VietNamNet Bridge – Vu Van Tam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, tells Nong thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that enterprises should only export processed products instead of live animals.

Illustrative image — File photo

Does the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) have any plans to promote exports of livestock products?

At present, the livestock sector is in the process of restructuring and we have emphasised the importance of technical requirements – particularly quarantines so that we can ensure that livestock products are safe for domestic consumption and export.

To achieve this, we should apply advanced techniques in livestock rearing so that we can lower product prices – a very important factor in fierce international competition.

I’m pretty sure that if we quarantine well while meeting importers’ food safety requirements, we’ll be able to increase the volume of our meat exports.

In my opinion, the most important thing for our livestock sector is to re-organise production. The Government should help livestock enterprises build farms free from epidemics and create close links between co-operatives/associations and individual households so that they can share their experience.

How well are diseases controlled among domestic livestock?

Since 2013 up to now, our livestock disease management is on par with other countries. We have been active in taking microbiological samples and creating epidemiological maps to help farmers and enterprises keep their livestock healthy. We have switched from passive epidemic prevention to active epidemic prevention. As a result, in the last few years, no more major epidemics have been reported.

Do you have any suggestions to help Vietnamese enterprises expand their foreign markets?

With our own experience, I suggest that if Vietnamese enterprises want to export meat, there are two major things they have to accomplish.

First, they should diversify livestock breeds. To do this, it is very important to establish close links between farmers, enterprises and government management agencies as well as trading companies so that they can share information.

Secondly, for livestock products, at the moment we should not focus on these products as until now we have not been able to fully control epidemic diseases, particularly some small sporadic diseases. I strongly recommend that we focus on the export of processed livestock products. Even Thailand can’t export fresh livestock products – but only processed products.

That’s why I strongly recommend that we should not try to export live pigs to China or elsewhere.

I recommend that we focus on exporting frozen meat, including sucking pigs and other products.

Finally, we should focus on building epidemic-free zones. When we have these zones established, we’ll then start to export some live animals. As we all know, quarantines for live animal products are very demanding. We need to have a good strategy for meat exports.

Does the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development have any ideas that can help livestock enterprises produce products that meet importers’ criteria?

We can do that, if the enterprises want it. Our ministry will hold annual conferences to hear opinions/suggestions from enterprises, local authorities, managers and scientists on how they want the MARD to support them.

What we should do right now is help them be able to respond to Technical Barriers to Trade. The MARD has assigned the National Animal Health Department (NAHD) to set up a working group headed by the director general of the Animal Health Department. Of course, members of the department will include representatives from the National Husbandry Department and other concerned agencies.

The NAHD will act as a focal point in helping enterprises export their livestock products. First, the NAHD will negotiate with their foreign counterparts about requirements for livestock products to enter their territories. After completing negotiations, the NAHD will then ask the enterprises to start writing their proposals. From then, the ball is in the enterprises’ courts. Of course, the NAHD is willing to support the enterprises if they need it.

The enterprises’ main task now is to look for local foreign counterparts in countries that they want to export to.

VNS

Business leaders and experts discussed digital solutions to involve and integrate small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into the global market, at a conference in HCM City on Thursday.

Effective use of technology and co-operation with experienced logistics suppliers will help Vietnamese SMEs grow in Asia and globally. 

The workshop was organised by the US-ASEAN Business Council and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

Sanket Ray, CEO of Coca-Cola Vietnam, said the conference served as a forum for US multinationals to share their digital marketing experience with Vietnamese SMEs.

Vo Tan Thanh, the VCCI’s director in HCM City, suggested that the State relook at policies to improve the business climate, focusing especially on programmes that would support enterprises in increasing their investment in science and technology, human resources development, renovation, creativity and financial digitalisation.

The Government is already making every effort to improve the business climate, Thanh added.

The VCCI has joined hands with Microsoft Vietnam in a project for Vietnamese SMEs to achieve sustainable development. The aim is to help enterprises access new business opportunities and cope with challenges related to sustainable development, Thanh explained, adding that the project would assist materials, services and trade firms.

At the event, experts said that retail was a promising sector in Vit Nam, thanks to the rising income of the middle-class and consumer confidence.

Effective use of technology and co-operation with experienced logistics suppliers will help Vietnamese SMEs grow in Asia and globally, they said.

Daryl Tal, CEO of UPS Vietnam Company, said online customers in Asia have a deep understanding of technology and catch up with technology trends quickly, so it is necessary to optimise the electronic supply chain to attract more customers.

In the 2017-18 period, Viet Nam aims to keep pace with other ASEAN nations in improving its business climate and promoting international integration, in the context of the fourth industrial revolution and economic digitalisation.  

VNS

Many shop owners in Hanoi are hiring topless male waiters or hairdressers as a PR stunt to attract customers.

A restaurant on Thai Ha Street hired topless waiters to attract customers

The trend started at a restaurant on Thai Ha Street. The images of young men without a shirt on and hot body made many curious and went to the restaurant to see for themselves.

Tran Thai Linh, a local in Dong Da District, said she also went to the restaurant out of curiosity but then she was disappointed after discovering that the men only appeared for two minutes when the restaurant introduce new dishes.

Linh said the restaurant definitely hit the nail on the head as everybody liked beautiful things. The images were shared by women are those who came to the restaurant at that moment.

“I wasn’t there personally but it looked like both adults and children were at the restaurants while the topless waiters appeared. This may not be good for children as they are too young and people of different age groups also come here to eat and may find it offensive,” Linh said.

After the images and the video clip were shared widely on the internet, many people commented that the PR stunt was crude and that they prefer waiters in ties and shirts.

Nguyen Minh Hoang, head of the marketing department of the restaurants, said, “This is a private event to introduce new dishes. All 120 guests we invited are students and office workers age 18 to 35. However, some people who couldn’t attend gave their tickets to their relatives and acquaintances. That’s why there are elderly people and children.”

Hoang said the restaurants couldn’t exactly tell the guests to leave then. He said such private event had been held in many countries before but the restaurant failed to predict the unexpected outcome.

Topless hairdressers hired for special event

Not long after, another clip was quickly shared on Facebook, showing hairdressers in only trousers and ties serving customers. Many said they would ask their friends to go to the salon.

Trinh Minh Hang from Quang Ninh Province said, “I needed my hair done and wanted to experience the service by those muscular and handsome men so I called the salon. However, they said the men were there for a special event and they only washed and dried your hair.”

Kim Anh, an office worker in Thanh Tri District, said at first she wanted to try too but then was persuaded by her friends that it was not very appropriate.   

Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism fined the Tran Anh Company which runs electronic goods stores VND40 million (USD1,920) fast year for employing promotional girls wearing bikinis to greet customers last year. The company claimed that they just co-operated with a partner to make a sex education video series, and it was not a marketing campaign.

In 2012, VietJet Air was also fined VND20m for in-flight bikini show to celebrate its first flight between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.

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