The 2018 Ba Ria – Vung Tau Sea Festival opened in Vung Tau City on Tuesday, expected to be the greatest sea festival ever held in Vietnam. This is the second time the festival has been organized, with the first one dating back to 2006. Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province is located on the coast of southeastern Vietnam, around 100 kilometers (a two-hour drive) from Ho Chi Minh City. The area is well known to tourists for its beautiful scenery and beaches in Vung Tau, the capital of the province, including Back Beach, Front Beach, and Pineapple Beach. The opening ceremony was held at Cot Co (Flagpole) Park, on Nguyen An Ninh Street of the Back Beach area, where most activities of the festival will take place. With this year’s theme “Connecting the Provinces, Cities of Vietnam – Sustainable Development of Commerce – Tourism and Economy,” the festival will display a large number of the localities’ main activities, specialties, and cultures, according to news page Vung Tau Tin Tuc (Vung Tau … [Read more...] about 28 locales attend sea festival in Ba Ria-Vung Tau
Monsoons land and sea breezes
Ca Mau province looks to develop vibrant blue economy
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Ca Mau (VNA) - Endowed with a 254-km coastline and an abundance of aquatic resources, the southernmost province of Ca Mau has viewed sea-based economic development as an inexorable trend to help it create breakthroughs in socio-economic development. Priority on infrastructure development Due attention has been given to developing infrastructure in order to develop the blue economy in an effective and sustainable manner that is commensurate with the province’s advantages and potential. Ca Mau plans to continue calling for investment in infrastructure at the 10,802-ha Nam Can Economic Zone , which is envisaged to become a sea-based economic zone with sound logistics services to meet regional and international distribution demand. It is also encouraging investment to build Song Doc and Nam Can towns into third-tier urban areas by 2025. Along with developing fifth-tier urban areas in coastal districts such as Dam Doi, Ngoc Hien, Phu … [Read more...] about Ca Mau province looks to develop vibrant blue economy
For a non-plastic waste marine environment
According to the Vietnam Institute of Seas and Islands under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), plastic waste accounts for between 50% and 80% of marine waste. Currently, Vietnam is ranked fourth among the five countries which have the biggest volume of plastic waste in their seas, with a volume of between 0.28 and 0.73 million tonnes per year (equivalent to around 6% of the world's total plastic waste discharged into the sea). According to the experts, the main sources of pollution related to marine plastic waste in Vietnam include land-based waste sources and marine-based waste sources from activities such shipping, fishing, natural incidents, floating trash at sea and other activities. On the other hand, over recent years, the marine tourism industry has developed strongly, attracting hundreds of millions of domestic and foreign tourists each year. Thus, the volume of plastic waste discharged by tourists to Vietnam's marine tourism areas is forecasted to be … [Read more...] about For a non-plastic waste marine environment
Role and significance of 1982 UNCLOS
Representatives from 107 countries and territories gathered in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on December 10, 1982, to sign the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It came into force on November 16, 1994, with approval from 60 members. It is now binding on 168 states as well as the European Community, which is the only international organisation that is a member. The Convention has 320 articles, set out in 17 parts, as well as nine annexes and four resolutions. It governs all critical issues relating to seas and oceans. It sets out the legal regime for seas and clarifies the rights and obligations of both coastal and mainland countries in relation to international traffic, environmental protection, and scientific research, etc., regardless of their development status. It also sets forth procedures to peacefully settle marine disputes between countries. The 1982 UNCLOS was signed after nine years of negotiations, expressing the strenuous efforts of the … [Read more...] about Role and significance of 1982 UNCLOS
HCMC resolves difficulties for real estate to boost economic development
On behalf of the real estate enterprises, Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HOREA), said that compared to the previous year, there was an additional petition of Gamuda Land Joint Stock Company. The petition states that while waiting for the Prime Minister to decide on a VND514-billion deduction following the recommendations of the Government Inspectorate, over the past time, construction investment and business activities of the company have been stagnant, affecting the reputation and brand of this company in 10 years of operation in Vietnam. As for the matter of social housing, Mr. Le Huu Nghia, CEO of real estate developer Le Thanh, said that they were considering whether to develop social housing again. Because of too many difficult procedures, many people advised him to play safe by switching to develop commercial real estate. At the Le Thanh Tan Kien social housing project in Binh Chanh District, although the HCMC People's Committee had … [Read more...] about HCMC resolves difficulties for real estate to boost economic development