Domestic coal stockpiles mount as imports surge The Vietnam Ministry of Finance has flatly rejected a proposal to lower taxes on fuel, a move that many industry experts believe would stimulate domestic sales of coal, reducing the country’s mounting inventories.  As an alternative, the Ministry recommended raising the country’s annual coal export target from the current 2 million tons per annum to 3-4 million tons for the three-year period 2017-2020. Raising the export target, said the Ministry, is a better approach to solving the problem than cutting taxes as it can specifically target getting rid of stockpiles of low quality coal without lowering general fund budget revenue. Vietnam changed from being a long-time net exporter of coal to a net importer in 2015, said the report, principally on the back of a large influx of inexpensive foreign coal in 2015. Not only did the imported coal sell for much less than domestically produced coal, but it was of a much better quality and more aptly filled the needs of domestic purchasers, the report continued. State-owned mining company Vinacomin had prodded the Ministry to rollback a tax hike it imposed last July raising the national resource taxes for two different grades of coal by 3-4%, claiming that the hike had negatively impacted its domestic coal sales. But the Ministry flat-out rejected Vinacomin's proposal, citing the government’s general fund budget concerns and the need for time to accurately assess the full impact of the newly imposed tax hike. Meanwhile Nguyen Khac Tho of the General Directorate of Energy said the latest statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that for the first nine months of the year the country’s cumulative coal imports jumped 147.6% on-year to 10.1 million tons valued at US$629.5 million. Mr Tho noted the 10.1 million tons is already 7 million tons past the 3.1-million-ton import target set for the entire 2016 fiscal year. Last year the country’s coal exports plummeted by 75.9% from 2014 to 1.7 million tons, said Mr Tho, while imports surged 123.8% to 6.9 million tons. He said it’s the lower foreign coal prices that are driving the surge in imports, adding that the quality of domestically produced coal just isn’t there- and doesn’t match that of foreign produced coal as well. Most of coal mined in Vietnam comes from deep reservoirs, even some as far down as 300 meters below sea level. This in large part explains why the cost for domestic coal production is so high. The segment is also plagued with a lot of outdated technology, which results in considerable additional cost when compared to foreign miners that use newer mining technologies at a much lower cost. In response, Vinacomin management has instructed its affiliates to cut costs, closely follow the market's requirements and strictly supervise the quality of coal and delivery schedules to stabilize production and reduce inventories, Mr Tho noted. VOV |
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EVN announces surprise profitability Despite reporting billions in losses in the first half of the year, the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) has just estimated a profit of VND2trn(USD89.54m) to VND3trn for 2016.  EVN estimated a profit of VND2trn(USD89.54m) to VND3trn for 2016 EVN had reported losses of VND6.371trn (USD282.9m) due to foreign exchange fluctuations, posting a post-tax loss of VND716bn (USD32m) in the first half of this year. Financial reports for the first half of 2016 showed that EVN earned VND131trn (USD5.8bn), a 17% increase on last year. However, financial costs increased to VND15.5trn, leading to VND716bn in losses. Dinh Quang Tri, deputy director of EVN said it was a consolidated report for the mother company EVN and nine member companies. However, because of the dry season, many member companies had to increase generator capacity and buy more oil and coal-fired power from other sources. Output from hydropower plants was low while production costs increased. Tri went on to say that the Ministry of Industry and Trade may consider and adjust the prices based on the foreign exchange rates in an end-of-year settlement. Most of the losses were in member power generating corporations. Dantrinews |
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Dekalb Vietnam among Top 10 Sustainable Businesses in VietnamDekalb Vietnam was named one of the Top 10 Sustainable Businesses by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD).
The ranking, announced on November 8 is the result of the Programme on Benchmarking and Ranking the Most Sustainable Companies in Vietnam carried out by the two agencies. This is the first time VCCI and VBCSD have compiled the Corporate Sustainability Index, which was developed based on sustainability indicators in economic, environmental and social areas of a business. The programme is expected to be a driver for businesses to continuously improve their sustainability in aspects of economic, environmental protection and social issues. Dekalb Vietnam, a wholly-owned entity of Monsanto Company, has been in Vietnam for over two decades, working together with the government and farmers to address agricultural challenges, helping farmers to improve lives via improving agriculture. “At Dekalb Vietnam, we are proud to work with our collaborators and partners to cultivate meaningful change as we continue to take decisive action to further embed sustainability into our business,” said Aruna Rachakonda, CEO of Dekalb Vietnam. “We are pleased to see that Vietnam has made remarkable achievement in sustainable development and grateful for the opportunity to share the positive progress we are making toward our commitments in Vietnam via this Top 100 Corporate Sustainability Index,” she said. As part of Dekalb Vietnam’s sustainable development efforts, over 200,000 farmers have received the company’s training on agronomic practices and hybrid selection knowledge. Dekalb Vietnam’s “Hi-Pop” practice has also been cited as the core factor helping farmers in Son La, Phu Tho, Dong Nai, An Giang and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces increase their corn yields by at least 30 per cent. Vietnam is taking a public-private partnership (PPP) approach on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s Rice-to-Corn Rotation Initiative in the Mekong Delta in partnership with farmers, local departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the feed industry. This programme enables better seed, practices and market linkages that helped 8,800 farmers in Mekong Delta earn over $1 million incremental income and saved 80 per cent time, cost and labour from 2,200 hectares in 2013-14. During 2015 and 2016, Monsanto expanded this project to the north of Vietnam and helped farmers earned $230 incremental per hectare in comparison by using our corn seeds with insect management and weed control traits. “We are committed to extending this partnership in 2016 and beyond in line with Vietnam’s goals,” said Rachakonda. To realise its commitment in improving lives of the farming communities, from 2010 to 2015, Dekalb Vietnam has signed three signature partnerships to improve lives and education for rural communities via the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company – the Monsanto Fund. In the 2010-2013 period, two partnerships were launched which aimed to improve lives of 2,000 rural households in the northern province of Hoa Binh and enabled alternative sources of income via agriculture and livestock tools in 2010-11. In 2014 and 2015, Monsanto Fund partnered with NGO Room to Read to support secondary education and literacy enhancement of over 90 thousand children in the rural communities in Vietnam. Besides community programmes, Dekalb Vietnam also collaborated with partners to develop young talents in agri-biotech through the Monsanto-Vietnam National University of Agriculture scholarship. By Hong Anh, VIR |
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Mexicans, peso thunderstruck by Trump win
MEXICO CITY - Mexicans bowed their heads in disbelief, the peso tumbled and the government prepared a response as Donald Trump, whose anti-immigrant rhetoric infuriated the country, won the US presidential election. At an American barbecue restaurant called Pinche Gringo in Mexico City, a festive mood turned somber as Mexicans and Americans rubbed their necks and could barely utter a word as they watched television networks confirming Trump’s victories in key states against Democrat Hillary Clinton. "I feel very sad. It’s a nightmare, with a lot of uncertainty about what’s going to happen," said Erick Sauri, a 35-year-old architect, who wore a blue T-shirt reading "Hillary Clinton for President." "For now we’re already making less (money) than we making yesterday," Sauri said, referring to the national currency’s fall to a record low. The dollar was buying 20.78 pesos, eclipsing the Mexican currency’s previous low of 19.93 set in September. Mexicans have closely watched the US presidential campaign ever since Trump burst into the scene last year by calling migrants "rapists" and drug dealers. The Republican real estate tycoon has pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, force Mexico to pay billions of dollars for a border wall, freeze remittances migrants send back home and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexican Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade and central bank chief Agustin Carstens were due to address the media early Wednesday to outline actions the government will take in response to the peso’s fall. Meade said last week he expected such market "volatility" if Trump won, while Carstens said the government had an unspecified contingency plan in place to weather the storm. Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu, meanwhile, cancelled a late night news conference. An official said she would speak after both Trump and Clinton have spoken. Meeting Mexican president In the runup to the election, Mexicans vented their anger in different ways, crushing Trump pinatas, burning his effigy and organizing an exhibit of cartoons mocking him as a Nazi or excrement. Their president, Enrique Pena Nieto, tried a different approach, shocking many in his country when he met Trump at his official residence in Mexico City on August 31. Pena Nieto’s failure to forcefully condemn Trump during a joint press conference angered Mexicans. While the Mexican leader later tweeted that he had told Trump that his government would never pay for the wall, several analysts saw the visit as a mistake that helped Trump burnish his presidential image and Pena Nieto himself later admitted that the invitation was "hasty." But his invitation may pay off now, since Pena Nieto said his goal was to open dialogue with a man who could become the next US president. Good or bad? But that was little consolation to the Mexicans at Pinche Gringo, a Mexican-American-owned restaurant whose name refers to an insult lodged against Americans. "I’m dismayed. It’s incredible that so many people voted for a message of hate. It’s like a bad dream," said Monserrat Valencia, a 25-year-old economist, who left the restaurant even before Trump was declared the winner. But not all saw doom and gloom. Carlos Arturo Fernandez, a 36-year-old Uber driver navigating heavy traffic on a rainy night, said things may not turn out that bad with Trump as US president. "Whether it’s Trump or Hillary, it can bring bad things and good things," Fernandez said. - AFP,Viet Nam News |
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Lawmakers adopt 5-year economic plan
HÀ NỘI - State budget overspending will be reduced to below 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2020, while public debts, government debts and the country’s foreign debts will not exceed 65 per cent, 54 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, of GDP annually in 2016-2020. These goals were set in a resolution on the economic restructuring plan in 2016-2020 adopted by 82.39 per cent of National Assembly deputies during their plenary session yesterday. Existing non-performing loans in the national economy will be curbed to below 3 per cent, while the capitalisation of the stock market and the bond market will make up 70 per cent and 30 per cent of GDP. At least 1 million businesses will be set up by 2020, among other goals. The resolution stresses the need to adhere to Party guidelines and policies, especially the 12th Party Central Committee Resolution dated November 1, 2016, to build a growth model measured by labour productivity and the quality and competitiveness of the national economy, and to mobilise, allocate and use resources efficiently based on market signals and rules. Internal resources should be fully tapped in combination with attracting and efficiently using external resources. Macro-economic stability must be maintained and economic growth must go along with social advancement, progress and justice, the safeguarding of defence, security and ecology, scientific and technological applications, human resource quality and workforce restructuring, the document stressed. The implementation should keep abreast with the market life, and the development of the private sector should be regarded as an important driving force in economic development. Economic restructuring should be coupled with reshuffling the administration, stepping up administrative reform, and improving the quality of public service. The country’s free trade agreements should be soundly implemented to make the best use of international integration and the fourth industrial revolution to ensure economic growth is well associated with environmental protection and recovery and climate change adaptation, the resolution emphasised. Key tasks include restructuring public investment, state-owned enterprises and credit organisations; rearranging State budget and the public sector; promoting the development of the private sector and reeling in foreign direct investment; modernising the planning and structuring of sectors and economic zones with regard to increasing productivity, quality, and efficiency and speeding up international economic integration; forming and developing various markets, including the finance market, the land use right market, the labour market and the science and technology market in a uniform fashion. Earlier in the morning, NA deputies discussed amendments to the 2005 Law on Tourism. They agreed that there remain many problems in the development of tourism in Việt Nam, making it unable to achieve its high potential, and that the law includes outdated and impractical provisions. Most NA deputies shared the view that tourism should be turned in to a key industry given that Việt Nam is home to many beautiful landscapes and unique cultures. However, its current contribution of 6.6 per cent to the national gross domestic product is regarded as far too little. “Việt Nam yields to none in terms of tourism potential. However, many problems have emerged in tourism development. If we do not change our philosophy and mindset, they will not be solved,” said deputy Trương Trọng Nghĩa from Hồ Chí Minh City. Not directly naming which philosophy and mindset that Việt Nam should adopt, Nghĩa instead emphasised the correlation between exploitation and preservation, quantity and quality, and short-term and long-term benefits. He said the tourism sector is only focussing on exploiting the country’s beautiful landscapes and important historical relics to earn immediate funds, while neglecting the important task of preservation. “Tourism is not about earning ‘hot money’ for a term [of state officials] or a generation,” he said. Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm, a deputy from Bắc Ninh Province raised the problem of inadequate tourism services which hold back profits for the nation’s tourism sector. He compared Việt Nam to Thailand, one of its main competitors in Southeast Asia in terms of tourism. “Although the tour price in Thailand is cheap, no tourist goes there without at least US$500 – $1,000 in their pockets to buy products and services. Meanwhile, when visiting Việt Nam, they can hardly find anything to buy. We still have very few products to offer,” he said. Some deputies voiced their disagreement on a regulation that grading of hotels, or the ‘star’ system of hotel classification, is done on a voluntary registration basis. Deputy Nguyễn Văn Chiến from Hà Nội noted the fact that localities and hotels raise the number of stars at their will in order to raise prices and compete with others. Deputy Dương Minh Ánh, also from Hà Nội, said the task of granting ‘4-star’ and ‘5-star’ ratings to hotels should be given to the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism, while those of ‘3-star’ and below are done by provincial departments of tourism. This is to prevent the current disorder in the hotel grading system and improve the State’s control on the issue, according to Ánh. Ánh and some other deputies also suggested regular inspections undertaken by responsible authorities to ensure that hotel investors maintain the initial quality as previously rated. Water irrigation The planning of the national irrigation system was another topic of discussion yesterday, as the draft law on water irrigation was put on the table. Deputies said that the planning of the irrigation system should be in line with the agricultural restructuring plan, taking into account characteristics of each region and locality. Mentioning the recent drought and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta which caused serious damage, deputy Bố Thị Xuân Linh from Bình Thuận Province said the government needed policies to encourage hydropower plants and irrigation systems to prevent these natural phenomena. Linh also pointed out that the draft law fell short of a regulation on compensation responsibility of organisations and individuals for damages caused during the operation of irrigation systems and hydropower plants. A detailed compensation plan for certain cases should be added to the draft law, she said. Relating to this issue, deputies Lê Thị Thủy, Vũ Trọng Kim from Hải Dương Province, and deputy Hồ Thanh Bình from An Giang Province all expressed concern about the operation of dams in hydropower plants. The deputies mentioned recent accidents relating to dams in hydropower plants in the central provinces of Quảng Nam and Hà Tĩnh provinces which caused loss of life and property. They asked to have very specific regulations regarding their operations and responsibilities of related parties to ensure the safety of people living in downstream areas. Meanwhile, a road map to change the irrigation fee received concurrence from many deputies. According to the draft law, the construction, exploitation and management of irrigation projects will be conducted in the form of public-private partnerships. The current irrigation fee – which received huge State subsidy, will be gradually changed to a service charge model. Deputy Ngô Đức Mạnh said the new mechanism would help improve peoples’ awareness on the value of water and encourage them to use water more efficiently. However, he suggested the draft law should set forth concrete calculation methods to define irrigation prices. - VNS |
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Green or grey energy for the Mekong River Delta? The decision to develop a series of thermal power plants in Mekong River Delta has stirred controversy.  Le Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Institute for Climate Change Studies, said on Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon that the plan to develop thermal power plants, mostly coal-run, in the Mekong River Delta has many problems. Along the Hau River, from Can Tho City to Hau Giang province and the inlet between the two provinces of Soc Trang and Tra Vinh, around 15 thermal piwer plants have been and will be built under the national 2011-2020 power development program. Counting the plants to be put into operation in coming years, the four provinces would generate electricity output of 14,388.5 MW, according to Tuan. Besides these, there would be many other thermal power plants in Mekong Delta, including those being built in Long An province (Long An 1 and Long An 2, each of which has the capacity of 1,200 MW), Bac Lieu (1,200 MW), and Ca Mau (Ca Mau 1 and Ca Mau 2). With the high density of thermopower plants, Mekong Delta could face disaster. All coal power plants have boilers which produce big volumes of ash, smoke and harmful gases such as SO2, NOx, CO and evaporate hydrocarbons.
Tuan cited a 2015 research work by Harvard University- Burden of disease from coal emissions in South East Asia More than 25,000 Vietnamese would die every year of pollution to be caused by coal thermal power plants by 2030. “The world has been gradually giving up thermal power because of its serious consequences. And we can also do the same thing,” Tuan said. “We have other choices. We can choose green energy for Mekong Delta instead of grey energy,” he said, commenting that Vietnam insists on developing thermal power which has latent risks, and has not paid appropriate attention to developing renewable energy, an abundant source of energy. Meanwhile, Nguyen Manh Hien, former head of the Energy Institute, pointed out that reducing thermal power won’t be easy in current conditions, emphasizing that coal power remains the cheapest source of electricity, which makes up 50 percent of capacity and electricity output. The biggest headache for coal power plants now, according to Hien, is the treatment of ash, which is discharged during production. However, Truong Duy Nghia, chair of the Association of Thermal Science and Technology, said that there was a solution to the problem. “We can definitely ask construction companies to use bricks made of fly ash,” he said. Rejecting the view that ash from thermal power plants is hazardous waste, Nghia said ash is used to make building materials. Thanh Mai, VNN |
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Breakout occurs at second rehab facility in southern Vietnam  Drug abusers are seen being brought back to the rehab center in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau after their escape on November 9, 2016.Tuoi Tre A rehabilitation center in the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is dealing with the aftermath of a riot which led to the escape of 200 drug addicts from the venue, the second event of this type to hit the country in the past month. Hundreds of junkies at a rehab facility in Toc Tien Commune, Tan Thanh District, began stirring disorder on Wednesday morning hoping to put pressure on the center’s managers and create the opportunity for escape. The rioters threw rocks at detention officers, forcing them to leave their patrol posts before the center’s patients were able to damage the facility’s brick wall and run away. A total of 195 drug abusers freed themselves during the riot, 60 of whom were escorted back to the facility on the evening of the same day. According to Le Thi Trang Dai, director of the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, the uprising was likely in response to two recent breakout situations at another rehab center in the southern province of Dong Nai. Some 562 patients broke out of the Dong Nai rehab center on October 23, 80 of whom were still missing, while another mass-breakout occurred at the facility last Sunday enabling 163 junkies to flee.  The junkies made a hole in the brick wall to escape the center. Photo: Tuoi Tre Thanks to the prompt response from competent authorities, the situation was quickly put under control, Dai added. Some of the rioters were probed the same day and will be sternly punished for their incitement, as per the law, said Colonel Le Toi Sung, director of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Police. A probe by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper showed that the center was home to 877 addicts, of whom 65 were women, though the building was only designed for 600 to 650 people. Director Dai conceded that the situation was partly a response to a lack of infrastructure, human resources, policies, and professionalism in the management of drug abusers. Managers and detention officers at the facility should be thoroughly trained and equipped with the necessary skills to cope with all possible scenarios, she continued. TUOI TRE NEWS |
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Vietnam probably has more than two dollar billionaires Two Vietnamese dollar billionaires have been officially recognized through stock assets exceeding one billion dollars, but the real number of dollar billionaires could be higher.  With stock assets valued at VND22.7 trillion, or $1.02 billion by October 27, Trinh Van Quyet has officially become the second dollar billionaire in Vietnam. In September 2014, the report of a Swiss bank showed that two Vietnamese were named on the list of super-rich people in the world with total assets of $3 billion. However, the report did not reveal their names. One of the two must be Pham Nhat Vuong, president of Vingroup, which was established as a real estate developer, but has recently invested in many different business fields. Vuong then had a stock asset value of over $1 billion. Later, Forbes reported that Vuong’s stock assets increased to $1.6 billion. Considering the current stock prices, Vuong’s assets have climbed to VND31 trillion. The other person was believed to be the owner of a business which has not listed its shares on the bourse. In early 2016, Bloomberg reported that Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, the owner of the only private airline in Vietnam – Vietjet Air – could be the first billionaire and the second dollar billionaire in Vietnam after Vietjet Air holds an IPO (initial public offering).
