Traffic is not allowed to be blocked during the Festival

In these days, traffic police forces are making hectic preparations for guiding delegations coming to the Rice Festival taking place from November 28th to December 2nd and they are determined to keep the traffic from being partially blocked at this time.

According to an inter-agency plan between the public security and other committees and branches to ensure the traffic safety before, during, and after the Festival taking place in Hau Giang province, Road Traffic Police Department has joined forces with responsible units to carry out checking of roads, arranging parking lots for delegations taking part in the Festival. After the checking, agencies, committees, branches see that during the Festival’s days, the number of the vehicle participating in the Festival is very large, if concentrated in a place it is easy to block the traffic, especially at the time of opening and closing ceremonies. Therefore, a good plan for parking has been worked out. First, vehicles from Giong Rieng (Kien Giang province) will park on Nguyen Trai street (ward 4). Secondly, vehicles following the route of Vi Thuy – Vi Thanh will park in Truong Lai, vehicles of Rach Gia – Vi Thanh will park at lotus Lake, on the ground of Vi Thanh’s Party Committee Building. Vi Thanh Bus Station will be the parking lot for cargo vehicles serving the Festival.

According to Mr. Vo Chi Thanh, the head of Road Traffic Department of Hau Giang Police forces, to avoid traffic jams at the Festival’s opening and closing ceremonies, the traffic police forces will rearrange vehicles to follow different directions with priority given to cars, then motorbikes, and other kinds of engine-vehicles. However, in the case of partial traffic jam, vehicles will be directed to go to roads toward Kien Giang province or to follow Hau River’s West street to National Highway number 61. In terms of rearranging and regulating the traffic, setting commanding positions, we have a plan to set commanding positions along National Highway 1A and 61, both to keep order and to regulate the traffic and to give guidance to means of transportation at T-junctions and cross sections.

For guiding the delegations coming to the Festival, the traffic police forces have been equipped with sufficient means to keep absolute security to Party’s and State’s leaders as well as to international guests. Besides, during accompanying the delegations, the provincial police’s Managing Board has directed districts’ and towns’ police along National Highway 61 and 1A to join forces to regulate traffic, to clear roadways and pavements to avoid traffic jam when delegations pass these routes.

Mr. Thanh said: “ To have enough staff to carry out the job of accompanying delegations, regulating traffic, patrolling and checking routes the provincial police will mobilize staff responsible for traffic order and safety. Together with this, we order traffic police in districts and towns not only to take part in clearing roadways and pavements, regulating traffic at commanding positions, but also to assign forces to patrol and check to keep traffic accidents from happening”.

Article, photo: L.HUNG

New mark of creation

In festivities under the scope of the Rice Festival, the opening ceremony is attracting a lots people’s care and attention with the appearance of an impressive and monumental water stage and a grandstand of about 8,000 people. We had an exchange with Nguyen Van Tuan, Stage-Director General of the program, Director of Hau Giang Television and Radio Station, in respect of the monumental program.

* Dear Sir, the impressive and surprising opening program is going to take place as promised, isn’t it?

Certainly. All have been completed currently. There will be two parts in this program: ceremony and festivity. The chain of events in the whole program started from legendary history of Au Lac, with the farm-work initiation ceremony reappeared to praising the beauty of Viet Nam rice through the images of verdant-yellow fields and rice pounding, and ended by the image of high-and-far flying Viet pearl. The music materials serving the whole program structured harmoniously between folk-song, amateur classical theatre, light music and even chamber music, for showing lively and truthfully the images of Viet Nam’s people and rice, and opening up the Vietnamese cultural space in the rural area. All the contents is going to be shown on the opening stage of which the total area is about 1,500 m2, in which there are approximately 1,000 m2 for the performance space with the capacity of 500 artists and actors and actresses.

* Dear Sir, what is the focus of the monumental opening program?

