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Article 6

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Issues discussed by Party Central Committee draw public concern


Officials, Party members and citizens have paid attention to issues being discussed at the seventh plenary meeting of the 12th tenure Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, which takes place from May 7-12. 


 

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The seventh plenary meeting of the 12th tenure Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee takes place from May 7-12. 

The committee is mulling personnel work at all levels, especially the strategic level; salary reforms for officials, public servants, the armed forces, and workers; and social insurance policy reform, among other issues. 

Regarding social insurance policy reform, Phan Van Men, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Security, said about 224,000 labourers at 20,000 micro-and small businesses in the city have yet to join social insurance. 

However, social insurance agencies struggle to access businesses which have ghost addresses, he said, describing the amended Law on Social Insurance, which took effect on January 1, 2018,  as a useful tool to manage social insurance in each locality. 

Men said the 9,678 voluntary social insurance participants in HCM City remains limited compared with the potential of the country’s most populous city. Given this, he suggested changing voluntary social insurance policies to attract more participants. 

Nguyen Thi Minh Thu, an official of Hung Thang ward, Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh, emphasised the need to complete sanctions against units and enterprises deliberately delaying social insurance payment for their labourers. 

Thu’s view was echoed by Dam Luc Si, Director of the Social Security of the southern province of Soc Trang, who said the social insurance policy should prescribe suitable regulations to reduce one-time social insurance benefit. 

Besides, voluntary social insurance participants should receive more support from the State budget, and be facilitated in transferring to compulsory social insurance, he said. 

Asked about salary policy, Truong Hong Son, Chief of the Office of the HCM City Labour Federation, suggested bonuses for initiatives and creativity at work, explaining that the present salary level has failed for create a momentum for officials and public servants to improve working efficiency. 

Son expressed his hope that the Party and the State will roll out breakthrough policies regarding this issue. 

Ma Chi Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Soc Trang province, said that salary reform is urgent to help labourers cover their daily needs, while encouraging them to work hard.

On personnel work, Nguyen Thi Dung, former lecturer of the HCM City College of Industry and Trade, said this is a hot issue which has sparked public concern recently. 

To develop a quality contingent of officials at all levels, especially the strategic level, personnel work should be publicised and transparent, she said, adding that stricter sanctions against wrongdoings are needed. 

Meanwhile, Vi Van Vuong, Chief of the Office of the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of Binh Lieu district, Quang Ninh province, said it is a must to revamp the assessment of officials, combine the planning of the management and leadership posts with the planning of professional officials, especially young, female and ethnic minority ones. 

Attention should be paid to training personnel, reforming recruitment methods and promoting nomination and self-nomination rights in personnel work, he said.

VNA

Article 5

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HCM City takes measures to combat floods


HCM City agencies have taken measures to combat floods after heavy rains flooded several areas in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday.


 

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Heavy rains flooded Nguyen Huu Canh Street in HCM City’s Binh Thanh District last week. - VNS File Photo


The area around the intersection of To Ngoc Van and Pham Van Dong streets in Thu Duc District was submerged under 30cm flood water, causing traffic problems, according to the HCM City Urban Drainage Company Ltd.

Similarly, a stretch of Le Van Viet Street from Ha Noi Expressway and Le Loi Street in District 9 was under 30cm of water, while La Xuan Oai Street (from Man Thien Street to Street No 379) was 50cm under water. The flooding was so bad that motorbikes could not enter these areas.

The city faces floods at 40 flood-prone spots, and relevant agencies have taken measures to combat floods at 22 spots.

That leaves 18 flood-prone spots at the begining of this year’s rainy season, according to the management centre of the HCM City flood-combating programme.

Flood prevention project

To minimise the impact of this year’s floods, the HCM City Urban Drainage Company Ltd has taken effort to complete work at eight sub-projects to combat floods at eight spots at Me Coc No 2 in District 8, Luu Huu Phuoc and Luong Dinh Cua streets in District 2; Ton That Hiep and Ho Van Tu streets in District 11; Truong Vinh Ky Street in Tan Phu District; An Duong Vuong Street in District 6; and a spot on Huynh Tan Phat Street in District 7.

In 2018, floods are expected to be controlled on 13 of these streets, while construction of flood-control facilities on National Highway No 1A, National Highway No 13 and Ho Hoc Lam Street will be completed after 2020, according to the company.

The company has repaired flood-control facilities and dredged water drainage systems at the flood-prone spots.

As of March 2018, the HCM City Urban Drainage Co. had dredged nearly 310,000km of flood-control dams, and dredged 3,329km of canals and dykes.

In addition, pumps with a capacity of up to 96,000 cubic metres per hour have been rented to pump floodwaters from Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District, the management centre said.

Meanwhile, the management centre of the HCM City flood-combating programme is operating 56 pumps, with each having the capacity of 168 to 84,000cu.m of water per hour during rains and high tides.

It is also operating 1,077 tide-control culverts, including Binh Loi, Binh Trieu, Rach Lang, Rach Nhay – Ruot Ngua, and Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe. 

Eighteen flood-prone spots in HCM City include areas on Huynh Tan Phat and Tan Quy streets (in District 7); Le Duc Tho and Quang Trung streets (in Go Vap District); Bach Dang and Ho Hoc Lam streets; Highway No 13; Kha Van Can Street, a stretch of National Highway in Binh Tan and Binh Chanh districts; Ba Van, Mai Thi Luu, Bau Cat and Truong Cong Dinh streets in Tan Binh District; Nguyen Huu Canh, Dinh Bo Linh, Nguyen Xi, Ung Vanh Khiem, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Phan Dang Luu and Bach Dang streets and Van Thanh area in Binh Thanh District; Luong Dinh Cua and Nguyen Duy Trinh areas in District 2; and Do Xuan Hop and Le Van Viet streets and Ha Noi Expressway in District 9.

  VNS

Article 4

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SMEs say foreign retailers control distribution channels


Vietnamese manufacturers are having difficulties in distributing their products as foreign retailers control modern distribution channels.


 

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It is becoming more difficult to bring goods to large supermarkets for sale


Many businesspeople say that it is becoming more difficult to bring their goods to large supermarkets for sale.

Nguyen Thanh Hung from Hung Tan Farm Produce said he has to go through many stages to have his products displayed on supermarket shelves. 

As the procedures are time consuming, it takes five to seven days on average for farm produce to be available at supermarkets. 

Meanwhile, supermarkets are ordering goods in small quantities each time, so the company has to pay more for transportation fees.

Other businesses complain that as supermarkets defer payment for goods, they do not have capital to maintain production.

“Supermarkets promise to make payments within 30 days, but they often deliberately delay the payment. I know many small businesses don’t have money for re-investment,” a businessman said.

Modern retail channels (supermarkets, convenience stores and minimarts) make up 50 percent of total sales. This means that those who control the retail channels will have big power and a decisive voice in supply activities. 

He said that supermarkets require discount rates of 23-25 percent.

“Because of this reason, I have postponed my plan to enter supermarkets for two years,” he complained.

Nguyen Vinh Phu, former chair of the Hanoi Supermarket Association, confirmed that in Vietnam products have to go through many intermediaries before reaching consumers. 

As a result, manufacturers make modest profits and consumers have to buy goods at unreasonably high prices, while retailers and intermediaries enjoy the biggest profits in supply chains.

“I have enough evidence to prove that some retailers are blocking suppliers by many kinds of charges and fees. This will discourage suppliers and manufacturers, and will kill domestic production,” Phu said. 

The problem, according to Phu, is that foreign retailers are dominating modern retail channels.

Foreign retailers have been flocking to Vietnam in recent years. With advantages in capital, technology and business experience, they are keeping the upper hand over domestic ones.

Analysts estimate that modern retail channels (supermarkets, convenience stores and minimarts) make up 50 percent of total sales. This means that those who control the retail channels will have big power and a decisive voice in supply activities. 

In other words, they have the power to set quality standards, distribution conditions and discount rates, and decide which products they will sell.

The director of a seafood company confirmed that Vietnamese manufacturers now depend on modern distribution channels, so they have to accept the requirements set by retailers.

“We have fallen into a dilemma. If we enter supermarkets, we will have to pay too many expenses which eat into our profits. But if we don’t, we will miss an important distribution channel,” he said.


VNN

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Red-shanked doucs protected by locals in Quang Nam forest


In 2017, the news about the discovery of red-shanked doucs in Hon Do of Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam province stirred the scientific community. The provincial authorities immediately joined forces with Nuoc Viet Xanh Biodiversity Conservation Center to conduct a tally.


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The red shanked douc in Quang Nam


They found two groups of red shanked doucs with a total of 16-20. However, the precious primates, which are seen only in Vietnam, now live in an isolated natural forest covering an area of 5 hectares.

This prompted some scientists to think of moving herds to ensure habitat and food for the langurs.

Surprisingly, the idea faced strong opposition from both local authorities and people.

“The scientists have recently heard about the doucs, but we have been familiar with them for many years. We consider them as children,” said Danh, a local man who works as a volunteer in the team of douc protectors.

“They are our treasure. They are even more valuable than gold,” he said.

Pham Minh Huan, a forest ranger in Nui Thanh district, reassured reporters that they would be able to see the doucs.

“They always ‘sun bathe’ on trees every morning. They leave at 8 am to avoid the sunlight and return in the afternoon,” he explained.

They found two groups of red shanked doucs with a total of 16-20. However, the precious primates, which are seen only in Vietnam, now live in an isolated natural forest covering an area of 5 hectare.

Huan introduced every member of the team of douc protectors to reporters. They earn their living with different jobs, from fowl farming to honey bee collectors, but they all want to protect the doucs like their children.

“We go to the forest regularly to see if there is any trap or illegal poacher, and to be sure that the doucs are safe,” Danh, a member of the team, said.

The reporters had the chance to see the doucs and take pictures of them.

The reporters got up very early at dawn and depart from the Hon Do forest rangers’ station.

“Look over there,” Danh said, pointing his hands to some trees. The doucs appeared at dawn. Some of them sat still on the trees, while others passed from one branch to another.

Danh said the doucs there like eating sprouts. They eat leaves more than fruits and move on trees faster than on the ground.

“They are so nice. They are vegetarians,” he said.

There are still no official statistics about the number of doucs in Hon Do. Some people say there are three groups of 70.

Tran Huu Vy, director of Nuoc Viet Xanh Biodiversity Conservation Center, affirmed that the locals are capable of protecting doucs in Nui Thanh.


VNN

Article 2

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Over 80,000 foreigners working in Vietnam

Binh Duong - Vietnam is now home to more than 80,000 foreign workers, according to Le Quang Trung, deputy head of the Department of Employment under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

 Foreign and Vietnamese workers at a construction site
(Photo: VNA)
They come from over 100 countries and territories and work as mangers, managing directors, experts and technical workers, Trung said at a meeting on communication work on employment hosted by the ministry in the southern province of Binh Duong on May 10. 

Ninety-five percent of eligible foreign workers in Vietnam have been granted work permits, he said, adding that they provide a significant contingent of skilled, experienced and professional workers for Vietnam.

However, he noted that there is a lack of close, timely and comprehensive coordination in managing foreign labourers among local authorised agencies while violations have not been strictly handled. 

The sense of law observance of some contractors, businesses and foreigner workers in recruiting, employing labourers and following work permits remains limited, even some foreigners enter Vietnam before applying for work permit, he said. 

The increasing number of foreign workers in Vietnam requires the improvement of the legal system to ensure the rights of migrant workers, especially social security.

Social insurance authorities in the country have developed a compulsory social insurance scheme for foreign workers in the country, citing the need to follow international practices as the country deepens its integration.

The 2014 Law on Social Insurance requires compulsory enrollment of foreign workers in the social insurance scheme, starting in 2018, to ensure their equality and welfare. However, to date, it has not yet been realised due to a lack of guiding documents.

A MoLISA draft decree also proposed requiring foreign workers to take part in all five social insurance programmes – pension and insurance for sickness, maternity, vocational injuries, disease, and death.


VNA

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SE Asia Stocks-Most fall; Vietnam extends fall to third day

The Philippines’ shares climbed modestly as its economic growth met expectations 

​SE Asia Stocks-Most fall; Vietnam extends fall to third day
Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) share prices are reflected on a glass panel as broker takes a break in Manila's Makati financial center. Photo: Reuters

Most Southeast Asian stock markets fell on Thursday, with Vietnam sliding 2.7 percent weighed down by lenders, while Philippines shares ended marginally higher after data showed first-quarter economic growth was in line with expectations.

The Philippines economy grew 6.8 percent in the first quarter, matching expectations and supporting optimism the government is on track to meet its growth target.

After market hours, the Philippine central bank raised benchmark interest rate which has remained unchanged in over three years.

"Philippines now has (by far) the steepest 2-year/10-year spread in emerging Asia. With inflation accelerating, tightening policy now could allay overheating concerns," DBS Group Research said in a note.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raised the key interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent after market close on Thursday.

The Philippine index ended 0.2 percent higher led by lenders such as BDO Unibank Inc, up 2.1 percent and Metropolitan Bank & Trust's, up 2.6 percent.

Vietnamese stocks extended losses for a third session, with financials leading the decline.

Vietcombank fell 5 percent and Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam shed 7 percent.

Markets in Malaysia were closed for special public holidays, following a stunning defeat of Prime Minister Najib Razak by the Pakatan Harapan party led by former mentor Mahathir Mohamad.

A fall in the Malaysian ringgit in offshore trading and a rise in the cost of insuring the country's debt showed evidence of apprehension among investors.

The central bank, however, proceeded with a policy meeting and kept its key interest rate unchanged.

Mizuho Bank said the holidays were "buying time for Pakatan Harapan lawmakers to reassure investors that any change would be gradual and carefully managed".

The country's national stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia, said trading would resume on Monday.

Indonesian markets were closed for a local holiday.

The central bank had said on Wednesday it may raise its benchmark interest rate in a move to support the rupiah which has been wallowing at 2-1/2 year lows.

Bank Indonesia, which has held the interest rate steady since cutting it by 25 basis points in September, will hold its monthly policy meeting next week.

Reuters

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Goethe Institute Hanoi launches Karl Marx contest

Hanoi -The Goethe Institute Hanoi has launched a contest inviting all Vietnamese people to engage with their dialogue on Karl Marx, marking celebrations for his 200th birthday.

 An exhibition featuring the life of Karl Marx (Photo: VNA)
Karl Marx was born in 1818 in Trier, which then belonged to Prussia. The Goethe Institute Hanoi will mark this anniversary by exploring the life, work, and most importantly, the impact of this multi-faceted thinker.

The contest will include short essays or fictional stories of about 500 words in length. Art works such as plays, poems, comic strips and picture stories or cartoons and artistic or documentary short films of no more than 90 seconds in length are also accepted.

“We want to call on all people, not only scientists and researchers, but also others from fields such as art to join the contest,” said Goethe Institute’s director Wilfried Eckstein at a press conference held on May 10.

People can write in Vietnamese and English and send their work via email to Vietnam-marx200@goethe.de before four deadlines on May 15; June 4; July 2 and August 20. After each deadlines a jury will select the items to publish on the website.

By May 15, the organisation asks especially for design suggestions for a t-shirt celebrating the Marx 200 event. From the proposals, the organisation will choose the best to be used in the course of the Marx 200 campaign.

All texts will be presented to the jury in an anonymous format in order to protect the contestant’s identity. A public discussion and exhibition of the artistic submissions will take place on the weekend of September 21-22. Four topics on the dialogue will be Marx and Religion; Marx and Mass Consumerism; Marx and Globalisation and Marx and the Liberation of the Human Being.

The project will examine the enduring significance of the German philosopher, politician, and economist in modern Vietnamese society and politics. It is supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University (USSH Hanoi) and Justus-Liebig University Giessen.-


VNA

Article 2

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Voters satisfied with anti-corruption outcomes

Hanoi -General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong met with voters in Ba Dinh, Tay Ho and Hoan Kiem districts, Hanoi, on May 13 to inform them about the planned agenda of the 14th National Assembly’s fifth session and listen to their opinions on a number of issues. 


 

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong meets with voters in Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem districts. (Source: VNA)

Tran Quoc Hoan, a voter in Ba Dinh district, said he is delighted with achievements the country has recorded in socio-economic development and external affairs, helping improve the country’s role and position in the international arena. 

He said serious corruption cases brought to light over the past time have demonstrated the Party’s drastic actions against corruption and other bad deeds. 

Hoan also applauded outcomes of the seventh plenary session of the 12-tenure Party Central Committee Central Committee, which took place from May 7-12, with three important resolutions approved. 

He described the ideological, ethical and lifestyle degradation as a disease that has appeared for a long time and been identified as a threat to the existence of the Party and the regime. 

The disease must be prevented, he said, citing cases involving Trinh Xuan Thanh and other high-ranking police officers to clarify his view. 

Echoing Hoan’s view, Nguyen Huy Yen, a voter in Ba Dinh district, stressed the determination and drastic actions taken by the Party to fight corruption and other bad deeds. 

The voter expressed his hope that the Party and State will take more drastic actions to combat corruption in order to create public trust and momentum for socio-economic development. 

Nguyen Khac Thinh from Ba Dinh district said voters agreed with a policy that the secretary of a party committee is not a local. It is necessary to have close regulations on the collection of vote of confidence for officials.

Voters also said that officials must be responsible for explaining the origins of their assets, ensuring openness and transparency.

Nguyen Duc Manh from Hoan Kiem district held that officials’ assets should be publicised in their residential areas.

The people wish the Party and State to engage in corruption prevention, he said, stressing the need for effective measures to prevent any acts to revenge corruption denouncers and resolutely reclaim fishy assets.

Another voter from Hoan Kiem district, Pham Van Quang, said it is necessary to build strong and pure party cells in order to make the corruption fight more practical and effective. 

The revision of the Anti-corruption Law must be closely supervised and stricter sanctions need to be put into place while heads of agencies and units where corruption acts are detected must take the responsibility, said Nguyen Cong Hoa, another voter from Hoan Kiem district.

At the meetings, Hanoi voters pointed out many pressing issues that need to be addressed thoroughly, including deforestation, fire prevention, food safety, urban planning, and education-training.

Welcoming local residents’ opinions, Party General Secretary Trong exchanged views on each issue mentioned, noting that these opinions are the basis for deputies to report to the NA and make efforts to solve problems.

