Vietnam ranks third in tourism rebound in region

Vietnam ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of tourism
rebound, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

The
August Interim Update of the UNWTO Tourism Barometer said that the
first six months of 2010 saw international tourist arrivals by 7
percent.

Growth was positive in all world regions, led by a
robust performance of emerging economies at 8 percent compared to 6
percent in advanced economies. Asia and the Pacific (14 percent) and the
Middle East (20 percent), where results were already positive in the
second half of 2009, continue to lead growth in the first half of 2010
with the majority of destinations in both regions posting double digit
growth rates.

“Asia in particular is experiencing a
very dynamic rebound, with strong results from Sri Lanka (49 percent),
Japan (36 percent), Vietnam (35 percent), Myanmar (35 percent), Hong
Kong (China) (23 percent), Macao (China) (23 percent), Singapore (23
percent), Fiji (22 percent) and the Maldives (21 percent). Thailand
(14 percent) posted encouraging results in spite of the political unrest
early this year,” the organisation said.

However, the organisation said despite a clear recovery in international tourism, it is necessary to remain cautious.

According
to the organisation, international tourist arrivals totalled 421
million during the first six months of 2010, up 7 percent on 2009.

UNWTO maintains its initial forecast of international tourist arrivals growing by 3-4 percent for 2010./.

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Thu Thiem tunnel gets link-up

The East-West Highway Project Management Board (EWHPMB) and Japanese
contractor Obayashi on September 4 poured final concrete to link up the
Thu Thiem tunnel, the first immersed tunnel in Southeast Asia.

According to EWHPMB Director Luong Minh Phuc, to date, 80 percent of
workload on the tunnel, which is built across Saigon River in Ho
Chi Minh City , has been completed.

In order to
ensure the inauguration of the tunnel on schedule, the management board
and the contractor are arranging three shifts a day with 300 engineers
and workers each, Phuc said.

He added that the
third package of the project, the mechanics-electricity package, will
begin after concrete blocks get stabilized. The package includes
installing water supply, lighting, firefighting, ventilation, air
pollution measurement and vehicle counting systems with international
standards. The package is estimated to take six months.

The Thu Thiem tunnel, which is about 1,490m in length, 33m in width
and 9m in height, with six lanes, is scheduled for technical test runs
in March next year.

The whole East-West Highway , including the Thu Thiem tunnel, is expected to open to traffic in June 2011.

Once operational, the tunnel can accommodate around 45,000 automobiles and 15,000 motorbikes each day./.

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IMF's Lipsky says moderate world recovery underway

John Lipsky, the International Monetary Fund's first deputy managing director, answers a reporter's question after the meeting of G20 finance and central bank deputies in Gwangju, south of Seoul, September 5, 2010.

Photo: Reuters

The world economy is recovering moderately but still faces challenges such as the need for medium-term fiscal consolidation, the IMF's First Managing Director, John Lipsky, said on Sunday.

"They are mainly confident that there is a moderate recovery underway globally," he told reporters, referring to delegates at the G20 meeting of deputy finance and central bank chiefs in South Korea.

"Obviously there are risks and challenges, but things seem to be moving more or less in line with our forecast," he said, listing well-designed exit strategies and medium-term fiscal consolidation as challenges.

He said some good progress has been made in discussing changes to the IMFs executive board, but did not elaborate. G20 members have pledged to reach an agreement on the issue by the time leaders meet in Seoul in November.

The United States, frustrated at Europe's refusal to share more IMF power with emerging economies, took unprecedented action last month to block plans that would have kept Europe's long-running dominance over the 24-member board.

Emerging economies have called for a bigger say in international institutions such as the IMF in line with their increasing contribution to the global economy and the resultant importance in global economic policy coordination.

A senior Indonesian official told Reuters separately that emerging economies want more voting powers as well as a readjustment in the way the global economic policy is made.

"For emerging markets, the important thing is not only the size of the increase of the quota, but the general idea of the relationship between the quota and governance of the IMF -- and that needs to come in one package," Hartadi Sarwono, deputy governor of the Indonesian central bank, said in an interview.

One senior official from a member country, who attended the whole of the meetings, told Reuters there was no discussion about specific currencies or currency issues, although issues related to reducing the global imbalances were a key topic.

"Delegates did not talk about any specific currencies or about a specific level of a currency, but of course they discussed global rebalancing," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

Japan is grappling with the yen's soaring to 15-year highs against the dollar and policymakers have repeatedly said they could take decisive action on the yen -- normally a code phrase for currency intervention.

South Korea will host the November 11-12 summit of G20 leaders in Seoul, with key issues also including reforming the global financial regulatory framework and drawing up plans to put the world economy on a balanced and sustainable growth path.

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IMF's Lipsky says moderate world recovery underway

John Lipsky, the International Monetary Fund's first deputy managing director, answers a reporter's question after the meeting of G20 finance and central bank deputies in Gwangju, south of Seoul, September 5, 2010.

Photo: Reuters

The world economy is recovering moderately but still faces challenges such as the need for medium-term fiscal consolidation, the IMF's First Managing Director, John Lipsky, said on Sunday.

"They are mainly confident that there is a moderate recovery underway globally," he told reporters, referring to delegates at the G20 meeting of deputy finance and central bank chiefs in South Korea.

"Obviously there are risks and challenges, but things seem to be moving more or less in line with our forecast," he said, listing well-designed exit strategies and medium-term fiscal consolidation as challenges.