However, Thao’s assets are even bigger because these not only include Vietjet’s shares, but also resort properties in many localities in Vietnam – Furama Resort in Da Nang City, Ana Mandara in Nha Trang, An Lam Ninh Van Bay Villas and shares of HD Bank. However, the assets of the businesswoman have not been made public. There is another hidden billionaire – the owner of Tan Hiep Phat Group Tran Thanh Quy. The shares Quy holds, 100 percent of Tan Hiep Phat, were estimated by some foreign newspapers as valued at $2 billion. An analyst commented that there will be big changes on the list of stock millionaires once more businesses list their shares on the bourse. One of them is Thaco, an automobile manufacturer, whose owner is Tran Ba Duong, now described as a ‘hidden billionaire’. With revenue of $2 billion in 2015 and post-tax profit of VND7.1 trillion, Thaco is believed to have value of over $2 billion, 50 percent of which belongs to Tran Ba Duong. Nguyen Thi Nga, president of BRG and SeABank, is also a potential candidate for the ‘dollar billionaire’ title. The business circle also respects Vu Van Tien, the owner of Geleximco, who, according to Dau Tu, together with a Chinese company, has registered four projects, totaling $50 billion. V. Ha, VNN |
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Social News 10/11 World’s famous sapphire Buddha statue placed at Binh Duong  One of the world’s largest Buddha statue carved from precious sapphire will be brought to Hoi An pagoda in the southern province of Binh Duong for people’s worship. Most Venerable Thich Minh Luc, secretary general of the executive board of the Binh Duong Buddhist Sangha said local residents and Buddhist followers will have a chance to admire the giant statue at Hoi An Pagoda in Binh Duong province from November 18 to 23. The sapphire Buddha is 2.52 metre high and weights 4 tons. It is one of the world’s largest Buddha sapphire statues. The giant statue is placed in a container and brought from Binh Dinh to Binh Duong province. After seven days in Hoi An pagoda, on November 25 the statue will be taken to Go Ken pagoda in Hoa Thanh district in the southern province of Tay Ninh. Later, the statue will be brought to Australia, concluding its journey through 20 nations and 90 cities in the world. The sapphire Buddha statue is carved by a Thai artisan from a nephrite boulder weighing 18 tons, which was discovered in the north of Vancouver, Canada. The statue was completed in 2008 and was taken around the world including six pagodas in Vietnam. Vietnam's second lottery winner takes home US$3 million jackpot State-owned lottery company Vietlott announced that it held an awards ceremony on Wednesday to hand over a VND64.8 billion (US$2.9 million) cheque to a winner from the southern province of Dong Nai. On November 8, the player presented his lucky ticket at a Vietlott branch in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietlott said that apart from the US$2.9-million-dollar jackpot prize, the man also claimed the first prize worth VND10 million (US$440). At the request of the lucky winner, Vietlott held the ceremony in secret. Details of the winner's identity remain limited to just an abbreviated name, province of residence and an image of him wearing a mask. The player is obliged to pay US$285,000 in personal income tax and will receive about US$2.6 million through a bank transfer. He is the second winner of the American-style lottery after a woman from the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh won a jackpot of VND92.03 billion (US$4.04 million) on October 16. Vietlott, or the Vietnam Computerized Lottery One Member Limited Liability Company, signed an exclusive 18-year contract with Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya in January to launch computerized lottery games. Players select six numbers from 1 to 45 and win the jackpot, starting at VND12 billion (US$538,000), by matching all six winning numbers from the draw. The jackpot prize rolls over until there is a winner. The odds of winning are extremely low, believed to be around one in 8.14 million. Chư Păm Bridge collapses due to flooding Chư Păm Bridge in in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk collapsed due to the recent flooding, blocking traffic between Krông Bông District and National Highway 26. The pillar under the middle of the bridge, collapsed some 1.5m, deforming the surface of the bridge. The bridge, located on the key route of the district, connects Krông Bông District and National Highway 26. This is also the only road for residents in Cư Kty, Hòa Tân, Hòa Sơn and Hòa Thành communes travelling to Krông Bông General Hospital. Nguyễn Kiếm Anh, deputy head of the Krông Bông District’s Road Management Unit, said the unit was forced to ban all vehicles and people from crossing the bridge for safety reasons. He said authorised agencies have chalked out a plan to repair the bridge surface. According to the schedule, the job will be completed in the next 10 days. Vietnam reveals causes of this year’s military aircraft crashes Vietnam has announced the reasons behind three out of four military aircraft crashes occurring earlier this year, with many individuals responsible sternly sanctioned. During a meeting of the National Assembly delegate in Ho Chi Minh City on November 9, Major General Nguyen Minh Hoang, an official from the Ministry of National Defense publicized the causes of the military aircraft accidents. Regarding the first tragedy, Russian-made fighter jet Su30-MK2 fell down during a training session off the central coastline on the morning of June 14, with one pilot brought to safety and the other found dead a few days later. The black box was damaged by the crash, Maj. Gen. Hoang stated, adding that what is left of the device has been sent to Russia for a check. From the subjective perspective, the two pilots did not eject from the plane simultaneously, resulting in the death of one of them, the military official said. Coast guard aircraft CASA-212 8983 carrying nine crew members got into an accident on June 16 while looking for the missing victim, who was later confirmed dead, of the Su30-MK2, killing all people aboard. According to Maj. Gen. Hoang, Colonel Le Kiem Toan, captain of the rescue plane, decided to lower altitude after spotting a strange object in the middle of the ocean near the Gulf of Tokin. The aircraft touched the water surface due to instability caused by bad weather conditions, resulting in the fatal crash, he continued, adding that the black box is being examined by foreign experts. With regard to the crash of military training plane L-39 in the south-central province of Phu Yen on August 26, the aircraft experienced an engine breakdown shortly after taking off. The pilot tried to steer the plane out of a residential area and lost his chance of survival after being unable to eject. The reason behind the EC 130 T2 helicopter tragedy in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on October 18, which killed an instructor and two trainees, remains unclear, Hoang said. As the chopper was a commercial aircraft, the military has been working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to determine the cause, the official elaborated. The accidents primarily stemmed from the incompetent management of flight safety, Maj. Gen. Hoang asserted, adding that over 40 officers, of whom two were among the general ranks, from several military units and schools had been penalized. Another reason is the lack of synchronization in rescue missions and linked to a limited number of specialized rescue aircraft. The management and training of pilots in the country are still under par, the military official continued. Following the penalization, a thorough inspection will be carried out of the quality of aircraft and of military units and academies. For a long-term solution, pilots will be trained overseas and certain measures will be developed to repair and upgrade airplanes in the country, the major general said. The Ministry of National Defense will also ask the State and Party to purchase new and modern military aircraft in the near future. HCMC People’s Council orders to concentrate on Zika virus prevention The Cultural and Social Affairs Division of the People’s Council in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday oversaw the Zika virus and dengue fever prevention task in District 7. The District 7’s Deputy Head of People’s Committee Le Van Thanh said that the district has recorded 673 dengue infection cases since the beginning of the year, adding that some households have inorged local guidlines for killing mosquitoes & its larva and cleaning living environment. In addition, construction projects were left in the middle of; hence empty lands have stagnant water, grass and turn out to be unprompted landfills which are an ideal place for mosquitoes to lay eggs. Head of the Cultural and Social Affairs Thi Thi Tuyet Nhung urged district administrators to mobilize the entire machinery of state into preventing the epidemic; local authority has to guide commune governments oversee prevention mission in each residential blocks and households. Overseas Vietnamese scholars join hands for new vocational book The book “Chuyen nganh ky thuat o to va xe may hien dai” (automotive and motorcycle engineering) was launched on November 8 at the Saigon Times Club in District 1, HCMC after a team of 27 Vietnamese scholars at home and abroad had completed the tough job of translating it. The book was a joint effort between the Saigon Times Foundation (STF) under the Saigon Times Group, the Committee for Assisting Vietnamese People in Germany and Tre Publishing House to contribute to training students at vocational schools, colleges and universities in the nation. This is the third such technical book the Master One Trade bookcase of STF, and the Committee for Assisting Vietnamese People in Germany have launched since 2010. The previous two books are “Chuyen nganh ky thuat co khi” (mechanical engineering) and “Chuyen nganh ky thuat dien – dien tu” (electrical and electronics engineering). The bookcase already has a collection of major and basic vocational books of German publisher Europa-Lehrmittel. Europa-Lehrmittel is a private publishing house established in 1948. Its textbooks and vocational books play an important role in industrial development in Germany as most companies in Germany use its books to train their engineers and workers. It took almost three years to complete the translation of one of the three books. The translators are scholars, professors and engineers who have had many years teaching and working at schools and companies in Germany. Pham Nam Huong, a coordinator of the Master One Trade bookcase, said, “Our group (of translators) consists of 27 people who studied in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. We do this for the benefit of the country and especially the younger generation.” The volunteer translators do not get paid for joining the book translation project. At the book launching and award ceremony, many participants showed their concerns of the lack of practice in the education and training system in Vietnam that has leaded to the low quality of local human resources. Nguyen Minh Nhut, director of Tre Publishing House, said that in addition to the print edition, Tre and the Master One Trade bookcase would launch an electronic version of the book which users of iOS and Android devices can read by downloading an app of the publisher. Robert Bosch Stiftung, one of the leading private foundations in Europe that promotes education, sciences, healthcare, society and international relations, has donated 1,000 copies of the book to 60 vocational schools, 96 colleges, 17 universities and nine libraries in Vietnam. Julian Hermann, program officer for international relations in America and Asia at Robert Bosch Stiftung, said the new book would contribute to education and training of high-tech labor in Vietnam. Other sponsors of the book are the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Business Association in Vietnam (GBA), REE, and Bosch Vietnam. The Master One Trade bookcase and Tre Publishing House expect to publish more books of Europa-Lehrmittel, including electromechanics, plastic, chemistry, biology, construction, environment, textile and food technology. A trilingual dictionary of technology in English, German and Vietnamese is expected to be complete in 2020. First flood search and rescue drill held in Dak Nong A search and rescue drill, the first of its kind, took place at Buon Tua Srak hydropower reservoir, the Central Highlands of Dak Nong on November 10, with more than 300 officers and soldiers involved. The exercise dealt with mock scenario with torrential rain causing water levels at the lake to rise to more than 480m, forcing it to drain water out at a speed of 2,000 cu.m per second, which would threaten the communes of Quang Phu, Dak Nang, Duc Xuyen, Nam N’Dir, Buon Choah and Krong No district. Upon hearing the news, the provincial steering committee for disaster prevention and control convened an urgent meeting and devised solutions to mitigate losses. Le Trong Yen, deputy head of the committee, said through the event, participants will review their response capacity and enhance coordination. The province will fine-tune plans to cope with flooding and provide search and rescue plans that suit each locality and raise public awareness of effective measures to deal with disasters, he added. Dak Nong is prone to small-scale floods, with Krong No and Cu Jut districts being the hardest hit. Vietnam, Austria trade unions forge stronger ties The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Austrian Trade Union Federation (OGB) have agreed to strengthen their bilateral partnership as well as cooperation between trade unions of corresponding sectors of both countries. The agreement was reached during the Austria visit of a VGLC delegation led by Vice President Nguyen Thi Thu Hong from November 7-9, the first once since the two organisations set up their bilateral ties. During the visit, the delegation held talks with leaders of the OGB as well as the Union of Production Workers, one of the seven member unions of the OGB. The two sides briefed each other on their organisation model and operation, while sharing experience in collective bargaining, women’s activities and gender equality policies. The delegation also had meetings with local parliamentarians, and visited Hankel chemical factory. First baby born via artificial insemination in Phú Thọ A baby boy has been born via artificial insemination at Phú Thọ General Hospital in the northern Phú Thọ Province. This is the first baby to be born through this assisted reproduction procedure in a provincial-level hospital. Dr Đoàn Xuân Kiên, head of the Centre for High-quality Healthcare’s assisted reproduction unit, said 25-year-old Phạm Thị Hồng Loan gave birth on Sunday and her baby weight 3.1kg. Loan and her husband were residents of Lãng Công Commune in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc. Dr Hà Đăng Thiệp, director of the centre, said that previously couples with infertility problems were referred to central-level hospitals for treatment. However, after the assisted reproduction unit was set up last October, Phú Thọ General Hospital, with the support of central hospitals, started offering AI procedures. This unit would not only ease the burden on central hospitals but also reduce travelling costs for patients, according to the doctor After a year of operations, the centre has performed 250 AI procedures, 37 of which have been successful. Firecrackers weighing 63kg found in Hà Nội Hà Nội police have seized firecrackers weighing 63kg transported by a truck from northern Lào Cai Province to Hà Nội. Trần Tú Anh, deputy head of Traffic Police Unit 15, said the police pulled over a truck for violating traffic regulations on the crossroad of Hà Nội-Lào Cai Highway on Tuesday. After a quick inspection, the police found nearly 500 grenade-shaped artillery shells and several kinds of firecrackers weighing 63kg. The owner of the firecrackers is Lê Trọng Thường, 25, living in northern Tuyên Quang Province’s Thái Hòa Commune. Thường admitted to purchasing the firecrackers from China. The police have handed over the case to Sóc Sơn District’s Economic Police for further investigation. FV Hospital provides free cataract surgery Forty-seven poor patients from the Mekong Delta region last week received free cataract surgery at FV Hospital’s Ophthalmology Ward in HCM City. The surgery was performed by the hospital’s doctors in co-operation with the Singapore National Eye Centre. The two hospitals provided free medical instruments and consumables for the operation as well as travel and accommodation costs for the patients. The hospital partnership, which focuses on quality eye care in Việt Nam, has existed for the last 10 years. Amusement centre opens in City industrial park The HCM City Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zone Trade Union on November 6 inaugurated the first cultural centre for workers in the Hi-tech Park in District 9. The labour cultural house is meant to meet the amusement and learning needs of employees after long hours of work, authorities said. “Due to the nature of our job, we do not have many opportunities to engage in other social activities and relax,” Huỳnh Thị Diễm My, a worker at Nidec Sankyo Việt Nam, said. “Now that the cultural house is opened near our workplace, our life will be fulfilled. I hope authorities will organise interesting activities for us.” Other workers present at the inauguration shared My’s enthusiasm, saying they finally have an entertainment place to relieve their stress. The centre costed VNĐ72.5 billion (US$3.3 million) to build. According to Nguyễn Thành Đô, president of the Trade Union, the centre has a 4,550sq.m, three-storey building, a mini football pitch and a supermarket with subsidised products. “We aim to make the cultural house a hub that offers fun and healthy programmes for workers.” Speaking at the event, the city Labour Confederation chairwoman, Trần Kim Yến, called on relevant authorities to always keep abreast of workers’ needs. She also urged workers to schedule their time so that they can use the centre. Trees relocated from Hà Nội survive, start growing All trees on Kim Mã Street in Hà Nội, relocated last month to make space for the metro’s Nhổn-Hà Nội railway station line, have survived and begun to grow. Trần Nam Mừng, vice-director of Beepro JSC, which has undertaken the relocation project, said all the trees survived, a surprise as the company’s target was 60 per cent. Though the trees had to adjust to a different weather and terrain, they had adapted well, he said. Around 109 mahogany trees, 24 of which are ancient, shading Thủ Lệ lake, had to be relocated. All the cuts were carefully covered with a mix of cement and anti-fungal substances so that they could heal, Mừng said, adding that they had begun sprouting new leaves. The company asked bonsai artists to prepare the anti-fungal substances. The problem with relocating trees was that once cut, the trees’ capacity to protect themselves from solar radiation would be down, according to the official. Also, the underdeveloped root system restricted water absorption. The company wrapped straw and bags around the tree trunks to reduce exposure to sunlight and water loss, he said. Responding to why the area for relocation was changed from Văn Giang in Hưng Yên Province to Đa Tốn Commune in Hà Nội’s Gia Lâm District, Mừng said that after a survey, the company had found that the Văn Giang Garden had thin vegetation, low microbial density in land and low pH levels, all factors unsuitable for planting trees. The Đa Tốn Commune plant nursery had previously been used to plant apple trees, which were cut down to make room for these ancient trees. This was the first time the Hà Nội People’s Committee decided to relocate trees instead of just cutting them down for a project. After one year, these trees would be expected be brought back and replanted on Hà Nội’s streets, the city authority said. The Urban Railway No.3 project - the section between Nhổn and Hà Nội station - is 12.5km long. Its total cost is expected to be US$1.18 billion. Construction began in September 2010 and was scheduled to be completed in November 2018. Đồng Nai expressway construction to begin next year Construction of the 59.6km Dầu Giây – Tân Phú Expressway in Đồng Nai Province is expected to begin in the third quarter of next year, according to the Ministry of Transport. To be built in BOT (Build - Operate - Transfer) mode, it will cost more than VNĐ 7.97 trillion (US$354.5 millions). The highway will begin at Dầu Giây in Thống Nhất District and end at National Highway No. 20 in Tân Phú District. The construction is scheduled to finish in 2020 when it will have four lanes and a designed speed of 100-120km per hour. It will be part of the Dầu Giây – Liên Khương Expressway which will run from Đồng Nai to Lâm Đồng Province. It will comprise three expressways: Dầu Giây – Tân Phú, Tân Phú – Bảo Lộc and Bảo Lộc – Liên Khương. Vietnamese, Chinese youths wrap up third festival The third Vietnam-China Youth Festival wrapped up with a ceremony in Hanoi on November 9 afternoon. Addressing some 5,000 youth delegates from the two countries, Politburo member and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the Vietnamese-Chinese friendship has been nurtured by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong, other leaders and peoples of the two nations. It is a valuable common asset of both sides. At present, their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is being intensified by the two Parties and States, she noted. She said a long road full of difficulties and challenges is still awaiting the countries during the course of development. That requests Vietnamese and Chinese youths to keep working hard and devoting themselves for their future, as well as the two peoples’ happiness. She assured that the Party and State of Vietnam always pay special attention to and provides the best possible conditions for Vietnamese and Chinese younger generations to engage in friendship exchanges so as to boost mutual understanding and trust. Chairwoman Ngan applauded cooperation initiatives launched by the countries’ youth organisations, considering the youth festival as an effective initiative. As the future owners of their respective nations, Vietnamese and Chinese youths have a responsibility to develop their countries along with the bilateral friendship for each country’s interests and peace, stability and prosperity in the region and around the world, she added. Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zhang Dejiang said his visit aims to further strengthen bilateral friendship and practical cooperation, and enrich the contents of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. Speaking highly of people-to-people exchange over the past two years, evidenced by the annual tourist arrivals that hit nearly 3 million, Zhang hoped that young people should tap tourism, study and business opportunities to raise mutual understanding and uphold their bridge role to foster ties between the two peoples. According to him, China has been the largest trade partner of Vietnam in the 12 consecutive years. In the first half of this year, Vietnam has become the largest ASEAN partner of China for the first time. He wished that the two countries’ young people would play a vanguard role in the fields of economy, culture, education and environment protection. First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Central Committee Qin Yizhi, for his part, said during the festival, 1,000 Chinese young friendship messengers joined activities in six northern provinces of Vietnam and witnessed socio-economic progress that Vietnam has made over the past 30 years of renewal process. First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) Central Committee Le Quoc Phong, in his speech, highlighted that the HCMCYU and Vietnamese youths stand ready to continue exchanges and collaboration with the CYLC and Chinese youths to bring effective and practical results, contributing to the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Vietnam Grace Evangelical Baptist Church convenes third congress About 100 Baptists pastors and followers from 22 cities and provinces nationwide are gathering in Ho Chi Minh City for the third congress of the Vietnam Grace Evangelical Baptist Church, which kicked off on November 9. Addressing the event, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Tan Hung said that activities of the Baptist Church during the last tenure significantly contributed to the nation’s poverty reduction programmes and charitable and humanitarian works, and the national defence and construction as well. The Vietnam Grace Evangelical Baptist Church was established in November 1962 in HCM City, and recognised by the Government as a religious organisation in 2008. During the last tenure, it worked hard to stabilise its organisation structure and direct its believers to abide by laws of the State, becoming an integral part of the great national unity bloc. The two-day congress will review the church's operations during the 2012-16 period, elect a new Executive Board for the third tenure, and adopt the 2017-2020 working plan. Thua Thien-Hue invests in overcoming flood consequences The central province of Thua Thien-Hue will pour 175 billion VND (7.86 million USD) into projects to overcome flood consequences, prevent coastal landslides and protect locals’ lives. Projects which are being implemented include a 2.083m embankment along Loi Nong River, a 805m embankment on Bo River and a 1.4 km Doc So embankment crossing Hoa An ward of Thua Thien Hue city as well as a western road of Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon with a length of 12.2km. Earlier, in late October, the provincial People’s Committee invested 20 billion VND in building an embankment along Ta Trach River in Nam Dong district. According to the provincial Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, and Search and Rescue , Thua Thien-Hue has 70km of riverbank heavily damaged by the floods, stretching over Huong, Bo, O Lau and Bu Lu Rivers. The floods also caused landslides along 6.6km of coast in Quang Cong commune (Quang Dien district), Phu Thuan commune (Phu Vang district), and Vinh Hai commune (Phu Loc district). Thua Thien-Hue province now calls for an aid of 860 billion VND from State budget to repair a total of 7.5km of embankment in the three districts. Finland shares safe water supply experience Finnish firms specialising in water supply and solid waste treatment shared their experience in providing safe water at a forum in Ho Chi Minh City on November 8. Nguyen Hong Tien, General Director of the Technical Infrastructure Department under the Ministry of Construction said the event offered a chance for Vietnamese water supply and drainage companies to learn from Finnish experience, towards applying new techniques in the central and Mekong Delta regions, which are vulnerable to climate change. According to Nguyen Trong Duong, an expert from the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association , all 68 urban water companies nationwide have joined training programmes on safe water supply solutions, with seven in Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Vinh Long performing safe water supply plans. To successfully implement the work, many enterprises in Thua Thien-Hue, Hai Phong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau have outlined quality policies and pledged to supply safe water. Participants at the forum stressed the need to enhance links among water companies to work out response scenarios, and support each other if water supplies are affected by an environmental incident. Vietnam is carrying out the National Programme for Safe Water Supply in 2016-2025, which is set to bring clean water to 90-95 percent of the population in 2020, and between 95-100 percent in 2025. The scheme also aims to reduce the discharge volume of urban wastewater discharged without treatment to 70 percent. HCM City, Japan’s Shiga prefecture foster links Ho Chi Minh City wishes to boost cooperation with Japan’s Shiga prefecture, particularly in water reuse management technology and hi-tech agricultural production. Receiving Shiga Governor Taizo Mikazuki in the city on November 9, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang said the two localities should carried out more activities to promote tourism and cultural exchanges. Expressing his impression at HCM city’s dynamic development, Shiga Governor Taizo Mikazuki said his visit aims to boost effective collaboration with the southern economic hub of Vietnam in tourism and cuisine. Shiga’s enterprises want to share experience and technology with HCM City in the fields of the city’s concern such as water resources management and hi-tech agriculture. The same day, a trade forum was organised to promote connection between the two localities’ tourism and food enterprises. Ninh Binh strives to become safe, friendly destination The Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture of northern Ninh Binh province held a conference on tourism management on November 8 to discuss making Ninh Binh a safe and friendly destination. Participants discussed strengthening state tourism management, including ensuring security and safety at tourist spots, developing high level human resources, enhancing knowledge of tourism and promoting and conserving values of the World Culture and Natural Heritage Trang An Landscape Complex. Hoang Thanh Phong, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture, said the locality should focus on a comprehensive plan for tourism development and call for investment to construct infrastructure. Ninh Binh also needs to advance tourism management capacity at all levels and boost tourism popularisation, he added. It is important for the province to have a clear strategy to promote tourism products and build brand names and attract investment, said Do Cam Tho, Deputy Head of Department of Planning and Finance under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Since the beginning of the year, Ninh Binh has welcomed 5.8 million visitor arrivals, a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent, earning 1.5 trillion VND (67 billion USD) in revenue and providing 18,000 jobs. HCMC to upgrade to natural gas buses The HCM City People’s Committee has told transport firms and co-operatives to replace their old buses with compressed natural gas (CNG) buses by early next year. The bus replacement plan began in 2014 and will end next year. Initially, the city plan only encouraged transport firms and co-operatives to replace their old buses with CNG vehicles. But beginning in January, the companies’old buses must be replaced with CNG buses. To encourage transport firms and co-operatives to invest in CNG buses, the city will provide low-interest, seven-year loans. Since 2014, transport firms and co-operatives have replaced more than 500 of their old buses, but these firms mostly purchased diesel-fueled buses, even though the city had encouraged them to buy CNG buses. Investment capital needed for CNG-fuel buses is 30-40 per cent higher than costs for diesel-fuel powered buses, according to transport companies. Transport firms have said they would invest in a total of 200 more buses from now to the year end, the Transport Department has said. In 2014, the city identified 1,680 buses as too old and called for their replacement between 2014 and 2017. The city currently has a total of about 2,700 buses, including 137 CNG buses. Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth ship arrives in HCM City On November 11, the ship carrying 328 youth from 10 ASEAN countries and Japan participating in the 43rd Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City for a four-day visit. At the 42nd SSEAYP At a press conference making the announcement, Tran Hoang Khanh Van from the HCM City Youth Union said the ship with will moor at the Cat Lai Port November 11-14 as part of their 40-day trip through five Southeast Asian countries and Japan. The planned activities during their visit include homestay, courtesy calls on high ranking government officials, interaction with local youth and institutional visits to industrial, educational, cultural and social welfare facilities. The Program is a unique cultural exchange sponsored by the Japanese government that unfolds on board the MS Nippon Maru, a Japanese luxury cruise liner. It started in 1974 with Vietnam having begun its participation in 1995. Waste from coal power plants piling up fast in energy-hungry Vietnam As thermal plants continue to play a major role, the country struggles to deal with 15.7 million tons of coal ash a year. Vietnam is in need of urgent measures to treat a large amount of waste from thermal power plants, which have become the the major source of the country’s electricity, experts say. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country has about 20 coal-fired power plants, discharging 15.7 million tons of coal ash each year. By 2022 the country will raise the number to 43 plants and more than 29 million tons of ash will be discharged, as a result. The huge amount of coal ash is now mainly buried around thermal power plants or transported to landfills, posing threats to the environment and causing respiratory diseases for local residents. The problem may not go away anytime soon as Vietnam still relies on coal power as the main source of electricity. Nguyen Manh Hien, former head of Vietnam’s Energy Institute said, “Renewable energies are environmentally friendly but they require large investment and depend on natural conditions so we can’t easily adjust production capacity to meet our demand.” “Coal thermal power plant has the lowest investment cost but its production capacity can triple that of a wind power plant and quadruple a solar plant's,” Hien said. Last year, coal-fired plants accounted for 30.4 percent of Vietnam’s total electricity. The figure is expected to reach 53% by 2030, equivalent to 300 billion kWh. The industry ministry estimated that Vietnam will need about 129 million tons of coal a year to meet its rising demand of energy, which will leave the country with at least 32 million tons of coal ash. The waste can be used as raw materials for other industries rather than being viewed as toxic waste, according to Truong Duy Nghia, head of the Vietnam Thermal Science and Technology Association. He said that coal ash can be used to produce cement and adobe bricks, which is the most efficient way to mitigate environmental impacts of coal-fired power plants. This method, though already adopted by some companies, is facing barriers as no specific mechanism for the reproduction of coal ash has been introduced. Nguyen Van Thanh from Vung Ang thermal power plant in the central province of Ha Tinh proposed the government introduce a mechanism and allow cement companies to buy coal ash for production again so that his plant can reduce the amount of this waste material. His plant had been selling the waste to cement producers but recently stopped doing so, after learning that such a practice is still pending official approval from the government. "If the problem prolongs, we may have to close the plant,” Thanh said. Police rescue 149 pangolins from trafficker in northern Vietnam Vietnam has become a smuggling hub for endangered animals destined for the Chinese market. Police in the northern border province of Quang Ninh have arrested a truck driver suspected of trafficking wild animals. While searching the truck, police found 149 pangolins, 105 turtles and 172 kilograms of pangolin scales stored in Styrofoam containers. Police said that the animals are alive but in poor health. They are conducting further investigations. In Vietnam, pangolins are commonly consumed as specialty dishes at restaurants, soaked and served in wine or used in traditional medicine. Education for Nature-Vietnam, one of Vietnam's few locally based conservation groups, said that the country is a transit point for pangolin trafficking networks from other neighboring countries like Laos and Cambodia to China. Since the start of 2005, the group has detected more than 69 tons of frozen pangolins and live pangolins being transported illegally to the northern province of Hai Phong, from where they are shipped to China. 59% of women in Vietnam mentally abused by partners: study Six percent of the women surveyed said they had considered committing suicide. Abuse among couples in Vietnam has become a pressing issue, with many women suffering serious mental and physical abuse from their partners, a new study has found. The survey of 569 women aged between 18 and 30 years old in 2014 and 2015 found 59% of women had been mentally abused. Some abuse even occurred online with 23% of women experiencing violence via information and communications technology such as Facebook posts, and 24% were stalked after they broke up with their partners. At least 11% were also sexually abused by their partners The women said they suffered both physical and mental damage, and felt wounded, stressed and fearful, with low self esteem. The issue was extremely serious for at least 34 women, who considered suicide. Young Women Making Change, a group of young Vietnamese activists for gender equality, conducted the survey with support from UN Women. The results were released at a conference in Hanoi on Monday, providing the first data on a pressing issue that has not received any research at state level. Studies about gender equality in Vietnam so far have focused more on domestic violence. The group defines abuse between unmarried couples “dating violence,” and although their study focused on violence against women, they acknowledged that both sexes can be victims. Although abuse is covered by Vietnam’s civil and criminal laws, most of the women did not recognize their right to be free from their violent partners, and some had no idea where to go for help. They said the research should force the Vietnamese government to pay more attention to the “burning issue.” According to official statistics, 58% of married women in Vietnam have suffered physical or sexual abuse at least once in their life, usually from a male partner or a male member of the family. Nguyen Thuy Hien, deputy director of the Hanoi-based Women and Development Center, said at the conference that the violence will only end when men and boys join the movement. Nguyen Bao Thanh Nghi, a sociology professor at Ho Chi Minh City Open University, said in an interview with Thanh Nien newspaper that women’s rights movements in Vietnam have been around for years but “they often die prematurely and fail to create systematic and widespread changes” as they cannot get men to participate. The global initiative HeForShe, which was launched early in 2015 to seek men’s support for gender equality, has received more than 1.3 billion supporters around the world so far, but only around 2,000 of them are from Vietnam, including more than 1,600 men. Overseas Vietnamese Conference to be held in HCMC HCMC will host the third conference of overseas Vietnamese worldwide from November 11 to 13, according to a report by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese. The three-day conference, themed “Joining hands in national construction”, will look into matters such as sustainable development, human resources development, science-technology, and trade and services development. Many major issues of the city will be discussed at the forthcoming conference with an aim to promote sustainable development and international integration. The city is home to many overseas Vietnamese, foreign investors, and has got great contributions from Vietnamese experts who are living and working abroad. Rebuilding old condos needs transparency, consensus Transparency and consensus between the municipal government, businesses and residents on site clearance, construction and resettlement are needed to accelerate the upgrade of old apartment buildings in HCMC. That is the opinion shared by many participants in the workshop on old apartment improvement held by the HCMC People’s Council last weekend. Tran Trong Tuan, director of the HCMC Department of Construction, said there were 474 old residential buildings developed before 1975 citywide, with about 27,000 families living. So far, only 32 of them have been dismantled and rebuilt, mainly by the municipal budget, as the business community is showing a lukewarm attitude. Tuan admitted the hardest thing in old apartment reconstruction was to achieve a consensus over site clearance. Negotiations have even taken 9-10 years at some buildings, leading to sluggish progress. He stressed compensation for site clearance must be made public and transparent, so that the people could make well-informed decisions while investors should be responsible and accountable to their commitments. “Resettlement means change of the way of life for residents, reorganization of space, living conditions, transport facilities, technical infrastructure, not just accommodation,” he emphasized. Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA), said that to accelerate the progress, two problems must be resolved: temporary accommodation and resettlement policy. Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Council, said the people were questioning the openness and transparency in the development of replacement projects. Information such as construction cost, the number of resettlement apartments, location advantages, what affected people offer enterprises and what enterprises benefit from such renovation should be disclosed. HCM City empowers districts to fix old apartment buildings “A policy package may be introduced with multiple choices, either resettlement in the same place with a larger living area or resettlement elsewhere with better quality of life,” Tam suggested. * HCMC has just asked the Ministry of Construction for permission to empower its districts to speed up the reconstruction of old condo buildings in the city. The district-level authorities should be allowed to do the jobs currently assumed by the HCMC government such as cost approval, issuance of notifications to condominium owners, and publication of the plans for old apartment renovation. The districts may also perform the tasks of other municipal agencies. The city has suggested not offering compensation for site clearance but carry out resettlement instead, on the principle that investors chosen by the State will advance funds for temporary accommodation, develop homes and hand them over to district authorities to organize resettlement in new apartment buildings. The city has proposed such solutions because old apartment reconstruction is moving at a snail’s pace, with the main cause lying in mechanism and policy (many obstacles to the participation of realty firms). The city is looking to dismantle 70 old apartment buildings where more than 7,200 families stay and repair three old residential blocks with total floor space of 10,000 square meters. In addition, replacements of 61 old apartment blocks with about 9,870 units, equivalent to over 900,000 square meters of floor space, will be developed. HoREA explained property firms were not interested in rehabilitation, upgrade and reconstruction of old apartment buildings due to a lack of policies and mechanisms meeting the request of individuals and businesses. A real estate investor identified time-consuming negotiations as another reason. However, he believed the above proposal of HCMC would drum up the interest of investors in old apartment projects. Haraco launches express freight train Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company (Haraco), a subsidiary of Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR), on November 7 launched a new express freight train between Hanoi and Binh Duong Province. Train HH3/4 comprises 18 cars and has a loading capacity of 800 tons. This newly-launched train is expected to cut down the time for transporting goods between the north and the south from 60 hours to 50 hours as it operates nonstop between Giap Bat Station in Hanoi and Song Than Industrial Park in Binh Duong Province. A competitive advantage of the new freight train is its departure and arrival times, which are scheduled in a way that helps enterprises to easily load and unload their goods without having to wait for a long time. In addition, two staff members will be responsible for looking after the goods during the transport time. In early October, freight train HH7/8 was put into use with a traveling time of 51 hours. The train operates every day, instead of three per week. In addition, Haraco will be in charge of relevant procedures such as bills of lading and other relevant forms before delivering them to goods owners for signing, which is aimed at improving its service quality and attracting customers for the fast freight train. The railway sector has made great effort recently to improve services, including operating exclusive lines to transport goods and passengers, and offering new and attractive services to lure customers back. Health ministry to build endocrinology hospital in HCM City The Ministry of Health will build a endocrinology hospital with 1,000 beds in Ho Chi Minh City to meet the increasing demand. Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was speaking at a working session with the municipal People’s Committee in the city on November 8. She proposed the city devote about 10 hectares in Binh Chanh district to build the hospital, while the ministry will be in charge of land clearance and infrastructure construction. Vice Chairwoman of the local People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu welcomed the project and pledged to support the health ministry in land clearance. Minister Tien asked the municipal Department of Health to accelerate the construction of key hospital projects, including the children’s hospital, tumor hospital and orthopedic institute, to reduce overcrowding at medical check-up stations. The city’s health department revealed that the children’s hospital will be put into operation in early 2017, whilst the tumor hospital and the orthopedic institute are scheduled to be completed in late 2017 and 2018, respectively. Couple sentenced to prison for cheating The People’s Court in Hà Nội has sentenced a husband and wife to prison for abusing trust and cheating their acquaintances of more than VNĐ15.2 billion (US$181,000). Mai Thị Mỹ Hạnh, 39, and her husband, Phạm Văn Thùy, 44, residents of Thạch Bàn Ward in Long Biên District, on Tuesday were sentenced to eight and 15 years in prison, respectively. According to the indictment, in 2008, Hạnh established a company that trades in building materials and freight. Later, after some losses, she and her husband converted it into a real estate business and started borrowing money from acquaintances for the business. Hạnh committed to pay high interest. Between 2009 and 2011, the couple cheated five people of more than VNĐ15.2 billion (US$181,000). They absconded to the southern province of Bình Phước after they were implicated for cheating and their company became insolvent. A wanted notice was issued against them, and last December, the couple was arrested. Vietnam shares experience in tobacco harms prevention Vietnam will share her experience in tobacco harms prevention at the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) in India from November 7-13. More than 2,000 delegates from 180 member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as well as the United Nations and non-governmental organisations were brought together at the event. A number of topics are under spotlight, including the implementation of the FCTC and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Emerging issues such as the control and prevention of new tobacco products like the electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS), along with matters pertaining to tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, are also being deliberated at the meeting. Director of the Ministry of Health’s Fund for Tobacco Harms Prevention Luong Ngoc Khue said Vietnam will share accomplishments in the field and the expansion of non-smoke city models. The Vietnamese delegation is expected to coordinate with the Convention Secretariat to host a symposium on addressing gender-specific risks when implementing tobacco control strategies, he added. The FCTC entered into force in February 2005. Vietnam was the first nations to join the convention. As of January 1, 2015, 180 out of the 192 WHO member countries participated in the FCTC, making up 89 percent of the global population. The biennial COP meeting is intended to review the implementation of the FCTC and map out orientations for global anti-tobacco programmes. According to experts, smoking and passive smoking kill over 3.5 million people in 1998 and if this “pandemic” is ineffectively controlled, the death toll could increase by at least 10 million by 2030, 70 percent of which are likely to occur in developing countries. Statistics showed that there are close to 1.3 billion smokers around the world. The WHO says this figure will hit 1.6 billion by 2020. Vietnam was awarded by the WHO in 2015 for the positive outcomes in tobacco control. U Minh ThuongNational Park expected to become friendly destination U Minh Thuong National Park in the southern province of Kien Giang has made progress in turning itself into a friendly tourist destination. From a tourist site with simple services in 2004 like fishing, natural discovery and sightseeing trips, the park has expanded to providing accommodation, boat tours and souvenirs for tourists. Coming to the park, tourists will have a chance to explore flooded Indigo forests, join recreational activities and visit historical relic sites and local communities. Infrastructure here has much improved, with more towersbeing built for tourists to see rare animals and plants hidden in the forests. According to Pham Quoc Dan, director of the park, U Minh Thuong welcomed 50,040 tourists in 2015, doubling the 2007 figure. The number in the first nine months of 2016 was 50,000. In the coming time, the park management board will make efforts to diversify tourism products and create new tours in order to develop the park into a hospitable destination, he said. It will focus on promoting the image of the park through the delivery of books, manuals, films, photos and discs on the park and the regular organisation of meetings with travel agencies. The board is also stepping up activities to protecting the environment. U Minh Thuong National Park is a new destination with great potential for sustainable tourism development, providing interesting experiences for those who love nature and wants to explore local unique cultural features, Dan said. Lào Cai-Yên Bái Highway to be widened Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved the Transport Ministry’s proposal to build additional parts on the Yên Bái-Lào Cai National Highway. To further enhance road safety and improve the efficiency of extraction of the highway route from Nội Bài International Airport to Lào Cai Province, the overtaking section from the Yên Bái-Lào Cai Highway will be expanded from two lanes to four lanes, along with introducing other features on the highway. The additional section is approximately 25km long. An underground drainage system will also be built. Investment for the construction is worth VNĐ740 billion (US$33.2 million) and it will be finished before July next year. The Việt Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has directed the project management unit of the highway to regularly inspect the work site to ensure traffic safety. According to VEC’s report, some 13.5 million vehicles travelled on the highway until the end of October, with 18,000-19,000 vehicles running per day. The entire route has a total length of 245km, passing through provinces and cities, including Vĩnh Phúc, Phú Thọ, Yên Bái and Lào Cai. The highway also contributes to the socio-economic development of the northwest provinces. Organic, safe food fair planned in Đà Nẵng The Evergreen Farmer’s market, the first-ever fair of organic products and safe food, will open at the city’s Dragon Bridge Square on Trần Hưng Đạo street on November 20. The event’s organisers, Evergreen Labs, a start-up business in the city, said farmers from selected organic and food safety farms in central Việt Nam will display their products at 20 pavillions of the open-air fair. The fair will also display crafts by NGOs, foreign residents and local people, as well as safe cuisine stalls. The event provides a meeting point for sellers and buyers to exchange experience and information on organic and safe food processing and production. Visitors will be offered free training courses in craft making and organic farming skills. A photo exhibition on biodiversity in Sơn Trà peninsula will also be held at the fair, as well as a communication campaign on the protection of the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathryx nemaeus) in the city’s Sơn Trà Nature Reserve. Further information on the fair is available at http://www.healthyfarm.org/. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE |
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Article 4
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 10/11 Agriculture sector aims to complete 1.2 percent growth target The agricultural sector was urged to exert all-out efforts in the remaining months of the year to realise the sector’s growth target of at least 1.2 percent in 2016. Speaking at a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi on November 9, Deputy Minister Ha Cong Tuan said the sector will take measures to maintain growth of fruit, vegetable and aquaculture exports. He asked for special attention to fostering exports, controlling quality of exports and ensuring food safety to ensure entry to demanding markets like Japan and Europe. According to the deputy minister, Vietnam’s key aquatic exports like shrimp and Tra fish recorded stable growth in the first ten months of 2016. Export turnover of fruit and vegetables is estimated to reach about 2.5 billion USD, whilst aquaculture growth is expected to increase 7-8 percent. The breeding and forestry industries are set to reach growth of 5 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Regarding the livestock industry, localities were requested to keep track of the epidemiological situation, especially in the rainy season. The Department of Livestock Production is responsible for outlining vaccination plans and directing localities to implement them. The MARD also asked sectors and localities to devise measures to deal with the La Nina phenomenon, which causes rain and negative effects on agriculture production, especially this year’s winter-spring rice crop and the growing of industrial plants. If these key fields can maintain their growth in 2016’s remaining months, they will help ensure the sector’s yearly growth target, compensating for the declining growth of food items, including rice, Tuan said. Firms urged to learn about China  Vietnamese businesses need to better understand China’s trade procedures and market to achieve higher export turnover, heard a conference yesterday in Ha Noi. “Not only did the conference bring information on the Chinese market and opportunities for major Vietnamese products to China such as rice or coffee, it also helped answer domestic businesses’ questions on export procedures into China,” said Do Kim Lang, Deputy Director General of the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) at the conference. Vietrade and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) held the conference in collaboration with the Viet Nam’s trade promotion office in Chongqing, China, focusing on export opportunities into Chinese market. The conference centred on China’s market information and export opportunities for Vietnamese firms, aiming to increase Viet Nam’s exports into China and attract investment from China to Viet Nam. According to Dao Viet Anh, head of Vietrade office in China’s Chongqing city, China is one of Viet Nam’s major importers, with many favourable circumstances allowing for trade between the two countries as China has a large demand for Vietnamese products such as rice, tapioca, rubber, fruits, tea leaves and seafood. However, Vietnamese goods have long encountered difficulties getting into China due to problems in customs procedures, quarantine, lack of information and connection. Anh reminded Vietnamese businesses operating in China to go through proper channels such as trade representatives and trade promotion offices, validate Chinese partners’ actuality and credibility, and to use internationally recognised contracts and practices. Businesses should also have a deeper understanding of the Chinese Government’s rules on imports and market regulations on products quality as well as customers’ demand. They should also participate in trade promotion activities. In 2015, according to Viet Nam’s General Department of Customs, total export and import turnover between Viet Nam and China reached US$66.6 billion, having increased by 13.4 per cent compared to 2014. Of which, Viet Nam’s exports to China accounted for $17.1 billion with an increase of 14.8 per cent, while importing $49.5 billion with an increase of 13.3 per cent. While China’s imports from other ASEAN nations have dropped, import turnover from Viet Nam continued to be strong. At the end of July 2016, Viet Nam became China’s largest trade partner in ASEAN with total bilateral trade volume at $52.26 billion, though down by 1.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2015. Getting credit still tough for SMEs Lack of capital and access to credit remain the most serious obstacles to the success of Viet Nam’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a report by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) said. The report, released in Ha Noi on November 9, and which reviewed Viet Nam’s business environment in 2015, is the result of a survey conducted by CIEM. More than 2,600 SMEs from ten cities and provinces including Ha Noi, HCM City and Hai Phong participated in the survey. The survey showed that 83 per cent of businesses said they were facing obstacles in business development, including lack of capital and land for business and production, fierce competition and limits on consumption of products. This figure remains unchanged when compared with the survey in 2013. But the rate of businesses facing difficulty accessing credit has reduced, said University of Copenhagen economist Dr John Rand, who is a member of the survey’s researchers. It had decreased from 45 per cent in 2011 to 30 per cent in 2013, and to 24 per cent in 2015, John said. The limit on consumption of products is the second most serious obstacle, but the survey had seen a reduction in the number of cases. It went down from 27 per cent in 2013 to 21 per cent in 2015. Nearly 17 per cent of businesses said they were dealing with the pressure of competition. This figure is similar to that of surveys conducted in 2011 and 2013. “The figures are good signals as the business conditions seem to have been improved a little bit, but the order of obstacles still remains unchanged,” said John. At the seminar, participants agreed that the business environment has been better, meaning that the government’s policies to support SMEs have been on the right path. However, there are barriers existing that need to be wiped out. Deputy Director of CIEM Phan Duc Hieu compared the business environment to a fish tank, in which each business was a fish. The fish was viable and could develop or not – it depended on the tank’s environment. Sharing the opinion of Hieu, Dr. Finn Tarp from United Nations University said that building a tank was good but it was better to help the fish to be viable and grow. It was necessary to understand the business environment as well as obstacles facing them and their opportunities in order to offer advantageous policies for a sustainable growth. The survey revealed that nearly 98 per cent of businesses still preferred to remain in the formal sector in 2015. There were a small number of businesses in the informal sector. As many as 70 per cent of businesses said they had to pay informal charges for accessing public services when they wanted to obtain licences, solve problems related to taxes, taxman and customs, reach contracts or negotiation with customers and for other informal reasons. The businesses said that they would continue informal payments in the future to deal with difficulties in complying with the State regulations and catching up with the competition in the market. Finn said the informal payment was still a serious problem, which was damaging the competitiveness of businesses. The Government needed to play an important role in helping businesses get rid of informal payments. “When everything is explicit, the informal payments will certainly reduce,” Finn said. EU beef imports to VN recover The European Union’s beef imports to Việt Nam should recover as mad cow disease gets under control in Europe and the potential market in Việt Nam lures imports with high demand and zero import tariff. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s National Agro, Forestry, Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (Nafiqad) said Việt Nam has granted import licence for hundreds of factories in the EU to ship beef from the EU to Việt Nam. From November 2-4, 42 enterprises from EU countries visited Việt Nam to study the domestic food market, the ministry said. Those enterprises came to supermarkets to contact directly with local customers for get information about demand and eating habit of the local people. They also had 500 meetings with domestic enterprises to find cooperation and investment opportunities. The EU enterprises expect to promote their exports to Việt Nam in the future, especially after the Việt Nam – EU Free Trade Agreement comes into effect with zero tariff for many kinds of import and export goods. This year, many cattle producing countries in the EU controlled completely mad cow disease--such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy--so the US and North American and Asian countries have opened their markets for beef imported from the EU. Việt Nam has also given import licences for French factories to ship beef to Việt Nam since May 2015. So far, 158 French enterprises have received permission to sell their beef to Việt Nam, and one third of them having slaughter plants. Hundreds of factories from Spain, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Poturgal have had qualified beef products to import to Việt Nam. Đoàn Ngọc Thơ, director of HCM City-based THO Trade and Service Co Ltd, said beef from the US, Australia and the EU has reached highest quality standard in the world. Restaurants and hotels in Việt Nam have still had high demand on importing beef, he said. Thơ was quoted by cand.com.vn online newspaper saying “I think control of mad cow disease in the EU and the effectiveness of the Việt Nam – EU FTA will make beef a much more popular import than pork and chicken.” Currently, imported frozen beef from the EU and the US to Việt Nam has been taxed with a high tariff of 14-30 per cent. Beef is a hot product at supermarkets, restaurants and hotels with high retail price at between VNĐ300,000-600,000 per kilo. Veviba - a food company with a national and international presence located in Bastogne in the province of Luxembourg, has not exported its beef to Việt Nam. Instead, it has shipped its beef to Greece and the Middle Eastern countries, said Sandrine Guillaume, a representive of Veviba, one of the 42 EU enterprises visiting Việt Nam between November 2-4. After studying Việt Nam’s market, Guillaume said her group has planned to export beef to Việt Nam in the future because the Vietnamese people pay attention to clean food and Veviba has produced beef under quality management process. The ministry said Việt Nam imported 1,720 tonnes of beef from the Europe in 2014, 70 times higher than the imports in 2012. The beef imports from Europe continued growing by 11,000 tonnes in 2015 against 2014 and by 15 per cent in the first nine months of this year. So far, 200 exporters in the EU have been granted licences to export their beef to Việt Nam, it said. Agri-forestry-fishery exports to hit US$31 billion Agri-forestry-fishery exports are expected to grow by 1.2-1.4% to reach US$31 billion this year, said the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) representative at a press conference in Hanoi on November 9. Key industries such as livestock and fishery still develop well despite numerous difficulties including natural disasters confronting eight central provinces. According to the report, total export value jumped by 63% to US$26.4 billion in 10 months leading up to November. MARD Deputy Minister Ha Cong Tuan said the ministry will direct localities, businesses, and piglet and poultry breeding units to implement measures to accelerate production and ensure market stabilization to meet production and food consumption demands in the remaining months of the year, especially during the Solar and Lunar New Year festivals, and exports. It will further coordinate with relevant ministries, departments and localities to carry out a master plan to restore production and stabilize lives of people in four central provinces which have been affected by maritime environmental incidents. Coffee exports to South Africa surge high Coffee exports to South Africa skyrocketed by 92.62% to US$15.1 million in the first nine months of this year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs. However, total exports to the market dipped by 15.53% to US$678.3 million in the reviewed period. Vietnam businesses exported 15 kinds of products to South Africa, of which telephone and components topped the list with US$370.9 million (down 13.03%), accounting for 57% of the total export value, trailed by footwear (US$94.2 million, up 10.25%) and computers, electronics and components (US$54.6 million, down 61.22%). Wood exports to the market saw a sharp decrease of 42.33% while other products obtained a quite high export growth. They include machines, equipment and tools (up 60.65%) and pepper (up 26.35%). China key buyer of Vietnam’s glutinous rice China is the dominant buyer of Vietnam’s glutinous rice, making up over 92% of Vietnam’s total export of this type of the grain in January-September, an industry source said. Vietnam’s glutinous rice export in January-September totaled more than 761,000 tons, 701,000 tons of it to China, or 92%, the source said. In September 2016 alone, China imported over 146,000 tons of sticky rice from Vietnam. China is also the biggest buyer of other types of Vietnamese rice in the period. In the first nine months of the year, China imported nearly 1.4 million tons of rice from Vietnam, with glutinous and basmati rice accounting for 50% and 13% respectively. The price of sticky rice in the Mekong Delta has remained high due to the strong consumption from China, prompting many farmers in Long An and Dong Thap provinces to shift to growing glutinous rice. Speaking to the Daily, some farmers in Long An Province said although the 2016-2017 winter-spring rice crop only started for nearly one month, many traders have come to place a deposit of VND5-7 million per hectare to buy glutinous rice. Nguyen Thanh Phong, director of Van Loi Corporation in Tien Giang Province, said glutinous rice consumption is heavily dependent on China’s market, which may put farmers at stake. “If China reduces or halts import of glutinous rice, the price would surely plummet,” he explained. Enterprises advised to protect accounts and digital signatures The General Department of Customs has advised enterprises to protect their accounts and digital signatures when participating in e-customs procedures to avoid fraud. The department has requested enterprises not to reveal their accounts and digital signatures on the customs declaration forms to a third party. If enterprises cannot implement customs procedures directly, but via customs agents, they should use services from authorized agents who meet the requirements for professional knowledge and facilities. It also needs to sign contracts with agents. More importantly, goods owners should request customs agents to use their digital signatures and seals to carry out electronic declarations. They should not assign their signatures to agents. Every enterprise needs to establish an appropriate mechanism to prevent unauthorized employees from using their digital signatures and stamps on transaction documents. If enterprises suspect their accounts and digital signatures have been stolen, they should immediately inform the customs in order to prevent fraud. Customs authorities have repeatedly told enterprises to manage their accounts and digital signatures. The reason is that a number of perpetrators have made use of the digital signatures of their victims for smuggling and trade fraud. Some enterprises have entrusted customs agents or individuals with their accounts and digital signatures for the implementation of customs declaration procedures. However, certain agents and individuals also made use of these digital signatures for other purposes without the knowledge of these companies. For example, a smuggling case involving a Tay Ninh-based company was uncovered at Cat Lai port in early September. Through inspections, customs officers discovered that the shipment contained secondhand electronic equipment, electrical appliances and automobile parts that were banned for import. Through the investigation, the authorities concluded that the head of the import and export division at the company took advantage of the management of digital signatures on an open customs declaration for smuggling under the name of the company while the company’s leaders went unnoticed. Digital signatures are electronic signatures used to confirm information of electronic transactions on the Internet. With the implementation of electronic filing and customs declarations, all enterprises are required to have a digital signature. Listing delays subject to heavy fines Businesses, especially State-owned enterprises (SOEs), that have launched their initial public offerings (IPO) but have not registered transactions and listed their shares on the stock market will face an administrative fine of up to VND400 million from December 15. Those registering transactions and putting their shares on the bourse one month later than required will be fined VND10-30 million. The penalty will be progressively increased depending on the length of delay, with VND400 million to be imposed on enterprises whose transaction registration and listing are done 12 months later than required. These provisions are provided in Decree 145/2016/ND-CP which amends and supplements Decree 108/2013/ND-CP on sanctions against administrative violations in the securities market. Previously, under Decree 108, the aforesaid acts may not be sanctioned. Recently, to accelerate share transactions of SOEs following their flotation on the UPCoM exchange, the Ministry of Finance has issued Circular 115/2016/TT-BTC modifying Circular 196/2011/TT-BTC. Thus, from this November, enterprises shall coordinate with the stock exchange and the Vietnam Securities Depository to register for depository and transactions within a definite time after they go public. In particular, within seven working days upon receipt of the notification confirming the auction results from the State Securities Commission, the Hanoi Stock Exchange shall offer shares on the UPCoM trading system. The reference price for the first trading day on this trading system is determined on the basis of the average price paid. In other words, as soon as their IPOs are conducted, SOEs must register share transactions on UPCoM. This is considered a technical change, but it may give a much-needed boost to the equitization of SOEs. In September 2014, the Prime Minister released a decision asking equitized SOEs to undergo the procedures for listing. Within 90 days after a business registration certificate is issued, equitized SOEs must complete their registration to become a public listed company, register their shares at Vietnam Securities Depository and sign up for transactions on the UPCoM trading system, says Decision 51/2014/QD-TTg, with effect from November 1, 2014. In addition, if fully satisfying the conditions to get listed on bourse, post-equitization SOEs must follow procedures to trade their shares on the stock exchange, within one year from the date of receipt of business registration certificates. If having successfully converted their shares before the effective date of Decision 51, prior to November 1, 2014, equitized SOEs must perform transaction registration and listing no later than one year from November 1, 2014. Agriculture ministry agrees on loan package for cashew farmers The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has agreed with a proposal of Binh Phuoc Province to develop a loan program to support cashew farmers in the southern province. The loan package will allow Binh Phuoc as the country’s biggest cashew growing area to carry out the cashew sustainable development plan until 2020, the ministry said in its Document 9316/TB-BNN-VP signed on November 3. With the plan, farmers in the province with 200,000 hectares of cashew will be able to create a stable material supply source for cashew nut exports, according to the provincial authorities. The Vietnam Cashew Association said cashew nut exports had posted higher growth than other agricultural products over the years. However, domestic supply makes up only 30% of the crude cashew volume, and local firms have to import unprocessed cashews from Cambodia and Africa to process nuts for export. The country exported around 291,000 tons of cashew nuts worth US$2.33 billion in January-October, up 5.8% in volume and 16.6% in value against the same period last year. The U.S., the Netherlands and China are the three biggest cashew nut importers of Vietnam. The average export price of this product in the first nine months stayed at US$7,928 per ton, up 9% year-on-year. During the ten-month period, Vietnam spent US$1.4 billion importing 913,000 tons of crude cashew, rising 17% in volume and 39% in value. One of the reasons for the heavy dependence on crude cashew imports is unstable domestic supply. Ninh Thuan wants to have part of North-South Expy Ninh Thuan Province is seeking permission from the Government to allow it to develop a road section as part of the North-South Expressway, as the south-central province would benefit if the expressway passes through it. In a proposal sent to the Ministry of Transport to be forwarded to the Government, the province wants to develop the 90-kilometer section under the public- private partnership (PPP) format, according to the transport ministry. As the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway has been opened to traffic while the Dau Giay-Phan Thiet Expressway is expected for completion in 2019, it is necessary to start work on the Nha Trang-Phan Thiet Expressway section, which runs through Ninh Thuan, to shorten the traveling time to the south central region, Ninh Thuan explains. At a meeting with the provincial authorities on Monday, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho said mobilizing capital to carry out the expressway section under the PPP format would be fine given the State’s budget constraints. He requested localities benefiting from the North-South Expressway project to share responsibility with the transport ministry. For build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects, local governments will have to build new roads to offer road users other choices instead of forcing them to use BOT roads only. In addition, they will have to ensure transparent information on toll collection and put toll stations at suitable locations. The Eastern North-South Expressway project has been attracting public attention and investors since the transport ministry recently submitted a construction scheme to the Government, suggesting the road should stretch 1,372 kilometers and pass through 20 provinces and cities. The ministry proposed three investment plans for this project. Under the first plan, the expressway would have at least four lanes and all site clearance work would be done in the first phase so that the road could be widened later. The second plan suggests just part of the site clearance work would be done while the third plan would develop the entire expressway at the same time rather in phases. As calculated by the ministry, the first one could help save cost. If it is implemented, the total investment is expected at VND229.83 trillion (US$10.28 billion), including VND136.28 trillion from investors and VND93.53 trillion from Government bond sales, the ministry estimated. However, public concerns have surfaced after the ministry announced to carry out the Eastern North-South Expressway under the BOT format, since it will lead to overlapping fees as many traffic projects have been implemented under this form, giving people no other choice but to use BOT roads. Car sales up in January-October period Automobiles sales in the first ten months of 2016 increased 30 percent to 242,681 units compared to the same period last year, announced the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association on November 9. In the period, sales of passenger cars soared 30 percent, while that of commercial vehicles went up 29 percent, and special purpose vehicles, 40 percent. Sales of domestically-built cars rose 34 percent and that of imported vehicles, 22 percent. Sales hit this year’s peak in October, with 28,283 units sold, up 26 percent year on year. Truong Hai Auto Corporation continued to take the lead in October with 9,895 units sold, accounting for 40.4 percent of the market share, followed by Toyota Vietnam with 5,532 units, or 22.6 percent. Industry experts predict around 28,000 cars will be sold per month in the remainder of the year, therefore, total sales for the entire year could reach 300,000. Lai Chau hydropower plant’s last turbine becomes operational The 400 MW capacity turbine No.3 of the Lai Chau hydropower plant in the northern mountainous province of Son La, officially joined the national grid on November 9. Contractors are currently carrying out necessity tests, towards generating commercial power in the turbine. The third largest of its kind, located in the upper reaches of the Da River, the Lai Chau hydropower plant has total investment of 35.7 trillion VND (1.6 billion USD). The three-turbine plant has a capacity of 1,200 MW. It will supply over 4,670 million KWh of electricity to the national grid per year when all of its three turbines are operational. The multi-purpose hydropower project is also designed to prevent floods in the rainy season, and provide water to the Red River Delta in the dry season, contributing to development in Lai Chau province, and the northwest region. The launching of the turbine lays an important foundation for fulfilling the project in 2016, a year ahead of schedule. The plant’s turbines No. 1 and 2 became operational in December 2015 and June this year, respectively. Opportunities, challenges to Vietnam in ASEAN Economic Community A scientific seminar “Vietnam joins ASEAN Economic Community (AEC): opportunities, challenges and solutions” took place in Hanoi on November 9. Founded on December 31, 2015, the AEC was built on political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars, towards building a politically-connected, people-oriented community with vibrant economic growth. Since joining the ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam has been an active member and has made significant contributions to the bloc. With the birth of the AEC, ASEAN has become a common and united market that facilitates trade, services, investment, science-technology, labour, employment, innovation and institutional reform, pushing Vietnam’s global economic integration. However, the AEC also poses challenges to Vietnam, including big gaps in economic power, science-technology standards and workforce quality between Vietnam and ASEAN, experts said at the seminar. Participants discussed the competitiveness of businesses and the Vietnamese economy in the AEC and the world, and proposed measures to improve Vietnam’s competitiveness. The event, held by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, allows scientists, policymakers and the business community to identify both opportunities and challenges, and recommend corresponding solutions. People's credit funds to be ranked People’s credit funds in Vietnam are to be assessed and ranked annually under a circular being prepared by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). The ranking will be out of 100 points, with criteria including Equity 10 points, Asset Quality 30 points, Administration, Management and Control 30 points, Business Results 10 points, and Solvency 20 points. The draft circular also regulates the detailed scoring in each criterion. Those receiving total scores of over 80 will receive Rank A (Good), from 70 to 80 Rank B (Fairly Good), from 60 to 70 Rank C (Average), and below 60 Rank D (Weak). If a people’s credit fund were to receive zero points in two criteria it would lose one rank. Rankings will be conducted annually and the first will be completed prior to April 31 next year. The central bank can also arrange for a new ranking assessment to be conducted at any time when requested to do so by their Supervisory Board and SBV branches. Within five days of the rankings being finalized, SBV branches in cities and provinces and the departments of inspection and supervision of domestic credit institutions will report to the SBV Governor on the ranking results of people’s credit funds in each locality, through the Banking Supervision Agency under the SBV. In July every year the SBV Governor will approve the rankings. The draft circular is being prepared as some credit institutions are in financial distress and earlier this year SBV Deputy Governor Nguyen Phuoc Thanh announced that the central bank was considering allowing ailing financial companies and people’s credit funds to declare bankruptcy. Last February, the Tho Loc People’s Credit Fund in Hanoi’s Phuc Tho district was put under comprehensive special supervision by the SBV for three months as it faced insolvency and could not cover deposits. It had committed numerous violations in financial management and credit provision, damaging its financial status and business performance, according to the SBV. A people’s credit fund is a type of cooperative credit institution operating on the principles of voluntary participation, self-management, and self-responsibility for its operating results, fulfilling the basic objectives of providing mutual assistance between members to develop the strength of the collective and with each member helping other members to conduct efficient production and business activities and service provision and to improve living standards. Activities of a people’s credit fund must ensure that expenses are covered and profit is accumulated in order to develop. The total amount of lending to one customer must not exceed 15 per cent of the people’s credit fund’s total assets and the total lending to one customer and a related party must not exceed 25 per cent. As at the end of 2015 there were more than 1,200 people’s credit funds in Vietnam. Agriculture, trade ministries sign MoU on agro-forestry-fisheries A memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in promoting the production and consumption of agro-forestry-fisheries for 2016-2020 was signed in Hanoi on November 9 between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Accordingly, the two ministries will work closely together to improve output, quality and added value; lift non-tariff barriers; promote trade and brand building; fight smuggling and counterfeits; strengthen State management and develop craft villages, among others. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said between now and the year’s end, both sides will direct producing and consuming vegetables, pork meat, milk, shrimp, tra fish and rice, towards lifting the export of agro-forestry-fisheries to 31 billion USD above. Over the past years, the two ministries have adopted trade defence measures, conducted trade promotion programmes at home and abroad, electrified rural areas, and invested in irrigation for agriculture. Vietnam introduces products at Indonesia food expo Vietnam is showcasing a range of food and drink products at the SIAL InterFood 2016, which kicked off in Jakarta, Indonesia, on November 9. The annual event is featuring more than 1,000 pavilions of 30 countries and territories around the world. It is a leading expo of its kind in Southeast Asia with a view to introducing food and beverage products, food additives, raw materials, processing technology, and relevant services. SIAL InterFood 2016 is expected to offer a great opportunity for enterprises to seek partners and expand markets. Vietnamese businesses like Hapro, Trung Nguyen and An Thai Group are also displaying their flagship products such as pepper, cinnamon, anise, rice, coffee and tea. Nguyen Thi Thu, an executive of the Alpha International Food Joint Stock Company, said her firm comes to the event to promote pie products as it perceives that Indonesia is a potential market. Various activities will be held on the sidelines of the expo, including workshops, conferences, promotion activities, and fairs specialising in tea and coffee, wine, sweets, food for health, and seafood. More than 40,000 visitors are expected to call at the expo, which is scheduled to last through November 12. Vietnamese light industry zone opens in Moscow A Vietnam light industry zone was inaugurated in Serpukhov city, Russia’s Moscow Region on November 8, hosting garment and textile firms that employ 280 workers, most of whom are Vietnamese. The zone covers an area of about 2 hectares and will be expanded in the future. Each month, factories in the zone supply about 60,000 products to the market with a value of about 40 million ruble (627,741 USD). The project is also expected to become a friendship bridge for Russian and Vietnamese people, while solving illegal labour problems. Addressing the launching ceremony, Moscow Region Vice Governor Denis Butsaev said that Moscow strongly supports this important project, which was initiated in 2013, as well as pays attention to developing its partnership with Vietnam in general. Vietnamese businesses are operating actively in Moscow’s outskirts with many investment projects in various fields, including light industry, he noted. The inauguration of the zone reflects efforts of Vietnamese investors in making their business operation in the host country transparent and legal, he said. For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Nguyen Thanh Son thanked leaders of the Moscow Region for backing Vietnamese enterprises. He held that the operation of the zone is the continuity of the active cooperation between Vietnamese localities and Moscow. Last year, leaders of Moscow Region and Ho Chi Minh City signed an agreement on the establishment of the light industry zone, he said, revealing that administrative procedures for the project are being finalised. On the occasion, the diplomat asked the Vietnamese community working in the zone to abide by the law of the host country, thus fostering the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. PetroVietnam’s 10-month profits surpass annual target The National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) earned 367.2 trillion VND (equivalent to 16.5 billion USD) in revenues in the first ten months of 2016, 5 percent higher than the target set for the period and fulfilling 84 percent of its yearly goal. The group’s after-tax profits hit 18 trillion VND (some 800 million USD), 11 percent higher than the target set for the year. In the period, PetroVietnam’s subsidiaries exploited 23.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent, equal to 91.3 percent of the annual target. Production of other products also surpassed its goals in the reviewed period, with electricity; nitrate and gasoline outputs achieving 17.6 billion KWh, 1.3 million tones and 5.6 million tones, respectively. A sharp drop in oil prices has impacted on PetroVietnam’s revenues, profits and exploitation and production activities. The group has also met with difficulties in performing several key investment projects. However, the group has taken many measures to better its administration and production, focusing on financial, business and market management, and investment plans. It has planned to exploit 6.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent, including 3.9 million tonnes of crude oil and 2.6 billion cubic metres of gas in the fourth quarter of this year. The plan aims to lift the total output in the year to 27.6 million tonnes of products, raking in 514 .5 trillion VND (23.15 billion USD) in revenues and contributing 104.2 trillion VND (4.7 billion USD) to the State budget. Workshop seeks to boost exports to China A workshop was held in Hanoi on November 9 to promote exports to China and draw Chinese investment into Vietnam. The workshop updated domestic exporters on information on China’s markets as well as business opportunities, according to Deputy Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) Do Kim Lang. Head of the Vietrade Office in China’s Chongqing city Dao Viet Anh highlighted advantages for promoting trade exchange between the two countries, saying that China has a huge demand for Vietnamese agri-forestry-fishery products such as rice, cassava, rubber, fruits, tea, shrimp and catfish. However, Vietnamese enterprises encountered numerous obstacles to export goods to the Chinese market such as tariff, quarantine, and lack of information, Anh said, adding that they should work closely with relevant Vietnamese agencies in trading with Chinese partners. Anh suggested enterprises study further Chinese regulations and requirements on imports as well as tastes of Chinese consumers, while actively joining trade promotion events to expand their markets. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, trade value between Vietnam and China reached 66.6 billion USD in 2015, up 13.4 percent from 2014. Vietnam exported 17.1 billion USD worth of goods and imported 49.5 billion USD worth of goods, up 14.8 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively. Vietnam had by the end of July become the biggest trade partner of China in ASEAN, with a total trade value hitting 52.26 billion USD, down 1.3 percent from the same period last year. Meanwhile, China exported 33.52 billion USD worth of goods to Vietnam, a 7.9 percent increase on year, and imported 18.74 billion USD worth of goods from Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 13.1 percent. The workshop event was organised by Vietrade in collaboration with its office in Chongqing city. Vietnam int’l jewelry fair opens in Ho Chi Minh City The Vietnam International Jewelry Fair, the 25th of its kind, opened in Ho Chi Minh City on November 9 with nearly 200 stalls, up 10 percent from 2015. More than 70 percent of exhibitors are major domestic brands from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc and Tay Ninh while the remaining are from Italy, Turkey, Thailand, India and Hong Kong. They offered 1-30 percent discounts and a number of gifts to buyers, and introduced materials, equipment, technology, and post-sale services. The organising board also designed reception and negotiating areas for suppliers, distributors and importers. The fair was hosted by the Saigon Jewelry company under the auspices of the Vietnam Gold Traders Association and the Saigon Jewelry Association. Food & drink fair opens in Hanoi The Vietfood & Beverage – ProPack Fair opened on November 9 in Hanoi, drawing the participation of 180 enterprises from 11 countries and territories. The event, which will last until November 12, features 200 booths of enterprises from the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Italia, Denmark, Spain, and China. It also sees the presence of domestic famous brands such as Golden Farm, Minh Tien and Sen Viet coffee, Chinh Son tea, Minh Trung food and black garlic. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Le An Hai, deputy head of the Asia-Pacific Market Department, affirmed the fair aims to boost trade between domestic and foreign businesses. It offers a good chance for local producers to expand markets and boost exports while helping foreign ones seek their distributors in Vietnam. Hai said food and beverage is one of the industries with rapid growth in terms of quality and quantity and has great potential for development in Vietnam. SMEs become more active in global chain production Small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have become more confident and active to get engaged in the global production value chain, heard a workshop in Hanoi on November 9. According to the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), the ratio of enterprises withdrawing from the market stood at 8.2 percent per annum over the past three years. The number of newly-established firms has increased in the 2010-2015 period, while the rate of employment also registered a rise of 5.2 percent, the CIEM said. The positive outcomes were attributed to the support policies, especially the enforcement of the Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises. Experts also pointed to existing shortcomings such as the small-scale operation, low productivity and application of new cutting-edge technologies, poor-quality products, and limited competitiveness. They said a single business line brought higher economic efficiency and profits for businesses than multiple business lines. In the context of global integration, it is a good idea for SMEs to concentrate on a specific field to make inroad into the most suitable market segment, the panel recommended. Vice President of the CIEM Phan Duc Hieu said improving the business-investment climate is imperative to realise the target of having one million effectively operational businesses by 2020. Sustainability forum highlights fundamental role of private sector Hundreds of business executives gathered at the opening of the 2016 Vietnam Corporate Sustainability Forum in Hanoi on November 8 aimed at developing a set of private sector commitments to achieve permanence. The overarching goal of the forum is to strengthen collaboration among the public, private and social sectors, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam in his keynote address. At the conclusion of the forum we need to have a list of voluntary private sector commitments to cover areas affecting sustainability ranging from low- or no-carbon footprints to reforestation as well as business plans for subsistence farmers and renewal of freshwater sources. In addition, the Deputy PM underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in making transformational changes on energy, water, food, women’s empowerment and other issues, and the power of private sector innovation to scale up and sustain progress. Tran Hong Ha, minister of Natural Resources and Environment in turn spoke about the importance of launching a new corporate policy framework to assist companies in the development, implementation, and disclosure of policies and practices related to ecosystems and biodiversity. Most significantly, he said, there must be a commitment to develop national voluntary business principles of good practice and policy for sustainable agriculture and commitments by higher education institutions in principles for responsible management of training. Minister Ha also told the audience of the nation’s plan to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, affirming the responsibility of Vietnam in working together with the international community in response to global climate change. Marubeni and KEPCO a step closer to first-of-its-kind power plant in Vietnam The consortium of Japanese company Marubeni Corporation and Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) on November 8 signed the investment agreement for Nghi Son 2 thermal power plant in the central province of Thanh Hoa. Nghi Son 2 is the first international tender for a large-scale coal-fired power plant in Vietnam. The project is going to be carried out under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) format. The $2-billion plant will be located in the province’s Nghi Son Economic Zone. It will have a capacity of 1,200MW, produced by two units of 600 MW each. At the moment, the consortium is awaiting the investment certificate and is arranging the finances for the project. Though the ground-breaking ceremony was held in September 2015, the project has yet to secure a range of agreements to complete the BOT contract package. Most recently, in June, the consortium signed the land rental agreement with the management boards of Nghi Son Economic Zone and the Thanh Hoa Industrial Zones Management Authority. According to Moroo Shino, general manager of the Overseas Power Project Department at Marubeni Corporation, the actual construction is expected to start next year and will be finished within four years. “With the signing we are one step closer to implementing the project,” said Bong Sooha, executive vice president and chief global officer of KEPCO, in his speech at the ceremony. “The MoIT hopes that the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Thanh Hoa People’s Committee will facilitate the licensing of the project,” said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa. Addressing concerns about possible pollution, Marubeni’s Shino said that the plant is going to use supercritical technology which “is very advanced compared to the ones that are causing pollution in China and India.” “The [supercritical] technology is very common. It is the same one we use in Japan where there are no environmental issues,” he said. Vietnam tries to create favorable business environment Over the past two years, Vietnam has focused on increasing competitiveness and improving the local business environment to develop a sustainable economy. The government and authorities at all levels are working to create favorable conditions for domestic and foreign enterprises and investors. Since the beginning of this year, Vietnam has had more than 10,000 new enterprises with a total registered capital of nearly US$3.7 billion. The number of businesses resuming operations in October was also nearly 2,000. The figure reflects the Government's persistent effort to improve the business climate. According to the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report released late last month, this year Vietnam ranks 82 out of 190 economies globally, up 9 notches since last year. The report measures the ease of doing business in each of 190 economies. In a recent report, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), said Vietnam is capable of holding a leading position in Asia in terms of GDP growth thanks to its manufacturing and exports. A report on Southeast Asia’s production by Japan's Nikkei news agency showed business conditions in Vietnam’s manufacturing sector continuing to improve. Moody's credit rating for Vietnam is B1, with a stable outlook. Mac Quoc Anh, Vice President of the Hanoi Small and Medium Enterprises Association, said that last year’s revised law adjusting legal documents on investment and business has removed a series of barriers to the market economy and Vietnam’s integration commitments, creating a more transparent and fair environment for businesses and investors. Quoc Anh said “The Hanoi Business Association and related government agencies regularly organize forums or meetings with enterprises. Questionnaires have also been sent to businesses to determine their administrative procedure difficulties relating to land, customs, or taxation." In late April, the government issued a resolution, setting key tasks and solutions to improve the business environment to enhance national competitiveness with a vision until 2020. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has asked local authorities to focus on supporting SMEs and start-up movements to attract more foreign direct investment. "Early this year, the government issued a decision on the national start-up ecosystem and is preparing to submit to the National Assembly amendments to many existing laws relating to the investment and business climate to remove obstacles for businesses," said Mr. Hue. At a recent meeting, the Vietnamese government focused on institution building, especially the issuance of documents specifying how to apply revisions to the Law on Enterprises and the Investment Law. Japanese enterprises study investment environment in Ha Nam A delegation of the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives led by Akihiro Kuroda, Chairman of the Kokuyo Corporation, visited the northern Ha Nam province on November 8 to learn about investment environment in the province. Nguyen Xuan Dong, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, introduced the delegation to the location, potential and advantages of the province and stressed that the Dong Van III support industry park is reserved for Japanese enterprises. Dong said the province gives top priority to Japanese enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. japanese enterprises study investment environment in ha nam hinh 0 He said the province has prepared infrastructure, land fund, policy and human resources in line with its 10 commitments to foreign investors. A hot line and a support centre for Japanese enterprises have been launched to address any emerging problem facing Japanese enterprises. On his part, Akihiro Kuroda said Vietnam is an attractive investment destination for Japanese enterprises given its stable political situation and strong and balanced economic development. Appreciating Ha Nam province’s investment policies and 10 commitments to foreign investors, Kuroda pledged to introduce the province to Japanese investors in general and investors in Kansai in particular. According to him, the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives has a history of 70 years with around 800 members. ROK processed food industry bullish on Vietnam Vietnam is an ideal market for Republic of Korea (ROK) food and agribusinesses, said Im Chang Ho, a leader from Gyeongnam Province at a Vietnam-Korea trade exchange forum on November 8 in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr Ho said processed foods from the Province are universally recognized around the globe for their consistent high quality and safety. At present, consumers in Vietnam are very fond of the Province’s ginseng products, fruit juice and natural beauty products, which has opened innumerable opportunities for them to expand their footprint in the country. Tran Ngoc Liem, deputy director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry branch in HCM City, in turn emphasized the need to learn from the experiences of businesses from the Province. Their experiences will help local businesses access advanced proven production technologies, which will help to increase quality and value of farm produce of local companies, noted Mr Liem. VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VET/VIR |
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NA plans nearly $90 billion for five-year public investment Of the total, 1.12 quadrillion VND will be sourced from the central budget, including 300 trillion VND of foreign-borrowed capital and 820 trillion VND of domestic capital, including 260 trillion VND mobilised from Government bonds, 250 trillion from State divestment from enterprises. The local budget capital will be 880 trillion VND.  The resolution was approved with 89.88 percent of votes Legislators also agreed to allocate nearly 72.82 trillion VND to the national target programmes on new-style rural area building and sustainable poverty reduction, with 43.11 trillion VND and 29.69 trillion VND, respectively. The Long Thanh Airport project will receive 5 trillion VND to conduct ground clearance, while other major projects of the country will get 80 trillion VND. The NA will consider the sum of investment for each national project after receiving documents from the Government in line with the Public Investment Law. The allocation of the capital will be made to serve the socio-economic development strategy for the 2011-2020 period and the socio-economic development plan for the 2016-2020 period, as well as the approved planning of the country, sectors and localities. Domestic capital, excluding capital mobilised from Government bonds, will prioritise the payment of capital construction debts and the reclaiming of advance payments, with no spending on the payment of debts arising after December 31, 2014. The capital will also be invested to projects using Official Development Assistance (ODA) and soft loans from foreign sponsors, as well as projects scheduled to be completed between 2016 and 2020. Capital mobilised from the Government bonds will be spent on making up missing Government-bond capital for major transport and irrigation projects and works, as well as evacuation and resettlement for Son La hydropower project. The remaining capital will be invested in projects in the fields of health care, transport, irrigation and school building for ethnic minority students. The resolution also set out a number of measures for the implementation of the medium-term public investment plan, focusing on restructuring State budget spending in an effective manner by reducing regular expenditure. Advance payment will be minimised, while the use of spare capital will be tightly managed, according to the resolution which also plans to allocate State capital and mobilise other sources for infrastructure building through public-private partnerships (PPP). The resolution also aimed to encourage the engagement of the private sector in heath care, education, culture, sports as well as infrastructure projects in rural areas. Leaders of the Government, ministries, central agencies and localities will bear legal responsibility for choosing investments and the approval of investment projects. They were asked to make investment decisions after careful verification and consideration of their efficacy, capital sources and payment capacity. Inspection and supervision of public investment management will be strengthened, while strict punishment will be applied to individuals and collectives that break the law, said the resolution, adding that the objectives and efficiency of the investment will be closely controlled to ensure transparency.-VNA |
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Social News 11/11 China’s top legislator visits under-construction friendship palace Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress, visited the construction site of the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace in Hanoi on November 10 as part of his official visit to the Southeast Asian nation. The building of the friendship palace, initiated by then Prime Ministers Phan Van Khai and Wen Jiabao in 2004, officially started on March 4, 2015. It is scheduled to be put into use in 2017. Don Tuan Phong, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations – the project’s investor, thanked the two countries’ Parties, States, parliaments, Governments, relevant ministries and authorities, and the Chinese Embassy for creating favourable conditions for the construction. He asked the project’s contractor, China’s Yunnan provincial construction holding group, to continue working closely with the project’s management board to ensure work progress as well as the safety and quality of the building. Phong said the palace will be a venue for cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the countries. He believed that activities held there will help them enhance mutual understanding so as to further treasure their amity – a precious common asset of the two peoples. Meanwhile, Zhang, who is also a member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee, said the palace construction itself is a symbol of the bilateral friendship, adding that the two Parties and States pay great attention to this project. He also told the Chinese contractor to ensure the project’s quality and schedule while asking for Vietnam’s close coordination and best possible conditions for the building. The Vietnam-China Friendship Palace, located at No.188 Le Quang Dao street in Hanoi, covers 3.3ha with facilities built on over 13,900 square metres, including a 1,500-seat grand hall. On November 9 evening, Politburo member and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hosted a banquet in honour of Zhang Dejiang. The event was also attended by Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Phung Quoc Hien, Vice Chairman of the Chinese National People’s Congress Wang Chen and other officials of the two countries. Fish death-affected central provinces helped with restoring tourism The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will carry out many practical activities to support tourism development in four central provinces hit by the recent sea environmental incident, including Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. Among those activities are conferences promoting tourism in the north central region in Hanoi on November 17 and in HCM City on November 18 to introduce new tourism products and connect the region’s tourism enterprises with travel companies in the two big cities. The VNAT will also introduce tourism potential of the north central region and Vietnam in general in Bangkok and Udon Thani province of Thailand from November 22-26. A seminar on developing tourism products in the north central region will be held in Thua Thien-Hue from November 28 to December 4. The administration will also hold training classes for tourist guides in Ha Tinh province on December 12-18. Responding to the mass fish death seriously affecting tourism activities in the four north central provinces in April, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched a project to assist the affected provinces to restore tourism after the sea environmental incident. The regional tourism sector suffered losses of thousands of billions of dong from the incident, according to the VNAT. The administration also said that it will organise Vietnam tourism promotion events in three Chinese provinces of Dalian, Guilin and Changchun. Vietnam, Italy look to enhance multilateral partnership Vietnam and Italy should strengthen their cooperation in all areas, especially trade and investment, heard a seminar in Hanoi on November 10. The seminar, themed “Vietnam-Italy cooperation and friendship in the new situation,” was held by the Vietnam-Italy Friendship Association (VIFA). Addressing the function, VIFA President Nguyen Van Nam said the bilateral collaboration is growing robustly after the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership. Italian Vice Ambassador to Vietnam Natalia Sanginiti noted that Vietnam has become an important partner of her country in ASEAN, adding that an increasing number of Italian firms is choosing Vietnam as their potential investment destination. Italy, meanwhile, is also a top EU partner of Vietnam in multiple fields from politics and development cooperation to trade and technology, she said. The diplomat stressed both sides need to enhance trade-investment ties and prioritise a number of joint projects, particularly in the sectors of health and food safety. Tran Thanh Hai, Vice Director of the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, called on Italy to encourage the EU to soon recognise Vietnam’s market economy status and help the country build capacity in implementing the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement. He said Vietnam and Italy should improve their cooperation in high-tech and support industries. Hai noted that Italy, with its more advanced technologies, can help develop manufacturing, farming and climate change adaptation in Vietnam. Both governments should devise policies to promote Italian investments in Vietnam, particularly in infrastructure, garment, footwear, support industry, energy and tourism, he said. The same day, the VIFA also held a get-together in celebration of its 30th founding anniversary. At the event, Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Cecilia Piccioni lauded the operation of the VIFA and its collaboration with her agency in making Vietnam-Italy ties thrive. Chinese students impressed by youth festival in Vietnam Chinese students attending the third Vietnam-China Youth Festival in Vietnam have showed their impressions at the three-day event, which concluded successfully on November 10. “I and my friends met and set up friendship with many Vietnamese peers during the festival,” Xu Shao Dong, a student from Shanghai, said before leaving Vietnam. Xu added that he was moved and impressed by the new look of Vietnam and the friendliness and perseverance of young people here. Meanwhile, Chen Huang Hui from Guangdong said he had participated in a number of youth exchanges in India, Japan and the Republic of Korean, but this time in Vietnam was a special experience. Vietnam has its own characteristics and the locals are very hospitable, he noted. Chen expressed his hope that the friendship between Vietnamese and Chinese youths, which was nurtured by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong, will continue to grow. The festival took place across 7 provinces and cities in Vietnam. Participants discussed their experience in the promotion of trade, culture and tourism as well as environmental protection. Algerian reporters win VN’s external information service awards Algerian reporters Aoura Racha and Ryad Abada on November 10 received a third prize of Vietnam’s National External Information Service Awards 2015 for their article on Ho Chi Minh City. The article, titled “Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam’s economic heart”, gave insights into the Vietnamese southern economic hub and how the local reform policy had changed it since 1986. At the awarding ceremony held at the Vietnam Embassy in Algiers, Aoura Racha expressed her honour to win the prize, saying it is a remarkable milestone in her career as a reporter. She said she got unforgettable memories through 10 days travelling across Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang and Can Tho, which were later articulated in her writing. She expected to return to Vietnam to pen more articles in the coming time. Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Pham Quoc Tru said the two reporters have done an excellent job, hoping the prize will inspire them to write more valuable articles. He also wished Algerian reporters will continue to write about Vietnam to boost mutual understanding. The National External Information Service Awards 2015 attracted approximately 800 entries in 11 languages, including Vietnamese, French, Chinese, English and Japanese. Hai Duong aims to build smart city The northern province of Hai Duong is determined to build a smart city, said Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Manh Hien at a seminar on November 10. He also assigned the provincial People’s Committee to devise a roadmap for smart city building, focusing on priority areas such as education, health and environment. At the workshop on smart city management model, experts said that smart city is a model in which modern information technology is applied in every unit and organisation to create a smart management system to improve the quality of public services, thus benefiting socio-economic development and locals’ lives. Head of the National Institute of Information and Communications Strategy (NIICS) Nguyen Minh Son highlighted that the nature of a smart city is information connection, intensive urban development and comprehensive mechanism reform. The institute will join hands with international organisations and experts to help Hai Duong build a smart city, he said. Representatives of Microsoft, global educational organisations and partners from Germany, Japan and Singapore shared smart city building experience in many countries and gave recommendations for Hai Duong province. They suggested the province focus on the fields of education, health, environment, transport, technology, agriculture and construction. According to Vice Chairman of the Hai Duong People’s Committee Nguyen Anh Cuong, over the past years, the province has focused on streamlining administrative procedures, improving the investment climate and raising competitiveness. However, he noted despite efforts, the province’s application of information technology in State management is yet to meet requirements, he said, adding that experience shared at the event will help the province in its path of building a smart city. Joint efforts needed for UN Agenda implementation Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong has called on related ministries and agencies to join hands in building a feasible national action plan for implementing the UN Agenda 2030. Speaking at a workshop in Hanoi on November 10, Phuong stressed the need to collect opinions and suggestions to the draft national action plan for the implementation of the agenda. Vietnam has realised the agenda through Resolutions approved by the National Assembly and instruction documents of the Government, he noted. The workshop served as a forum for relevant agencies to give opinions to the draft national action plan, which proposed a list of sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as measures and specific actions of the Government to reach the targets by 2030. UN Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director in Vietnam Louise Chamberlain praised the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI)’s move to mobilise contributions of relevant parties, especially the private sector and civil social organisations, to building the draft plan. The implementation of the agenda requires a change in the role and operation mode of Governments, she stressed, adding that governments need to create favourable conditions for the people, enterprises and civil social organisation to join the process. The action plan should point out priorities for vulnerable groups, while clarifying the coordination and participation mechanism among involved parties as well as the importance of data concerning the agenda implementation. The national action plan was outlined basing on reviewing existing policies, strategies and development plans of Vietnam, with comparison with 17 global SDGs and 169 specific targets. The building of the plan was carried out from July-September this year, with the participation of ministries, sectors, agencies, UN organisations, Vietnam’s development partners and domestic and international organisations. The MoPI is working to finalise the draft plan for submitting to the Prime Minister for approval. The draft plan is hoped to help Vietnam have right orientations to achieve the SDGs by 2030, and define the responsibility and coordination among relevant parties. It will also serve as a legal foundation for Vietnam to perform its commitments with the international community, responsibly contributing to the sustainable development-related global efforts. Drug, prostitution-free localities on the rise The number of drug and prostitution-free communes, wards and towns have been increased in recent years after the 10-year implementation of the resolution on regulations and guidelines on building communes, wards and towns with healthy lifestyle. A report by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), which was released during a conference in Hanoi on November 10 to review 10 years of carrying out the resolution, showed that 2,818 communes and nationwide have no drug abuse. Meanwhile, 8,659 communes and wards have eradicated prostitution, and 3,556 communes, wards and towns successfully eliminate drug and prostitution, said the report. Many measures have been applied in localities, along with various good models, including self-management models. So far, 40 provinces and cities have coordinated with local sectors, unions and social organisations in conducting communications and preventive education on drug, prostitution and HIV/AIDS prevention and control, while supporting drug addicts as well as rehabilitated addicts and prostitutes to access health care services and integrate into the community. According to Le Minh Tan, Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the city has built and run 122 self-management models in maintaining social security and order. After 10 years of realising the resolution, the city has 213 communes free from social evils, while the number of hot spots has been reduced to 12 communes and wards, he noted. MOLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Trong Dam urged localities to review their performance in the work during the past 10 years, while working harder to reduce hot spots of drug and prostitution. He also asked localities to continue multiplying the models of communes and wards with healthy lifestyle as well as other social services for prostitute and assist drug addicts in community-based detoxification. Restoration, upgrade prepare for Hung Kings temple festival The management board of the relic site Hung Kings Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho is accelerating preparations for the 2017 Hung Kings Temple festival. Luu Quang Huy, Director of the relic site, said the board has stepped up the restoration and upgrade of Gieng Rong (Dragon well), a reception area and revamped the temple gate. The site is continuing with two projects on infrastructure for the Mau lake and the third stage of the festival’s centre from October 2016 until 2020. Since 2009, the relic site has invested more than 1 trillion VND (45.4 million USD), sourced from government funds and philanthropists, into upgrading temples and pagodas on Nghia Linh mountain, building a temple dedicated to Great Father Lac Long Quan and landscape around the temple. Month for gender equality, gender-based anti-violence to be launched A ceremony to launch an action month for gender equality and fight against gender-based violence will take place on November 13 at the Hanoi Opera House. The event is organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the United Nations in Vietnam and the People’s Committee of Hanoi to carry out the Prime Minister’s decision approving the national action plan on gender equality in 2016-2020. Vietnam has made tremendous progress on removing the gender gap in the past 20 years, particularly in jobs and health care due to numerous policies and laws on gender equality, said Nguyen Trong Dam, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs at a press conference on November 9. However, the gender gap is still prevalent in many fields, he added. The biggest challenge faced by Vietnam in achieving gender equality is gender-based violence, especially violence against women and female children. Female children are not only the victims of domestic violence but also human trafficking, sexual abuse and violence from outside the family. A national survey on domestic violence against women and children reported that there was an average of 1,000 cases of girl child sexual abuse every year. Themed “Joining hands to remove violence against women and girl children”, the month-long campaign, starting from November 15, aims to encourage the involvement of agencies, organisations and people in efforts to ensure gender equality and prevent violence against women and girl children. Localities urged to promote external information service Local officials must heed the importance of external information work amidst rapid and complicated changes in regional and world situations and strengthen the guidance, monitoring and inspection of activities in the field, a Party official in charge of the work said. Addressing a conference on November 10 reviewing external information work in northern cities and provinces, deputy head of the Steering Committee for External Information Work Pham Van Linh also required local administrations to ensure budget for the work. Linh, who is also deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Informations and Education, underlined the need to provide training for those working in the field, particularly staff in local agencies, as well as the supply of sufficient and timely information for communication purposes. The sector itself should try to renew working style and content of coverage, with more attention paid to services in foreign languages, he said. Members of the central steering committee and representatives from 25 steering committees for external information work in northern cities and provinces agreed that after five years implementing the Politburo’s conclusion 16 on the strategy for external information development for 2011-2020, remarkable progress has been recorded in many localities. Thanks to improved awareness of local officials about the importance of the work, external information work has been carried out in a planned and systematic manner with quality and on larger scale. The work has contributed to increasing social consensus and winning support of the international community and overseas Vietnamese, thus creating favourable conditions for national development, maintaining political stability and national security, firmly defending national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, enhancing the country’s position in the regional and international arena while timely countering false and distorted information about Vietnam. Participants also shared the view on shortcomings that should be addressed promptly, particularly the poor planning work and weak coordination among different agencies operating in the field. WB supports Vietnam build water-supply plants The World Bank (WB) will help Vietnam build water-supply plants, according to an official at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment at a conference on water resources. Statistics show about 250,000 households in the Mekong Delta face shortages of water for daily use. Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Tien, head of the Department of Technical Infrastructure under the Ministry of Construction said the ministry is coordinating with agencies and the WB to study building water-supply plants for the Mekong Delta region. Five plants are expected to be built with a total capital of 1.3-1.7 billion USD in three stages. The capital for the first phase from 2017-2023 is estimated at 440 million USD. Le Duy Hung, WB’s Senior Urban Specialist, said the Vietnamese government’s corresponding capital in the first phase will be 40 million USD, while the WB will lend Vietnam the rest. The WB dispatched a loan worth seven million USD to prepare a feasibility study for phase one. Plan to turn Son Tra peninsula into tourism destination approved The Prime Minister has approved an overall planning on the development of the Son Tra National Tourism Area in the central coastal city of Da Nang through to 2025 with a vision to 2030. The planning aims to turn the area into a high-quality ecological tourism centre and an important destination for tours by road and by sea. The designated Son Tra National Tourism Area, covering 4,439 hectares, is located on the Son Tra Peninsula in Tho Quang ward, Son Tra district, and is around 10 kilometres northeast of Da Nang city’s downtown. The area is projected to welcome 3.5 million tourists and earn revenues of 1.9 trillion VND (85 million USD) by 2025 and 4.6 million tourists and 4,300 billion VND (193 million USD) by 2030. New planning to ensure Mekong Delta water supply Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved water supply planning for the Mekong Delta region to 2030 with a vision to 2050, aiming to reduce average clean water loss to 18 percent in 2020. The Mekong Delta region has a total natural area of over 40,604 square kilometers, covering Can Tho city and 12 provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, An Giang, Soc Trang, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau. By 2020, 90-100 percent of locals in level-three urban areas will have access to clean water, while the ratio in level-four and five urban areas 90-95 percent will have access. In 2030, the percentage of residents in urban areas using clean water may reach 98-100 percent, while the ratio of rural residents accessing clean water from the trans-provincial and urban water supply system is hoped to increase to 35 percent. Clean water loss is targeted to be kept below 12 percent, according to the planning. The planning also divides water supply systems in the region into three smaller regions basing on terrain, development and the need for water as well as the planned water supply expansion. Region one covers Long An and Tien Giang provinces and parts of Dong Thap province, while region two comprises Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, and the other parts of Dong Thap province, and region three includes Can Tho city, and An Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces. The planning also includes the construction of five regional-level water works, aiming to ensure water supply to localities facing saltwater intrusion and water shortages. The coverage and capacity of trans-provincial water works will be expanded in line with water requirements and climate change and salinity in specific periods, said the planning. According to the Water Resources Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the region has experienced a sharp drop in rainfall. In the 2015-2016 dry season, the rainfall level was lower than historical levels by 0.2-0.4m, while salinity was much higher than average. Salinity of 4 gram per litre was recorded on 45-65km of Tien River and 55-60km of Hau River and 60-65km of Cai Lon River . In addition, climate change has caused floods in the upper Mekong Delta and droughts in the centre of the region. Meanwhile, coastal areas have suffered from sea level rises that ravage agricultural production. Chinese students impressed by youth festival in Vietnam Chinese students attending the third Vietnam-China Youth Festival in Vietnam have showed their impressions at the three-day event, which concluded successfully on November 10. “I and my friends met and set up friendship with many Vietnamese peers during the festival,” Xu Shao Dong, a student from Shanghai, said before leaving Vietnam. Xu added that he was moved and impressed by the new look of Vietnam and the friendliness and perseverance of young people here. Meanwhile, Chen Huang Hui from Guangdong said he had participated in a number of youth exchanges in India, Japan and the Republic of Korean, but this time in Vietnam was a special experience. Vietnam has its own characteristics and the locals are very hospitable, he noted. Chen expressed his hope that the friendship between Vietnamese and Chinese youths, which was nurtured by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong, will continue to grow. The festival took place across 7 provinces and cities in Vietnam. Participants discussed their experience in the promotion of trade, culture and tourism as well as environmental protection. Exhibition of Vietnamese painter begins in Japan An exhibition of Vietnamese painter Pham Luan’s works opened in Tokyo, Japan on November 10. This is the first exhibition of a Vietnamese painter in Japan, featuring 25 oil-paintings of Japanese landscapes and people. The highlight of the exhibition is the triptych of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. At the opening ceremony, Luan said the paintings show his love for Japan, a country that has become his inspiration. He also hopes that more works about Japan will be displayed in Japan and in Vietnam. Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong expressed his hope that the exhibition will mark a new height in cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan. Vietnam to ink ASEAN mutual recognition deal on bioequivalence reports Vietnam will sign the ASEAN Sectoral Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on Bioequivalence (BE) Study Reports on Generic Medicinal Products. Under a recently issued resolution on the deal, the Vietnamese Government agreed on the draft MRA and allowed an official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to sign the document. The Ministry of Health was ordered to comply with Vietnam’s law on international treaties when making amendments and supplements to the MRA’s annex. The health ministry was also requested to propose a representative to sign the deal. The MRA will be involve intra-regional acceptance of reports of BE studies conducted by BE centres in ASEAN. It aims to minimise the repetition of BE studies required for marketing authorisation from one ASEAN member state to another. Hanoi sees strong growth in international arrivals Hanoi welcomed 3.2 million international tourist arrivals in the first ten months of 2016, up 23 percent year-on-year and close to the figure recorded in 2015 (3.36 million), according to the municipal Department of Tourism. Of which, 2.3 million tourists made their stay in the capital, an increase of 24.4 percent from the same period last year. Hanoi’s leading tourist sources included China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia, France, the United States, Germany and Thailand. If domestic holidaymakers were included, Hanoi received over 18 million visitors during the period, earning nearly 50.7 trillion VND (2.27 billion USD) in revenue. Hanoi’s tourism markets have been expanded, with international arrivals from 160 countries and territories. The capital city has been a destination of around 40 percent of foreign tourists to Vietnam. Moreover, Hanoi is making efforts to diversify its tourism products and services based on its advantages and potential, including culture tourism, MICE, eco-tourism and farm stay. Cultural tourism is now a strength of the city with tours of historical sites, the Old Quarter, French architectures, museums, craft villages and traditional art forms. Hanoi has also focused on improving tourism infrastructure. It boasts 72 hotels from three to five stars with 9,844 rooms. Promotion activities have been carried out in order to introduce tourists to a friendly and appealing Hanoi. According to the department, in 2016, Hanoi hopes to welcome 4 million international visitors, up 22.6 percent from last year, and 17.8 million domestic tourists, up 8.5 percent. Total revenue from tourism is expected to reach 62.3 trillion VND (2.8 billion USD).- Da Nang welcomes 2,300 tourists at port Genting Dream, a cruiser of the Hong Kong-based luxury cruise line Dream Cruises, with 2,300 passengers on board, docked at Tien Sa port in the central city of Da Nang on November 10. This was the maiden voyage of the modern ship that is capable of accommodating 3,400 passengers. Genting Dream was scheduled to visit three major ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Da Nang during its November 8-10 tour of Vietnam. Tran Chi Cuong, deputy head of the Da Nang Tourism Department said the arrival of modern luxury cruise liners to the city has helped exploit the potential of local beaches and resorts. According to the agency, Da Nang hosted 58 cruisers with 81,271 international passengers in 2016, 3.6 times higher than the figure of 2015.- HCM City lawmakers direct Zika fight People’s Council members of HCM City will work with municipal authorities to identify potential breeding grounds for the Zika virus at project sites where construction has been suspended. This was agreed at a meeting between the Standing Board of the HCM City People’s Council and city’s People’s Committee late last week. Once the work is done, the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment will report results to district and grassroots councils who will oversee the spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes and larvae at the identified sites and other areas, said Nguyễn Thị Quyết Tâm, Chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Council. Tâm said the city People’s Council was keeping a close watch on the situation in order to help prevent an outbreak of the Zika virus. Nguyễn Thị Thu, deputy head of the People’s Committee, said at the meeting that every district has sites where construction has been suspended, and the builders had not kept the sites clean. District administrations lacked sufficient funds to monitor and clear the sites, she said. Tâm advised the municipal administration to co-operate with the city-based Việt Nam Fatherland Front and other departments as well as organisations to launch campaigns to spraying chemicals and kill both larvae and mosquitoes. She said leaflets about ways to prevent Zika infections and their spread should be distributed to all households in order to improve public awareness about the need to kill mosquitoes and their larvae. Dr Nguyễn Tấn Bỉnh, head of the city’s Department of Health, reported that 29 patients had tested positive for the Zika virus as of November 6. Districts with the highest Zika incidences were 12, 9, 2, Bình Thạnh and Tân Phú, he said. As of November 5, 36 patients had tested positive for the Zika virus in HCM City and the provinces of Khánh Hòa (1), Long An (1), Bình Dương (2), Đắk Lắk (2), and Phú Yên (1), according to the General Department of Preventive Health. Department head Trần Đắc Phu told the Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper that five of the patients were pregnant women. The Preventive Health Department had on October 30 confirmed the country’s first case of microcephaly, or abnormal smallness of the head, in a four-month-old baby in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk. It said the condition was likely related to Zika. The Ministry of Health has prioritised efforts to ensure the health of pregnant women and reduce the risk of fetal microcephaly caused by the Zika virus. Thu said she has asked district authorities to compile lists of pregnant women in their areas and advise them about preventive methods. Six hospitals and institutes in Hà Nội, HCM City, Nha Trang and the Central Highlands region can provide testing for the Zika virus, with results available in seven days. At a meeting with the Emergency Operation Centre in Hà Nội on November 5, Dr Trần Danh Cường, deputy head of the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the country’s prenatal diagnosis system requires pregnant women to have ultrasound checks at 12, 22 and 32 weeks. If patients follow the ultrasound schedule, fetal microcephaly can be detected and treated early, Cường said. However, many women are unaware of the importance of these examinations and fail to comply with the recommended schedule, she said. Bắc Giang province goes digital For the first time in years, Lương Văn Hữu feels happy after completing procedures for land use right certificates. In the past, the processing of certiificates attesting to land and house rights could take as long as a month. People had to travel great distances in order to hand in documents and get the required papers. But since his home province of Bắc Giang, just east of Hà Nội inaugurated the Bắc Giang Centre for Public Administration in the beginning of September, local residents no longer need to travel far because the offices charged with administrative procedures are all concentrated under one roof. “Now it takes me only from five to ten days to have land and house use right certificates,” said Hữu. Simpler documentation, such as driving licences, take no more than five days, he said. Nguyễn Thanh Huyền, another resident of Bắc Giang City who came to the centre to change her motorbike driving licence, said the staff at the centre was enthusiastic and hospitable. “All of them help residents reduce travel time and complete administrative procedures, making people feel happier in their contact with officials,” she said. “We receive careful advice from the centre’s workers about the papers we need.” Visitors to the centre are greeted by a sign directing them to take a number and await their turn. Waiting could take 10-15 minutes, but the room is large and cool and visitors feel comfortable, Huyền said. The inauguration of the Bắc Giang Centre for Public Administration was part of the province’s administrative reform for the period of 2016 to 2020, said Lại Thanh Sơn, standing deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee. The centre is spread out over 1,300sq.m on two floors. About VNĐ14.9 billion (US$662,200) was invested in its construction. The first floor has a post office, photocopying service, snacks and automated teller machines. The second floor has more than 20 offices of various departments and sectors of Bắc Giang Province. Deputy Chairman Sơn said that the centre had improved workers’ professional skills and also helped officials at different levels in the province check and supervise administrative procedures and resolve problems as they arise. Province authorities have targeted 170 administrative procedures for reform in order to simplify and shorten the time it takes to complete them, said Sơn. Typically, completing procedures for land hire and transfer currently takes 15 days, half the time it took in 2014. Investment certificates are issued within seven days, three days fewer than in 2014. Last year, the province ranked 10th of 63 provinces and cities in terms of public administration reform. Currently, all State offices at provincial and district level have internal computer networks. More than 500 schools and more than 140 enterprises in the province have websites. Document are sent via email, saving nearly VNĐ12 billion ($533,300) in annual postal costs, said Sơn. Nguyễn Hữu Dũng, deputy chief of the Bắc Giang Department of Construction Secretariat, who directly receives documents related to the department, said that with modern infrastructure, the centre provides good conditions for organisations and individuals to efficiently conduct administrative procedures. It also provides a good working environment for staff, enabling them to improve their skills on information technology and communication and apply them to daily work on computer systems, he said. “The province is striving to digitalise all information and procedures to better serve residents and enterprises by applying technology to administrative reform,” said Sơn. The province has set a 2020 target of having 90 per cent of official documents of administrative organisations in electronic form. All of staff workers will use email in carrying out their work, he said. Most administrative services will be supplied online on websites to meet the real demand of residents and enterprises everywhere, said Sơn. In the first nine months of this year, Bắc Giang’s economic growth reached 9.8 per cent, the highest since 2013, according to the provincial People’s Committee. The province contributed to the state budget more than 2.7 trillion (US$120.9 million), an increase of more than 20 per cent compared with the same period last year. It ranks ninth out of 63 provinces and cities in terms of attracting foreign investment. More than 80 per cent of communes in the province reached national health norms. VN gov’t steps up efforts to prevent "social evils" Labour departments in provinces and cities will continue to work with local authorities to carry out community-based social evils prevention in an aim to eliminate sales of recreational drugs and prostitution in wards and communes. At a conference reviewing prevention activities over the last 10 years, Lê Minh Tấn, deputy head of the central Department of Prevention for Social Evils under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), said that prostitution and drug use and sales were becoming more prevalent in communes and wards throughout the country. Some areas have been able to eliminate the activities, but prostitution and drug use had often re-emerged, he said. A report by the MOLISA, which was released during a conference in Hà Nội yesterday, showed that 2,818 communes and nationwide have no drug abuse. Meanwhile, 8,659 communes and wards have eradicated prostitution, and 3,556 communes, wards and towns successfully eliminate drug and prostitution, said the report. Many drug addicts, about a third of the total in the country, voluntarily attended community-based rehabilitation programmes between 2006 and 2010. Between 2011 and 2015, 23 provinces and cities set up 35 establishments for counselling, care and treatment for drug users. They also provided education and treatment to thousands of prostitutes from 2006 to 2010. In the period from 2011 to 2015, 6,862 prostitutes received vocational training, jobs, and loans to develop businesses. As of last year, interdisciplinary inspectors had carried out nearly 300,000 inspections among service establishments. They found that more than 89,400 establishments were providing prostitution. Of the establishments, 2,452 were suspended and nearly 61,000 were fined a total of VNĐ232 billion (US$10.3 million). More than 60,400 drug trading cases were discovered within this period. Breeders face woes of yet another mass fish death Fish in breeding farms in central Thừa Thiên - Huế Province died en masse under unclear causes, leaving breeders potentially bankrupt. Fish have been dying since Tuesday in 500 cages laying in the brackish water environment in Cầu Hai Lagoon and Lăng Cô Bay for breeding vẩu, a fish species that yields high economic value. The breeding association of Vinh Hiền Commune said yesterday that there have been 50 tonnes of dead fish taken from the cages. Last year, the fish fetched VNĐ250,000 (US$11) per kilogramme on the market, but the price dropped almost by half after the environmental disaster in Central region ocean caused by Formosa toxic spill in April, causing huge losses for breeders. The situation worsened and sent local breeders into bankruptcy, said Nguyễn Thiết, the association chairman. Trần Văn Đích, a breeder, said the fish died in four out of 15 of his breeding cages, causing an estimated loss of VNĐ200 million. The province’s Department of Fishery have taken samples at the site for tests, and they suspect that rainwater from downpour since Monday in the province has dropped salinity level required for the fish, leading to fish death. The department’s deputy head Nguyễn Minh Đức told a local newspaper that fish death for the same reason took place in previous years in these breeding farms. Hà Nội police announce karaoke fire causes The capital city police have confirmed carelessness by a welder during his work on a billboard as one of the main causes of a karaoke bar fire that killed a total of 13 people earlier this month. The confirmation was part of the police’s initial investigation results announced on late Wednesday about the fire, which occurred at 1.30pm on November 1 at No 68 Trần Thái Tông Street in Hà Nội’s Cầu Giấy District. Police said the welder was working on a billboard covering the bar’s second floor facade when he caused some sparks to shoot up the bar’s walls and dropped on to the floor. As the bar’s walls were covered with inflamable materials, they caught fire immediately. The flames spread quickly through the whole building, according to the police. The bar was also built without any emergency exit on the second floor. Thus, most of the customers who were hiring a karaoke room could not get out and were killed mostly due to suffocation before being burnt. It took more than seven hours for firefighters to stamp out the fire. The young welder later was found to be a free-lancer working without any professional licence. Nguyễn Thị Diệu Linh, 30, owner of the bar from Hà Đông District’s Văn Quán Ward, said she hired the building for ten years from July this year to July 2026 to run a karaoke service business. Linh then signed a contract with the Thiện An Phú Investment Join-stock Company based in Hoàn Kiếm District’s Phúc Tân Ward to design and install fire fighting accessories for the bar. The design and installation plan for fire fighting was licensed by the local police on October 13, and the company started to implement it right away. By October 31, about 90 per cent of the plan had been finished, except a connection for the operation of the fire fighting system, the investigation result revealed. The implementation of the bar’s firefighting system plan had not totally been completed, but the bar owner still let customers use the room on the second floor on the day when the fire occurred. The Hà Nội police said they would prosecute those responsible for the deadly fire when they receive a final results of the investigation. Following such serious damage, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc instructed the city police to determine the cause of the blaze and deal strictly with any violations. All karaoke bars and restaurants in the city that fail to meet fire prevention and safety regulations must be closed immediately, he said. VN prepares action plan to tackle poverty, inequality In order to successfully reduce poverty and improve gender equality, education, food security, climate change adaptation and long-term equitable economic growth as committed with the world community, Việt Nam must prepare a detailed action plan. This was the message delivered yesterday by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Nguyễn Thế Phương, at a workshop in Hà Nội that brought together representatives of ministries, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, research institutes, political and social organisations, province-level agencies and the private sector. “Implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a common business of every one,” he said, calling for responsible contribution of all stakeholders and individuals to ensure that a highly practical and feasible National Action Plan (NAP) is developed. UNDP Country Director Louise Chamberlain agreed that “Việt Nam’s SDGs need to be owned by all people, all ethnic groups, women as well as men, and those who are socially excluded. This further emphasises the need for partnerships with civil society, the private sector, communities and citizens - this applies in target setting, planning, implementation efforts and monitoring and evaluation – and requires voluntary and active participation.” The UN agencies are committed to do its part and to offer experiences, technical expertise, and development solutions to support Việt Nam during this process, she said. The consultant workshop on a draft NAP to implement 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the lead agency for sustainable development in Việt Nam. Phương said the draft NAP was developed based on key development policies, strategies and plans of Việt Nam in order to provide a guidance framework for sustainable development goals and coordinate among different stakeholders in implementing them. This NAP will play a role as the legal basis for Việt Nam to fulfil its commitment to the international community, and to responsibly contribute to the global common efforts to achieve sustainable development, he said. Nguyễn Lệ Thủy, deputy head of the MPI’s Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment, said that draft NAP contains 17 SDGs and 115 targets, including goals on poverty reduction, gender equality, education, food security, climate change adaptation, sustainable economic growth. The plan also assigns tasks to stakeholders to effectively implement the goals over the next 14 years. Thủy said that the MPI plans to set up a fund supporting sustainable growth to mobilise internal and external resources. The blueprint will be submitted to the Prime Minister by the end of this month. It will be discussed at the 14th National Assembly’s third session in May next year. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York. The SDGs build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals and aims to go further to end all forms of poverty. Baptist dignitaries attend the church’s congress The Việt Nam Baptist Churches (Southern) opened its 3rd general congress in HCM City on Wednesday, with the participation of 500 Baptist dignitaries and followers from 22 localities. Speaking at the event, Trần Tấn Hùng, deputy chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, praised the contribution of the Baptist dignitaries and followers of charity programmes, and the poverty alleviation movement. During the 2012-2016 period, the Việt Nam Baptist Churches (Southern) has consolidated the organisation and encouraged its followers to abide by legal regulations, becoming an integral part of great national unity. The two-day congress reviewed the operation of the last term, elected a new executive board for the third tenure, and passed the 2017-2020 plan. The Việt Nam Baptist Churches (Southern) was established in November 1962 in HCM City and was officially recognised by the Government as a religious organisation in 2008. The number of Baptist followers has reached more than 43,000 in 44 cities and provinces. Hà Nội recalls unqualified drugs Hà Nội Health Department reported that it will recall three kinds of unqualified medicines sold in the city’s market following the directive of the Drug Administration. The three drugs to be withdrawn are PV detox capsule of Phúc Vinh Medicinal Herbal Joint Stock Company, Ciprofloxacin tablets USP 500mg of Indian company Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Enalapril maleat tablets USP 10mg of Medicinal Herbal Joint Stock Company 3/2. The Health Department has also asked companies producing and importing such medicines to withdraw them in November and to report the recall to the department. Health centres and drug retail stores in the city and districts were required to quickly recall all unqualified medicines mentioned above. Stale cow viscera trade to Laos stopped Traffic police in central Thừa Thiên-Huế Province this morning stopped a passenger bus travelling on National Highway 1A and found two big boxes containing internal organs of cows on board. Policemen said the cow viscera looked stale and produced a foul odour. The bus departed from Đà Nẵng City and was heading to Laos’s Vientiane. Bus driver Nguyễn Hữu Hiệp told the police he was hired to carry those boxes. He, however, failed to show documents of the boxes’ origin and hygiene condition. Police seized the boxes and transferred them to the local environmental police unit for investigation. Vietnamese use cattle viscera as an ingredient in a number of dishes. There are many Vietnamese who live as temporary workers in Lao provinces near the border. Cooking show for kids to be aired A new cooking show for kids, “Little Apron”, will be aired from November 13 every Sunday on VTV2. This is a reality show for Vietnamese children or foreigners speaking fluent Vietnamese, aged 6-10. The show is a platform for children to showcase their cooking skills, gain soft skills and perform the job of a breadwinner. It will help children be more active and have a higher sense of responsibility. Participants will buy the required items for an assigned dish on their own, handle situations set by the organisers along the way and cook the dish under the observance and support of a chef. Parents can also send pictures of their kids with their favourite dish or while cooking in the kitchen to be posted on the fanpage of the show, Tạp dề tí hon VTV2. Every week, three pictures with the most likes and shares will be announced during the show and awarded a gift from the organisers. There are 52 episodes and each show is 15 minutes. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE |
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‘Golden land’ in Industrial Zone left idle There are 324 industrial zones (IZ) throughout the country with total area of 92,000 hectares. However, due to mismanagement, large areas in the IZs have been left unused.  Located on an advantageous position in Long Bien district in Hanoi, near Highway No 5, the Hanoi-Dai Tu IZ has not attracted many investors. Licensed in 1995, most of the area in the IZ has been left idle over the last 20 years. The occupancy rate of the IZ is modest, just 40 percent. In the latest move, the government has allowed the Hanoi authorities to change the IZ into an urban area. The land in the Hanoi-Dai Tu IZ is just part of thousands of hectares of ‘golden land’ being left idle. A report of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) showed that while the industrial land area that can be rented (cleared land with water, electricity and waste water treatment systems available) is about 62,000 hectares, only half of this has been leased. In 2014, the then Prime Minister released a decision on adjusting the planning of IZs and concentrated waste water treatment systems. The 10 cities which have lowest IZ occupancy rates in the country were exposed to the public. Binh Thuan province topped the list with 1,600 hectares of land ready for lease, while the occupancy rate was 10 percent only.