With regard to voters’ interest in the corruption fight, he said this is a critically important but also complicated work. The combat against corruption has gained initial important outcomes recently, a result unable to be achieved without people’s support, which has consolidated the resolve to continue this fight.

He shared many participants’ view that the corruption fight has become a trend, and no one can be an outsider of this trend.

However, there remains much to be done and stronger, persistent and resolute actions are needed to fight corruption and negative phenomena, especially at grassroots levels.

General Secretary Trong said it is necessary to promote the supervisory role of the NA, People’s Councils and Party members to prevent corruption, he said, adding that firm and careful steps must be made in this work. 

He said the corruption fight must be carried out in association with the implementation of the resolution on organising a lean and efficient apparatus, issued at the sixth plenary session of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee, the resolutions on the salary and social insurance policy reforms, issued at the freshly-concluded seventh plenum of the Party Central Committee, along with the resolution on personnel work.

If the fight against corruption, wastefulness and negative phenomena is successful, the Party will become pure and strong and its combat capability will be strengthened, the leader added.

VNA

Article 1

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Domestically made dairy products have upper hand over imports


Domestic dairy production has been increasing rapidly, while the proportion of imports in total domestic consumption is on the decrease, which is good news for Vietnam’s dairy industry.


 

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Domestic dairy production has been increasing rapidly 

The imports have decreased as domestic dairy producers are scaling up their production to better satisfy domestic demand. Vinamilk, the nation’s leading dairy producer, for example, has increased its capacity from 400 million liters to 600 million liters and will continue to increase to 800 million liters per year in 2018.

The dairy industry reported total revenue of VND100 trillion in 2017, an increase of 10 percent over 2016, according to the Vietnam Dairy Association (VDA), of which powder and liquid products made up 75 percent.

The dairy industry reported total revenue of VND100 trillion in 2017, an increase of 10 percent over 2016, according to the Vietnam Dairy Association (VDA), of which powder and liquid products made up 75 percent.

The dairy import turnover in 2017 increased by 2 percent to $868 million, but it only accounted for 19 percent of the total value of the industry. Domestic dairy producers tend to expand their cow farms to better control the material supply and ease the reliance on material imports.

As consumers tend to be choosier about food hygiene, domestic companies now focus on developing new products that meet consumers’ taste and high requirements.

Vinamilk is developing its organic products, while other companies focus on developing alternative dairy products from vegetation. Quang Ngai Sugar has black sesame soya milk and green tea milk, while IDP has corn milk products.

Vinamilk, after taking up the US’ Driftwood, plans to launch condensed milk and creamer into the market with the Driftwood brand. It has joined forces with Miraka to make products in New Zealand and has set up VInamilk Europe with headquarters in Poland.

NutiFood jumped to the No 1 position in specialized dairy market segment with products designed to improve digestive system, height, weight, and products for malnourished children.

In mid-February, NutiFood signed a contract with the US partner Delori on exporting Pedia Plus, the ready-made powder milk product for anorexic children to the US.

NutiFood is a 100 percent Vietnamese owned enterprise. From its beginning, the company decided to focus on developing nutritious dairy products for domestic consumers.

Tran Quang Trung, chair of VDA, said the dairy industry has been growing rapidly by 15-17 percent in recent years. Domestic producers now spend money and effort on both research and processing with attention paid to developing material areas, rather than relying on imports.

According to the General Department of Customs (GDC), Vietnam imported $231 million worth of dairy products in the first quarter of the year, a modest increase of 7.5 percent over the same period last year.


 VNN

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Những năm qua dịch vụ viễn thông liên tục khuyến mại khách hàng thuê bảo trả trước rất cao khiến mọi người luôn vui vẻ, hằng tháng móc túi mua gói khuyến mại không chút suy tính. Khuyến mại liên tục nhưng có vẻ nhà mạng đang “sống khỏe” với giá cước đó. Nhưng theo quy định mới, hạn mức khuyến mại đối với dịch vụ thông tin di động mặt đất, từ 1/3/2018 các thuê bao di động trả trước đa chỉ còn 20%. Nếu không được khuyến mại, người dùng sẽ thấy ngay giá cước không rẻ và có nguy cơ khách hàng hạn chế sử dụng dịch vụ để tiết kiệm túi tiền. Và rồi từ ngày 1/5, giá cước kết nối đối với cuộc gọi thoại giữa hai mạng di động đã được quy định giảm khoảng 20% so với giá cước hiện hành. Có lẽ đây cũng là một giải pháp cần thiết để giữ chân khách hàng và khuyến khích sử dụng dịch vụ?
Gần đây đang xôn xao câu chuyện một số người (thu nhập thấp, không có nghề nghiệp ổn định) được mời gọi sử dụng dịch vụ chăm sóc da mặt miễn phí của hãng mĩ phẩm Deaura. Khi sử dụng dịch vụ được nhân viên dẫn dụ mua gói sản phẩm trả góp có giá trị hơn 40 triệu đồng. Hãng này lại liên kết với một công ty tài chính cho vay tiêu dùng, tất nhiên không có lãi suất “miễn phí”. Bản hợp đồng mua hàng mà người kí chẳng biết gì về thông tin cụ thể, chỉ khi mang về mới biết đó thực ra là hợp đồng vay tiêu dùng lãi suất cao với nhiều điều khoản bất lợi. Dù đang là người kiếm từng đồng, “chạy ăn từng bữa” bỗng dưng ôm khoản nợ “kếch sù”, lúc ấy mới tỉnh ngộ e rằng hơi muộn!

Article 24

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Philippines accepts 250,000T rice offers from Vietnam, Thailand

Vietnam also won a separate deal involving 80,000 tonnes of 25 percent broken rice at $517.50 a tonne, below the NFA's budget of $520.50 a tonne


Philippines accepts 250,000T rice offers from Vietnam, Thailand

A farmer works on a rice paddy field in Quang Ngai province, Vietnam March 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters


MANILA, May 4 -- The Philippines' National Food Authority (NFA) on Friday accepted offers from both Vietnam and Thailand for 250,000 tonnes of rice supply, as it rushes to rebuild depleted buffer stocks ahead of the lean local harvest season.

The NFA, the state agency tasked with ensuring stable rice supply and prices in the domestic market, increased its budget by about 10 percent for the rice purchases, after initial offers last week from Vietnam and Thailand exceeded its reference prices.

It reopened the tender on Friday for the government-to-government procurement. Vietnam will supply 130,000 tonnes and Thailand will deliver the balance of 120,000 tonnes.

The NFA allocated $531 per tonne for its purchase of 50,000 tonnes of 15 percent broken rice, a deal won by Vietnam with an offer of $526.50 a tonne.

Vietnam also won a separate deal involving 80,000 tonnes of 25 percent broken rice at $517.50 a tonne, below the NFA's budget of $520.50 a tonne.

Thailand won a 120,000-tonne supply deal involving 25 percent broken rice with a similar offer of $517.50 a tonne.

The offers were still subject to final approval by the NFA council, said Judy Carol Dansal, deputy NFA administrator and head of the panel that held the tender.

The Philippines, a frequent rice importer, plans to buy another 250,000-tonnes in an open tender later this month.

Delivery of its rice purchases begins next month, ahead of the so-called lean months of July to September when there is minimal or zero harvest locally.

President Rodrigo Duterte in April directed the NFA to build up its rice buffer stock to the equivalent of 60 days of national consumption, or as much as 1.92 million tonnes, from less than 2 days of consumption in March.

The fresh rice purchases come as the dwindling supply of cheap NFA rice led to a spike in domestic prices of the staple grain, feeding into inflation which accelerated at its fastest pace in at least five years in April.

Reuters

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Overseas investment: Vietnam exploring new markets


Besides traditional markets like Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, Vietnamese companies have begun searching for new markets for overseas investment.   


 Overseas investment: Vietnam exploring new markets, vietnam economy, business news, vn news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietnam, vietnamnet news, vn news, Vietnam net news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news

There has been noteworthy news from the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment about Vietnamese companies’ overseas investments since the beginning of the year. Reportedly, Cuba has risen among the top three countries receiving Vietnamese investment.
In general, in the first four months of this year, Vietnamese companies invested a total of $153.6 million overseas. This sum included $129 million in newly-registered capital and $24.64 million in added capital. When divided into individual markets, Laos takes first place with $80.12 million, taking up 52.2 per cent of the total. The runner-ups are Cambodia and Cuba, with $25.9 million and $19.9 million, respectively.

The nearly $20 million poured into Cuba is not a big figure, but it shows that Vietnamese companies are ready to invest in a market halfway across the Earth, which is starting to open up for foreign investors with great potential for trade development.

To date, there have been several investment projects by Vietnamese companies in this new market. Examples include PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP)’s oil and gas exploration project, the diaper manufacturing and the washing powder manufacturing projectsinvested by Thai Binh Corporation in Mariel Special Zone.

Apart from the aforementioned projects, many other investment plans are also being prepared, including a five-star hotel and offices project for lease invested by Hanel and a Cuban partner, and Vico’s washing powder manufacturing project. Moreover, Viglacera is aiming for a joint venture in ceramic manufacturing, and Hung Thang Co. is planning to manufacture bottled water.

In reality, information about the promising Cuban market has long been of interest for Vietnamese companies. Several years ago, many reports predicted that following Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, Cuba would emerge as a popular destination for Vietnamese companies, because this country has huge potential as a new market in a period of openness. In fact, the Cuban government has time and again invited Vietnamese companies to invest.

After General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Cuba in March 2018, many new opportunities for collaboration have sprung up. During the visit, a number of agreements were signed. The most noteworthy event was the closure of the official negotiation of the Trade Agreement between Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment. Accordingly, both parties will commence the legal processing necessary to sign as soon as possible and to put the agreement into practice in order to promote commercial growth and attract foreign investors.

In the framework of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit, Vietjet also reached an agreement to cooperate with Cuba Airlines. Additionally, agreements over hotel and resort development projects were signed.

According to experts, these are crucial steps to foster trade and investment between the two nations.

Overseas investment yielding fruits

After a period of active overseas investment, Vietnamese companies have recently started reaping the benefits of their work.

Most recently, Viettel announced that as of the end of 2017, it transferred $1.3 billion back to Vietnam from its overseas markets. In 2017, the firm reported $1.7 billion in revenue from Viettel Global and the Peruvian market, up 38 per cent on-year and nine times higher than the average growth rate of the global telecommunications sector.

According to the plan, in the second quarter of 2018, Viettel will officially provide telecommunications services in Myanmar, marking its presence in the tenth foreign market, after Cambodia, Laos, East Timor, Haiti, Peru, Mozambique, Cameroon, Burundi, and Tanzania.

Meanwhile, information from TH Corporation indicates that following the introduction of cows from the US and the opening of TH Corp.’s first farm in Russia earlier this year, the corporation is preparing to produce milk in Russia for the first time.

Although it is still in its early stages, this is an important milestone, promising great success for TH Corp. in Russia. Once this project proves successful, TH continue to reap benefits from overseas ops, as FPT has done in America, Japan, and Europe or Vinamilk in America and Cambodia.

Successful overseas business will be a springboard for many Vietnamese companies to continue investing in other countries. Actually, in recent times, Vietnamese companies have not only invested in Cuba, Laos, and Cambodia but have started setting their sights to a whole range of other markets.

ot restricted to Asia, Vietnamese companies have invested in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Haiti, and Cameroon. To prepare for this flow of investment, numerous Vietnamese banks, from BIDV and VietinBank to Sacombank, MB, and SHB, have followed Vietnamese companies overseas.

While outbound Vietnamese investment capital flows seem to be slowing down, many projections predict that it will rise in the foreseeable future. The Foreign Investment Agency said that in the first four months of 2018, the finance and banking sector was in the lead with a total of $105 million in newly registered and additional capitalin foreign markets. This figure accounts for 68.3 per cent of the total investment capital.

VIR

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Politics News In Brief


New Zealand Governor-General supports cooperation with VN



 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
Governor-General of New Zealand Patsy Reddy (second, right) and Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Viet Dung (second, left) pose for a photo at their recent meeting 



Governor-General of New Zealand Patsy Reddy has pledged to support the enhancement of the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, especially in sustainable development.

At a recent reception for outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Viet Dung, the Governor-General expressed her delight at the strong development of the two countries’ comprehensive partnership.

She praised the ambassador’s contributions to consolidating and strengthening bilateral ties in a wide range of areas, especially politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, education-training, agriculture, tourism and health care.

She said she admires the achievements Vietnam has made in economic development over the past time.

For his part, Dung said that Vietnam and New Zealand have maintained the regular exchange of delegations at all levels and are implementing the action programme for 2017-2020.

The two countries have seen a strong growth of bilateral trade in recent years, with a record rise of 30 percent to 1.6 billion NZD (1.2 billion USD) last year.

These will help develop the bilateral cooperation in an intensive and practical manner, creating a premise for the upgrading of the relations to a strategic partnership in the time to come, he said.

On the occasion, the ambassador conveyed President Tran Dai Quang’s invitation to the Governor-General to visit Vietnam in an appropriate time.

Earlier, Dung came to say goodbye to New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

Voters satisfied with anti-corruption outcomes
 

 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong meets with voters in Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem districts 


General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong met with voters in Ba Dinh, Tay Ho and Hoan Kiem districts, Hanoi, on May 13 to inform them about the planned agenda of the 14th National Assembly’s fifth session and listen to their opinions on a number of issues.

Tran Quoc Hoan, a voter in Ba Dinh district, said he is delighted with achievements the country has recorded in socio-economic development and external affairs, helping improve the country’s role and position in the international arena.

He said serious corruption cases brought to light over the past time have demonstrated the Party’s drastic actions against corruption and other bad deeds.

Hoan also applauded outcomes of the seventh plenary session of the 12-tenure Party Central Committee Central Committee, which took place from May 7-12, with three important resolutions approved.

He described the ideological, ethical and lifestyle degradation as a disease that has appeared for a long time and been identified as a threat to the existence of the Party and the regime.

The disease must be prevented, he said, citing cases involving Trinh Xuan Thanh and other high-ranking police officers to clarify his view.

Echoing Hoan’s view, Nguyen Huy Yen, a voter in Ba Dinh district, stressed the determination and drastic actions taken by the Party to fight corruption and other bad deeds.

The voter expressed his hope that the Party and State will take more drastic actions to combat corruption in order to create public trust and momentum for socio-economic development.

Nguyen Khac Thinh from Ba Dinh district said voters agreed with a policy that the secretary of a party committee is not a local. It is necessary to have close regulations on the collection of vote of confidence for officials.

Voters also said that officials must be responsible for explaining the origins of their assets, ensuring openness and transparency.

Nguyen Duc Manh from Hoan Kiem district held that officials’ assets should be publicised in their residential areas.

The people wish the Party and State to engage in corruption prevention, he said, stressing the need for effective measures to prevent any acts to revenge corruption denouncers and resolutely reclaim fishy assets.

Another voter from Hoan Kiem district, Pham Van Quang, said it is necessary to build strong and pure party cells in order to make the corruption fight more practical and effective.

The revision of the Anti-corruption Law must be closely supervised and stricter sanctions need to be put into place while heads of agencies and units where corruption acts are detected must take the responsibility, said Nguyen Cong Hoa, another voter from Hoan Kiem district.

At the meetings, Hanoi voters pointed out many pressing issues that need to be addressed thoroughly, including deforestation, fire prevention, food safety, urban planning, and education-training.

Welcoming local residents’ opinions, Party General Secretary Trong exchanged views on each issue mentioned, noting that these opinions are the basis for deputies to report to the NA and make efforts to solve problems.

With regard to voters’ interest in the corruption fight, he said this is a critically important but also complicated work. The combat against corruption has gained initial important outcomes recently, a result unable to be achieved without people’s support, which has consolidated the resolve to continue this fight.

He shared many participants’ view that the corruption fight has become a trend, and no one can be an outsider of this trend.

However, there remains much to be done and stronger, persistent and resolute actions are needed to fight corruption and negative phenomena, especially at grassroots levels.

General Secretary Trong said it is necessary to promote the supervisory role of the NA, People’s Councils and Party members to prevent corruption, he said, adding that firm and careful steps must be made in this work.

He said the corruption fight must be carried out in association with the implementation of the resolution on organising a lean and efficient apparatus, issued at the sixth plenary session of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee, the resolutions on the salary and social insurance policy reforms, issued at the freshly-concluded seventh plenum of the Party Central Committee, along with the resolution on personnel work.

If the fight against corruption, wastefulness and negative phenomena is successful, the Party will become pure and strong and its combat capability will be strengthened, the leader added.

Hai Phong voters voice trust in Party’s leadership, Gov’t steering role

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties, 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (front, second, right) meets with voters of Hai Phong city on May 13 

Constituents in Hong Bang district, Hai Phong city, expressed their trust in the Party’s leadership and the Government’s steering role in national socio-economic issues while meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other National Assembly (NA) deputies of the northern city on May 13.

The meeting took place ahead of the fifth session of the 14th-tenure parliament, slated for later this month.

Local people applauded unceasing efforts by the PM and the Cabinet in building an incorruptible Government that acts for the sake of people and businesses.

Do Viet Hung, a resident in Quan Toan ward, voiced his delight at the national development in recent years thanks to the Party and the NA’s leadership and the Government’s drastic and effective actions. He noted that the PM and the Government have done a good job of managing and steering socio-economic aspects, firmly ensuring national defence-security, and enhancing investors’ trust.

Welcoming strong moves to improve the business climate, voter Bui Cong Phu in Pham Hong Thai ward asked for more concrete policies to support start-ups, increase new enterprises and promote domestic firms’ competitiveness.

Meanwhile, many participants spoke highly of the measures taken by the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption, the NA, the Government, and especially Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to fight corruption since 2017.

Dong Xuan Hien, a voter in Hoang Van Thu ward, called on the NA to include more comprehensive and detailed regulations on measures to monitor officials’ assets while revising the anti-corruption law.

At the meeting, PM Phuc appreciated local residents’ opinions on various spheres. He informed about the freshly-concluded seventh plenary session of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee, with the adoption of three important resolutions on building the cadre contingent, reforming the salary policy, and reforming the social insurance policy.

He said the approaching fifth session of the National Assembly will look into lawmaking, socio-economic affairs and many other important issues.

