Risks, impacts and management of invasive plant species in Vietnam

In Southeast Asia, research on invasive plant species (IPS) is limited and biased by geography, research foci and approaches. This may hinder understanding of the extent of invasion problems and effective management to prevent and control IPS. Because biological invasions are a complicated issue involving multiple disciplines, this thesis utilized diverse approaches to evaluate risk, impacts, and management of IPS in Vietnam. Distribution models of 14 species predicted that large areas of Vietnam are susceptible to IPS, particularly in parts bordering China. Native IPS, which are often overlooked in assessment, posed similar risks as non-native IPS. From the model results, a native grass Microstegium ciliatum was selected to quantify its impacts on tree regeneration in secondary forests. A field experiment in Cuc Phuong National Park found that tree seedling abundance and richness increased within one year of grass removal; this effect strengthened in the second year. These results highlight the impacts of IPS on tree regeneration and the importance of IPS management to forest restoration projects. Given the risks and impacts of IPS, strategic management is needed to achieve conservation goals in national parks (NPs). However, interviews with both state and non-state entities revealed poor and reactive management of IPS in Vietnamese NPs from national to local levels. Institutional arrangements challenge IPS management in Vietnam. Involvement of multiple sectors with unclear mandates leads to overlaps in responsibilities and makes collaboration among sectors difficult. Lack of top-down support from the national level (legislation, guidance, resources) and limited power at the local level weakens implementation and ability of NPs to respond to IPS. The findings of this thesis provide important information for achieving effective management of IPS in Vietnam. Knowledge of vulnerable areas and species likely to invade and cause impacts can help Vietnam efficiently allocate management resources to prevent and control IPS, but adjustments to institutional arrangements and enhanced cooperation may be necessary to ensure management occurs

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEAFOOD EXPORT AND VIETNAM'S ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE PERIOD OF 2005 – 2022

This article studies the relationship between seafood exports and Vietnam's economic growth in the period 2005 - 2022.  To conduct the research, the authors collected data on seafood export turnover and economic growth rate - represented by real gross domestic product (GDPr) in the period from 2005 to 2022. Data is collected from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) and international financial statistics sites (IFS, IMF).  After synthesizing and cleaning the data, the research team used Eviews 8 software to analyze the data series to examine the relationship between seafood export turnover and economic growth during the research period. Model results show that when seafood export turnover increases by 1%, economic growth increases by 1.041382%, so it can be confirmed that seafood export has a positive relationship with Vietnam's economic growth during the research period. From the research results, the authors have several proposals to promote the growth of Vietnamese seafood exports to the international market in the post-pandemic context and the volatile world seafood market situation

FENG SHUI JEWELRY CONSUMPTION TRENDS OF GEN Z YOUNG PEOPLE IN HANOI CITY

Feng shui jewelry is not only a fashion product, but also a part of lifestyle, bringing Gen Z youth in Hanoi cultural, spiritual values and profound meanings.In order to examine the feng shui jewelry consumption trends of young generation Z people in Hanoi city, the research team conducted this study. Through the results of the study, it can be seen that among those who know about feng shui jewelry, the number of people who have ever bought/used feng shui jewelry is only 46.8%. People who do not buy/use for documented reasons such as simply not liking to use it, feng shui jewelry needs to be preserved carefully and thoroughly, many people around have not used it, or using it requires sophistication, complexity...The number of people who have not yet used it and will buy and use it in the near future is still small. The frequency of using feng shui jewelry among young people is only at a normal level. Meanwhile, the favorite feng shui jewelry product is feng shui stone bracelets, followed by stone pendants. With the trend of simple, compact designs and reasonable prices being the top priorities when choosing products for young people. The main reason for young people to use feng shui jewelry is to attract fortune, luck, ward off bad luck, and be chosen as a gift. Many young people also agree that feng shui jewelry will bring fortune, luck and have a positive impact on health... so most of those who have bought/used it will intend to continue buying and using it

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF COLLOCATIONS IN ACADEMIC ESSAYS OF ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS OF THE HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAM AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

