Vietnam Roundup: Smart traffic system, bike sharing, cold weather
Promotion of smart traffic system
Ho Chi Minh City, the largest financial centre in Vietnam is constructing a smart traffic management system using advanced technologies to combat traffic congestion and reduce accidents. The city is the first to build a smart traffic operation centre, which was operational in 2019, Vietnam Plus reports. According to Vietnam Plus, Doan Van Tan, Director of the Urban Traffic Management and Operations Center under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that the department intends to construct a comprehensive traffic management and operation centre with all functions compliant with the city's traffic development directives.
Bike sharing programme
Hue City in central Vietnam has relaunched its public bike-sharing programme, with 200 bicycles stationed at seven locations in the city. The programme which was restarted on January 21 by local authorities in partnership with Vietsoftpro, a software solution company based in Vietnam plans to deploy 1,000 bicycles across 30 stations by September 2024. This revival of the bike-sharing program follows a successful pilot phase conducted from June to December 2022, during which about 12,000 bike rides were recorded, local media the Saigon Times reports. The city intends to create a more bicycle-friendly environment by building bike lanes and improving the infrastructure for cycling, according to the Saigon Times.
Extreme cold weather
A second cold front has caused extremely cold weather in Northern Vietnam with lows of almost zero degrees Celsius. According to the Vietnam National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, the extremely cold weather is moving southward and could persist for four to five days in north-central locations. On January 21, the Department of Education and Training in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam asked schools to give students a break when the temperature falls below 10 degrees Celsius, local media Tuổi Trẻ News reported.
Fruit and Vegetable exports
Vietnam's vegetable and fruit exports reached $459 million in the first half of January 2024, an 89% increase from 2023. This growth is attributed to improved quality and diverse options, particularly in China and the European Union. According to the Saigon Times, Vietnam plans to expand its export portfolio by introducing exotic fruits to China. In 2023, export revenue reached $5.6 billion, a 167% increase from 2022, with China being the largest buyer, the Saigon Times reported.
Vietnam-Romania to strengthen trade ties
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu have set goals to tighten trade relations. The two PMs urged more Vietnamese and Romanian companies to increase their investment in each other's markets to double bilateral trade by 2030, Tuổi Trẻ News reports. Romanian Prime Minister Ciolacu at a Forum held in the Romanian capital of Bucharest on January 22 said that Romania is interested in cooperation in industries such as IT, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and food. According to Tuổi Trẻ News, the Vietnamese PM also suggested that businesses from the two nations utilise the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement to enhance collaboration in sectors like mechanical engineering, specialized machinery, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, renewable energy, and automobile manufacturing.