In the first four months of 2018, the macro-economy remained stable while inflation was under control when it grew by 1.34 percent and the consumer price index rose 2.8 percent year on year.

The PM said the Government is focusing on fine-tuning policies to better meet requirements of the socio-economic management and steering tasks.

Lauding local constituents’ opinions on the anti-corruption determination and the settlement of serious cases, he said he and other NA deputies are also very interested in this matter and committed to conveying voters’ corruption fighting spirit to the NA and the Government so as to better meet people’s aspirations.

On behalf of NA deputies of Hai Phong, PM Phuc also fielded questions and opinions about mechanisms and policies for education, public investment, and funding for some projects, particularly the construction of a coastal road linking Hai Phong city and five northern provinces.

Vietnam attends international symposium on Marxism in Russia
 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties, 

Leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov speaks at the event. 

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism to suit the country’s situation has been introduced at a recent international symposium in Moscow, Russia.

The Vietnamese delegation to the May 11-12 workshop on Karl Marx was led by Nguyen Tuan Phong, deputy head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations.

Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought have become the ideological foundation of the CPV and served as the lodestar for Vietnam’s revolution, the workshop heard.

Representatives from other participating political parties and scientists applauded the leadership role of Marxism to the working class, as well as values of Karl Marx’s ideological heritage.

They underlined the need to employ and develop the Marxism-Leninism in a creative manner to suit the new era and situation in each country, emphasising that Marxism-Leninism has shed light on many present urgent issues in the world.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation highly valued the active participation of the Vietnamese delegation at the event.

While in Russia, the Vietnamese officials also attended a ceremony marking Marx’s 200th birth anniversary (May 5).


Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City 

 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
Poland’s Constitution Day (May 3) was marked at a gathering in HCM City on May 11. 


Poland’s Constitution Day (May 3) was marked at a gathering in HCM City on May 11 to strengthen solidarity, friendship and cooperation between Vietnamese and Polish people.

The event was held by the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and the Vietnam – Poland Friendship Association, with Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Barbara Szymanowska and deputy chairman of Wielkopolska province of Poland Maciej Sytek, who is on a visit to Vietnam, in attendance.

In her remarks, Szymanowska thanked HCM City authority, HUFO and Vietnam – Poland Friendship Association for their support for the Polish Embassy in successfully implementing many projects between Vietnam and Poland, contributing to the enhancement of mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

She expected the strong bilateral relations will further expand and the two countries will continue cooperating to together build a better future for each side.

Congratulating his guests on the Constitution Day, President of the Vietnam – Poland Friendship Organisation Nguyen Dang Cuong highlighted the historic moment when Poland’s Constitution of May 3, 1791, the first constitution of its kind in Europe, was adopted, marking the birth of many political concepts that still exist today.

Cuong recalled Poland’s support for Vietnam in the country’s struggle for national independence as well as today’s development. The traditional ties have been nurtured by the two countries’ leaders and people in multiple areas, including economics, shipbuilding, agriculture, forestry and aquaculture.

Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties
 

 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue (R) receives Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Högberg on May 11 


Economic and trade ties are a highlight of the growing Vietnam-Sweden relationship in multiple spheres, which is partly attributable to successes of Swedish businesses in Vietnam like Comvik, said Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.

Deputy PM Hue made the statement while receiving Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Högberg and Chairman of Comvik International Vietnam AB M.A. Zaman in Hanoi on May 11.

Ambassador Högberg said the two countries boast fine relations in both partnerships and traditional ties. Sweden was the first Western European nation to set up relations with Vietnam, and the two sides will mark 50 years of their diplomatic ties in 2019.

They have good connections not only between their Governments but also between their people. The Swedish Government is committed to helping Vietnamese people to gain more benefits, he noted.

He added in 2017, bilateral trade surged by a record of 50 percent from the previous year. Swedish companies have come to and operated in Vietnam for a long time. New firms have also poured new investments into Vietnam, including those in telecommunications – a successful cooperation area between the two countries.

For his part, Zaman said Comvik has had a successfully business partnership with the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), and both share the same target of building the best new internet system in Asia.

Regarding the Vietnamese Government’s equitisation of the Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company (Mobifone), he said with its existing strength in technology and capital, Comvik is ready to support the Government and take part in this equitisation process.

Comvik is working to shift to 6G technology, and Sweden is the world’s leading country in this digital technology, Zaman said, adding that his firm wishes to have opportunities to invest in this field in Vietnam and turn Vietnam into a leading country in this new technology.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Hue described the business partnership between Comvik and VNPT as a successful cooperation in Vietnam’s development as well as the local posts and telecom sector. Compared to in 1990, the telecom infrastructure in the country now is much different, which is partly thanks to the Comvik – VNPT cooperation, especially in providing technical support and improving governance capacity for VNPT and Mobifone.

Welcoming Comvik’s intention to continue investing in Vietnam and participate in the equitisation of Mobifone, he said the Vietnamese Government has requested the Ministry of Information and Communications and Mobifone to prepare necessary conditions to carry out Mobifone’s initial public offering (IPO) in 2019. This IPO will attract much interest from foreign investors.

The host also took this occasion to ask Ambassador Högberg to help attract more Swedish investments into Vietnam, noting that the Vietnamese Government will create the best possible conditions while unceasingly improving the national competitiveness and the business climate to facilitate enterprises’ operations.

PM hopes for Vingroup’s contributions to domestic auto industry


 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (third, left) at the construction site of VinFast automobile and electric motorbike manufacturing complex  

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his hope that Vingroup conglomerate will contribute to the development of the domestic automobile sector with the establishment of its VinFast automobile and electric motorbike manufacturing complex. 

During his field trip to the complex located at the Dinh Vu-Cat Hai industrial park in the northern port city of Hai Phong on May 13, the PM said Vingroup’s auto production will help build a self-control economy for the country. 

Building a self-control economy is an important orientation set by the Party and the State, the leader stressed, saying he hopes that Vingroup will reap successes in this field as the conglomerate is on a right track. 

He lauded the group for breakthroughs it has made during the implementation of the project. 

Vingroup is expected to make public the first electronic motorbikes in September 2018. Meanwhile, its SUV and Sedan automobiles are scheduled to be introduced to the market in the second quarter of 2019. VinFast is expected to heat up the local market with electronic automobiles in the end of 2019.  

PM Phuc also applauded VinFast’s efforts to build an ecological system for the domestic auto manufacturing sector by zoning off 70 hectares of land for a support industry area to attract factories specialising in producing spare parts, as well as its contributions to training Vietnamese workers. 

Eight companies have signed contracts with VinFast to set up factories in the area, with four of them invested by VinFast. 

Covering a total area of 335ha, VinFast is projected to be put into operation in June 2018. VinFast has negotiated and signed agreements with the world’s leading companies to provide it with production lines, equipment and machines. 

Also on May 13, PM Phuc visited the construction site of Aeon Mall in Le Chan district of Hai Phong. Covering about 93,000 sq.m, the project is expected to be opened in 2020 and attract more than 13 visitors each year from Hai Phong and nearly Quang Ninh, Hai Duong and Thai Binh provinces.

This is the sixth Aeon Mall in Vietnam and the third of its kind in the northern region.

The same day, the Government leader also attended the inauguration of the Hai Phong International Container Terminal (HICT), a joint venture of the Saigon NewPort Corporation, the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Co. Ltd of Japan, the Wan Hai Lines company of Taiwan (China), and Itochu Corporation of Japan.

HICT, located in Cat Hai town of Cat Hai district, is the first deep-water port in the northern key economic region of Vietnam. It is able to accommodate container ships of 14,000 TEUs and general cargo ships of 160,000 DWT, helping export-import goods of the northern region be directly shipped to Europe or America by parent vessels instead of being transited in another port like in the past.

The terminal is set to handle goods equivalent to 1.1 million TEUs each year.

Vietnamese, Cuban embassies in Argentina enhance friendship


 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Dang Xuan Dung 

The Vietnamese and Cuban Embassies in Argentina held an exchange programme in Buenos Aires on May 12, aiming to help enhance the friendship and close-knit ties between the two nations. 

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Xuan Dung affirmed the support of the Party, Government and people of Vietnam for Cuba’s revolution and socio-economic model update, expressing his hope that Cuba will overcome all difficulties to succeed in socialism building.

He thanked the Cuban Party, Government and people for their valuable support, solidarity and fraternity with Vietnam during the country’s past struggle for national independence as well as its present Doi Moi (Reform) cause and national construction. 

Vietnamese people also keep in mind Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s statement that “For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to shed its blood,” the diplomat stressed. 

For his part, Cuban Ambassador Orestes Perez Perez highlighted the model relationship between Vietnam and Cuba, which, he said, has been tested over the past decades. 

Applauding achievements Vietnam has recorded in economic development, the ambassador said Vietnam and Cuba will continue to stand side by side with each other in the path of socialism building despite changes of the era.

Vietnam hopes for enhanced cooperation with Brazil


 

Vietnam-China friendship association holds Congress, Constitution Day of Poland marked in HCM City, Swedish firms’ successes contribute to Vietnam-Sweden ties,
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Brazilian Foreign Minister Nunes Ferreira witness the signing of the MoU between the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Alexandre de Gusmao Foundation of Brazil  


Vietnam treasures the increasing role of Brazil in the international arena and wishes to further promote comprehensive cooperation with the country, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. 

Minh made the statement during talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Nunes Ferreira on May 12, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from May 12-13. 

The officials agreed that the Vietnam-Brazil relationship has recorded positive development across fields, especially in their closer political ties, which was showed through regular visits and meetings by senior leaders and ministry and sector officials. 

The economic ties between the two countries have also witnessed significant expansion, with two-way trade in 2017 hit 3.87 billion USD, up 12 times in the last decade. 

For his part, Nunes affirmed Brazil considers Vietnam as an important partner in Southeast Asia. 

He spoke highly Vietnam’s increasing role and position in the region and the world, as well as his country’s determination to strengthen and expand the friendship and all-around cooperation with Vietnam. 

Minh and Nunes underlined the need for the two sides to enhance exchange of visits, especially among senior leaders; promote the effective implementation of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation; as well as maintain regular political consultations at deputy foreign minister level. 

They agreed to continue implementing signed cooperation agreement, while completing the legal framework for their bilateral cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, defence industry, trade, investment; and fostering connection and direct partnership among their business communities. 

The two sides also pledged to closely cooperate and support each other at international organisations and multilateral forums. 

The Vietnamese official took the occasion to urge Brazil to soon recognise Vietnam’s market economy. 

The officials witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two countries’ diplomatic academies, and those between the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Alexandre de Gusmao Foundation of Brazil.

VNN

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BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/5


New container port helps shorten way to Europe, Americas


New container port helps shorten way to Europe, Americas, Vietjet Air to open Hai Phong-Busan (RoK) direct air route, FDI firms prefer commercial dispute arbitration,Firms buy goods from distressed farmers
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sunday attended the grand opening of Hai Phong International Container Terminal, which allows direct shipments to Europe and the Americas.


Present at the ceremony included Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Umeda Kunio and representatives of the city local authorities.

The Terminal means exports from North Viet Nam will not have to be transited through other ports before reaching the above markets, thus helping reduce business costs and increase competitiveness of Vietnamese exports.

The Terminal is jointly invested by Sai Gon Newport Corporation (Viet Nam), MITSUI O.S.K Lines and Itochu (Japan) and Wan Hai Lines (Chinese Taipei), in which the Vietnamese corporation holds 51% stake.

Located in Cat Hai district, it is the first deep-water seaport in the Northern region, capable of receiving vessels up to 160,000 DWT.

Construction of the terminal began on May 12, 2016.

Vietjet Air to open Hai Phong-Busan (RoK) direct air route

The low-cost carrier Vietjet Air is finalizing procedures to launch a direct air route between Vietnam’s northern port city of Hai Phong to Busan in the Republic of Korea (RoK), reported the Vietnam Investment Review.

Busan port city is one of the biggest economic centres of the RoK with many tourist destinations.

A market survey of Vietjet Air showed that the Hai Phong-Busan route potential is high, thus the opening of an air route between the two localities is necessary to meet the demand in goods transport, trade and travel of people between the two sides.

The air route is also expected to help facilitate socio-economic development of Hai Phong and the whole northeastern coastal region in general.

As one of the important commercial and industrial hub in northern Vietnam, Hai Phong is striving to make tourism a spearhead economic sector and turn itself into one of the nation’s key tourism destinations.

 According to the municipal People’s Committee’s action programme on tourism development from 2017–2020 with a vision through 2030, the city hopes to receive 8 million tourists and earn 3.5 trillion VND (154 million USD) with expected annual average growth rates of between 8.2 percent and 8.9 percent.

With a fleet of 56 aircraft, including A320s and A321s, Vietjet Air operates 385 flights each day. The airline has already transported more than 55 million passengers on a network featuring 82 routes in Vietnam and across the region to international destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia.

The airline plans to operate more than 120,000 flights and serve over 24.1 million passengers by the end of 2018. Additionally, it will provide services on a total of 100 air routes, including 39 domestic and 61 international airways.

Vietjet to offer promotional tickets from zero Vietnamese dong

The low-cost carrier Vietjet will launch the biggest promotion of the year “Free up your summer with Vietjet” from May 9 to July 31, with millions of super promotional tickets priced only from VND0, during the golden hours from 12:00 to 14:00, on their website www.vietjetair.com.

During the first week of the promotional campaign, Vietjet will present 3 golden days from May 9 to 11 with 2,000,000 promotional tickets.

The promotional fares, excluding VAT, airport fees and other surcharges, will be applied on all domestic and international routes from Vietnam to Seoul, Busan, Daegu (the Republic of Korea)/ Hong Kong/ Kaohsiung, Taipei, Taichung, Tainan (Taiwan - China)/ Singapore/ Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai (Thailand)/ Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)/ Yangon (Myanmar)/ Phnom Penh, Siem Reap (Cambodia).

The tickets are valid for passengers travelling between August 20 and December 31 this year, excluding public holidays.

The promotional tickets are available during the golden hours from 12:00 to 14:00 at www.vietjetair.com (also compatible with smartphones at https://m.vietjetair.com) or at www.facebook.com/vietjetvietnam (just click the “Booking” tab).

Payment can easily be made with Visa/ MasterCard/ AMEX/ JCB/ KCP/ or any ATM card issued by 34 Vietnamese banks that have registered with internet banking.

Aiming to be a “Consumer Airline”, Vietjet is continuously opening new routes, adding more aircraft, investing in modern technology and offering more added-on products and services to serve all of the demands of customers.

Vietnam, UK seek stronger partnership in customs

Director of the General Department of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can and UK Ambassador to Vietnam Giles Lever have agreed to strengthen the Vietnam-UK customs partnership through the signing of a letter of intent on possibilities of cooperation, heading to a governmental-level deal in the field.

The agreement was reached at a meeting of Can and the UK diplomat as well as UK customs representatives in Asia in Hanoi in early May, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The deal is expected to focus on affiliation in facilitating trade, preventing smuggling and illegally transportation of drugs, wine, cigarette, banned goods, wild animals, as well as in developing human resources, providing technical support, and sharing information and experience.

The two sides concurred to implement a project to assist Vietnam Customs.

Steve Wood, UK customs official for Asia region, said that the project will provide Vietnam with information, experience, human resources training, as well as evaluation on world criminal trends related to land and sea borders, aviation and in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific region that relate to Vietnam, while introducing new measures and equipment serving the detection and fight of customs-related crimes.

At the meeting, the two sides also discussed preparations for a UK visit of the General Department of Vietnam Customs’ Director in August, during which both sides will officially exchange ideas on the possibility of signing a cooperation deal.

The UK ambassador also suggested cooperation with Vietnam in implementing a UK’s programme to facilitate global trade.

Licogi 16 aims for 110 million USD in consolidated revenue in 2018

Licogi 16 Joint Stock Company (Licogi 16) aims to earn 2.5 trillion VND (110 million USD) in consolidated revenue and roughly 1.96 trillion VND (86.2 million USD) in stand-alone revenue in 2018, up 65 percent and 69 percent year on year, respectively.

This year, it expects to achieve 123 billion VND (5.4 million USD) in consolidated after-tax profit and 73 billion VND (3.2 million USD) in stand-alone after-tax profit, year-on-year increases of 58 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

The company’s earnings will come from construction activities in a number of projects across the country, including Bac Giang – Lang Son and Ha Long – Van Don expressways, BOO Phu Ninh water treatment plant, Can Tho water treatment plant, Binh Tien Bridge and Road project, Da Nang - Quang Ngai expressway, Hiep Thanh and Nam Anh residential buildings and several electricity projects.

In addition, it will also collect incomes from 50-hectare and 27-hectare urban area projects in Long Tan commune, Nhon Trach district of southern Dong Nai province alongside the 3.4-hectare Nam Phuong City shopping centre.

The firm will offer a cash dividend of 10 percent, up about 3 percent from 2017.

FDI firms prefer commercial dispute arbitration

As many as 40 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises choose to use commercial arbitration in cases of disputes, rather than going to court, said Phan Trong Dat, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC).

Speaking at a seminar, entitled, “Commercial Arbitration – Increasing Confidence in Foreign Direct Investment,” held in Hanoi late last week, Dat said the FDI firms chose commercial arbitration for resolving disputes because of its effectiveness, and due to its helping them save time and costs. Meanwhile, court proceedings to settle disputes failed to meet FDI requirements when many of the judgments were unfair, causing lengthy disputes and considerable expenses for enterprises.

Statistics showed that some 24 percent of disputes were resolved at VIAC and involved FDI as one of the parties. Of these, 32 percent were in the purchasing of goods, 24 percent in construction and 20 percent in leasing.

“More than a half of commercial arbitration cases at VIAC are resolved in foreign languages (mainly English),” he said, adding that the rate of disputes in the country has been on the rise in the last three years.

Vu Anh Duong, VIAC’s secretary general, said Vietnam has been considered one of the countries with high and stable economic growth in the region and the world. One of the reasons for the significant momentum for this growth was FDI activities in Vietnam.

Pham Manh Dung, VIAC’s arbitrator and a lawyer from Rajah and Tann LCT Lawyers Company Limited, said that by the end of 2017, Vietnam had 24,700 FDI projects with total registered capital of 318.7 billion USD, accounting for 25 percent of the total investment in the country and more than half of the nation’s total industrial production value.