One of the main goals of language learners is to master all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing when it comes to their acquisition of the target language. However, during the process of learning English, learners inevitably face a variety of challenges related to their writing including grammatical errors, word choice, organization, idea development, and most importantly their difficulties in using collocations (Duong & Nguyen, 2021). Therefore, this study has been conducted to investigate the students’ use of English collocations in their academic essays associated with their difficulties so that appropriate pedagogical approaches and practices would be taken into consideration in order to help students improve their English collocational competences in academic writing. This descriptive study was carried out with 103 English-majored students of the High-quality program of the School of Foreign Languages at Can Tho University, Vietnam. A 5-point Likert scale survey with 18 questionnaire items was employed to examine the frequency of students' exposure to as well as their usage of English collocations, and their difficulties in using English collocations. The results of this study have shown that the most commonly used collocations in the students’ academic essays were ‘verb + noun’, and ‘adjective + noun’ lexical collocations. Additionally, the research outcomes have revealed that the types of English collocations that the students were more likely to make the most mistakes belonged to ‘verb + adverb’, and ‘adjective + noun’ lexical collocations.  Article visualizations

IMPROVING PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

This study explores English as a foreign language students’ challenges and investigates solutions for students to improve their public speaking skills at a university campus in the South of Vietnam. A descriptive mixed-method approach is used in this investigation allowing data to be quantitatively and qualitatively collected through questionnaires and interviews. The findings showed that English as a foreign language students faced several problems in public speaking as well as a lack of confidence. Many methods to improve public speaking skills were found, including making presentations, creating video blogs, and implementing circumlocution, methods that helped students increase their confidence in speaking and using effective body language. The findings of this study can be applied to help students overcome their challenges with public speaking

ĐIỀU TRA TÌNH HÌNH CỎ LỒNG VỰC PHÁT SINH TRỞ LẠI TRÊN RUỘNG LÚA GIEO SẠ SAU KHI SỬ DỤNG THUỐC TRỪ CỎ Ở THỪA THIÊN HUẾ

Studying herbicide resistance in Vietnam is limited, and there are very few reports on the regrowth of weed after applying herbicides. A survey to investigate the cultivating habit and the barnyard grass regrowing in the direct-seeded rice fields after applying herbicides in Thua Thien Hue shows that the main labourers of rice cultivation are male with a low educational level to understand scientific and technical knowledge. The most common grass regrowing in direct-seeded rice fields after applying herbicides includes Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli), Grass-like fimbry (Fimbristylis miliacea), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), and Sprangletop (Leptochloa chinensis). The yield decreases from 12.1 to 14.0% because of regrowing of barnyard grass. The herbicides commonly used in Thua Thien Hue are Sofic 300EC (Pretilachlor) and Sunrice 15WDG (Ethoxysulfuron), but their effectiveness has decreased in recent time owing to farmers’ inappropriate spraying skills and the decrease in the effectiveness of herbicides. A more thorough assessment of the factors that cause grass regrowing after spraying herbicides is required for better weed management.Nghiên cứu sự kháng thuốc trừ cỏ ở Việt Nam còn hạn chế và có rất ít báo cáo về sự phát sinh của cỏ dại sau khi sử dụng thuốc trừ cỏ. Kết quả điều tra về tập quán canh tác và tình hình cỏ lồng vực phát sinh trở lại trên ruộng lúa sau khi sử dụng thuốc trừ cỏ ở Thừa Thiên Huế cho thấy lực lượng lao động chính canh tác lúa là nam giới, trình độ dân trí không cao nên khả năng tiếp thu kiến thức khoa học – kỹ thuật hạn chế. Các loại cỏ gây hại phổ biến trên ruộng lúa gieo sạ là cỏ lồng vực (Echinochloa crus-galli), cỏ chác (Fimbristylis miliacea), cỏ chỉ (Cynodon dactylon), cỏ đuôi phụng (Leptochloa chinensis) là các loại cỏ xuất hiện trở lại sau khi đã sử dụng thuốc trừ cỏ. Cỏ lồng vực mọc trở lại có thể gây giảm năng suất cây lúa 12,1–14,0%. Các loại thuốc trừ cỏ được sử dụng phổ biến là Sofic 300EC (Pretilachlor) và Sunrice 15WDG (Ethoxysulfuron). Hiệu quả thuốc trừ cỏ lúa có xu hướng giảm trong thời gian gần đây do kỹ thuật sử dụng và sự giảm hiệu quả của các sản phẩm thuốc trừ cỏ. Chúng tôi kiến nghị cần đánh giá đầy đủ hơn về các yếu tố gây nên tình trạng cỏ dại mọc trở lại sau khi phun thuốc để có định hướng quản lý cỏ dại tốt hơn