He said some good progress has been made in discussing changes to the IMFs executive board, but did not elaborate. G20 members have pledged to reach an agreement on the issue by the time leaders meet in Seoul in November.

The United States, frustrated at Europe's refusal to share more IMF power with emerging economies, took unprecedented action last month to block plans that would have kept Europe's long-running dominance over the 24-member board.

Emerging economies have called for a bigger say in international institutions such as the IMF in line with their increasing contribution to the global economy and the resultant importance in global economic policy coordination.

A senior Indonesian official told Reuters separately that emerging economies want more voting powers as well as a readjustment in the way the global economic policy is made.

"For emerging markets, the important thing is not only the size of the increase of the quota, but the general idea of the relationship between the quota and governance of the IMF -- and that needs to come in one package," Hartadi Sarwono, deputy governor of the Indonesian central bank, said in an interview.

One senior official from a member country, who attended the whole of the meetings, told Reuters there was no discussion about specific currencies or currency issues, although issues related to reducing the global imbalances were a key topic.

"Delegates did not talk about any specific currencies or about a specific level of a currency, but of course they discussed global rebalancing," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

Japan is grappling with the yen's soaring to 15-year highs against the dollar and policymakers have repeatedly said they could take decisive action on the yen -- normally a code phrase for currency intervention.

South Korea will host the November 11-12 summit of G20 leaders in Seoul, with key issues also including reforming the global financial regulatory framework and drawing up plans to put the world economy on a balanced and sustainable growth path.

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Vietnam looks for more Belgian tourists

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium Saturday co-organized a program to promote the country’s image as an attractive and safe tourism destination.

As part of activities in the “Vietnamese Days in Belgium”, the program, titled “ Vietnam , your destination”, also aimed to offer Belgian and Vietnamese businesses operating in tourism industry an opportunity to exchange and seek out partners.

At the meeting, VNAT’s deputy head Nguyen Manh Cuong introduced tourism potentials of Vietnam, a country with 54 ethnic groups that boast a diverse cultural asset, and a thousand-year history.

Especially, the country is home to ten world natural and cultural heritages recodnised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), he said.

The Vietnamese tourism industry has also organised a wide range of special activities on the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of the capital city of Thang Long-Hanoi, Cuong added.

On the occasion, he called on Belgian tourist businesses to increase their investment in Vietnam.

 

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Vietnam looks for more Belgian tourists

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium Saturday co-organized a program to promote the country’s image as an attractive and safe tourism destination.

As part of activities in the “Vietnamese Days in Belgium”, the program, titled “ Vietnam , your destination”, also aimed to offer Belgian and Vietnamese businesses operating in tourism industry an opportunity to exchange and seek out partners.

At the meeting, VNAT’s deputy head Nguyen Manh Cuong introduced tourism potentials of Vietnam, a country with 54 ethnic groups that boast a diverse cultural asset, and a thousand-year history.

Especially, the country is home to ten world natural and cultural heritages recodnised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), he said.

The Vietnamese tourism industry has also organised a wide range of special activities on the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of the capital city of Thang Long-Hanoi, Cuong added.

On the occasion, he called on Belgian tourist businesses to increase their investment in Vietnam.

 

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Catfish rules set to curb eco impact

Catching catfish in Nga Bay District of southern province of Tien Giang. Global standards for responsible pangasius farming were finalised last Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Duy Khuong

HCM CITY — Global standards for responsible pangasius (genus of catfish) farming were finalised last Wednesday by the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, a network of 600-plus farmers, scientists, conservationists and others.

The pangasius standards are one of eight sets of standards being developed through the Aquaculture Dialogues, a series of roundtables coordinated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The network said it had a shared vision of minimising the negative impact that pangasius farming can have on the environment, farm workers and surrounding communities.

Standards for tilapia farming were finalised in December and for bivalves this week.

Four additional sets of standards on abalone, shrimp, salmon and freshwater trout are in the process of being finalised by Dialogue steering committees or reviewed during public comment periods.

The final pangasius standards will help minimise water pollution, unfair labor conditions and the destruction of natural habitat to create farms.

Most pangasius farming is done in Viet Nam, which then exports the majority of this fish to the EU, the US and Russia.

"Pangasius farming is one of the fastest-growing aquaculture industries in the world but, until now, there have not been any credible standards for the industry," said Dr Flavio Corsin, coordinator of the Dialogue since its inception in 2007.

"These standards will help fill the void," Corsin added. "They will be the best standards in the marketplace because they were developed through a transparent, science-based process that involved a broad and very diverse group of people with expertise in everything from how to protect the environment to how to fit well into a community."

The final standards incorporate feedback from more than 300 people during the two public comment periods held by the Dialogue, as well as input provided during meetings with small-scale pangasius farmers, agriculture farmers and farm employees in Viet Nam and Bangladesh who will be directly affected by the standards.

"As a major European fish brand, it is important for our business to know that there are standards created through a very credible process that will be independently audited," said David Graham of Birds Eye Iglo Group, who is a member of the pangasius Dialogue's Process Facilitation Group.

"That's what we need in order to help enhance consumer confidence in what is still a relatively unfamiliar fish species."

The certification process for these standards will be overseen by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).

Until the ASC is created in mid-2011, the certification will be done by GLOBALGAP, a private sector entity that administers a variety of commodity-oriented certification programmes worldwide. The standards will be amended over time to incorporate new science and technology, as well as to encourage improvement on farms. — VNS

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