Dung noted that FDI has had a large impact on Vietnam’s integration into the world economy.

“This has been an important factor for the country’s infrastructure development and in completing legal systems to develop market mechanisms that are suitable with international norms,” he said.

VIAC has striven to become a trusted address to resolve disputes, thus helping ensure the rights and benefits of investors seeking to invest in Vietnam.

Commercial arbitration in Vietnam has been increasingly developed to become a useful tool for foreign investors in the country.

Disputes in investment activities have many mechanisms for resolving conflicts, such as courts, commercial arbitration and foreign affairs. However, the courts have not been an attractive solution, while resolving disputes through foreign affair mechanisms have been used in certain cases.

Commercial arbitration and investment arbitration have been mostly preferred.

The dispute resolving mechanisms of commercial arbitration also faced challenges, said Fan Mingchao, Regional Director of Arbitration and ADR for North Asia at the International Chamber of Commerce.

He said the majority of challenges were concerning competitiveness, as the scale of disputes become larger and more complicated, resulting in prolonged time, which reduces its effectiveness.

The issues relating to security and transparency of arbitration procedures have also been a problem.

Security is a core feature of international arbitration, but transparency requirements are also increasingly high. In order to address this issue, agencies have approved and joined the transparency framework of the United Nations, he said.

The benefit has also been seen in commercial arbitration. He said that governments should build a transparent arbitration procedure to control the quality of arbitration decisions.

The seminar focused on discussing the necessity and efficiency of commercial arbitration methods as one of the most effective ways of resolving disputes related to FDI enterprises.

The seminar is divided into three sessions, with discussions on topics, such as: An update on the situation of commercial arbitration in Vietnam and around the world; Commercial Arbitration - A new element worth noting to attract foreign direct investment; Commercial arbitrage as a useful tool for controlling business risks.

The event is considered to be an important forum for lawyers and leading experts to share knowledge with enterprises and help Vietnamese enterprises to better understand and more effectively use commercial arbitration methods. Commercial arbitration is an effective tool in preserving capital inflows from legal risks in business investments.

More than 100 delegates from FDI enterprises, counterpart enterprises, potential partners with FDI enterprises, many prestigious lawyers, and representatives from State management agencies attended the seminar.

Reference exchange rate down at week’s beginning

The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate on May 14 at 22,550 VND/USD, down 10 VND from the last working day of previous week (May 11). 

With the current trading band of +/-3 percent, the ceiling rate applied to commercial banks during the day is 23,226 VND/USD and the floor rate 21,874 VND/USD.

The opening hour rates at many commercial banks stayed unchanged from the end of last week. 

Vietcombank and BIDV listed their buying rate at 22,735 VND/USD and the selling rate at 22,805 VND/USD, the same as on May 11. 

Techcombank also maintained the same rates as on May 11 at 22,715 VND/USD (buying) and 22,815 VND/USD (selling).

During the week from May 7-11, the daily reference exchange rate followed a rising trend from Monday to Thursday, gaining accumulated 24 VND/USD before dropping 18 VND/USD on Friday.  

However, the rates at major commercial banks remained stable with only slight fluctuations throughout the week.

Vietcombank and BIDV kept both rates unchanged at 22,735 VND/USD (buying) and 22,805 VND/USD (selling) since the beginning of the week (May 7).

Firms buy goods from distressed farmers     

Korean supermarket chain Lotte Mart has bought more than 10 tonnes of pumpkins and five tonnes of watermelons from distressed farmers facing declining prices because of a bumper crop in Dak Lak and Quang Nam provinces.

Lotte Mart plans to increase the purchase volume to 50 tonnes of pumpkins.

To help farmers, the supermarket has paid them more than the price offered by traders.

Big C supermarkets have also bought pumpkins from farmers in Dak Lak District’s Cu Yang Commune.

Last Friday, the supermarket began selling pumpkins bought from farmers in Cu Yang Commune at VND4,900 per kg at its stores in the south.

The supermarket is expected to buy 60 tonnes of pumpkins within a week.

Nguyen Manh Hung, chairman of the Cu Yang People’s Committee, said Cu Yang commune in Eakar District was struggling the most.

Ethnic minority groups account for 42 per cent of the commune’s population. Agriculture is the main source of farmers’ incomes.

The commune has 3,200ha of farmland, with rice, maize, soybean and pumpkin the main crops.

This year, the farmers in the commune grew pumpkin on about 110ha, with productivity estimated at 20 tonnes per hectare.

The price fell to VND800 to VND1,500 per kg, but farmers were still unable to sell their product.

Hung attributed the situation to the shortage of companies specialising in purchasing farm produce in the area.

In Quang Nam Province, watermelon prices fell from VND8,000 per kg earlier this year to VND1,000-VND1,500 per kg, but demand plunged, leaving farmers with huge unsold stocks.

VN firms urged to tap Arab market     

The affluent Middle East is a promising market for Vietnamese companies, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.

Speaking at the Viet Nam-Middle East Business Forum held in HCM City yesterday, Nguyen The Hung, deputy director of the VCCI’s HCM City office, said: “The Middle East has high demand for farm produce, seafood, garment and textile products, footwear, and wood products from Viet Nam.”

Trade between Viet Nam and the Middle East had gone up sharply in recent years, doubling from 2011 to US$12.8 billion last year, he said.

According to Le Thai Hoa, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Asia-Africa Market Department, Viet Nam enjoys a trade surplus with the Middle East, which consists of 16 countries and has more than 300 million people.

The United Arab Emirates is Viet Nam’s largest partner in the region, with their trade increasing from $4.46 billion in 2013 to $5.6 billion last year.

With a per capita GDP of over $60,000 and a large number of immigrants and tourists, the UAE has large demand for various products.

“Vietnamese goods such as seafood, garment and textile, footwear, farm produce, foodstuff and household appliances have established a firm foothold in the market,” he said.

But despite the increase in trade, Viet Nam’s exports to the Middle East still account for a very small portion of the region’s total imports.

The forum was held to further promote economic, trade and investment ties between the two sides, Hung said.

“Viet Nam hopes to attract more investment from the Middle East in the fields of renewable energy, hospitality, infrastructure, ports, aviation, property, and agriculture.”

Obaid al Dhaheri, the UAE ambassador to Viet Nam, said as the hub of the Middle East and gateway to Europe and Africa, his country could serve as an entry point to the global market for Vietnamese companies.

In turn, "Viet Nam is the gateway to Southeast Asia for UAE firms," he said.

“Thus, more opportunities to enhance co-operation between Viet Nam and UAE are available.”

When doing business with the region, enterprises must always keep a close eye on its unstable political situation, Hoa warned.

They must also understand the regulations of each market and Muslim cultural factors such as not consuming alcohol and requiring food and foodstuffs to have Halal certification, he said.

“Exporters of agro-forestry and fisheries products should focus on improving hygiene and food safety because the market is increasingly adopting trade barriers.”

Sharing his experience in doing business with the Middle East, Do Ha Nam, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association and chairman of Intimex Group, which has exported to Dubai for nearly 20 years, said the market had huge demand for Vietnamese pepper, cashew, coffee, and seafood.

“To penetrate the market, enterprises should participate in trade fairs in Dubai, where they will meet potential customers. Finding a right business partner is very important," he said.

Also at the forum, Relam Investment L.L.C, a partnership between Dubai-based Vault Investment L.L.C and Viet Nam’s MIG Holdings, announced the establishment of Trade-Hub (T-Hub), a full-fledged trading and logistics platform, in Viet Nam to help Vietnamese firms promote their exports in Middle East and other markets.

The forum was organised by the VCCI in collaboration with MIG Holdings and Relam Investment.

Pepper output increases sharply but prices fall     

Viet Nam’s output and export of pepper increased sharply last year, but their prices and thus turnover from exports fell, according to the industry association

The Viet Nam Pepper Association (VPA) and industry-related authorities attended a meeting on Friday in HCM City to review last year’s performance.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the General Statistic Office, Viet Nam has around 150,000 hectares under pepper and output last year was 240,000 tonnes, or 48 per cent of global production.

According to the VPA there was a decrease in the use of pesticides last year since farmers are more aware these days of better farming techniques.

Prices have been highly volatile: the price of black pepper for instance declined from VND133,000 per kilogramme in January to VND73,000 in December.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs said 215,000 tonnes of the spice were exported for US$1.1 billion, respectively up 20 per cent and down 22 per cent.

The reasons for the falling prices include climate change, a massive spike in the area under pepper, farmers’ inexperience, which have contributed to rising outputs but with poor quality.

In the first quarter of this year prices were around 30 per cent lower than a year ago, the VPA said.

Viet Nam’s exports this year are expected to be comparable to that of last year since the industry will continue to face all the current challenges such as climate change and diseases.

VPA plans to work more closely with farmers and businesses to help them comply with regulations and standards for pepper production and export and provide market information to help them make informed decisions.

The Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute said they were researching into better pepper strains capable of withstanding diseases.

Willem Scato van Walt Meijer, general director of Nedspice Processing Viet Nam Ltd., which has been operating in Binh Phuoc Province for the last five years, said quality control for exports and working closely with farmers were the keys to resolving the problems.

“We have a network of 1,600 farmers and trained them very carefully, and … do 100 per cent tracking and tracing of all our farms, which allows us to help certain farmers improve, monitor the effectiveness of each farmer, and reward outstanding farmers.”

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong had said at a meeting in January that the rapid increase in land under pepper should be addressed quickly and the pepper farming land should be reduced.

Ben Tre seeks more investors in agriculture     

Ben Tre Province plans to carry out more public information initiatives and other activities to encourage investment in agriculture, according to Nguyen Huu Lap, the deputy chairman of the province’s People’s Committee.

The province plans to streamline administrative procedures and provide more assistance to projects after they have received approval. Departments have also been urged to provide help with construction procedures and the purchase of certificates.

In addition, more market information will be provided to businesses to help them make decisions about entering new markets and investing in modern technologies.

Ben Tre has provided VND32.6 billion (US$1.4 million) of funds to six agricultural businesses.

Every year, around 300 provincial businesses take part in trade promotion events.

Of the 3,940 businesses in Ben Tre Province; 253 are in the agricultural sector. The province aims to have 1,500 more new companies by 2020.

Thai firms eye business opportunities     

More than 210 Thai enterprises are showcasing their products and services at the Top Thai Brands expo which opened on May 10 in HCM City.

The four-day exhibition offers exceptional opportunities to explore the extensive range of internationally-recognised Thai products and services and discover the business potential in various sectors such as automobile and motorcycle parts and accessories, beauty and healthcare products, food and beverages, and fashion.

The fair also features services like education, tourism, franchise businesses, and food services.

Viet Nam has seen strong business expansion and investment by Thai firms in the last few years, Nguyen Van Nga, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency for Southern Affairs, said.

Last year Thailand was its largest trade partner among ASEAN members, she said.

Last year bilateral trade topped US$15.11 billion, accounting for 30.5 per cent of Viet Nam’s trade within ASEAN.

The expo has attracted many major Thai brands and firms looking for opportunities to expand their business and franchise, she said.

Ureerat Ratanaprukse, the Thai consul general in HCM City, said Thai investment in just the last 10 months was $9.3 billion.

“This reflects the confidence of the Thai private sector in Viet Nam’s vibrant economy.”

According to her, the event not only creates business opportunities for the Thai private sector but also market access for Vietnamese to top quality products and services, thus benefiting both Thai and Vietnamese entrepreneurs.

Top Thai Brands 2018 is expected to contribute greatly to achieving the bilateral trade target of $20 billion by 2020 as agreed by the two countries, she added.

The fair, on at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7, is being organised by the Thai Trade Centre in HCM City in collaboration with the Viet Nam National Trade Fair & Advertising Company.

SHB profit up 64 per cent in Q1     

Sai Gon-Ha Noi Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SHB) reported post-tax profit of VND402 billion (US$17.6 million) in the first quarter of this year, up 64 per cent year-on-year.

However, profit margin remained modest with a return-on-equity (ROE) of 2.6 per cent. Earnings per share was approximately VND332.

The main reason for this quarter’s profit growth came from a drop in provisioning expenses and a 16.1 per cent increase in net profit, which touched over VND1 trillion.

Revenue from the service activities of the bank decreased 24.6 per cent, reaching approximately VND58.4 billion, the lowest level in the past two years.

Revenue from payment activities accounted for the largest portion of total revenue, touching nearly VND42 billion.

Derivatives market records surge in transaction value     

The derivatives market proved its attractiveness when the value of its transactions rose threefold in April as the stock market posted a downward trend, reported Saigon Securities Inc (SSI).

An SSI financial and monetary report this week showed that since the beginning of 2018, the stock market experienced two downward periods in February and April when the liquidity of derivatives grew strongly.

The value of transactions in the derivatives market increased three times from the average of over VND2 trillion (US$87.7 million) in the beginning of April to VND6 trillion at the end of the month. It peaked at VND7.1 trillion on May 3, approximating the total transaction value of VND7.3 trillion in the stock market.

The derivatives market attracted a considerable amount of capital from the stock market, mainly from domestic investors.

SSI said Viet Nam’s securities market witnessed a series of widespread nosedives when the number of codes with declines doubled those with increases. All groups of key shares fell sharply, causing a psychological pressure on the overall market.

The benchmark VN Index surged in the first quarter of 2018 to set a record of 1,204.33 points on April 9, up by 220 points or 22.4 per cent from the end of last year and 49 per cent in six months.

However, the market reported continuous plunge since then when the VN Index dropped to 1,050.26 points in late April, losing 154 points or 12.8 per cent of the new record. The total market capitalisation in HCM Stock Exchange, Ha Noi Stock Exchange and the Unlisted Public Company Market decreased by $20 billion to combined $173 billion.

Foreign investors were net buyers last month, which was attributable to a tumble in the global stock market in February, changes in global interest rates when the administration of US President Donald Trump took drastic actions to protect US businesses, possibility of an interest rate hike by FED sooner than expected and risk of a widespread trade war.

That more large-cap stocks carried out initial public offerings and were listed in the market might have also led to foreign funds’ restructuring of their investment items, according to SSI.

Southeast Asia’s e-commerce platform raises new funding round     

iPrice Group, Southeast Asia’s product discovery and price comparison platform, raised a new round of funding from messaging app Line’s venture capital arm, Line Ventures.

Its existing backers, including Cento Ventures and Venturra, also took part in this round, the company announced.

The e-commerce website refused to disclose the funding value when contacted by Việt Nam News, but it is estimated at some US$4 million, according to technology website Tech Crunch’s source.

iPrice raised $4 million Series A funding in late 2016. Since then, more than 50 million online shoppers have visited its website, which has expanded its product catalogue from few dozens of millions to over 500 million SKUs (stock keeping units) across seven markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Việt Nam and Hong Kong.

“iPrice, which is driving the explosive growth of e-commerce in Southeast Asia, has the most promising team with the right talents, technology and operational excellence. In turn, they [iPrice] will become the first destination in the online shopping journey in Southeast Asia,” said June Cha, general manager of Line Ventures.

iPrice has set up strategic B2B (business-to-business) partnerships with some large media groups and brands, such as Mediacorp, Thairath and Samsung, by offering them tailored affiliate solutions.

Last year, it introduced an insightful report on the development of e-commerce in Southeast Asia.

More than 1,000 co-operatives to join trade fair     

More than 1,000 co-operatives from 63 provinces and cities nationwide will take part in a trade promotion fair for co-operatives, slated to be held at Thong Nhat Park in Ha Noi from May 18-20.

They will showcase farm produce, seafood, fishery, industrial and service goods besides fine arts and handicrafts at nearly 400 booths, organisers said at a press conference to introduce the fair last week.

The forthcoming event will also attract the participation of 40 big businesses and about 100 delegates who are clients, partners and cooperatives from many countries and territories around the world such as South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.

Nguyen Ngoc Bao, chairman of the Viet Nam Cooperative Alliance, described the fair as a good chance for Vietnamese cooperatives to advertise their products and services to domestic consumers and exchange business opportunities with foreign cooperatives and businesses.

Oil firms pile up losses, shares take beating

The first quarter of this year saw the Petroleum Equipment Assembly & Metal Structure Joint Stock Company (PXS)’s revenues plummet to a mere VNĐ18.5 billion (US$815,000), 94.4 per cent down year-on-year.

It had been VNĐ343.6 billion in the comparable period last year.

Gross profit was down 94 per cent to VNĐ2.85 billion, and the company ended VNĐ20.1 billion in the red.

Another oil company, Petrovietnam Drilling and Well Services Joint Stock Company (PV Drilling), reported a gross loss of VNĐ201 billion.

The Drilling Mud Joint Stock Company (DMC) reported a loss of VNĐ12.8 billion.

Market observers said the huge losses run up by the companies sent the prices of their shares plunging on the stock market.

PXS has fallen by 41.1 per cent to VNĐ6,190.

PV Drilling is down 36 per cent to VNĐ14,950.

Petrovietnam –Nghệ An Investment & Trading Joint Stock Company shares have fallen by 43 per cent to current VNĐ800 as compared with the price recorded in sessions in early year.

While several other oil companies like PXT, PSE, PCR, PPY, PBP and PSD did not report losses, their profits were sharply down.

Following their huge losses many of the oil companies have been placed under the Government’s special control, with some even being on the brink of having to delist their shares because their accumulated losses exceed their charter capital.

Petrovietnam –Nghệ An, for instance, saw its accumulated losses exceed its capital as of December 31 last year.

According to current legal provisions, the company would have to delist.                      

To improve the situation, many of the companies have outlined new plans with measures like restructuring, selling of stakes and recovery of debts.

But analysts said it would be not easy for them to improve their situation because they depend heavily on global oil prices, which show no signs of recovery.

Banks rejig deposit interest rate structure

Many banks have recently reduced deposit interest rates by 0.2-0.4 percentage points.

On March 30 VPBank cut its rates for deposits of less than six months and 12-36 months by 0.2 percentage points.

It also reduced the rates by 0.3 and 0.4 percentage points for 6-7 months and 8-11 months.  

VIB cut deposit interest rates twice in March and now its rates for 1-3 month deposits are down by 0.3-0.5 percentage points and for more than six months by 0.2-0.4 percentage points.

Military Bank has reduced the rates for short-term deposits by 0.1-0.2 percentage points.

The rate cutting has been attributed to a credit slowdown and lenders’ excellent liquidity.

