developed countries which are highly in demand among the FDI enterprises, Nguyễn Lan Hương, former Director of the National Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, said.

“For developing countries such as Việt Nam, the key priority in promoting labour export should be to push for a highly-skilled labour force that will contribute to the development of the country when they come back,” Masumi Higuma, legal representative of IM Japan (International Manpower Development Organisation) in Việt Nam, said.

“The unemployment that awaits workers back home is part of the reason why they attempt their best to extend their stay, often illegally, in the host countries,” Magumi added.

Hoà said that back when he was still working as Deputy Minister of MoLISA, he had given directives to the Department of Overseas Labour (DOLab) to build a database maintaining information on overseas labourers, which would aid the government in the conception of an employment strategy for those returning home. With access to this database, foreign enterprises investing in Việt Nam would be able to contact easily and directly the qualified workers.

“However, to my knowledge, this database has not been implemented properly,” he added.

Phạm Viết Hương, Deputy Director of DOLab, said the database was unusable in its current state and would take a long time to be updated and fully functional.

Nguyễn Thị Hải Vân, Director General of the Department of Employment, under MoLISA, said currently, enterprises needing skilled workers would contact the department and the department will send these enterprises a list of qualified ones.

Enterprises’ proactive measures

While authorities have not come up with viable solutions to utilise skills of workers returning home, many foreign enterprises have made efforts to make use of these untapped resources.

IM Japan, who has an official co-operation with the Centre of Overseas Labour (COLab), contacts Japanese firms to find out if they need labour. This has helped hundreds of Vietnamese workers returning home avoid unemployment, as they have already acquired the requisite know-how in Japan.

Sanup invested in Việt Nam by opening a branch to employ those very labourers they had helped train and equip with the necessary skills.

Kanto Corporation, which has hired thousands of Vietnamese workers in Japan, has established an information database on these trainees, which can be referred to by the Japanese firms investing or intending to invest in Việt Nam.

In contrast, most of those workers returning from South Korea are left stranded even with the 2,000 South Korean firms currently operating in Việt Nam.

Replicating best practices

Many domestic recruitment agencies have applied the best practices used by the Japanese to make use of the highly-skilled workers returning from abroad.

Esuhai Co. Ltd., one such agency, has established a capacity building school to supply skilled workers for overseas work. Vietnamese workers employed in Japan can register for suitable jobs on the agency’s website before returning home. More than 200 workers have been referred to the Japanese firms operating in HCM City and other provinces in the South such as Bình Dương and Đồng Nai.

 Lê Long Sơn, director at Esuhai, praised the discipline and the skills of Vietnamese workers returning from Japan.

“Japanese firms prefer recruiting them, as they do not need training like the domestic workers,” he said.

Tanoi Junichi, Director General of the Japan-based Seebest, a manufacturer of precision parts located in Việt Nam – Singapore Industrial Park in Bình Dương Province, agreed with Sơn’s statement, saying his company was employing six Vietnamese workers who returned from Japan.

“They are workers who have achieved skills on par with Japanese workers. This irreplaceable human resources will play an important role in our expansion and investment into Việt Nam market,” Junichi said.

Another issue that Sơn raised is that unemployment is not due to lack of jobs, but lower pay compared to what they earn abroad, he claimed. For the same job, in Việt Nam, the monthly salary is VNĐ6 million to VNĐ10 million ($266 to $443), while in Japan, it can be as high as VNĐ20 million to VNĐ30 million ($885 to $1328). The authorities must take note of this disparity in pay.

COLab frequently organises job fairs to connect overseas workers with Japanese and South Korean firms. The centre has also cooperated with the provincial Department of Labour to organise job fairs for labourers from many other markets

vietnamnews.vn - Ho Van