We have set up a lot of acts to show our ideas with the reformist lively scene of “Memorable region” performed by well-known artists. This is the general act of the whole process of rice formation and development associated with the farmers’ life from the reclaimation age to the resistance war age for the dependence and the establishment of current life. Since then, affirming the position of rice in the age of integration and development. All acts formed in the related chain and performed as well as assisted mutual for completing the common idea of the program makers.

* Dear Sir, how is the focus of closing ceremony in the Rice Festival?

The closing ceremony has also been invested carefully. This aims at reaffirming the beauty of Viet Nam rice and the development of Hau Giang. Also, through artistic works, reportages, video clip, the Rice Festival with the international scope affirmed one more as the noteworthy effort of Hau Giang – a poor province, which has just been established, and the position of Viet Nam rice with the hope that this occasion will be the link of initiatives and dreams so that the rice can rise high and far in international market.

* As known, you are not only Stage-Director General of the two big programs but also have the same role in the festivity of competition on loose-fitting blouse gracefulness and the artistic program of “Hau River – Red River with one thousand years of Thang Long”. Is it so hard for you?

Certainly not. In contrast, I find that this is an advantage because my ideas built completely and shown in all the programs. Besides opening and closing programs, everybody can see a lot of other events when coming to the Rice Festival. In the daytime, everyone can feel a little tired with a series of activities, but at night we wish that they will fall in the specific space of the rivery region. Not only relax, enjoy but also feel the good and the unique of the land and the people here through artistic acts. The remainder programs will guide everybody in the new space where they can enjoy good acts and the graceful and soft laps of loose-fitting blouse changed by each period. Specially the festivity of “Loose-fitting blouse gracefulness” will be the environment for the designers’ tests and their competition of ideas. There will be three parts in the festivity of competition, with the promising requirements will meet viewers’ satisfaction: initial stage, currently – stylizing and drafting future ideas for the loose-fitting blouse. Everyone can enjoy and feel the unique characteristics of the blouse thanks to the creative hands of he designers in the Mekong Delta.

* Dear Sir, how are actor and actress and artist forces those who are participating in the programs selected?

We are always careful in setting up the acts and selecting performers. We aim at qualified performer forces. Besides the forces from Hau Giang, we also co-operate with the one from Can Tho and invite some singers and artists from Ho Chi Minh city. In addition, there is the participation of Thang Long song and dance ensemble from Ha Noi capital. All are checked careful and willing for the performance, for contributing to creating the mark of the new-fangled and impressive creation in the Festival.

* Thank you very much and good success to the programs of the Stage-Director General as expected. Executed by VINH TRA

The first Viet Nam Rice Festival

Attracting 730 home and international stalls

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, Standing Vice-Chief of the Organization Committee of the first Viet Nam Rice Festival, told: The total stalls participating in the first Viet Nam Rice Festival are up 730 stalls of 300 units, and enterprises from 30 home and international provinces and cities. So, the number of stalls has been increased double in comparison with the initial plan.

The goods and the images displayed are social-economic achievements of the localities, including agricultural and fishing tools in the ages, the specialities of regions and areas nationwide with reappearing the whole process of Viet Nam rice formation and development, …. Besides, in the general trade area with Viet rural commodities, there will be a lots grocery goods serving the essential consumer needs of the local people as well as sightseers.

* Hau Giang Food Joint Stock Company will display and sell some special rice strains: e.g. HG2, Jasmine, ST3 and KDM which are the top commodities introduced in the first Viet Nam Rice Festival.

Within the first 10 months of the year, Hau Giang Food Joint Stock Company has been purchased more than 101,000 rice tons of all types, exceeding the set standard planned in 2009, in which, the total output sold approximately 74,000 rice tons of all types. At present, the Company has been investing more than 10 billion VND in building 2 rice storehouses with the capacity of about 15,000 tons. KIM LOAN
The writing competition of Xa No Canal

“Civilization of the Canal” won the first Prize

The writing competition of Xa No canal held by Hau Giang Press for welcome the first Viet Nam Rice Festival has been ended after the more than 1 month mobilization. 19 writings belonging to the genres such as editing, collecting, reportage, chronicle, and notes from the professional writers and the unprofessional one in the area have been sit in the competition. Though the time of mobilization wasn’t long, the Organization Committee received the quality writings which are lively and full of materials and follow closely the topic of the competition, also show the writers’ study and exploitation in various angles relative to Xa No canal.