But a closer look shows the reason lies elsewhere.

Some banks have reduced interest rates on short-term deposits but hiked the rates on long-term deposits to even up to 8.7 per cent.

This suggests that they have not cut interest rates because of plentiful liquidity but due to their rejigging of deposit terms.

The State Bank of Việt Nam had, last December, issued a circular reducing the ratio of short-term deposits used for funding medium- and long-term loans from 50 per cent to 45 per cent this year and 40 per cent next year.

Thus, to meet this requirement, banks need to increase mobilisation of long-term deposits.

Meanwhile, growth in short-term loans has been low while medium- and long-term loans are increasing quickly.

The National Financial Supervisory Committee reported that in the first quarter of this year long-term credit grew by 4.3 per cent compared to only 2.6 per cent in the case of short-terms loans.

The ratio of medium- and long-term loans to total outstanding loans increased from 52.8 per cent late last year to 53.2 per cent now.                    

While for obvious reasons banks desire a high ratio of long- and medium-term deposits, in reality 90 per cent of their deposits are short-term.

Meanwhile, 60-70 per cent of their loans are for long terms, especially real estate-related credit.

Analysts said though the banking sector has been making efforts to reduce the ratio of short-term deposits used for funding long- and medium-term loans following the SBV’s diktat, they are not making much headway. Long- and medium-term loans still make up 53 per cent of total outstanding loans as against the 15 per cent long- and medium-term deposits they have mobilised.

Big companies raise profile of OTC market

Recently many sector-leading companies and others with excellent growth potential have seen their shares trade on the over-the-counter (OTC) exchange.

They include Techcombank, Cenland and Hải Phát Invest.

Their presence has significantly raised the profile of the OTC market.

Late last month Techcombank successfully sold more than 164 million shares to foreign institutional investors at a price of VNĐ128,000.

The deal helped raise VNĐ21 trillion (US$922 million) and valued the lender at $6.5 billion.

In the first quarter of this year Techcombank shares have been averaging between VNĐ95,000 and VNĐ100,000 at free transactions. On the OTC, they have been traded at VNĐ113,000-120,000.

Cenland is considered to be the first distributor of real estate products in Việt Nam. The company has already launched an initial public offering of its shares besides selling stakes to Dragon Capital and Vina Capital.

According to Dealstreetasia, Vinacapital paid $10 million for a 12 per cent stake while Dragon Capital owns 13 per cent of the company.

Cenland’s shares are traded on the OTC at around VNĐ50,000.    

Also involved in the real estate sector, the Hải Phát Invest Joint Stock Company has legal capital of VNĐ1.5 trillion and sold a 15 per cent stake to Dragon Capital last year.

Its shares are traded on the OTC at around VNĐ30,000.

Last week the OTC market became hotter after information about the listing date of Vinhome, a subsidiary of Vingroup, was released.

Many investors are eagerly awaiting the trading of Vinhomes shares on the OTC market. 

Vingroup has announced that Vinhomes and another member company of the group have signed a deal with Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC Private Limited.

Under the agreement, GIC will invest US$1.3 billion in two forms: buy Vinhomes shares and provide a debt instrument to Vinhomes (such as loans) to implement its projects. Credit Suisse (Singapore) Limited acted as the consultant for the deal.

Market observers pointed out that the situation on the OTC is in direct contrast to the gloom on the stock markets.

Lazada delivers a damaged-battery laptop, not support client to return or exchange

Lazada delivered a laptop with damaged battery and keyboard and has been delaying refund or exchange for a month now.

Pham Hai Binh (Giap Bat ward, Hoang Mai district, Hanoi) told VIR that he bought a Dell Latitude E6410 laptop on Lazada in early April under the order ID 200613023746147. He spent VND3.89 million ($171.4) on this item, which is VND1 million ($44) cheaper than the selling price in other stores.

However, when he received the laptop, after short use, he realised that the keyboard was stuck and cannot type while the battery has been almost completely dead. A full charge could power the laptop for only 15 minutes and the machine would be very hot throughout the time.

Binh immediately contacted the customer department of Lazada to ask for a refund or exchange, but was not supported, although the website promises to: “Return or exchange items easily within 14 days, even if you simply do not like the product.”

He has tried to return the item in two ways, by contacting Lazada to send an employee to take the laptop and to send it by post. However, Lazada did not send anybody to take the item and did not send him their postal address for delivery to send it via post.

Meanwhile, Lazada’s warehouse is located in Bac Ninh province, 30 kilometres from Hanoi.

“I asked for a refund or exchange nearly a month ago. I talked to them more than ten times by chatting or calling but I have only been told to “Please wait for 48 hours”—and nobody contacted me since then. Now I know this service (return/exchange services) does not work and 48-hour reply is a scam. Are there any other ways to get a refund or an exchange?”

The case is not good at a time when Lazada is celebrating its six years' anniversary in Vietnam.

Looking on the website of Lazada, it can be seen that information on numerous items is very ambiguous, as customers cannot know if they are new or used and how long the warranty period is. There are some comments at the bottom of the website, but the cheap prices draw most customers’ attention.

Thus, the Vietnam Competition Authority should quickly finish its on-going investigations and announce the conclusions so that customers can be in the clear about what they face with Lazada in order to ensure fairness and transparency in online shopping.

The number of complaints making it to news should be a wake up call for Lazada to radically re-invent its business practices, as well as improve the quality of goods and services on its platform if they want to operate in Vietnam for a long time.

Japanese air-conditioning giant Daikin Industries will open its first production base in Vietnam this Friday (May 18), marking its newest step to boost presence in the country.

Located in the northern province of Hung Yen, the $100-million factory has a capacity of 500,000 units a year, which is planned to increase to one million units by 2020, to cash in on the growing demand for residential-use air conditioners in the country, which is predicted to rise to 40 per cent (market penetration) by 2020 from the current 22 per cent.

According to Ly Thi Phuong Trang, president of Daikin Air Conditioning Vietnam JSC, the Asia-Pacific region is among Daikin’s most important investment destinations in the world. In Vietnam, residential-use air conditioner sales were 2.3 million units in 2015 and are forecast to climb to four million units in 2020. Residential-use air conditioners rank fifth in long-lasting consumer products in the country, just behind automobiles, TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines.

Over the past few years, Daikin has been importing air conditioners to Vietnam, mainly from its subsidiary in Thailand. The Thai production facilities have been operating at full capacity since the third quarter of 2015 due to growing demand from Vietnam and other markets. Also, supply have lately failed to keep pace with demand.

With Daikin's move in, competition in the local market is expected to heat up. Other market leaders are now Panasonic, Samsung, Gree, LG, Midea, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Toshiba, and Electrolux.

Currently, Daikin Industries has operations in Japan, China, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Paper factory’s investment certificate to be revoked

The People’s Committee in central Quang Ngai Province has asked the provincial Department of Planning and Investment to revoke the investment certificate of Tan Mai Pulp and Paper Factory.

The committee has requested the department to issue a written termination of investment in accordance with the provisions of the 2014 Investment Law.

The decision was taken after the factory failed to operate in time.

Deputy director of the factory Le Quang Phuc said thousands of tonnes of machinery and equipment had been abandoned and exposed to sunlight for five years because the factory had not operated.

The factory had rented nine workers to maintain and protect the machinery and equipment, he said.

The project was granted an investment certificate in March 2009 and was scheduled for completion in 2011. Construction kicked off in July 2010 but had to be suspended in 2012.

The investor’s identity has not been disclosed.

The factory, which was expected to be the largest project in Vietnam’s paper sector, was designed to produce 130,000 tonnes of pulp and 200,000 tonnes of paper per year. The initial investment was VNĐ1.95 trillion (US$85.43 million), of which 30 per cent came from the investor and the remainder was from loans. After an adjustment of five times, the investment capital was increased to more than VNĐ5 trillion.

AEON MALL Haiphong Le Chan to open in 2020

AEON MALL's sixth commercial centre in Vietnam, AEON MALL Haiphong Le Chan, started construction on May 13, 2018. The facility is expected to be put into operation in 2020.

Yasutsugu Iwamura, general director of AEON MALL Vietnam, told VIR that the project is estimated to cost $190 million.This will be AEON MALL's sixth mall in Vietnam and third in the north. The company is deepening its footprint as a Life Design Developer creating a life for the future.

When put into operation, AEON MALL Haiphong Le Chan is expected to attract more than 13 million customers per year from Haiphong city and neighboring areas such as Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, and Thai Binh.

This will not only be an ideal place for shopping but also a multi-functional complex which will create an exciting environment for social and cultural exchange for customers at all ages with many integrated entertainment and educational facilities.

In addition, with the commencement of Nguyen Van Linh Overpass under the Ho Sen-Cau Rao 2 project, AEON MALL Haiphong Le Chan will play an important role in improving the infrastructure of the area, contributing to the new look of Le Chan district and catering to the city’s need for comprehensive and synchronised urbanisation.

AEON MALL Haiphong Le Chan will follow the consistent design style of environment-friendly space, large parking area, and the philosophy of innovating customer shopping experience with a wide range of business categories, convenient facilities, and exciting entertainment.

Haiphong is the largest international gateway port city in North Vietnam, while it is also the economic, industrial, cultural, medical, educational, scientific, commercial, and technological center of the Northern coastal region.

Over the past years, the city has made remarkable progress in terms of infrastructure, with projects like the Hanoi-Haiphong highway, Lach Huyen International Port, as well as frequently invested and expanded industrial parks (VSIP, Trang Due, Deep C and South Dinh Vu), and as a result, the city has become the leading foreign and domestic investment attraction in Vietnam.

Le Chan district is driven by Haiphong to develop in an open direction with a series of urban renovation and development, infrastructure, and new housing projects.

Nippon Sheet Glass to restart idle thin glass float factory in Vietnam

Japanese glass producer Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG) will pump part of a $365 million investment into upgrading and restarting a currently dormant thin glass float factory in Vietnam, according to the company website.

It is part of the expansion of its production capacity of online TCO (transparent conductive oxide) coated glass to support the growing solar market. Accordingly, the remainder of the $365 million will be used to develop a new glass production facility in the US over the next three years.

According to newswire Nikkei Asian Review, the plant in Vietnam is scheduled to reopen as soon as mid-2019. Meanwhile, the operations at the new US factory will start in the second half of the 2020 fiscal year. A site has not yet been chosen, but is expected to be near major customer First Solar's new plant in the state of Ohio.

Plans call for raising capacity by about 30 per cent for a special glass coated in a transparent conductive film that forms the topmost layer of thin-film solar panels. The glass can also be used for other purposes like construction.

In order to realise this target, Nippon Sheet Glass will sign a long-term supply agreement with First Solar, the world’s leading provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems with holding about 5 per cent of the global solar panel market and rapidly rising output in the US and Asian countries like Malaysia. The completed panels are likely to be used for projects like massive solar power plants in the US and Asia.

Resuming the operations of Nippon Sheet Glass’ plant in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is considered a motivation for accelerating the construction of the unfinished segment of the First Solar project in Vietnam.

In January 2018, First Solar Vietnam held a career day at Binh Duong’s Mira Hotel to support the recruitment of associates across the company’s operations. The company will be developing local talent in roles that include manufacturing operators, quality engineers, supplier quality engineers, EHS engineers, shift managers, IT staff, and all manner of administrative and support roles—bringing First Solar’s total number of associates to over 950 in the nation.

First Solar has re-affirmed its commitment to Vietnam by injecting an additional $360 million into the construction of a second 1.2GW high-tech factory at South East Industrial Zone in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing the total investment to $830 million.

“First Solar Vietnam is looking forward to gearing up and teaming up for 2018,” said Chan See Chong, First Solar Vietnam’s managing director.

Regarding the Nippon Sheet Glass plant, previously, in June 2014, the company took the $123-million thin glass float factory into operation. The factory was operated by wholly-owned subsidiary NSG Vietnam Glass Industries Limited (VGI) in Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s My Xuan A Industrial Park.

However, two years later, the firm had to suspend the factory. According to the release posted on the company’s website, this was an exit from loss-making businesses, “thus minimising losses, aiming to swiftly eliminate obstacles to a further recovery in Nippon Sheet Glass’ performance.”

Vietnam retail sector is undergoing a dramatic transformation and evolution

Vietnam’s retail sector is undergoing a dramatic transformation and evolution, according to Mr. Troy Griffiths, Deputy Managing Director of Savills Vietnam. He made this statement at the workshop “Next Generation Retail – Embracing Design for Future Opportunities” which was held by Savills Vietnam on May 10 in Hanoi.

Mr. Troy pointed out that in the past, this type of contemporary retail was very rare.

However, a series of new products now are appearing on the market and many shopping centers that have modern designs are sprouting up. Retail is changing everyday, and this also has a big impact on consumer behavior.

“In the future, we will have the chance to witness many new retail models with modern facilities that are entertaining and creative,” he added. “In addition, the e-commerce market in Vietnam is growing rapidly with the development of smart technology. All these changes and evolutions are aimed to serve consumers.”

At the workshop he also said that in addition to the transformation of the traditional retail model, technology investments such as apps, smartphones, and e-commerce make the purchase of goods much easier. The recent cooperation of many traditional retailers and e-commerce platforms is also a response to the adaptation and change towards a retail paradigm that fits with the times and consumers.

Mr. Troy also affirmed that it’s very unfortunate that foreign retailers who want to enter the Vietnam market don’t pay attention to the market potential, the dynamics of the young population, and the habit of using a smartphone. Understanding consumers, especially consumers in Vietnam, is not easy. That’s why the retail market in Vietnam is not suitable for those who just focus on the potential of a rising market. The younger generation also carries a decisive factor that affects the majority of consumer habits and behaviors.

“We have witnessed many successes and failures and the lesson is to learn thoroughly before implementing any plans,” said Mr. Troy. “The Vietnamese market has many factors, including ideal timing, fast expansion, high-income consumers and diverse shopping preferences.”

Also at the workshop, Mr. Trevor Vivian, Managing Director of Benoy Architecture & Master Planning said that shopping centers are changing throughout Asia partly because of the change of consumers and their habits.

The change of the Vietnam retail market is very obvious, especially in HCMC and Hanoi. The change comes from the transformation of the early economic market into an economy that can be called “delicate.” It comes from the retail sector itself. Even design trends have spread to the food industry. In addition to being delicious, Vietnamese food is also extremely beautiful. “The market is changing so fast, so we need to quickly learn more,” Mr. Trevor noted.

Mr. Trevor also mentioned that foreign brands entering the market is a positive sign. “This combination will bring about a change in the retail and consumer environment in Vietnam,” he added.

On the other hand, Mr. Nicholas Bradstreet, Managing Director, Head of Leasing, Savills Hong Kong said that Vietnam's retail sector achieved impressive growth of about $129.6 billion in 2017, up 10.6 per cent from 2016. “Retailers as well as landlords need to be prepared to respond to new trends, such as adding more entertainment value and food for customers in addition to shopping,” he added. “The pop-up store model is also a popular solution as it has a wide range of activities such as product launches, branding, and market testing.”

Renewable energy in Vietnam has great potential yet poor exploitation

The renewable energy in Vietnam possesses great potential, yet exploiting it still quite poor, according to professionals in the international conference ‘Integrating aquaculture and renewable energy system, a driving force for renewable energy development in Vietnam’ held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 11.

When evaluating the importance of energy in aquaculture, Mr. Nhu Van Can, representative of the Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that at the moment, the energy cost for raising prawn is around VND50 – 200 million per hectare per crop (around $2,196 – 8,785) depending on the investment scale. This accounts for 10 percent of the total expense cost.

Therefore, according to Deputy Director of the Southern Power Corporation (EVN SPC) Nguyen Phuoc Duc, renewable energy is a very effective solution to reduce the pressure of energy lack.

What is more, thanks to a surplus of sunshine and wind, aquaculture farms in the south-central areas are ideal places to install and make use of solar and windy energy in production.

However, according to Mr. Tran Viet Ngai, Head of the Vietnam Energy Association, the renewable energy in Vietnam has great potential, but due to the poor exploitation, it becomes quite ineffective, especially for the task of aquaculture production.

Analyses from his association estimate that Vietnam can harness about 30GW of wind energy inland and 100GW more offshore.

Vietnam can also produce an ideal amount of solar energy thanks to the long time of sunshine and the large surface area exposed to the sun from North to South. Nevertheless, until the end of 2016, this renewable energy accounted for less than 3 percent of the total 42,341MW of the whole electricity system.

Explanation of the Vietnam Electricity reveals that the low performance of renewable energy is because it is only developed locally. In addition, it is very difficult to have a synchronous growth of the electricity grid since the locations of the building projects are still unidentified.

The unstable capacity of this kind of energy may be due to the dependence on wind force or solar radiation.

However, the most important reason is that there is a serious lack of a specific standard system, construction standard system, or an operation standard system for renewable energy.

In order to effectively exploit this kind of energy, professionals suggested that the government should encourage its development, especially solar energy installed on roofs and wind energy in the Southern area.

It is also recommended that policies and regulations be made to attract investment while local authorities create conditions for the allocation of land for renewable energy projects and introduce tax incentives for those projects.

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Banks warn customers over online scamming


The Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) and the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) have issued official warnings to customers over online phishing scams.


 

Banks warn customers over online scamming, vietnam economy, business news, vn news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietnam, vietnamnet news, vn news, Vietnam net news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news
An user logs onto BIDV’s e-banking platform. - Photo thebank.vn


Both banks have reported information theft through e-banking counterfeiting, with cardholders’ negligence taken advantage of to steal their personal information, card data and passwords by asking them to input these on a fake website programmed to resemble the banks’ authentic online platform.

For example, two fake addresses were listed as homebank247.com/Bidv, or homebank247.com/Vietcombank. These fraud sites used forged interfaces mimicking the two banks’ real online banking services domains.

Vietcombank and BIDV confirmed that their official registered websites are vietcombank.com.vn and bidv.com.vn, respectively.

To protect personal information, Vietcombank said their customers should only use the website provided above and carefully read their safety transaction guide.

BIDV also advised customers not to login to the e-banking system from links sent via emails, which often contain unconfirmed advertising information from unknown sources.

If customers suspect that they have already accessed these fake links, they should change their password and contact BIDV for assistance immediately.

The move is a follow-up action by banks to ensure data thievery incidents, like Agribank’s 12 hacked accounts earlier in May, would not happen again.