Evaluation of Pseudomonas stutzeri AM1 and Pseudomonas oleovorans ST1.1 isolated from shrimp pond sediments as probiotics for whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei culture

This study aimed to isolate the probiotic potential of nitrifying bacterial strains and to evaluate their effects on water quality and growth performance of the whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Based on an initial screening of 100 isolates identified from sediment samples, 12 strains could remove nitrogen compounds and two strains (Pseudomonas stutzeri AM1 and P. oleovorans ST1.1) showed highly efficient nitrogen removal ability. Within 96 h, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal efficiency in the two strains was 28.0-31.6% and 21.5-24.9%, respectively. The water addition of 103 CFUmL-1 of P. stutzeri AM1 (T1) and P. oleovorans ST1.1 (T2) effectively reduced TAN, nitrite, nitrate, and total sulfide and increased the survival rate and biomass of shrimp. However, no significant differences were found between the control (T0) and treatment groups (T1 and T2) in the final weight, weight gain and specific growth rate of shrimp. Overall, P. stutzeri AM1 (T1) and P. oleovorans ST1.1 used as water supplements improved water quality and the survival rate of whiteleg shrimp

The Effects of Geopolitical Risks on Oil Price Volatility

This study investigates the short-term and long-term effects of geopolitical risks on the volatility of oil price. Data used in this study are the daily geopolitical risk index, oil price and USD index during the period from January 4th, 2010 to December 31st, 2022. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach, the empirical results confirm that the geopolitical risks has positive effects on the volatility of oil price in both the long-term and short-term, meaning that an decrease in the geopolitical risk Index is associated with an increase in the volatility of oil price. In addition, the results derived from the ARDL model indicate that USD index has a positive effect on the volatility of oil price in the short-term, but it has no impact on the volatility of oil price in the  long-term. Finally, the results of the error correction model confirm that only 2.81 percent of the disequilibria from the previous trading day is converged and corrected back to the long-run equilibrium in the current trading day

GLYCOSIDES ISOLATED FROM THE AERIAL PARTS OF Premna integrifolia L. GROWING IN THAI BINH

From the aerial parts of Premna integrifolia L., three glycosides acteoside (1), premnaodoroside A (2), and premnaodoroside B (3) were isolated. Their chemical structures were elucidated by means of ESI-MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HSQC, HMBC spectra and in comparison with the previous literature. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of 1 and 3 from P. integrifolia

Child stunting is associated with child, maternal, and environmental factors in Vietnam

Child stunting in Vietnam has reduced substantially since the turn of the century but has remained relatively high for several years. We analysed data on children 6–59 months (n = 85,932) from the Vietnam Nutritional Surveillance System, a nationally representative cross‐sectional survey. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate relative risk (RR) of stunting, stratified by child age and ecological region. Covariates at the child, maternal, household, and environmental levels were included based on available data and the World Health Organization conceptual framework on child stunting. Among children 6–23 months, the strongest associations with child stunting were child age in years (RR: 2.49; 95% CI [2.26, 2.73]), maternal height < 145 cm compared with ≥150 cm (RR: 2.04; 95% CI [1.85, 2.26]), living in the Northeast compared with the Southeast (RR: 2.01; 95% CI [1.69, 2.39]), no maternal education compared with a graduate education (RR: 1.77; 95% CI, [1.44, 2.16]), and birthweight < 2,500 g (RR: 1.75; 95% CI [1.55, 1.98]). For children 24–59 months, the strongest associations with child stunting were no maternal education compared with a graduate education (RR: 2.07; 95% CI [1.79, 2.40]), living in the Northeast compared with the Southeast (RR: 1.94; 95% CI [1.74, 2.16]), and maternal height < 145 cm compared with ≥150 cm (RR: 1.81; 95% CI [1.69, 1.94]). Targeted approaches that address the strongest stunting determinants among vulnerable populations are needed and discussed. Multifaceted approaches outside the health sector are also needed to reduce inequalities in socioeconomic status.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151838/1/mcn12826.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151838/2/mcn12826_am.pd