Ten the best excellent writings have been selected for awarding. The editing writing on “Civilization of the Canal” of Nham Hung (from Can Tho) won the first Prize. The second one awarded Hoang Mai (from Hau Giang Press) with the three-installments reportage on “Xa No – Rice Path” and Anh Dong (from Kien Giang) with the editing writing on “Legendary history of a channel stream”. Besides, there are also three third prizes and four incentive one. By V.TRA

Breakthrough direction of “focus of attack”

Director Bui Phong Luu and Expert Nguyen The Ha

Bui Van Ngo Agriculture - Industry Limited Company

Hau Giang is the well-known rice production area in the whole country. Though Hau Giang is the new province which has just been separated from Can Tho, the foundations of cultivation, animal husbandry and fishery here have existed for a very long time. In Hau Giang province, the rice farming area is about 82,710 hectares, and the annual rice output maintained at 1,020,000 tons, with the constant increase in the rice yield and the rice output which is special in comparison with other provinces. Only one matter should be discussed is that the processing industry in Hau Giang is still in a small scope, with a low technological level, and producing and trading organizations of agricultural products aren’t able to compete in the market resulting in the postharvest loss of about 12% output, and the damages of value after quantitative determination are up 15% annual output. The damage value is about hundreds of billion VND per year.

* What should we do?

What should the people in Hau Giang do to keep the proudness of the wet rice civilization?

• Reconstructing fields in the direction of mechanization and irrigation.
• Modernizing the farming system in GAP standards.
• Carrying out rice harvest by the combined harvester-thresher.
• Drying, storing, husking, and processing by-products in modern technology and HACCP standards.
• Organizing and setting up the rice trademark, cleaning up the market, building the good currency – credit relationship.

To signal agricultural-rural industrialization and modernization in Hau Giang, ... it is required to focus on investing in postharvest treating sections, in which preserving and processing industrial clusters invested in the modern direction. The rice drying capacity shall obtain from 1,000 tons to 1,200 tons/day. The power of husking system shall obtain 500-600 rice tons/day associated with the capacity of storing, husking and processing shall be 120,000-150,000 rice tons/year/cluster. Specially, the system operated by the rice husk energy for drying and generating power concomitantly. The investment capital per cluster is about 400 billion VND, with the internal rate of return of the project is IRR = 20%. This idea is “so fit” for a poor province as Hau Giang, isn’t it? With one cluster per year is built in Hau Giang, so within 5 years there will be enough 5 modern rice processing clusters built, which will create the internal accumulation in agricultural production, and be the decisive factor so that agricultural-rural industrialization and modernization carried out initiatively in Hau Giang.

So, adaptive enterprise form should be set up in Hau Giang: Agricultural Joint Stock Company. The form has been built in Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Long An with the expectation that it will be the instrument of a new agricultural community in order to:

• Activate the production capacity in site through the combination of 4 houses, focus on the investment by value series. In which, the farmers and the local people who are landless but skilled in service and transportation, ... can participate in the value series.
• Enhance production level, calculate by the market trend as a professional provider, improve the livelihood of participators, create the internal accumulation in agricultural production, come to the thorough development, adapt to the demand of modern distribution channels and be the base of building a new agricultural culture.
• Model and apply the social-economic research achievements of the scientific research organizations.
• Invest in agricultural product processing with the great efficiency, the deep and steady root policy through the method of creating the abundant and high quality material area which not only provides enough materials for processing factories and ensures the proper profitability for the investors but also helps the material development carried out in the direction of product diversification, capital maintenance and development with the internal rate of return, IRR, is 20-25%.

The great agricultural product sale market of near 1 million people in Hau Giang province and neighbour areas will be an opportunity for consumer commodity distributors and agricultural product buyers.