The probability of cyber crime happening to banks is low as they have established security systems, so often times customers are a more vulnerable target, according to BIDV.

The majority of bank account thefts occur due to disclosure of personal information, said Ho Duc Dung, an expert in banking security.

According to Dung, cardholders should not deposit too much money in their ATM card accounts, and to set the lowest possible limit for credit cards in case of overcharges due to fraudulent activities.

He advised users to never lend anyone their card, and to change their personal identification number (PIN) often, as hackers could easily capture all personal information such as account numbers, PINs, or even CVV/CVC numbers on the back of the credit card to appropriate funds on the customer’s account.

Previously, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) reported that less than 11 per cent of cardholders in the country are aware that data thievery can occur to them instead of their financial institutions.

The SBV warned that e-banking users should understand their rights and obligations as customers, as well as the risks attached.

Previously, in 2017, the SBV noted a number of new fraudulent domain names registered for the purpose of mimicking banks’ official sites, not only to gain customer information, but also to provide untrustworthy loan services, customised to trick even seasoned users.

The SBV warned local banks about other hazards such as black box attacks and malware attacks, and required these bank branches to regularly inspect and monitor their ATM system to promptly detect suspicious signs, while installing 24/7 high-definition security cameras at withdrawal spots.

 VNS


Article 3

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Social News In Brief 15/5

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”



 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Chairman Phong visits a street knight in the hospital



In a tour to People’s 115 hospital to visit “street guardians" who were stabbed while trying to stop a gang of four robbers from stealing an expensive scooter, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong today stressed police in the city must have plan to protect “street knights”.

Chairman Phong added that it is needed to protect these men who are ready to sacrifice for the city people’s safety and property.

The ‘street knights’ yesterday followed the gang of robbers from Tan Binh District to district 3 where they stopped in front of the store and started to steal an SH scooter parked there. Being chased by the street guardians, the gang of robbers took out weapons to aggressively fight back. Consequently, two men died and three men were seriously wounded.

Hospital deputy director Dr. Bui Minh Trang said that the hospital admitted three men who were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Forty-two year old Nguyen Van Thoi and 29 year old Nguyen Hoang Nam had wound in their heart and their body turned blue. Despite doctors’ efforts to save him, they succumbed to the wound.

Fifty year old man Tran Van Hoang was also taken to the hospital with multiple injuries with his gut hanging out. Surgeons of inter- departments in the hospital worked together to save him.

Three men live in Tan Binh District and are ‘street guardian’ group which voluntarily patrol their neighborhoods to detect and catch criminals who try to take away people’s asset.

Additionally, two 22-year-old students joining in the fight against the thieves were fatally injured by slash.

Grateful for their chivalrous deed of the street guardians, Chairman Phong requested police force to seek for a gang of four robbers and hospitals to take care of wounded knights.

Vietnamese contemporary paintings exhibited in Algeria


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
  
An exhibition showcasing paintings by a Vietnamese artist is being organised for the first time in Algeria from May 13-14 by the Vietnamese Embassy in the country in collaboration with the Algerian Ministry of Culture.

The exhibition is one of the activities held in the framework of the cultural exchange and cooperation programme between Vietnam and Algeria. 

Oil painting works by Vietnamese painter Nguyen Minh Son displayed at the exhibition help introduce natural landscapes across Vietnam to local viewers, including those spotlighting the beauty of Hoi An ancient city in central Quang Nam province, Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh northeastern province, and Sword Lake in capital city of Hanoi. 

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Pham Quoc Tru highlighted the significance of the event, saying that it aims to promote the painting art of Vietnam, especially modern paintings. 

The activity is hoped to help locals get insights into Vietnam’s culture and people, thus contributing to enhancing the Vietnam-Algeria relationship and the friendship between the Vietnamese and Algerian people, he stressed.

Youngsters make fortune on agriculture

Given the high unemployment rate among urban youngsters, Youth Unions in some localities have taken various measures in order to address the issue. Safe vegetables farms in the South Central Coastal province of Quang Ngai are among those initiatives.

Realising the locality’s high unemployment rate and leftover farming land, Đức Chánh communal Youth Union in Quang Ngai province in early 2016 asked the local authorities to deploy safe vegetables farms. Having gained the necessary approval, the Union managed to gather 20 local youngsters and raise sufficient fund to kick off the project.

According to Vo Ngoc Nam, Project Manager, the area was originally allocated for rice farming but it was ineffective. He and his companions saw the land’s untapped potential and asked the locality change it into vegetable farming. Then they called for the help of local youngsters. It has been three years and we are thinking of expanding the model.

The project has proved effective as it makes use of the local unemployed youngsters’ spare time while earning them quite a deal.

The initiative was recognised with a prestigious award by the Central Youth Union in 2017.

Nguyen Van Lam, Secretary of Duc Chanh Communal Youth Union, Mo Duc district, Quang Ngai province told reporters: "The local idle labour force accounts for a large number so we came up with the idea of agricultural restructuring. When carrying out the project, technical issue is also a challenge. The local agricultural promotion centre also helps by organising frequent technical training classes."

Besides the local Youth Union, some individuals have also run their own business of vegetables farming and gained positive achievements.

Le Thi Dat is among such people. Overcoming numerous difficulties at first, now she has a veggie farm of over 5 hectares with more than 20 species. Also her products have received positive feedbacks from customers.

Dat said: "Chronic diseases are common now partly because of unsafe food. So, hygienic vegetables are winning customers. We are planning to open chain stores selling clean vegetables under farm-to-store model so that customers can completely have faith on our products."

According to Tran Van Man, Chairman of Mo Duc district People’s Committee,Quang Ngai province, there have been lots of projects on clean vegetables by youngsters in Mo Duc district in recent years. They are well educated, innovative and bold so they succeeded.

He also pledged to create the most favorable conditions for them to develop.

As start-up movement has been promoted in recent time, many youngsters have taken advantage of their localities’ conditions and made a fortune. Quang Ngai province is now home to 80 economic models owned by youngsters with average income of over 3,000 USD a year.

National vocational contest honours skilled workers


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Contestants at the 9th National Skills Competition in 2016  

Contestants from across Vietnam are showing off their vocational skills in 26 professions at the ongoing 10th National Skills Competition. 

As many as 520 competitors in 56 teams from ministries, sectors and localities nationwide registered to participate in the biennial event, which are being organised in Hanoi and the northern province of Ha Nam from May 13-20. 

The activity aims to honour young workers with high vocational skills, and encourage emulation movements in enterprises and vocational training institutions, thus improving the quality of young labourers and increasing labour productivity. 

The competitors will compete in 24 official professions including electro mechanics, mechanical technical design; welding; industrial automation; mobile robotics; electronics, hi-tech machine maintenance; website designing; IT software solutions; graphic design, fashion technology; automobile technology; hairstyling; cooking; restaurant services and civil carpentry.

Demonstrations will be held for two other professions which are automobile paint and Internet of Things.

The three best performers at the event will be awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals, while all contestants will receive certificates from the organising board. 

The most excellent contestants will represent Vietnam at the 12th ASEAN Skills Competition in Thailand from August 26 - September 4, 2018 and the 44th World Skills Competition in Russia from August 22-27, 2018.

Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
The Vietnamese language class held at the Embassy of Vietnam in Algiers, Algeria  

A Vietnamese language class opened at the Embassy of Vietnam in Algeria’s capital city of Algiers on May 12, meeting the demand to learn the language and explore Vietnamese culture of students in Algiers and neighbouring localities. 

The language class, taught by staff members of the embassy, attracts about 30 learners aged 10-50, including members from one family. 

In his opening remark, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Pham Quoc Tru said the class aims to help children of overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Algeria and students learning Vietnamese martial arts in the country speak the language and understand more about Vietnamese culture, spirit and martial arts. 

He also voiced his hope that the class will strengthen the bond between the Vietnamese community and Algerian people who love Vietnam.

Moluk, Vice President of the Vietnamese traditional martial arts Son Long Quyen Thuat league in Algeria, also a student of the class, said the Vietnamese language and traditional martial arts will bring people of Vietnam and Algeria closer.

A student of the class, Serine Rahile, 20, is attending the class along with her two siblings. They are among the third generation of OVs in Algeria and currently living in Boufarik province, more than 30km away from Algiers. 

Rahile expressed her hope that thanks to the class, she will be able to speak the language with her relatives in Vietnam and Vietnamese people in Algeria.

Deputy PM orders probe into traffic accident


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Representatives of the National Committee for Traffic Safety visit a victim yesterday.


Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình has ordered chairman of the People’s Committee of Khánh Hòa Province to quickly investigate the cause of an traffic accident that killed two people and injured 21 others on Saturday morning.

The accident occurred when a coach, carrying 31 people, was travelling on a stretch of National Highway No 27C, running through Khánh Lê Pass in the province’s Vĩnh Khánh District. The passengers were retired civil servants from northern Yên Bái Province, on a vacation trip.

Under initial investigation, the coach driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle while driving through the pass, causing the coach to overturn. Local police are conducting further investigations.

The victims were taken to Khánh Hòa General Hospital for treatment.

Bình, chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety, also sent his condolences to the victims’ families.

The committee yesterday visited and gave VNĐ5 million (US$220) to each dead victim’s family and VNĐ3 million ($132) to each injured victim’s family.

Police arrest two in huge heroin bust



 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
The bricks of heroin displayed at the police station.


Police in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai have arrested two suspects and seized 329 bricks of heroin, worth over VNĐ69 billion (US$3 million).

The police said the two suspects were arrested while driving their car loaded with the heroin on Friday afternoon in Nậm Pản Village of Mường Khương District.

The two suspects admitted that they were transporting the drugs from the central province of Nghệ An to sell in Lào Cai.

Colonel Đinh Tiến Quân, director of Lào Cai Police Department, said this is the biggest heroin bust they have dealt with. Police are investigating the case.

Junior Kendo Tourney to be held in City


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria


The 4th RMIT Việt Nam Junior Kendo Tournament will be held at RMIT Saigon South Kendo Club from 3pm to 6pm on May 19-20 in 702 Nguyễn Văn Linh Str, District 7.

Established in 2015, the tournament offers young kenshi a fair competition so they can learn and express their skills in the best environment. It also offers roles as referees to the more experienced.

Bình Dương Province and Penang to promote tourism


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Hội Khánh Pagoda is one of the most attractive destinations in Bình Dương Province. Photo from dulichbinhduong.org.vn 

Vietnamese and Malaysian scholars have predicted an increase in tourism between Bình Dương Province and Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Malaysia, following a conference held in the province on Saturday.

The conference was organised by the province’s Thủ Dầu Một University and the University of Science in Malaysia.

Professor Badaruddin Mohamed, who manages the Tourism Research Circle unit at the School of Housing, Building and Planning at the University of Science, said that city tourism would be promoted through bilateral understanding of culture and communities.

Malaysian participants at the event described the special traits of Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including traditional craft villages, entertainment zones, and Muslim architecture and community.

They also provided information to local tourism authorities and agencies on how to welcome Muslim tourists, mostly from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East.

In 2017, Việt Nam welcomed more than 400,000 visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The tourists prefer to visit the Mekong Delta and HCM City.

However, Bình Dương, despite being only 30 kilometres from HCM City, has attracted a small number of Muslim tourists.

Professor Nguyễn Văn Hiệp, council chairman of Thủ Dầu Một University, said: “Bình Dương is part of the Southern Focal Economic Zone and is becoming a rapidly growing city in the southeast region of Việt Nam. In 2018, the province ranked No 2 in foreign direct investment.”

Although the province’s economy is strong, its culture, education, health, and tourism sectors have not developed as quickly, he said, adding that in 2017, only 200,000 foreign tourists visited Bình Dương.

At the conference, Vietnamese participants presented information about Bình Dương to Malaysian delegates, including its Buddhism architecture, craft villages and fruit gardens.

The event also included a signing ceremony between the Tourism Research Circle unit and Thủ Dầu Một’s Strategic Development Institute on cooperation in scientific research, event organising, and scientific book publishing.

Seminar talks ways to preserve folk music of northern minorities


Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria 

Teaching and studying ethnic music is one of the best ways to preserve its traditions, a seminar has heard. 

The scientific seminar took place in the northern mountain province of Điện Biên on Thursday.

It is part of a grand plan to preserve and uphold values of the folk music of Vietnamese ethnic minorities up to 2020.

One suggestion was to raise awareness by teaching people to play instruments and offering incentives to artists who preserve the music around the country.

Co-hosted by the Việt Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) and the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event is aimed at assessing and recognising the values of traditional musical heritages and process of implementation of policies supporting the preservation of folk music of ethnic minorities in the region.

It was also a chance for management authority officials at local levels to intensify their work of management and development in the sector of traditional culture in the northern mountain areas.

Cultural authorities heard opinions of experts, scientists, researchers and folk music artists on various related issues in preserving the values of traditional musical heritages in the areas.

Nguyễn Thuỷ Tiên, a representative of VNAM, said the academy had collected and recorded various genres of folk music of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region over the past two decades. 

In particular, at the seminar, researchers and cultural artisans from Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Hòa Bình, Cao Bằng provinces talked about socio-cultural and artistic values of folk music genres in the region, their role in the spiritual lives, and measures to preserve and uphold them in the current life. 

Reports at the event mentioned practising Then singing in 11 northern mountainous provinces, folk music in ethnic groups in Điện Biên and preservation measures.

Huế receives 1.9 million visitors in last 4 months


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Natural ambiance at Alba Wellness Resort, which the local tourism department introduced as a new product for the tourism sector. 

The former imperial capital city of Huế received almost 1.9 million visitors in the past four months, marking an increase of 12.7 per cent over the same period last year, according to the Thừa Thiên Huế Province People’s Committee.

The total number of international visitors was 757,000. However, the remarkable factor was an increase of 15.9 per cent in the number of visitors staying the night in Huế, which had been known as the city that slept early, making tourists leave for Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Quảng Bình after daytime tour programmes in Huế.

According to the local Department of Tourism, efforts by local authorities in creating more recreation options at night, including lighting up the citadel and night walking streets, have worked out well.

The past four months of the year comprised two long holidays of the Lunar New Year over nine days and Reunification and May Day of four days. Those accounted for the rising of number of visitors to the city.

The department said April alone brought 400,000 visitors to the city. The four day holiday of Reunification Day coincided with the biennial cultural event Huế Festival 2018, making the city one of the top destinations in the country.

During the five-day event, from April 27 to May 2, the city accommodated 1,000 Vietnamese and 388 foreign performers from art troupes participating in the Huế Festival. However, it is unclear whether the performers were included in the total number of visitors to the city or not.

Nguyễn Văn Phúc, deputy director of the local Department of Tourism said the city expected to welcome more tourists in the remaining months of the year thanks to innovation efforts made by local tourism authorities.

In April, the sector introduced new wellness services in a new resort built on natural hot mineral springs, Phúc said.

Đại wins fourth stage of Return to the Countryside Cycling Tournament


Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria 

Young talent Hà Kiều Tấn Đại (middle). — Photo sggp.org.vn 

Young talent Hà Kiều Tấn Đại won the fourth stage of the Return to the Countryside Cycling Tournament of the Gạo Hạt Ngọc Trời Cup yesterday.

Đại of BTV Đại Nam Bình Dương took the lead in the 112km race from Cà Mau to Sóc Trăng Province.

Đại also won the green jersey award as the best sprinter with 47 points, followed by Jay Lampawog of the Go for Gold team who earned 40 points.

Quách Tiến Dũng of the Military Zone 7 won the yellow jersey award for the best overall time after four stages.

Gạo Hạt Ngọc Trời An Giang topped the team rankings. Bike Life Đồng Nai and the Philippines were the runners-up.

Today, cyclists will compete in the 50km fifth stage around Sóc Trăng City.

Sports experts to participate in safe swimming programme


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Students take part in a game show about safe swimming aimed at protecting children from drowning in Hà Nội on Thursday. — Photo of the organisers 

The National Sports Administration will cooperate with the Ministry of Education and local communities to implement a project on safe swimming aimed at protecting children from drowning.

The programme will include different activities in all 63 cities and provinces across the country from this month to August under the sponsorship of Nestle Milo.

“Thousands of children die from downing every year. The number was some 2,000 in 2017. The main reason is their inability to swim. Less than 30 per cent of Vietnamese children know swimming. This is alarming, so we decided to solve the problem this year,” said Nguyễn Ngọc Anh, head of the Administration’s Amateur Sports Department, which will be in charge of the programme.

According to Anh, the Administration has been working closely with different agencies to produce documents, brochures, leaflets, videos and clips and game shows specialising in safe swimming.

Experts have been sent to localities to improve the swimming skills of native teachers, rescuers and staffs.

A national swimming competition for children and students will be organised in July in Đà Nẵng. A contest for rescuers will also be held in Đồng Tháp province in August. These two activities are aimed at encouraging people to get involved in the project.

“Hundred per cent of the cities and provinces have pledged to take part in the programme as they recognise its importance, especially as it is summer now, a time for storms and floods. We have set a target of reducing the number of deaths by drowning compared to last year,” Anh said.

An official ceremony to launch the programme will be organised in Ninh Bình Province on May 20.

Students to compete in self-driving contest final


     


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Le Hong Viet, FPT CTO, at the meeting.


During the final round, the teams will have to use knowledge in the fields of programming, image processing and artificial intelligence to make vehicles move at the highest speed on complex terrain; identify and avoid obstacles; and identify and follow the direction of traffic signs.

The first prize winner will receive a total of VND450 million (US$19,000), including a one-week trip to Japan. The winners will also get a chance to work for FPT Software.

The competition took place from October last year to May this year.

The contest attracted more than 200 teams from 30 universities nationwide, increasing from 145 teams from 26 universities last year.

Automobiles would be one sector undergoing the biggest changes in the fourth industrial revolution, Le Hong Viet, FPT chief technology officer, said at a meeting on Friday.

Regarding that trend, FPT had invested in self-driving technology and set goals to become one of the world’s leading companies in software technology for automobiles, he said.

Currently, FPT is implementing a number of projects related to self-driving technology in particular and automotives in general for about 40 major customers around the world.

Not only pioneering in research and development of technology for automobiles, FPT also pushes the research, creative activities and experience of the latest technology in the field for the young people in Viet Nam through the Digital Race competition.

