Tropical storm Wipha barrels toward Vietnam, sparks response in coastal hotspots
Tropical storm Wipha is closing in on northern Vietnam, with its erratic path prompting urgent preparations in Quang Ninh province and the port city of Hai Phong to safeguard residents, infrastructure, and economic assets ahead of an anticipated landfall.
In Quang Ninh, locals are reinforcing rooftops, securing aquaculture rafts, and steering fishing vessels to safe harbors. Tourist boats have been relocated to designated storm shelters to shield visitors and operators.
Competent forces have issued an urgent directive suspending departure permits for passenger boats in the province, reported VNA.
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| Local fishermen check and reinforce aquaculture rafts in Ha An ward, Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA) |
In Hai Phong, a bustling coastal city, authorities activated a full-scale storm response by 1 pm on July 20, coordinating across agencies, communes, wards, and special economic zones.
The municipal People’s Committee said it had deployed emergency plans by 6pm on July 19, tailored to each area’s risk levels. The city has herded 1,657 vessels with 4,668 crew members to safe anchorages and issued warnings to nearly 9,900 aquaculture cages and over 16,000 tourists on Cat Ba Island, including roughly 2,500 foreigners.
All vessels remain in communication with authorities, with none stuck in the storm’s danger zone, the committee reported. Within Hai Phong’s maritime zone, 71 ships carrying 690 crew members are safely anchored.
Evacuation plans are ready for low-lying, coastal, and riverside areas across 114 communes, wards, and special zones.
Inspectors checked 180 old apartment blocks, tagging 59 as Grade D, the highest risk level for structural failure. To fend off strong winds, the city has chopped and shored up urban trees to stop branches from smashing traffic, power lines, or wrecking construction sites.
Vietnam, Pakistan work to boost bilateral economic and trade cooperation
In an effort to strengthen Vietnam-Pakistan bilateral economic and trade ties, Vietnamese Ambassador to Pakistan, Pham Anh Tuan, has held a working session with Ushman Shaukat, President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
During the meeting, Ushman Shaukat provided an overview of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s operations and its role. He highlighted that, with over 13,000 members and a wide range of activities, RCCI is Pakistan’s third-largest chamber of commerce, following only Karachi and Lahore, serving as a vital bridge for Pakistan’s international trade activities.
Expressing his admiration for Vietnam’s dynamic economic growth, particularly in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, biotechnology, and healthcare supplies, Ushman Shaukat noted that businesses under RCCI have been present in the Vietnamese market since 2005, collaborating with local partners. Currently, monthly pharmaceutical shipments are exported to Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi.
In particular, the President of RCCI highly valued the standards maintained by VDA and expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ management agencies in this field, cited NDO.
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| Ushman Shaukat, President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presents a book to Ambassador Pham Anh Tuan. (Photo: The Embassy of Vietnam in Pakistan) |
During the meeting, Ambassador Pham Anh Tuan shared updates on the outcomes of the recent official visit to Vietnam by Minister of Commerce of Pakistan, Kamal Khan, from July 9 to 13, as well as the results of the 5th Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting, which included a commitment to negotiate and sign a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) by 2025. The Ambassador also stressed efforts to promote cooperation in food processing, fisheries, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, thereby creating an favorable environment for businesses from both countries.
Ambassador Pham Anh Tuan acknowledged the contributions of both countries’ business communities in fostering bilateral trade and proposed measures to enhance business-to-business connections, including delegations exchange in sectors where RCCI holds strengths, such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, livestock, and agricultural products. He stressed the importance of promoting delegations and investors with real potential, avoiding visits that are merely symbolic.
Both sides agreed to coordinate to organize business delegations to visit and work in Vietnam and Pakistan in the near future. The President also invited the Vietnamese Ambassador to attend the MedHealth Expo, hosted by RCCI at the end of July in Islamabad, with the participation of leading pharmaceutical, medical equipment companies, and hospitals.
Vietnamese tea art shares traditional values and cultural identity with international community
A multicultural event took place over the weekend in Toronto, one of Canada’s most vibrant cities, where the local Vietnamese community displayed the art of tea appreciation with a presentation of the Dan Nguyet tea table, an emblem of Vietnamese heritage and aesthetics, adding a unique cultural hue to this ethnically diverse city.
This year’s Wellington County Multicultural Festival attracted 12 international cultural communities. Representing Vietnam, the Canada–Vietnam Education and Culture Council (CVCEC), in collaboration with Song Hy Tra, introduced the Dan Nguyet tea table and a traditional tea performance by artisan Nguyen Ngoc Tuan.
Speaking to the press in Canada, artisan Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, founder of the Song Hy Tra brand, stated that Vietnam takes pride in being one of the world’s early homelands of the tea plant. Tea and tea culture have long been a part of everyday life in Vietnam, and he expressed his wish to introduce Vietnamese tea culture to the world, inviting people to discover a tradition with deep historical roots and many enduring values still preserved today.
Tea is consumed in many countries, but the Vietnamese have developed their own distinct way of enjoying it. The image of a cup of tea in every household reflects a style of tea drinking that is modest yet unique, passed down through generations and unlike that of any other country.
The traditional Vietnamese tea ritual is simple and unpretentious. A cup of tea is seen as a bridge that connects family members, neighbors, and, more broadly, communities and nations, VOV reported.
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| Dan Nguyet tea table by artisan Nguyen Ngoc Tuan and Song Hy Tra featured at the festival (Photo:VNA) |
Daniel, a visitor to the Vietnamese booth at the festival, shared his impressions while sipping a cup of hot tea. He remarked on its delicate flavor, unsweetened but with a natural scent of bamboo and earth and said it was a pleasure to experience such a drink.
A simple cup of tea has served as a cultural bridge, helping Canadian friends and other festival visitors gain a deeper understanding of Vietnamese customs and way of life. Through each tea leaf, stories are told, about the tea-growing regions, about the people who dedicate their lives to the craft. These stories show the quiet beauty of Vietnamese culture, and the fragrance of Vietnamese tea leaves becomes an invitation to visit Vietnam.
This year marked the first time the Vietnamese community in Canada took part in the Wellington Multicultural Festival, contributing their voice to an elegant space of cultural exchange. The tea performance and the distinctive Dan Nguyet tea table have become a cultural symbol for the Vietnamese community abroad, thus helping affirm Vietnam’s cultural identity and promote its traditional values to the world.
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