* Breakthrough model

This model is considered as the acting direction of “focus on attack”, so:

• All households shall agree with the new trading plan, including co-ordinating in business, co-selecting the opportunity for contributing their capital to the II-type area and the III-type area by purchasing the shares from Agricultural Joint Stock Company. The farmers who contribute their labor force will get paid in full, and who contribute the land will be entitled to enjoy the proper interest income, and who contribute agricultural products will be shared the profits; also the production will be carried out by safe and steady agricultural process on both income and environment.
• The opportunity value of the households existing in the rural area exploited thoroughly, and the farmers working as workers will get paid appropriately.
• Promoting the value per section and decreasing the postharvest damages, modernizing step-by-step the farming system, developing processing services, and perfecting the logistic system.
• Increasing the opportunities for developing industries, promoting folk gastronomy quintessence associated with developing agricultural tourism, and creating the new face of the rural area.
• In initial calculation, the drying capacity is 1,000 rice tons/day right after the harvest, storing and husking 65,000 high quality rice tons, processing 15,000 broken rice and bran tons, and 20,000 rice husk tons. Investing in rice husk power, generating the power and heat-insulating Aerogel from rice husks ... The total investment capital is about 400 billion VND, and the internal rate of return is IRR = 20%.

At present, Mekong Delta Development and Research Institute (Can Tho University), Farmer Support Club consisting of the experts who are teaching in institutes, schools, and the market experts who are working in Business Support and Research Centre (BSA), Sai Gon Marketing Press - Can Tho Office, Bui Van Ngo Agriculture and Industry Mechanical Company and partners: Agriculture and Forestry University, Scientific University, Polytechnical University.

* Companies in Ho Chi Minh city:

• Plant Protection Company
• Hoang Ha Company
• Nguyen Dinh Rubber

Especially the participation of Co.opMart system and Sai Gon Marketing St.

However, the inner force from Hau Giang still plays the role of decisive factor. So, the specific models should be built for solving the problem against the postharvest loss.

1. Selecting the method of drying postharvest rice, with the capacity of 5,000 tons/day, and 600,000 tons/year by industrial method.
2.  Modernizing rice storing, husking and processing sections in advanced technology, with the capacity of 6,000 dried rice tons/day, and the humidity is approximately 15%.
3. Modernizing storing section and market connection for bringing the profit for and enhancing the accumulation value of the participators in the value series, which started by applying scientific and technical achievements, using the capital source and the management level of institutes, schools, and employing the relationships with market connection centre between Hau Giang – Ho Chi Minh city, friend provinces, international organizations, and financial institutions.

Renewing and increasing the attraction of investments for aiming at developing competitive business lines, improving the people’s livelihood, modernizing agricultural production by increasing the greymatter content as well as the trading efficiency based on using resources reasonably, and keeping environmental safety, which considered as the wise choice of Viet Nam on the development way.

Research institute		National political system
University		Central government
Non-governmental organization		Provincial government
International organizations		Commune, district governments
	Agricultural co-operative
Agricultural community
	Agricultural joint stock co.	Supermarket systems
	Rural supermarket	Seed company
Bank system	Bank for farmers	Agricultural materials co.
Financial organization	Farmer supporting club	Rural infrastructure construction co.
	Agricultural investment consulting co.

Pilot model in Tam Nong, Dong Thap

Gastronomy attraction, lively rivery-trading

The gastronomy festivity and the program of reappearing the floating market are the promising programs for attracting the visitors’ coming to the first Viet Nam Rice Festival in Hau Giang.