FPT expects that with the competition and similar events there will be more advanced products in the world developed from Vietnamese wisdom.

The saddest day ever: goodbye to love and dogs

One fateful evening, a young lady returned home to find that her boyfriend had vanished. Far worse, he had absconded with her four precious Husky babies.

In a Facebook post, a girl with the account name M.T desperately sought help from the community of netizens to find her dogs—a mother and three puppies—which the new boyfriend had apparently stolen.

She wrote: “My boyfriend is an asshole. When I went to work, he called a taxi to take the whole pack to his house.”

M.T immediately texted her boyfriend asking him to bring the dogs back, a request which he bluntly rejected. The girl could not come to his home to find him as she had only known him for about a month and did not know where he lived. She did know, however, that his hometown is in Bắc Ninh Province and his occupation is in animal trading (a fact which seems to bode poorly for the Huskies).

She later discovered an even more shocking truth: her now ex-boyfriend used a fake name during the short relationship with her.

The disgusting man even threatened to publicise a sensitive video if she kept posting about him on the internet.

M.T said that she was not afraid and would report to the police if he did not show up. All the best for the poor girl, and don’t let your boyfriend babysit your Huskies, especially if he is an animal trader.  

Vietnam-Australia ICT Education Showcase to bring expertise and innovative ideas for partnerships

The Vietnam-Australia Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Education Showcase 2018 is offering a platform for Australian and Vietnamese institutions, research and business organisations to exchange expertise and build innovative partnerships.

Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) is partnering with the Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communications to deliver the Vietnam-Australia ICT Education Showcase 2018, promoting Australia’s expertise and capability in information communications technology.

The Showcase will be held in Hanoi on May 16 and in Ho Chi Minh City on May 18.

Seven leading Australian institutions will showcase their expertise and excellence in ICT education and training as well as their international projects in this event.

This showcase is highlighted by a panel discussion on “Innovative solutions to quality human resources in digital age in Vietnam” followed by networking and one-on-one meetings between Vietnamese and Australian training providers to discuss potential institutional links and commercial partnerships.

Australia is known for the reputation of high-quality education, research capability, advanced digital economy and strong commitment to innovation and science through the National Innovation and Science Agenda. Those are backed by world-class academic institutions internationally recognised for providing quality ICT education and training and research excellence.

With the fast digital adoption across all sectors in Vietnam, the IT sector is growing rapidly with a focus on hardware, software, e-commerce and IT services. It is expected that Vietnam will require 400,000 IT workers from 2016-2020. As part of its Strategy for Science and Technology Development 2011-2020, the Vietnamese Government is seeking to increase the number of skilled engineers, research organisations, hi-tech incubators and hi-tech enterprise to support this expanding sector.

English centre found pirating teaching programmes


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Nguyen Tien Dung, chairman of Langmaster English Centre, issued public apology on May 10 after it was discovered that the centre had been reproducing teaching programmes and methods from various sources without credit.

The centre was found to have been using teaching programmes and methods on the BBC and from a university in Japan in their free videos. The authors and sources aren't asked for permission or given credit.

Langmaster also lied about their co-operation with AJ Hoge, the author of the Effortless English Course. According to Hoge, many centres in Vietnam have stolen his teaching method but Langmaster is the most disappointing case since he and Langmaster have held many conferences together. Not only Langmaster lied about the co-operation, it also claimed that it held exclusive rights over the effortless English teaching method in Vietnam.

Nguyen Tien Dung, the founder and chairman of Langmaster, held a live stream on the Facebook fan page of the centre to apologise about the violations. They had taken down the reported violating video clips and were reviewing other clips on YouTube.

Dung said the centre's reputation had been severely damaged. He apologised to the partners and students of the centre while saying that he would take all of the responsibility for releasing copyright violated contents to the public. He said they had learned from this case to be better and promised that such violation will not be repeated and they will follow the laws on copyrights in the future.

"We hope we'll be given a chance to right this wrong and be able to continue contributing to the community," he said. "As the head of the centre, I apologise again and will take responsibility."

The United States helps Vietnam combat wildlife crime

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on Friday officially launched the USAID Saving Species project.

U.S. Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Permanent Deputy Minister of MARD Dr. Ha Cong Tuan, representatives of the MARD Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Management Authority of Vietnam, and other government and NGO stakeholders attended the launch.

“USAID Saving Species is not just a commitment between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments, it will also link to the efforts of other organizations, within Vietnam and beyond, who are committed to combating wildlife trafficking. Only by working together can we solve this global issue,” said Ambassador Kritenbrink.

With a budget of approximately USD10 million, USAID Saving Species supports the Government of Vietnam to combat wildlife trafficking through three integrated and mutually reinforcing objectives: harmonizing and improving the legal framework for wildlife crime; strengthening and improving law enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crime; and reducing consumer demand for illegal wildlife products. The project’s focal species are rhinos, elephants, and pangolins, and targeted geographic locations include major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang, as well as transit points for the illegal trade, such as border crossings, ports, and airports.

"Clean Water for Schools 2018" program launched


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria 

The Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association recently implemented the “Clean Water for Schools” program for Poor Patient (SAPP), in corporation with Novaland Group. Before the 2018 - 2019 school year, 52 schools at Thanh Phu District in the Mekong Delta’s Ben Tre provinces and 27 schools in Long An province’s Tan Tru District are expected to be equipped with a direct drinking water filter system that satisfies the standards of the Pasteur Institute. The budget for this program is estimated at nearly $265,000.

Following a sustainable development strategy, Novaland Group is currently the pioneer in the project of “Developing Sustainable Strategy for Mekong Delta Tourism.” The Prime Minister, government agencies, and localities have been paying special attention to the project. It will create a new motivation for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta, help adapt to the growing threat of climate change, and create new jobs for the local people.

The partnership in the “Clean Water for Schools” project is also a demonstration of Novaland’s efforts towards the community, especially the areas affected by climate change.

“Thanh Phu district has 26 km of coastline so climate change is a major obstacle to its local economic development, which is primarily agricultural,” said Mr. Nguyen Truc Son, Party Committee Secretary of Thanh Phu District in Ben Tre. “For about 3-6 months per year, the district is affected by salinity intrusion. The district has only one water plant and can only meet the needs of one third of the 150,000 people.”

“Only three schools have water tanks and filters but they only temporarily meet the needs of students and teachers. 52 proposed schools in the program are still in difficult circumstances with no clean water. That’s why we are very pleased that the delegation of the SAPP, Novaland Group and the technical units have visited, researched and funded Thanh Phu district in the “Clean Water for Schools” program this year.”

Within three months after the signing date, about 516 water filters will be installed in 52 schools at Thanh Phu district in Ben Tre province to provide direct drinking water for nearly 20,000 students and teachers. After Ben Tre, the “Clean Water for Schools” program will also be implemented in other provinces.

The “Clean Water for Schools” program will bring water to tens of thousands of students and teachers before the new school year.

According to a UNICEF report, there are currently 17 million children in Vietnam who don’t have access to clean water. The Preventive Medicine Department also announced that 30 per cent of schools still don’t have enough water for students and teachers. In particular, many reports show that the Mekong Delta is the area that is most affected by climate change and lacks clean water. In addition, the use of unsafe water from wells, rain, ponds, lake, rivers, and streams are causing serious consequences to people’s health, especially children. Some of these health problems include gastrointestinal disease, malnutrition, oral disease, helminthiasis, lead poisoning and arsenic which leads to high cancer risk.

Social insurance reform for sustainable development


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria 

Social insurance is considered as the main pillar of the social welfare system and one of the most important social achievements of mankind since the early 20th century. To achieve this "position", social insurance policy itself and the implementation of social insurance policies must make appropriate adjustments to adapt to the real situation.

In the past 30 years, the world has witnessed a number of social insurance reforms, with the focus on pension reform implemented in dozens of Latin American, Central and Eastern European countries, the United States, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, and others. At present, the reform roadmap is still underway in many countries.

These reforms have many similarities. First, it derives from the challenges facing each country, including the increasing pressure on the budget and the social insurance fund, as well as an aging population, and low social insurance coverage, among others.

The reforms also aim to fulfil the objectives set out by social insurance policies including ensuring better interests for participants, increasing the coverage of social insurance, and effectively using the labour resources to serve development needs, and so forth.

As a nation that always pays due attention to the development and happiness of the people, the Party and the State of Vietnam have soon given heed to implementing the social insurance policy for workers, defining it as the target and motivation for national sustainable development, as well as the good nature of the socialist regime.

In each period in the history of the country, the social insurance policy system has been adjusted many times to meet the objective requirements. In particular, after the country's Doi Moi (reform) policy, Vietnam implemented important reforms in its social insurance policy in 1995, such as establishing a system of agencies specialising in implementing social insurance policy at three levels; establishing a social insurance fund independent from the state budget which is formed on the contributions of both employers and employees; in addition to expanding the scope of subjects participating in compulsory social insurance and implementing voluntary social insurance; among others.

Thanks to these important reforms, the social insurance fund has become the largest welfare fund; the organisational model of the social insurance system has promoted its effectiveness in policy implementation; and the number of employees participating in compulsory and voluntary social insurance has continuously increased (reaching 13.9 million people by the end of 2017, an increase of seven times compared to 1995).

The number of beneficiaries of pension and monthly social insurance allowances comes to more than three million people and, each year, more than nine million people are provided with short-term allowances such as sickness, maternity, health rehabilitation, and unemployment, among others. The total spending from the social insurance fund for these interests has increased to more than VND130 trillion (US$5.72 billion) per year, while the expenditure from the budget has been decreasing.

However, besides these important achievements, the implementation of social insurance in Vietnam also shows inadequacies, including the low coverage of social insurance; the social insurance system being designed in a single-stage manner with loose connections to other social policies; and compulsory social insurance also omits some groups of people with the demand and ability to participate in it.

In addition, the retirement and death benefits fund are at risk of long-term imbalances; the social insurance evasion and debts have yet to be resolved thoroughly; and a lack of full awareness on the part of employers and employees of social insurance.

In particular, the social insurance system also has to face high pressures in the population aging trend and the impacts from the industrial revolution 4.0 which will create changes in labour structure and relations.

Thus, it is an objective and necessity to effectively solve the existing problems to ensure the sustainable development of the social welfare system in particular and the goal of national sustainable development in general.

President praises natural disaster prevention and rescue forces


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Armed forces help farmers in Ha Lan commune, Bim Son town (Thanh Hoa province) to harvest flooded rice. 


President Tran Dai Quang warmly praised the prevention and rescue forces who have embraced hardships and made every effort in natural calamity prevention and control over the past year.

He also sent his best wishes to all fellow soldiers and those working in the natural disaster rescue forces, as well as the Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, in his letter on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of Vietnam’s Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Day (May 22, 1946 – 2018).

He recalled that, over the past year, natural disasters occurred continuously which posed significant impacts on localities. Heavy rain poured on a large scale and serious floods and landslides were observed in the mountainous provinces, together with storms and tropical depressions over the East Sea, leading to many losses of life and property.

The President noted with pleasure that, thanks to the drastic directions and prompt actions of sectors, departments, rescue forces, and armed forces, as well as the positive participation of people from all walks of life, the damage caused by natural disasters has been minimised.

He also warned that the natural disaster situation will get more complicated due to the impact of global climate change, posing great challenges for the country in the future.

Therefore, he asked the Party committees at all levels, as well as the local authorities, agencies, organisations, armed forces and entire people to raise a higher sense of responsibility, solidarity and consensus in accordance with the “four-on-the-spot” principle; improve people’s preparedness and readiness to reduce loss of life and property, in order to build a society resilient to natural disasters and facilitate the country’s sustainable development.

Awards presented for promoting President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, morals and style


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Eight A, 34 B, 67 C and 55 consolation prizes were awarded at the ceremony.  

As many as 164 of the top admissions that entered into the contest on ‘Studying and Following President Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts, Morals and Style’, phase 1 (2016-2018), were honoured at an awards ceremony in Hanoi on May 13.

The ceremony was attended by Politburo members: permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh; Secretary of the CPVCC and Head of CPVCC Commission for Communication and Education Vo Van Thuong; and Secretary of the CPVCC and Head of CPVCC Commission for Economic Affairs Nguyen Van Binh.

Ever since the contest was launched two years ago, the steering committee and organising boards have received thousands of literary, artistic and journalistic works from artists and journalists both at home and abroad.

The entries included a variety of media formats including prose, poetry, plays and literary criticism, paintings, photography, music, cinematography and dance.

A wide range of journalistic works from print newspapers, radio and television were also entered in the contest.

Eight A, 34 B, 67 C and 55 consolation prizes were awarded at the ceremony.

The event was held as part of the activities to celebrate the 128th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh.

Outstanding young workers honoured for innovative solutions in production


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Sixty-five young workers honoured with the 9th Outstanding Young Workers’ Award 2018. 


Sixty-five young workers with innovative solutions in production and outstanding work results have been honoured with the 9th Outstanding Young Workers’ Award 2018.

The award ceremony was held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Hanoi yesterday evening, aiming to honour and encourage young workers who have demonstrated high skills and creative solutions that provide socio-economic efficiency.

This year, the Youth Union Central Committee received 215 nominees for the award, from 57 provinces, cities and units nationwide. The organisers selected the 65 best individuals to award the noble title to in 2018. They are typical examples, representing over 4.5 million young workers, artisans and students at vocational schools across the country, who are doing their best for the cause of national industrialisation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Politburo member Truong Thi Mai affirmed that youngsters are the leading force in the cause of building and developing the country, with the ability to master science and technology alongside their enthusiasm, endurance and desire to assert themselves in new and hard work. In the Doi Moi (renovation) period, they have shown dynamic, sensitive and active preparation towards setting up their career.

Emphasising the challenges that will be faced during international integration, Politburo member Mai, who is also Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation, expressed her wish that the winners would continue to hone their skills to become the core force in leading the country to overcome the challenges related to labour productivity, economic restructuring, climate change and the aging population.

She also urged the authorities and localities concerned to focus on training and improving the skills for young workers, while regularly praising and honouring teachers, administrators and artisans in job training. She also asked the Youth Union to promote revolutionary movements among its members to promote creativeness for each youth group, especially the young workers.

Earlier the same day, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the German Agency for International Cooperation co-organised a photo exhibition featuring examples of outstanding young workers.

Also on Sunday, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union organised a forum on promoting creativity among young workers. At the event, leaders from the relevant units and the 65 young workers discussed solutions to promote creative activities among young workers and shared their experience on effective models in localities and their units. Delegates also proposed solutions to improve the responsibility and the role of the Youth Union’s organisations in creating a creative environment for the Vietnamese youth.

Private company grants US$ 19 million for upgrading public hospital


 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
Representatives of the Ministry of Health, city’s Department of Health, An Binh Hospital and sponsor participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for upgrading An Binh Hospital.


HCMC’s leading investment group Van Thinh Phat (VTP Group) yesterday announced an unconditional and non-refundable aid package of over VND 451 billion (US$ 19 million) for upgrading An Binh Hospital, the first financed project in HCMC under this kind of aid. 

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of An Binh Hospital upgrading construction yesterday, Permanent Deputy Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Tien said that on behalf of the health sector he would like to say thanks to Van Thinh Phat Group Joint for the aid package of upgrading An Binh Hospital and requested the hospital and contractors to use the fund responsibly. 

This is a big sum of money that the group had to save in its business, hence, beneficiaries must use the source of financial support most efficiently, the project must be on schedule and have quality assurance, said the Permanent Deputy Minister of Health.

He said that the health factor has overcome many difficulties to complete the mission of taking care of people health, to which many individuals and organizations including businesses have contributed so much. 

The aid from VTP Group for rebuilding An Binh Hospial is a good example for the contribution of private partners and it is treasurable because the aid is an unconditional and non-refundable, he added.

Director of HCMC Department of Health Nguyen Tan Binh said that the upgrade of facilities and improvement of equipment in the hospital are aiming to raise quality of health examination and treatment. 

HCMC has set up target of good facilities and high quality of healthcare services in all its hospitals by 2020.

An Binh Hospital located in an area of 15,000 square meter on An Binh Street in District 5 is a level 2 general hospital including 23 medical departments and 10 supportive service departments with 700 employees. It receives 2,000 patients everyday.  

Initially, the hospital was a temple built by the Vietnamese Chinese community in 1892, aiming at providing free treatment to poor patients with traditional Chinese medicine. 

Ass Prof. Dr. Bui Manh Con who is the hospital director said that the hospital is seriously degraded, often flooded during tides and rainfalls, causing dificulties for patients and affecting badly medical examination and treatment. 

With the sponsor from VTP Group, the hospital will be built into a green, high-tech medical center which is expected not only to meet demand of healthcare of city inhabitants but also to provide high quality medical services at resasonable prices, he said.

The hospital is designed to have 500 standard beds. The aid from Van Thinh Phat will be used to build 200 standard beds and the main building of 12 floors and 1 base with the using square of 23,000 m2 in the first phase. 

It is planned to set up funtional areas including polyclinic, outpatient treatment, technical, inpatient treatment, administration, logistics and auxiliary, parking areas. 

The hospital will also be equipped with advanced medical instruments, aiming to increase quality of healthcare services. The 300 remaining beds are scheduled to build in the second phase and funded by the state budget. 

The hospital is planned to set up new speciality fields, enhance specialized medical treatment, raise quality of medical care services, cut down the mortality rate. The hospital strives to meet the Health Ministry’s space standard of 9m2 per bed. After being upgraded the hospital is expected to reach the standard of level 1 hospital.

HCMC- based VTP Group found in 1991 is a Vietnam’s leading private multifield company that invests mainly in the real estate, construction, hotels, restaurants, financial services… The company has contributed to the social and economic development by charity activities and financial aids. 

The non-refundable investment package for An Binh Hospital is the real support by the group to help HCMC to deal with the overloaded situation in public hospitals.  The group chose An Binh Hospital because it is the oldest one in the city and had been a charity medical facility. In addition, the hospital is being damaged while the demand for medical treatment is increasing.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said that city residents will have more chances to access high quality healthcare services with reasonable prices if more and more private partners join hands with the Government, provide unconditional and non-refundable aids to upgrade public hospitals that are facing overcapacity and degrading situation.

Surgeons reattach amputated forefinger, thumb


 Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria 

Surgeons of the Department of Trauma- Burn of the General Hospital in the central province of Binh Dinh succeeded in reattaching a carpenter’s thumb and forefinger, said the hospital on May 12.


