The Me Linh Flower Festival 2024, themed “Me Linh in Full Bloom,” opened from December 26 to 29 at the Me Linh District Administrative Center Square, marking the largest event of its kind in the northern region for 2024.
The festival celebrated the value of the local flower-growing tradition, promoted the region’s tourism potential, and highlighted Me Linh’s historical and cultural heritage, a local government representative told the Tienphong news site.
It attracted numerous flower artisans nationwide, displaying more than 50 exotic flower species. Over the course of the four-day festival, various activities were held, such as painting competitions, giant flower mosaic creation, ao dai fashion shows, and a trade promotion fair.
Endangered red-headed cranes return to Tram Chim National Park
Seven red-headed cranes, scientifically known as Grus antigone sharpii, have been sighted at Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.
Doan Van Nhanh, deputy director of the Tram Chim National Park Conservation Center, on December 26, told the Tuoi Tre news site that forest rangers observed the seven cranes flying toward the park, heading towards Sub-zone A5. However, the flock seems unsettled and may just be scouting the area.
The red-crowned crane is a rare and endangered species in Vietnam’s Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List. Their return in December is a hopeful sign, indicating the gradual recovery of the local ecosystem.
This sighting is a positive indicator for the red-crowned crane conservation and development program at Tram Chim National Park for the 2022-2032 period, currently being implemented by the People’s Committee of Dong Thap Province.
Hefty income from rearing sika deer for velvet antlers
Dinh Duc Phu, 28, is now living in Que Thuan Commune, Que Son District, Quang Nam Province. He used to work as an automobile repairer in Japan for four years. He had to return home in 2020 because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Of the four precious Oriental medicines – ginseng, velvet antler, cinnamon, and aconite root – Phu saw that raising sika deer to collect velvet antlers was feasible in his birthplace, so he decided to invest in rearing sika deer. After learning how to raise sika deer for velvet antlers at a farm, he spent over VND2 billion turning the family’s two-hectare garden into a deer farm and buying 15 breeder sika deer to start his business at the end of 2020. He also grew corn, cassava, sweet potato and grass in the garden as feed for the deer.
Phu could harvest the first velvet antlers in early 2023. He can now harvest velvet antlers once or twice per year from 20 sika deer in his farm (one kilogram of unprocessed velvet antler can be sold at VND15-20 million). To maximize profit, Phu has also produced velvet antler glue (with and without ginseng), velvet antler soaked in honey and in alcohol, and dried velvet antler. He can earn profit of around VND600 million per annum, according to thanhnien.vn.
Making model motorbikes from discarded tin cans
From discarded tin cans, Nguyen Tan Tien, 70, who lives in Go Vap District, HCMC, has made quite a few model motorcycles, three-wheeled cyclos and tricycles for sale.
Tien told tuoitre.vn that after helping his wife serve breakfast for guests, he spends most of the time making such model products, adding that he has to buy discarded tin cans from scrap buyers. To make a model motorbike or a cyclo, the old man used scissors to cut tin cans into detailed parts and glued these parts into model products.
Tien can make two model products per day. Now he can make up to a dozen kinds of model motorbikes and model tricycles. On weekends, he often sold these handmade products at an area near the Nguyen Van Binh book street and the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon. His model products are sold at VND80,000-100,000 apiece. The old artisan said he plans to make model houses and villas for sale in the near future.