Up to the 27th of November, the gastronomy area has been completed on Tran Hung Dao street, by Xa No canal. Two parallel rows of thatched houses make the people remember the market areas in the age when Hau Giang just reclaimed. With 59 stalls designed and decorated impressive by materials from trees and leaves will create the airy and comfortable space for the guests while eating and drinking. The gastronomy area divided into 6 specific sub-areas are undertaken by gastronomy units directly under Sai Gon Tourist Company, with cooking stoves of the well-known trademarks from Ho Chi Minh city such as Binh Quoi Tourist Area, Thanh Da Tourist Area, Dong Khanh Restaurant and Can Gio Ecologic Tourist Area. With more than 100 special dishes from 3 regions, the North – The Central – the South made by rice and cooked by the chefs in the gastronomy area, in order to meet the customers’ demand and taste. The cooking process of some special dishes from the regions and the areas also “performed” before the guests. This will be an opportunity so that housewives and some sightseers can clean the processing measures of some new-fangled dishes for serving their family members and close relatives. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Binh, representative of Thang Phuc Investment and Trade Joint Stock Company (Ho Chi Minh city), the organization unit of the gastronomy festivity and reappearing the floating market in the first Viet Nam Rice Festival, told more: The gastronomy area is characterized by the dishes made by rice and “variated” by the chefs’ clever hands and “shown” in the first Viet Nam Rice Festival, which creates specific dishes of each region. Daily, in the gastronomy area there will be the small stage for amateur song and music as well as reformist programs performed by the local artists and the one from some provinces and cities in the whole country.

The waitress force of 130 people are in multi-color traditional loose-fitting blouse accompany with bandanna, the specific cultural characteristic of Cuu Long rivery region, which will leave the unforgettable impression in the visitors’ heart when coming to the gastronomy festivity. The dishes diversified from the traditional dishes to “the modern one”, from the pastoral one to the urban one, from the salty one to the sweet one, and shown attractively such as snail steamed with tamarind, field-mouse frilled with red pepper and salt, compressed rice with sesame and salt, Vung Tau rice vermicelli with water-lily (nenuphar), rice spaghetti with small red bean, tiny cube sương sa, steamed glutinous rice of all types, small pyramidal glutinous rice cake, bloating fern-shaped cake, rice spaghetti cooked with crab, barley-sugar, ice-cream, ... Besides, on arrival at the gastronomy area, the visitors can also enjoy some displayed images and objects of dishes made by rice from the ancient time to present. Moreover, the employees in the gastronomy area will also explain the history as well as the utility of the said images and objects in accordance with the visitors’ requirements if any.

Nga Bay floating market is the biggest one in the Mekong Delta region which was formed hundreds of years ago. This is the confluence of 7 tributary rivers and the biggest waterway hub in the south of Vietnam. Nga Bay floating market is an area of all-kind commodities specializing in whole-sale and retail of goods typical to the flooding region of the South. From this market, the products of low land region reach as far as the North and across the borders to foreign countries. The floating market to be imitated on the river around the main stage will imply the commercial cultural feature of the southern countryside. Guests will forget themselves in the commercial atmosphere of centuries ago through the ways the real merchants cry and offer their wares on boats floating on the water. The unique way to advertise by “nipping up” produce for sale on a rod at the front of the boat has been deepened in the spirit of people here and become a floating market’s habit. Mr. Thang Trong Phuc, the president of Thang Phuc Commerce and Investment Joint Venture, said: Despite being an imitation, the floating market complex on Xa No canal will depict the drifting scenes of bustling business in a real floating market. There will be 40 boats of various produce shifted from Phong Dien floating market (in Can Tho) to Hau Giang to act the scene of selling and buying produce as well as mobile “eating shops”. However, to create an impression of the flooding region in the mind of guests coming to attend the First National Rice Festival, the company uses traditional loose-fitting blouses (ao Ba Ba) and bandannas (khan Ran) as clothing for the actors in the floating market. At the same time, 10 of actors also in loose-fitting blouses and bandannas will stay on boats to offer produce by singing chanteys and popular airs characterizing the South’s countryside. Two boats will also be arranged as an out-door mobile stage at the busiest time of the market to perform the Southern Amateur Singing (Don Ca Tai Tu), chanteys and popular airs, especially sweet and profound nostalgic tunes (Vong Co) which are sketched into blood and bones of the people in the flooding region of Mekong Delta.

By KIM LOAN