Working in the carpentry workshop, 27 year-old Nguyen Huu Kh. accidentally cut his thumb and index finger clean off of his hand on April 21.


Immediately, the workmates preserved both of Kh.’s fingers. Then he was taken to Binh Dinh General Hospital for emergency treatment.


After 5 hours of surgery, doctors had successfully reattached the carpenter’s fingers.


After 20-day treatment, Kh.’s reattached fingers were “alive” and movable.


Health agencies distribute rabies vaccine to curb shortage



 

Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria
People who were bitten by cats or dogs should be vaccinated at health centers 

More people succumbed to rabies because there was shortage of the vaccine against the disease in some localities.

The National Tropical Disease Hospital admitted several cases of rabies in recent months, medical workers could not  save their lives because they had not vaccinated after being bitten by mad dogs and cats.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been an escalation of deaths due to rabies. Fretting that more people will succumb to the disease because the hot weather is conducive to rabies virus development, the health sector has planned to add more vaccine against rabies in several localities that have reported the shortage of the vaccine.

Lately, the National Tropical Disease Hospital has admitted a 40 year old woman from the northern province of Bac Giang had rabies after she was bitten by a dog one month before. Doctors’ efforts to save her were unrewarded at last.

The Pasteur Institute and the Tropical Disease Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City announced a crowd of people flock to the hospital for vaccination against rabies. Since the beginning of the year, the hospital monthly receives 170 – 270 people who were bitten by dogs and cats averagely. They were given anti-rabies serum (SAR) and around 200 - 800 people were injected vaccine Verorab against rabies.

Pasteur Institute daily admits 800 – 1,200 people who arrived at the institute for hearing consultation and injection. The number has more than doubled compared to before. 

By the Preventative Health Department’s statistic, in first four months of 2018, 18 people succumbed to the disease nationwide, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period last year. Medical experts said that rabies cases usually hike in hot weather from May to August in all ages. Deaths result from not vaccination.

Rabies attacks the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals and humans. Zoonosis that can be transmitted to humans via bites or scratches or can be wound through the saliva of animals affected with rabies-infected animal can turn into more aggressive / violent and may attack human and ends with death. Head of the hospital’s Emergency Department Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap advised people to inject the vaccine right after they are bitten.

The Department of Preventive Medicine pointed out there has been no specific drug for rabies except anti-rabies serum and vaccine. Timely vaccination is an effective way to prevent rabies in human.

According to the Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health, rabies vaccines are allowed to circulate in Vietnam including French-made Verorab and Indian-made vaccine Abhayrab, Indirab, Speeda, Rabipur. Around 700 medical facilities give rabies vaccination nationwide.

Annually, approximately 400,000 – 500,000 vaccinated against rabies. Deputy Head of the Drug Administration Do Van Dong said that demand of vaccine depends on the number of victims of animal bite. Therefore, planning and prediction of vaccine demand is quite difficult especially in the time when demand increased drastically.

Following shortage of the vaccine in early  2081, the administration contacted with importers to provide more vaccine to localities which reported the shortage. The administration also checked suppliers’ document to provide more rabies vaccine in circulation.

As per the plan, in May, there will be 273,000 doze of vaccine imported into Vietnam, double that in one month in 2017 with the hope to solve the shortage in some districts.

According to the Department of Animal Health in HCMC, in first two months of 2018 , about 3,177 inhabitants bitten by animals were vaccinated.

Ministries run disaster prevention program

The Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have just signed a program together in preventing and alleviating natural disaster for schools in the period 2018-2023.

The aim of the program is to focus the role of education in preparing for and preventing natural disaster helping reduce halts in teaching and learning activities when natural disaster hit localities.

Moreover, it also is to curb deaths of students because of drowning in flood season.

Accordingly, the two ministries will expand the model of schools adapting to disaster in each regions. Additionally, the two ministries will build piloted models in districts identified as being highly vulnerable to disasters. Moreover, these facilities will turn to be safe shelters for locals.

The ministries proposed to qualify safe school as a criteria in the child injury prevention programs. Relevant agencies are assigned to compile guidance documents on disaster prevention which are suitable for each localities and ages of students.

Lessons in these educational kits on natural disaster risks will be taught in extra-activities.

Social contributions in building smart swimming pools, making life-jacket, and providing swimming classes are encouraged.

Education sector calls for help for disadvantaged districts


Police must have plan to protect “street knights”, Youngsters make fortune on agriculture, National vocational contest honours skilled workers, Vietnamese language class opens in Algeria 

Teachers, students in Kbang  commune in the highland province of Gia Lai are on the way to school 


The Department of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City in coordination with the Labor Union called for help for teaching staffs and students in disadvantaged districts.

Teachers, students and staffs in private and public preschools, primary, junior and senior high schools, colleges in Ho Chi Minh City were encouraged to help for their peers in mountainous, distant and disadvantaged districts.

Teachers and students are also encouraged to support their peers in these regions.

Teachers and students can contribute to the call for to May 31, 2018.

New method for deposit treatment in boilers introduced

Ewater Engineering Co. Ltd. has just received a science-technology business certificate from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology thanks to its innovative water treatment solution named ‘Ionization technology to treat deposits in boilers without chemicals’.

The mentioned technology exercises physics and electromagnetic laws to create one specific electromagnetic induction field inside a tube. Using continuously alternative wave frequencies from 1.2 – 48kHz, it provides proper energy to ionize water as well as deposits and rust, reducing their ability to gum up the surface of the tube.

This new technology is used for water treatment in industrial boilers in certain industries such as clothing, textile, food processing, hard and soft drink manufacturing, aquaculture, paper manufacturing, and cashew manufacturing. It can even be implemented in boilers of military kitchens.

Until now, this solution of Ewater Engineering has been installed in many factories nationwide with very positive results. Report shows that after three months, deposits in those boilers have been completely removed, greatly increasing the performance of the boilers while significantly reducing energy use.

A product introduction show is going to be co-held by the Center for Science and Technology Information (under the HCMC Department of Science and Technology) and Ewater Engineering Co. Ltd. on May 18 at the address of 79 Truong Dinh Street of District 1, HCMC.

VNN

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Comvik ignores AVG scandal and still wants strategic piece in MobiFone


Sweden-based Comvik Group has for the third time showed interest in becoming MobiFone’s strategic partner as the Vietnamese telecom company is in the process of equitisation. However, with the long-term difficulties of MobiFone’s value assessment as well as its controversial acquisition of AVG Group, it remains questionable whether Comvik could close the deal.

 

comvik ignores avg scandal and still wants strategic piece in mobifone
MobiFone's headquarters in Cau Giay district, Hanoi. Photo: thanhnien.vn


At the May 11 afternoon meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue at the Government Office, chairman of Comvik expressed interest in Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services One Member Ltd. (MobiFone)’s equitisation and a hope to co-operate with the firm.

Accordingly, with the strong technological foundations, including 90 per cent of Sweden’s non-cash transactions and Comvik’s research to develop a 6G network programme and non-cash transaction applications, Comvik believes the firm could successfully support the Vietnamese government to equitise MobiFone.

This is the third time Comvik offered to participate in the equitisation. At the meeting with the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) in August 2014, a representative of Comvik Group expressed the desire to become MobiFone’s strategic partner through the equitisation.

The representative also added that Comvik was particularly interested in investing in MobiFone and affirmed that with the long-term co-operation with VNPT (MobiFone was under VNPT Group until late 2014), Comvik has much better odds of success than other investors.

Newswire ScandAsia stated that since the government’s policy to equitise MobiFone in 2006, Marc Beuls, managing director of Millicom International Cellular SA Group—the parent company of Comvik—talked about potentially buying into MobiFone on the stock market.

Not only Comvik, but many other foreign investors, including Singapore-based Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (Singtel), Norway-based Telenor Group, and Australia-based Telstra Co., Ltd. expressed interests in buying MobiFone’s stocks. Even VNPT itself wants to own 20 per cent of the shares, according to vietnamnet.vn.

What are Comvik’s chances of success?

MobiFone has found itself in the midst of a scandal after using state-owned capital to buy 95 per cent of AVG’s shares. Accordingly, MobiFone forked out VND16.565 trillion ($729.7 million), while AVG’s real valuation was VND1.983 trillion ($87.3 million).

With long-term difficulties in MobiFone’s value assessment as well as its controversial acquisition of 95 per cent of Audio Visual Global JSC (AVG)’s shares, Comvik Group may once again be thwarted in becoming MobiFone’s strategic partner.

In 2008, Credit Suisse was chosen as an equitisation consultant for MobiFone and set the telecom network’s valuation at $2 billion in 2009. However, the equitisation process was delayed to 2011 because MobiFone was forced to separate from its parent company VNPT Group in accordance with Decree No.25/2011/ND-CP.

In June 2014, Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation (HSC) estimated MobiFone’s value at about $3.4 billion, which could increase to even $4 billion if its revenue and profit continued to increase after the initial publicly offering in 2016-2017.

According to the Vnexpress, AVG has been running accumulated losses since its initial establishment. However, MobiFone used AVG’s valuation result ($729.7 million) of AMAX Valuation & Investment Consultancy Co., Ltd. as a basis to buy its shares. The Government Inspectorate stated this figure was off by a great deal.

Currently, despite terminating the acquisition, MobiFone’s violations may hugely affect its equitisation in the future.

VIR

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Online tourism businesses thrive in Vietnam


Many travel firms, after making heavy investments in online tourism, are earning increasingly high revenue. 


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Nguyen Duy Vi, marketing and media director of Vietnam Adventure Tours (tugo.com.vn), said when setting up Tugo four years ago, the founder of the firm could see many problems in the traditional tourism model, especially in marketing the staff.

The traditional firms have to spend big money on marketing, but could not measure the effects of the marketing campaigns. To access more clients, the firms have set up more offices and increased the number of workers, leading to higher operation costs.

Therefore, Tugo decided to use technology to fix the problems of the traditional tourism model. Vi said that the company’s business performance wouldn’t be good if it did not develop online booking services.

Online tourism has made a great contribution to the revenue growth of Saigontourist. Vo Anh Tai, CEO of Saigontourist, said revenue from travel was VND4.25 trillion in 2017 and from online tourism in the last 10 months VND130 billion.

The traditional firms have to spend big money on marketing, but could not measure the effects of the marketing campaigns. To access more clients, the firms have set up more offices and increased the number of workers, leading to higher operation costs.

The statistics shown at the 2018 Vietnam Online Tourism Forum (VOTF) showed that some tourism companies were gaining high growth rates even among stiff competition in the market because they can attract high numbers of tourists through online sales.

Le Tuan Anh, deputy director of the VNAT’s International Cooperation Department, said 71 percent of foreign travelers to Vietnam in 2018 checked information about the destinations on internet, and 64 percent booked services online for their trips to Vietnam.

He cited Google’s Consumer Barometer in 2016 as saying that the number of smartphone users in Vietnam was just equal to 72 percent of the US, but 48 percent of Vietnamese used smartphones to look for hotels, while the figure was 18 percent  in the US.

While 42 percent of Vietnamese searched for tourism information at the destination, only 25 percent of Americans did. Around 37 percent of Vietnamese searched for information about flights, but the proportion was 18 percent for Americans.

At the forum, Truong Sy Vinh, deputy director of the Tourism Development Research Institute, said Google and Temasek Holdings predicted a sharp increase in the value of the SE Asian online tourism market from $21.6 billion in 2015 to $89.6 billion by 2025. Of this, Vietnam’s online tourism accounted for 10 percent, or $9 billion.

Euromonitor International predicted that revenue from online tour sales would maintain a 12 percent growth rate in 2015-2020.

Vietnam’s online tourism grew by 50 percent in 2017, according to the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), twice as much as the growth rate of the entire e-commerce sector.

VNN

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Fish rules perfected, hook, line and sinker


HÀ NỘI - Việt Nam has perfected the legal framework of nine recommendations issued by the European Commission (EC) to ensure responsible and sustainable fishing.


 

A corner of Incomap Port in the southern province of Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu. — Photo Hoàng Nhị


This was revealed by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường in Hà Nội on Monday.

The contents of the nine recommendations were incorporated into the Fisheries Law and passed by the National Assembly, said Cường at a meeting with the Directorate of Fishieries (DF) to re-evaluate the results achieved by Việt Nam in overcoming the EU’s illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) yellow card on Vietnamese fisheries, as well as to welcome the EU inspection team visiting Việt Nam today (May 15) to check the country’s efforts against IUU fishing.

"This is a great step that Việt Nam has done so far to confirm to the EC that it is building sustainable and responsible fisheries and raising the incomes of fishermen," said Cường.

On October 23, 2017, the EU officially issued the yellow card against Vietnamese seafood exported to this market because of insufficient efforts to meet the EU regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU. At the same time, the EU recommended that Việt Nam make sufficient efforts for the withdrawal of the “yellow card” by revising its legal framework and ensure compliance with international and regional rules applicable to the conservation and management of fisheries resources.

EU wanted Việt Nam to ensure the implementation and enforcement of the revised national legislation and enhance the implementation of international rules and management measures through a full sanctioning regime and an enforcing and monitoring system.

It also required Việt Nam to address deficiencies identified in the monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) related to the requirements of international and regional regulations, as well as within the framework of the fishing certification system, in addition to strengthening the management and improvement of the registration and licensing system for fishing.

General Director of DF Nguyễn Ngọc Oai said the EU inspection delegations would work with MARD, some coastal provinces and export aquatic products today. The delegation would also work with the Department of Animal Health, Department of Quality Management of agro-forestry and fisheries.

Finally, the EU team will synthesise the results achieved in Việt Nam and report to the Minister of MARD, said Oai.

To serve the EU’s inspection team visiting Việt Nam, Oai said the DF had opened an IUU office, which had sufficient documents to serve the EU. In particular, the DF has also set up a fishery database system, including a system of fishing ports and fishing vessels and the fishing vessel monitoring system on the fishing grounds, which are important for the management of fishing vessels on the sea.

"The MARD’s view is that the units under the ministry, when working with the EU team, will have the highest responsibility, transparency and openness. It’s needed to verify what we have done for EU to check,” Cường said.

We have nothing to hide. We need to record EU what we have done and what are inadequacies needed to be overcome in the next time,” he added.

In term of management, Cường said it’s necessary to re-assess the facilities for sustainable development of fisheries such as ports and anchorage areas to issue recommendations to the Government.

“In the next period, it is necessary to further invest in the sector to create a responsible and effective fishery. We also need to review the application of high technologies, information technology application to manage vessels and fishing grounds so as to ensure the development of modern fisheries,” Cường said.

To date, Việt Nam has made great efforts in overcoming the "yellow card" of the EU. It has directed drastically from central to local grassroots to implement more comprehensive solutions to overcome nine recommendations that the EU put forward to remove the "yellow card" as well as reaching a responsible fishery.

VNS

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PM Phúc ordered HCM City authorities to quickly settle Thủ Thiêm’s protracted land disputes


 HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered HCM City authorities related agencies to quickly settle the growing land disputes involving the new urban area of Thủ Thiêm.


Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area in District 2 is planned to be a modern residence and a commercial, financial and service centre of HCM City. The ambitious project involves relocating thousands of households, and a number of them have expressed discontent with the Government’s compensation or resettlement schemes, causing prolonged disputes and delaying the progress of the project. — Photo zing.vn
 

The order was made during yesterday meeting in Hà Nội chaired by the Government leader, and attended by the deputy prime ministers Trương Hoà Bình and Trịnh Đình Dũng, showing the administration’s commitment to resolve land disputes that were bound to emerge during the country’s course of fast development.

At the meeting, PM Phúc said the project Thủ Thiêm, envisioned to be a ‘modern’ urban centre of the southern metropolis HCM City, was approved in 1996 by the then Prime Minister Võ Văn Kiệt.

The mega-project necessitated massive land clearance that saw displacement of thousands of households in the originally poverty-ridden swampland.

However, due to HCM City’s efforts and the ‘positive support’ from the majority of the affected households, land clearance progress had currently reached 99 per cent, said PM Phúc.

“We must look directly at the truths, if what we’ve done are right then continue to persistently explain yourselves and convince people, if there are mistakes, then I expect full commitment and resolution to correct them, all in serving of the city’s development and people’s lives,” he said.

The Government leader expressed appreciation towards the households who have willingly co-operated with the authorities on the development of the project.

PM Phúc stressed the importance of ensuring stable living conditions for the resettled households, and that the “development of the city must not come at the expense of these households.”

During the land clearance progress, however, the local authorities had made mistakes in terms of planning, land management, document storage and failed to effectively settle citizens’ complaints, leading to prolonged land disputes, he said.

“The ultimate responsibility lies in the ministries and agencies involved, especially HCM City’s authorities,” PM Phúc said.

He also asked the settlement of disputes must be “in line with existing laws, respecting and protecting the legitimate rights of the citizens, investors, and the State, as well as ensuring harmonious interests between the parties involved.”

PM Phúc also asked for utmost transparency during dispute settlement – the authorities need to investigate every development of the case, listen attentively to the people’s concerns and feedback, and strive towards full consensus towards a final solution.

If there are indeed faults on the authorities’ part, they have to stake out a clear timeline to address these issues.

The Government Inspectorate was also asked to review and clarify the people’s complaints over compensation or resettlement living issues during the land reclamation process, and a report to the Prime Minister is expected before July 15.

The ministries of environment and natural resources, construction, justice and the HCM City People’s Committee “all have the responsibility to closely work with the Government Inspectorate and support their investigation into people’s complaints.”

Local authorities were also asked to cater to households who have relinquished their land but haven’t received living arrangements in resettlement housing, or households who have had their land taken by force that are still without a stable living condition.

Covering a total area of 657 hectares, the Thủ Thiêm new urban area is located on a peninsula in HCM City’s District 2, which faces downtown District 1 across Saigon River.

The proposed financial district and mixed-use urban area of HCM City is set to become the largest inner-city development in Southeast Asia.
To develop such a project, it took more than 10 years for site clearance of most of Thủ Thiêm peninsula, with as many as 15,000 households being resettled.

In a document sent to the Prime Minister in 2015, the city authorities said total costs in the new urban area for clearance compensation and resettlement, technical infrastructure, and loan interest had reached more than VNĐ29 trillion (US$1.27 billion). 

 VNS

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