According to Chau Thuy Canh, deputy head of the Binh Thuan provincial IZ Management Board, the province, which strives to attract more investment, has converted agriculture land into IZ land in hopes to optimize the use of the land and create jobs for locals. “We strive to attract businesses that make farm produce for export, building materials and mechanical engineering businesses,” he said. Admitting that the IZs in the locality find it difficult to attract investors, Canh said when planning the IZ development with an area of 1,600 hectares, the local authorities hoped the Ke Ga seaport would be built, which would make the regional transport conditions more favorable. However, in 2013, Ke Ga was eliminated from the list of the ports to be developed. The list of the IZs with low occupancy rates of 11-30 percent includes Ninh Thuan, Ca Mau, Hoa Binh, Ha Tinh, Kien Giang, Cao Bang, Hung Yen and Thanh Hoa According to Vu Quoc Huy, deputy director of the MPI’s Economic Zone Management, there is still no regulation on the occupancy rate in IZs and IZ developers will get licenses if the IZs can meet some requirements. Under the plan to develop IZs by 2015, Vietnam would have 463 IZs with total area of 140,000 hectares. Nam Lich,VietNamNet Bridge |
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BUSINESS IN BRIEF 11/11 Domestic coal stockpiles mount as imports surge The Vietnam Ministry of Finance has flatly rejected a proposal to lower taxes on fuel, a move that many industry experts believe would stimulate domestic sales of coal, reducing the country’s mounting inventories. As an alternative, the Ministry recommended raising the country’s annual coal export target from the current 2 million tons per annum to 3-4 million tons for the three-year period 2017-2020. Raising the export target, said the Ministry, is a better approach to solving the problem than cutting taxes as it can specifically target getting rid of stockpiles of low quality coal without lowering general fund budget revenue. Vietnam changed from being a long-time net exporter of coal to a net importer in 2015, said the report, principally on the back of a large influx of inexpensive foreign coal in 2015. Not only did the imported coal sell for much less than domestically produced coal, but it was of a much better quality and more aptly filled the needs of domestic purchasers, the report continued. State-owned mining company Vinacomin had prodded the Ministry to rollback a tax hike it imposed last July raising the national resource taxes for two different grades of coal by 3-4%, claiming that the hike had negatively impacted its domestic coal sales. But the Ministry flat-out rejected Vinacomin's proposal, citing the government’s general fund budget concerns and the need for time to accurately assess the full impact of the newly imposed tax hike. Meanwhile Nguyen Khac Tho of the General Directorate of Energy said the latest statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that for the first nine months of the year the country’s cumulative coal imports jumped 147.6% on-year to 10.1 million tons valued at US$629.5 million. Mr Tho noted the 10.1 million tons is already 7 million tons past the 3.1-million-ton import target set for the entire 2016 fiscal year. Last year the country’s coal exports plummeted by 75.9% from 2014 to 1.7 million tons, said Mr Tho, while imports surged 123.8% to 6.9 million tons. He said it’s the lower foreign coal prices that are driving the surge in imports, adding that the quality of domestically produced coal just isn’t there— and doesn’t match that of foreign produced coal as well. Most of coal mined in Vietnam comes from deep reservoirs, even some as far down as 300 meters below sea level. This in large part explains why the cost for domestic coal production is so high. The segment is also plagued with a lot of outdated technology, which results in considerable additional cost when compared to foreign miners that use newer mining technologies at a much lower cost. In response, Vinacomin management has instructed its affiliates to cut costs, closely follow the market's requirements and strictly supervise the quality of coal and delivery schedules to stabilize production and reduce inventories, Mr Tho noted. State power giant reports US$32 million loss, blames stronger yen Power monopoly Electricity of Vietnam has reported losses of nearly VND717 billion ($32 million) in the first half this year, saying the stronger Japanese yen has increased its loan burden. The latest financial report from Electricity of Vietnam said its revenue increased 17.25% in the first six months of 2016 from the same period last year to nearly VND130.7 trillion (US$5.85 billion). But at the same time, overheads such as interest on loans, transactions and commission fees and insurance almost doubled to VND15.46 trillion (US$692 million). Dinh Quang Tri, deputy CEO of the power giant, said: “The specific cause of the loss was the stronger yen.” Tri said the company would have made a profit if it had not lost VND6.37 trillion (US$285 million) due to the value of the yen increasing 17% this year. According to a report from the government, EVN topped the list of state firms with foreign debts at the end of 2014. The group borrows a lot under Japan’s development assistance programs. One of its big units, the Power Generation Corporation 1, now owes US$301 million in yen, local media has reported. Hoang Quoc Vuong, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, said EVN’s huge loss will put pressure on power prices and the government might have to "adjust" those prices at some point. But according to economists, losses due to foreign exchange changes are not a reasonable excuse for price hikes. Economist Vu Dinh Anh said that any business that takes out foreign loans should be prepared for foreign exchange fluctuations with provisions to prevent price changes. He said if EVN wants to raise prices, it needs to provide a detailed report that outlines all related income and expenses. “The report needs objective assessment. Currently, EVN’s reports are only reviewed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and that is not convincing,” he said, as cited by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. EVN made a profit of nearly VND890 billion (US$40 million) during the first half of 2015. But as of the end of June, the company owed banks more than VND475 trillion (US$21.3 billion), and was paying more than US$1.7 million in interest a day, according to the report. Loans guaranteed by Vietnam’s government reached US$26 billion at the end of 2015, and EVN accounted for 37.3%of the total. Cashew prices are about to go nuts Prices of raw nuts hit a 10-year high in October as demand surged. Demand for cashew nuts has skyrocketed over 50% since 2010, industry data showed. Meanwhile, the worst drought in a century in Vietnam, the largest exporter, has raised concerns over supply shortages. As of October 30, prices of raw nuts in Vietnam jumped to VND52,000 (US$2.33) per kilogram, the highest in the past decade, compared to VND38,000 early this year, according to the country's cashew association. Average export prices also surged 20% between January and August, reaching US$8,000 per ton. Excessive heat and low rainfall linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon in the main grower countries, including Vietnam, have affected both the quality and quantity of the crops, which could lead to shortages next year. Vietnam has lost a fifth of its harvest so far, causing domestic prices to rally. “Cashew nut consumers may face hefty price rises through next year due to adverse weather,” according to the Vietnam Cashew Association. JYSK presses on in Vietnam Danish JYSK Group, a well-known international retail chain, opened another store in Vietnam last week as part of its business expansion in the lucrative Vietnamese interior-decor market. Nguyen Quoc Vinh, CEO of NeatClean, the franchise partner of JYSK in Vietnam, told VIR, "The new store is the fourth facility in Hanoi and the fifth in Vietnam since we started operations in the country in 2015." The new facility is located in Lo Duc Street, with a total area of nearly 1,200 square metres. JYSK stores bring a unique and homely Scandinavian style for Vietnamese households. "We are seeking favourable locations for four to five other stores in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City next year to meet the growing local demand for lifestyle and interior décor products," he added. These stores are part of JYSK’s plan to open a chain of 10-20 stores in Vietnam by 2020 and capitalise on steady growth rates, a growing consumption base of currently more than 90 million people, the strategic location in Southeast Asia, the young population, and fast growing middle class. According to NeatClean's recent study, amid fierce competition from other famous brands in the local market, the watershed between success and failure is selling price. "We expect that when the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) takes effect in 2018, JYSK will enjoy import tariff cuts, enabling us to reduce prices and gain competitiveness in the Vietnamese market, which has become a magnet to a number of foreign players in the field," Vinh noted. NeatClean, which was established in April 2015 by founders operating in retail, trade, import-export, and interior-décor, will take responsibility for developing JYSK's interior-décor retail network in Vietnam. As a leader on the European market in all articles for the bedroom, bathroom, living-room, the window, and the patio, JYSK currently has over 2,300 stores in 43 countries across the globe. The company’s turnover is 2.8 billion euro. Ford recalls over 1,000 units in Vietnam Ford Vietnam is recalling over 521 Ford Everest and 539 Ford Focus vehicles to fix sub-standard technical features. 520 of the Everest models were assembled in Vietnam between May 27, 2008 and October 29, 2008, and one imported unit was manufactured in 2007. These cars need a part of their gear boxes replaced because of an error that could prevent switching gears. Meanwhile, the 539 Focuses were assembled in Vietnam between August 8, 2013 and April 14, 2014, and both the sedan and hatchback versions had a problem with the brake causing it to wear off faster than it should. The recalls are going to end on August 1, 2019 for the Everest and September 1, 2019 for the Focus. At the same time, General Motors Vietnam is recalling 137 Chevrolet Colorado LT and Chevrolet Colorado LTZ models for technical errors. The vehicles were made in Thailand between January 12, 2015 and March 18, 2015. The problem is with the seatbelt and could endanger passengers’ lives in the event of a collision. Earlier this month, Vietnam Register approved Toyota Motors’ recalling of 20 RX350 and RX200t completely built units imported from Japan due to the Takata airbag issue, which involves defective inflator and propellant devices that may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, shooting metal fragments at passengers. The 17 RX350 units were made between November 28, 2015 and February 16, 2016. The three RX turbo 200ts were made between November 28, 2015 and June 13, 2016. Due to concerns over the same issue, the agency also approved the recall of 1,345 BMW cars made in Germany. Starting on November 28, Thaco will recall 4,809 Mazda 2 units. The cars were assembled at Vina-Mazda factory in Vietnam between July 15, 2015 and September 26, 2016, with the SkyActiv 1.5 litre engine. The zinc parts inside the car as well as the zinc component of the fuel cause a build-up leading to poor engine performance. Both the sedan and hatchback versions will be recalled. Earlier in June this year, Thaco also recalled 10,100 Mazda 3 units due to the same issue. Both the Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 are equipped with the 1.5 litre SkyActiv engine. Hyosung petitions for $1.2 billion factory in Ba Ria-Vung Tau South Korean Hyosung Group is seeking the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Industrial Zone Management Authority’s approval to develop a complex of a polypropylene production factory and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) depot, with a total investment capital of $1.2 billion, according to newswire Diendandoanhnghiep. The complex is expected to cover an area of 60 hectares in Cai Mep Industrial Park, in Tan Thanh district. The $1.2 billion capital will be disbursed in two phases. Accordingly, in the first phase, the investor will pour $133 million into constructing the LPG depot and $336 million into the polypropylene factory, which would have an annual output capacity of 300 million tonnes of polypropylene. In the second phase, the investor will construct a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) factory with the total investment capital of $496 million and the second polypropylene factory worth $226 million. Hyosung is one of South Korea’s fifteen largest firms which specialise in manufacturing tire cord, spandex, power distribution equipment, and fabric material. Its business network spans across Asia and Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Hyosung’s luxury fibre volume makes up 50 per cent of the fibre market in the US and numerous countries in Europe and Asia. Entering Vietnam in 2007, Hyosung developed three fibre factories in the southern province of Dong Nai. In May 2015, Hyosung received the investment certificate for the fourth, $660 million fibre production plant, increasing its Vietnamese investments to $1 billion to date. Construction sector grows 8.8 per cent The construction sector grew 8.8 per cent in gross domestic product (GDP) for the first half of this year, the highest growth since 2010, reported the Ministry of Construction during a conference in Ha Noi on Thursday on tasks in the second half of this year. In first half of this year, the ministry’s enterprises booked revenues at about VND76.1 trillion (US$3.45 billion) while the rate of urban and rural construction hit 100 percent, and urbanisation nearly 35.7 percent of their respective targets for the period. The average floor area per person reached 22.3sq.m, a rise of 0.3 sq.m from late 2015. The construction ministry also said the construction industry still had limitations in building legal documents and standard systems compatible with international regulations, equitisation at some corporations and administrative reform. Therefore, construction minister Pham Hong Ha said at the conference that the ministry would refine legal regulations, review the Law on Construction and issue decrees on construction, housing and real estate business. The issuance of construction licences will be reduced to 22-25 days from 30 days, as part of efforts to realise the government’s resolution on improving the business climate and national competitiveness, as well as the resolution on business development support. In other developments, Viet An Hoa Company’s general director Tran Khanh Quang said urban land, agricultural land and property products in and around industrial zones were expected to be hot by the end of this year, reported vnexpress.net. The market of private property, including land and houses on land in urban areas had high growth in the first half of this year compared with that in the first half of last year, and land prices have increased by 20 per cent since the beginning of this year, Quang said. The unchanged apartment market and apartment prices have created a chance for house and land prices to grow strongly. Trading liquidity and the price of land and houses have increased constantly and the demand for these property products are expected to grow "hot" in the next six months. Meanwhile, signed trade agreements and international integration have affected the growth of the local economy in general and the market of industrial zones in particular, he said. Local and foreign companies have been prompted to lease facilities in industrial zones to expand production and business activities in the future. Therefore, in medium term, the market of leased facilities in industrial zones would remain in high demand, especially in Long An and Binh Duong, neighbouring provinces of HCM City, he said. Property markets around industrial zones have also attracted investors, including land and available houses for rent, for the first six months of this year, said Quang, adding that demand for property products around industrial zones would continue growth in the future. Quang also said investors had increased buying land in sub-urban areas and neighbouring provinces to produce clean vegetable and food since early this year. This trend would continue developing through this year’s end and beyond. The number of industrial projects in the southern region comprises approximately 100 industrial parks and processing zones, most of which are located in Dong Nai and Binh Duong, according to JLL, a foreign property service provider. The industrial space market in the southern region is expected to welcome more than 10,000ha of land area by the end of 2020. Rental fees are expected to be on a slight uptrend in the near future, since demand for industrial properties improves as Viet Nam will receive more FDI capital following the announcement of a number of FTAs. Investments in eco-friendly industries with advanced technologies are expected to be further incentivised in the southern industrial market. Tra fish in short supply until Q1 2017 There may be a lack of tra fish for export until the first quarter of 2017, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has forecast. The total tra fish harvest in the Mekong Delta was 860,900 tonnes as at the end of September. VASEP forecasts there will be only 300,000 tonnes left for the fourth quarter; well short of export requirements. In the first nine months of this year the total area for raising tra fish was 5,100 ha, down 2.3 per cent year-on-year, but the harvest increased 2.5 per cent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). The number of breeding fish was estimated at 1.4 billion in the first nine months, down 11 per cent year-on-year. An increase in harvested fish but declines in areas to grow fish and breeding fish have tra fish exporters concerned. VASEP said that from now to the end of February next year, the volume of tra fish in the Mekong Delta will be insufficient for processing and exporting. Tra fish exports are recording the most impressive growth in both quantity and value among all types of seafood, said Mr. Duong Ngoc Minh, Vice Chairman of VASEP. The price of tra fish, however, has been falling for some time and many farmers ceased raising the fish. As a consequence, breeding fish numbers fell 30 per cent this year compared to last year. In most years the number of breeding fish last until March the following year, but this year supplies were exhausted by September. As tra fish numbers fall, prices increase. In Dong Thap province, as at the end of October, the price of breeding tra fish increased by between VND7,000 ($0.3) and VND9,000 ($0.4) compared to the previous three months. In Can Tho city, many enterprises have reported that as there is a shortage of breeding tra fish, some Chinese enterprises are seeking to buy small fish, of about 350 to 400 grams each. In the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2017, tra fish exports to China will increase 15 to 30 per cent compared to the first quarter of this year. VASEP has assessed that tra fish demand in China remains huge because exports have increased remarkably since the beginning of the year. In August and September, the tra fish export value peaked at $30.9 million and $30 million, respectively. In the first nine months, the total export value to China and Hong Kong was $201.9 million, a 75.6 per cent increase year-on-year. At that time, China surpassed the EU to become the second-largest importer of tra fish from Vietnam. The US remains the largest, with value standing at $286.8 million, up 23.1 per cent year-on-year. Export turnover of tra fish was almost $1.2 billion in the first nine months, an increase of around 7 per cent in both quantity and value. In the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, export turnover is predicted to increase 20 per cent because this is the peak season for tra fish consumption. If the positive signs are maintained, tra fish export turnover in 2016 as a whole is predicted to be 5 to 7 per cent higher than the target of $1.5 billion. Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo 2016 for Dec 1-3 The 23rd International Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Exhibition (Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo) will be organized from December 1 to 3 at the Cultural Palace, 91 Tran Hung Dao, Hanoi, with the support of the Ministries of Health and Industry and Trade (MoIT) in coordination with the Vinexad Company (under MoIT). The exhibition will feature 250 booths of 150 companies from 18 countries and territories around the world, such as the UK, the US, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo has been organized annually in Ho Chi Minh City in August and in Hanoi in December and has been considered the most cost-effective exhibition for more than two decades. South Korea will bring 25 well-known corporations and companies specializing in pharmaceutical processing, packaging, dentistry, ophthalmology, surgical tools, recovery equipment, and environmental equipment. Sewon Medix Inc. from South Korea, whose slogan is Human Happiness through Dental Health, is proud of its contributions to dentist transplants in South Korea. KJ MEDITECH CO., LTD from South Korea and companies from Pakistan will present modern technologies and hope to meet local partners for the further development of dentistry in Vietnam, which has been booming. Canada, with VIVA PHARMACEUTICAL INC., has been famous for its products licensed by GMP Canada. Similar products will be introduced by other brands such as Dr. Muller Pharma S.r.o from the Czech Republic and Polvita, Baniphar, Minh Long Chau, and Tam Quoc te from Vietnam. The BMG International JSC will present DOCTOR 100 rollers, invented by Vietnamese doctors for treating bone, nerve and blood circulation ailments. Medical equipment, surgical tools, ultrasound equipment, electrocardiogram equipment, and emergency equipment will be presented by giants from Germany, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and the US and be of particular interest for specialists, hospitals, and healthcare businesses. SKY SOFTGEL from South Korea, which specializes in manufacturing pharmaceutical products packaging and processing, have participated in the exhibition for many years, introducing advanced technologies to local medical manufacturing companies. Conferences, symposiums, free medical checks, product introductions, and blood donation drives are also part of the exhibition. Medical equipment revenue in Vietnamese market is estimated at around $800 million annually and may reach $1.2 billion this year and $1.8 billion in 2018, with year-on-year growth to be around 18-20 per cent in the 2016-2020 period. Vietnam has been an attractive market for pharmaceutical and medical companies around the world. Demand is on the rise in the years ahead, particularly in picture diagnoses and surgery, recovery and testing equipment. Ninety per cent of the medical equipment currently available in Vietnam comes from Japan, Germany, the US, China and Singapore, which makes up 55 per cent of the cost of equipment imports. Ipsos Business Consulting views the medical equipment sector in Vietnam as promising, as life expectancy has been rising. Since Vietnam joined the WTO in 2007, more and more medical equipment companies have been arriving in the country, such as Terumo, Sonion and United Healthcare, who moved their manufacturing bases from other countries to Vietnam to take advantage of low-cost labor and government incentives. Dat Xanh acquires stalled HCMC project The Dat Xanh Real Estate Service and Construction Corporation has recently announced it purchased all of a large condominium project in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9 from the Thang Long Investment Petrol JSC. “Dat Xanh Group spent more than $25 million on acquiring the project,” Mr. Nguyen Huy Vu, Marketing Manager at Dat Xanh, told VET. The condominium project began in 2008, covering about 8.6 ha and includes a number of high-rise apartment buildings but has been delayed for some time. The Thang Long Investment Petrol JSC was a joint venture between the PetroVietnam Infrastructure and Urban Investment JSC (Petroland) and the Vu Anh International Hotel Hospital Company Limited, which had charter capital of nearly $23 million, of which Petroland contributed 79.9 per cent. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee approved the project’s investment plan in 2008 and district authorities approved the detailed 1/500 planning in 2010. Vu Anh and Petroland then signed an investment cooperation agreement and established the joint venture to implement the project. The city’s People’s Committee issued a document in 2011 permitting an adjustment to the investor for the high-rise apartment buildings on 6.15 ha. Local authorities then approved a new investment plan and separated the project into different parts for the Thang Long joint venture to implement. According to Petroland’s financial statement for the second quarter of 2016, it contributed 70 per cent to the subsidiary. The value of its long-term financial investment in the joint venture is around $16 million. In 2014 the City’s People’s Committee issued a decision approving of the investment plan for the condominiums and public areas. The total land area is nearly 8.6 ha, of which parks and green space were on 1.5 ha, roads 1.3 ha, and housing about 3.6 ha. The project was to have 25 floors at its highest and will house about 6,500 people in 1,625 apartments. Founded in 2013, the Dat Xanh Group is engaged in investment, construction and distribution of real estate projects such as high-rise apartments, urban housing, and housing land. It also provides property brokerage and consultancy services and manages real estate and apartments for lease. National Steering Committee for Power Development formed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has released a Decision on establishing the National Steering Committee for Power Development, helping the Government and the PM to direct the implementation of plans for national power development and major power projects. Under the Decision, the head of the Steering Committee is Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung; meanwhile the Minister of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade and the Deputy Minister of Construction are deputy heads. Members of the committee include: the Deputy Ministers of Planning and Investment, Finance, Natural Resources and the Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development and Science and Technology; as well as the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam and the Deputy Head of the Government Office. A Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and the Environment, as well as the Chairmen of the Boards of the Vietnam Electricity, Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group, were also invited to join the Steering Committee. The Committee is responsible for directing, inspecting and supervising the investment and construction of power projects—particularly major ones—under the plan for national power development approved by the PM, ensuring a sufficient supply of power for the country's socioeconomic development. It will also direct, supervise and urge the implementation of policies related to electricity trading with foreign countries and the development of renewable energy, as well as investment for the construction of infrastructure and negotiation to import coal and liquefied natural gas. The National Steering Committee will direct the ministries, branches and People’s Committees of provinces and cities, along with investors, domestic and foreign consulting organisations and contractors to fully perform their responsibilities, as well as to solve problems that arise in land clearance and to support the emigration and relocation of local residents to serve power projects. The unit will be authorised by the PM to decide mechanisms and policies and resolve specific problems within the authority of the PM while implementing power projects, particularly major ones. Nghi Son 2 thermal power plant BOT contract inked The Ministry of Industry and Trade, Marubeni Company (Japan) and KEPCO (the Republic of Korea) on November 8 inked an investment agreement on the Nghi Son 2 thermal power plant BOT contract. The plant, with the designed capacity of 1,200 MW and including two 600MW turbines, is invested with US$2.3 billion. The project, constructed at the Nghi Son Economic Zone in the central province of Thanh Hoa, will ensure power supply for economic development in the North, contributing to guaranteeing the national energy security. The signing ceremony has manifested efforts of the investors, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Thanh Hoa Province’s leaders in operating BOT projects effectively. VN, Laos, Cambodia share experience in auditing Leaders of the State audit agencies from Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia gathered at the seventh meeting in Ha Noi on November 8. Speaking at the event, State Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc proposed three nations enhance cooperation in the environment to make their cooperative relations more effective. He asked to focus on establishing and launching multi-lateral cooperative and feasible programs and plans to call for assistance from the international development partners and professional organizations. The Vietnamese State Auditor General demanded all the nations organize cooperative auditing on the environment in the spirit of the Ha Noi Declaration adopted at the 8th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 8). Vice President of the Lao State Audit Organization Padapphet Sayakhot suggested auditing agencies complete regulations, mechanisms and auditing methods to fully realize international auditing standards. Earlier at the sixth meeting in Laos in 2014, the three sides agreed on the cooperative mechanism to organize the meeting every two years. Hoa Phat to export construction steel to North America Vietnamese steel producer Hoa Phat Group has signed contracts to export construction steel to the U.S and Canadian markets in the rest of this year, according to the news site Dan Tri. Hoa Phat, a major steel maker in the country, last month produced 164,700 tons of steel products, up 18% year-on-year, and equivalent to a market share of 24.8% as the industry’s output last month reached some 660,000 tons. Hoa Phat in the first ten months turned out 1.38 million tons of construction steel, meeting 82% of its annual target. The company in January- October exported over 27,000 tons of construction steel to some countries such as Australia, Laos, and Cambodia. Nghe An economic zone willing to host cement plant The authority of Dong Nam Economic Zone (EZ) in Nghe An Province has asked relevant ministries to approve a cement plant project in the EZ. The plant will be developed by Nghe An-based Vicem Hoang Mai Cement Joint Stock Company in two phases on 122.5 hectares in the EZ, says a document of the EZ authority sent to the ministries of industry-trade, planning-investment, science-technology and natural resource-environment. When in place, Hoang Mai Cement Plant 2.1 is expected to create jobs for 550 laborers in the province and nearby localities, and contribute VND120 billion (US$5.37 million) to the State budget each year, according to the document posted on the industry-trade ministry’s portal. Dong Nam EZ’s authority said the construction of the cement plant, which will supply products to serve domestic demand and export, complies with the current regulations. The project also adheres to the detailed plan on functional zones that Nghe An provincial government has approved, the development plan for the cement sector, and the approved plan on land use. It will contribute to restructuring the economy in Hoang Mai Commune, Quynh Luu District in specific and Nghe An Province in general, with a focus on services and industrial production rather than agriculture. Vietnam is currently home to 60 cement producers of different sizes. In recent years, the cement industry has seen competition growing, especially in 2014 when supply far outpaced demand due to the real estate market slowdown in 2014, forcing producers to increase exports to cut large inventories. In 2015, domestic cement consumption edged up, especially in the final months of the year when many real estate projects were restarted. For this year, building material insiders predict the market will recover at a slow pace. Domestic cement consumption is expected to rise by 3.5 million tons against last year to 60 million tons this year while outbound sales are forecast to climb by one million tons year-on-year to 17 million tons. US launches antidumping investigation on Vietnamese steel The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has decided to carry out antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations on imports of corrosion-resistant carbon steel pipe from Vietnam. According to the Department of Competition Management under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, a number of US steel enterprises petitioned the DOC to launch the investigations. Previously, in May 2015, after investigations into the same product from China, the US announced 199.43 percent antidumping duties and 241.43 percent countervailing duties on the Chinese products. The DOC said it would not yet delay consignments imported from Vietnam or require deposits at the same levels as duties levied on the Chinese products. The department will issue questionnaires to Vietnamese steel producers and exporters involved in the case to investigate their batches shipped to the US and the origin of their imported material for producing steel products. The DOC will issue its final decision within 300 days of the investigations beginning. Customers compare market prices before shopping online Seven out of ten online shoppers have the habit of visiting some stores to compare prices before making purchase decisions, according to a survey on the habits of online shoppers in Vietnam. The survey with 500 respondents has been conducted by market technology company Criteo and market research firm Euromonitor. According to the survey, 87% of respondents say they visit stores to experience products and services first-hand alongside conducting online research before making a purchase for the purpose of finding the best deals. Alban Villani, Criteo’s commercial director for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taipei, said half of Vietnamese consumers still prefer buying products from local sites to foreign sites due to quick deliveries and lower prices. Therefore, traditional retailers should grasp the opportunity to open e-commerce sites with mobile versions available to better serve customers. The survey showed that 75% of respondents prefer online shopping due to many reasons such as convenience, easy access and reasonable prices. Of the 500 respondents in the survey, 34% are aged between 18 and 29, some 30% from 30 to 39, and 38% are aged between 40 and 60. EVN announces surprise profitability Despite reporting billions in losses in the first half of the year, the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) has just estimated a profit of VND2trn(USD89.54m) to VND3trn for 2016. EVN had reported losses of VND6.371trn (USD282.9m) due to foreign exchange fluctuations, posting a post-tax loss of VND716bn (USD32m) in the first half of this year. Financial reports for the first half of 2016 showed that EVN earned VND131trn (USD5.8bn), a 17% increase on last year. However, financial costs increased to VND15.5trn, leading to VND716bn in losses. Dinh Quang Tri, deputy director of EVN said it was a consolidated report for the mother company EVN and nine member companies. However, because of the dry season, many member companies had to increase generator capacity and buy more oil and coal-fired power from other sources. Output from hydropower plants was low while production costs increased. Tri went on to say that the Ministry of Industry and Trade may consider and adjust the prices based on the foreign exchange rates in an end-of-year settlement. Most of the losses were in member power generating corporations. VN bank signs up for fight against money laundering The Orient Joint Stock Commercial Bank, consultancy Fintek Company Limited and its Malaysian principal TESS International on Wednesday signed an agreement for an anti-money laundering project at OCB. Nguyen Dinh Tung, OCB's CEO, said: "When the bank's scope and scale are increasingly widening, it means the bank has to face with the risk of money laundering, terrorist financing and trading fraud, which are alarming problems worldwide." The anti-money laundering system provides many different models and methods to filter customer information based on black lists, warning lists, embargo lists, and others and discover and investigate any suspicious transactions such as inconsistent or misleading customer information and cash transactions or deposits not in line with customers' business operations. Implementing an AML system would help the bank create a solid foundation in terms of risk management activities and the system's transparency and safety, Nguyen Hoang Ly, Fintek founder and chairman, said. The AML project has been implemented at OCB since September, and is expected to be applied bank-wide by February next year. Le Thi Kim Xuan, chief representative of the Viet Nam Banks Association, said along with increasing integration, money laundering has also gone up and become more sophisticated. According to financial experts, money laundering activities target developing countries and countries with a habit of using cash like Việt Nam, she said. As banks become more globally integrated, they must improve their risk management to international standards, she added. Tan Bien Rubber listed on UPCoM Tan Bien Rubber Joint Stock Company (Tan Bien Rubber) was listed by the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) with total registered value of VND879.4 billion (US$39.3 million) on November 7, 2016. According to the HNX, Tan Bien Rubber was officially listed on the unlisted public company market (UPCoM) with a total of 87.9 million common stocks, valued at VND10,000 ($0.44) each. Recorded reference price for the first day was VND18,700 ($0.83). Tan Bien Rubber was established in 1985 under the Vietnam Rubber Group. In 2011, the company became equitised with 98.46 per cent of charter capital held by the Vietnam Rubber Group. The company estimated its post tax revenue in 2016 and 2017 to be VND58.4 billion ($2.6 million) and 74.7 ($3.34) billion respectively, with five per cent annual dividend yield. Tan Bien Rubber specialises in rubber latex, which is highly valued in the market. The company also intends to focus on technology improvement and quality control in the near future. Controlling CPI surge in accordance with targets With a strong “impulse” from the health and transport sector, the consumer price index (CPI) in October grew by 0.83% compared to the previous month, which was the highest rise so far this year. Notably, nine of the elven categories of goods used for CPI calculation witnessed price increases, with the prices of medicine and healthcare services surging 10.07% month on month (health services alone saw a monthly increase of 13.28% in prices). Concerning the first ten months of the year, CPI went up 2.27% and core inflation grew 1.82% against the same period of 2015. The CPI growth rate of 2.27% in the period is still far away from the CPI surge target of 5% set for the year, which provides a foundation for the price regulating team’s assessment confirming that the situation remains under control. From the beginning of the year, abundant and various supply sources of essential commodities have led the prices of these goods to not increase remarkably as seen in past years. In addition, ministries, sectors and localities have also worked closely and proactively together in taking synchronous measures to stabilise the market and control inflation in accordance with the target envisaged by the government, including strengthening market management and completing the system of goods distribution and circulation towards reducing intermediaries. It can be said that flexible and proactive price regulation methods in the opening months of the year have kept the CPI stable. However, as analysed by the price regulating body, the remaining months will see a number of elements have an affect on the price index. The CPI escalation in October has shown that it is still necessary to maintain flexible price regulation and ensure strict rules in order to stabilise the consumer prices for the whole year. To do so, the monetary policy must continue to be operated flexibly and synchronously aiming to regulate the money supply reasonably and keep deposit rates steady, thereby alleviating pressure on lending rates. Also, credit growth needs to be maintained appropriately in line with directions set at the beginning of the year, focusing capital on the priority fields, thus providing better support for economic growth. Furthermore, the government’s decision to maintain retail power prices and stabilise petroleum prices to curb price increases from affecting inflation, is also one of the effective and practical measures which are welcomed and supported by both the business community and consumers. However, ministries, sectors and localities should keep proactively monitoring the domestic supply and demand situation and the proceeding of domestic market prices of essential commodities so as to form proper regulation solutions. Monetary measures must be worked out to facilitate businesses access to preferential capital sources aiming to reduce costs and lower product prices, thus giving a boost to production and ensuring sufficient sources of goods for the domestic consumption market. At a recent meeting, leaders of the government insisted ministries and sectors take precaution and careful consideration while avoiding the adjustment of education, health and petroleum prices in the last months of the year, in order to minimise the synergic impacts on the general price level. Concerning the issuance of a management mechanism over the fees converted into the price mechanism from January 1, 2017, ministries, sectors and localities need to promptly direct capable units to build and evaluate price measures and promulgate prices to be applicable right after the law on charges and fees takes effect. With regards to the price of medicine, the government has asked the Ministries of Finance and Health and the Vietnam Social Security to actively implement bidding in order to lower costs. The ultimate goal is to keep price increases at about 5% as envisaged by the government. Over 7,900 businesses use national single window system As many as 180,000 sets of administrative documents have been processed through the National Single Window (NSW) system with the regular participation of 7,900 enterprises. According to the General Department of Customs, 10 ministries and sectors have connected to the NSW system, including the Ministries of Industry and Trade; Science and Technology; Transport; Agriculture and Rural Development; Finance; National Resources and Environment; Information and Communications; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Health; and National Defence. In addition to customs clearance, 36 administrative procedures of nine ministries and sectors have been conducted through the NSW. The Ministry of Transport topped the list with 11 procedures, which already handled over 85,000 sets of documents submitted by more than 4,500 businesses. The NSW system, which was launched in September 2015, is designed to help enterprises save time and costs while completing administrative procedures and improving the effectiveness of management agencies.- Trade ministry to hold public consultation The Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will hold a public consultation with related parties on investigations for anti-dumping tariffs on coated steel sheets. The consultation, related to coated steel sheets imported from China (including Hong Kong) and the Republic of Korea, will be organised on December 22 to help related parties express their opinion on the anti-dumping tariffs. Each party can have three people participating in the consultation. The event is not compulsory and related parties which do not join in the consultation will still be ensured their rights and benefits under the law. Applications to participate in the consultation should be sent to the VCA’s Trade Remedies Investigation Division before 5pm on November 22. Related parties can send their contents before 5pm on December 1. The ministry promulgated the decision on applying the temporary anti-dumping tariff on imported coated steel sheets from China (including Hong Kong) and the Republic of Korea into Vietnam. The tariff is in effect for 120 days - from September 16, 2016 to January 13, 2017. VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VET/VIR |
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Ministry addresses concern about substandard doctorates The Ministry of Education and Training said it will shut down substandard doctoral training categories in order to improve the quality of PhDs in Vietnam. The quality of doctorate training in Vietnam has been questioned for a long time. Early this year, the public raised concern when Hanoi-based Graduate Academy of Social Sciences admitted 350 new PhD students in 2015 and 2016 and 165 students successfully defended their doctoral theses last year. The average training expenditure for a student in Vietnam is VND15m (USD681) a year while the average cost abroad is some USD15,000. Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga said about 160 facilities had doctoral training courses for 970 different categories. In 2011, they conducted inspections and warned that 101 categories would be shut down if they can't meet requirements.  Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga (right) "We are conducting another inspection and will shut down substandard doctoral training programmes," he said. At the conference to improve doctoral training programmes on November 11 held by the Ministry of Education and Training, Ga admitted that many facilities were churning out PhD degree holders without caring about the quality. He said students wanting PhD degrees mostly to earn promotion, should be first to blame. Secondly, most instructors don't have any scientific research and the facilities also don't meet required standards to open the programme. In addition, current regulations are also out of date and cause difficulties for education facilities to raise funds to improve their programmes. Nguyen Dinh Duc from Vietnam National University in Hanoi emphasised that Vietnam had had great achievements ever since it started inland doctoral training programme in 1976. However, recently, many theses proved to be low quality. Duc said Vietnam must tighten the enrolment as well as the quality of instructors. Tran Van Nhung, general secretary of the National Committee on Professorship Titles, said only when the quality of PhD holders were improved would they have high quality professors. Nhung urged the government to issue a clear definition of a Doctor of Philosophy to define the criteria.  Tran Van Nhung, general secretary of the National Committee on Professorship Titles (right) He went on to say they don't need too many doctors of philosophy but all of them must have completed their own work and research papers. Other experts agreed that they should give priority to students who learn for knowledge, are more fluent in foreign languages or already have some research. Moreover, the quality of the theses must be up to international standards. Nguyen Dinh Duc, head of the training board of Vietnam National University in Hanoi said, "If excellent doctors of philosophy and professors are given priorities and satisfactory treatments, it will create healthy competition and improve the quality of the doctors." By Hong Hanh, dtinews.vn |
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CJ launches $18.3 million feed factory in Ba Ria-Vung TauGlobal conglomerate CJ Group marks expanding its operations in the animal feed sector in Vietnam by launching a new CJ Feed Ingredient Vietnam factory in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau today.
Covering an area of 45,466 square metres, the $18.3-million facility will specialise in manufacturing feed ingredients, like fermented soybean, for both the local market and export at an estimated capacity of 22,000 tonnes per year. “The new factory is equipped with high-tech production technology wholly imported from Korea which helps ensure product quality. Thus, it will support farmers in feeding their livestock and raising profit,” said Chang Bok Sang, CEO of CJ Vietnam. “The new factory will help us better serve our clients and demonstrate the group’s desire to contribute to growing the country’s agriculture as well as meet our projected business growth in the years ahead,” Chang added. Established in 1953, CJ is a global conglomerate with four business segments, including food and food services, bio and pharma, entertainment and media, and homeshopping and logistics. CJ has operated in Vietnam since 1998. In 1999 it established CJ Vina Agri Co., Ltd. in the southern province of Long An, specialising in the production and trading of animal feed. As of now, the group has opened three additional animal feed processing plants in Dong Nai, Vinh Long, and Hung Yen provinces and two subsidiary companies CJ IMC and CJ Korean Express, which supply logistics services. Earlier in August, CJ arrived to the central province of Binh Dinh to find investment opportunities in numerous sectors. Notably, the group wanted to develop an animal feed processing plant at Nhon Hoa industrial zone in An Nhon town, as well as a pig breeding farm, and a seafood processing plant. Besides, it also studied the possibility of building cinemas to meet the entertainment demand of locals and tourists in Quy Nhon city. In addition, CJ is famous for various popular brands, like Tous les Jours, CGV or SCJ TV Homeshopping. By Ha Vy, VIR |
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Đồng Văn IV Industrial Park starts construction
HÀ NAM - The Viglacera Corporation JSC today begins construction at the Đồng Văn IV Industrial Park (IP) in northern Hà Nam Province. The IP, which has been considered one of the key projects in the province for the 2016-17 period, seeks to attract several large investors in the electronics and hi-tech areas. At the groundbreaking ceremony, three South Korean investors were granted investment certificates for their official operation in 2017. Covering an area of 600 hectares, the IP includes two phases. The first phase of 300 hectares is to be carried out in the province’s Kim Bảng District. The IP has a favourable location on National Highway 38 to easily connect to National Highway 1 to Hà Nội and Hà Nội – Hải Phòng Expressway to Hải Phòng Port. Businesses will find it convenient to export goods by both air and road. In addition, the IP is expected to create jobs for 500,000 workers in the province, as well as four million people from neighbouring localities. Viglacera is to build housing for workers and specialists close to the IP to attract human resources. In recent years, Hà Nam has been one of the country’s leading localities in attracting FDI, with several preferential policies for businesses, such as 24 hour electricity, clean water supplies and waste water treatment systems, favourable customs procedures and simplified administrative procedures. Viglacera also has completed land clearance, infrastructure and handing over land to businesses for construction. Plants in the IP are expected to become operational next year. Viet Nam News |
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Will dermatoglyphics help children succeed in life? Urban parents are rushing to bring their children to a dermatoglyphics analysis service with the hope of understanding more about their children’s abilities.  “A person's fingerprints are formed when they are in their mother's womb. You need to know the secret of the fingerprint to help them develop their abilities. With VND3 million, you will be able to help your child succeed in his life,” a parent wrote on an education forum. The parent, an office worker, said she had heard about the service from a seminar. After some thoughts, she decided to test her daughter’s fingerprint. “If you understand your child better and know his strength and weakness, you will be able to help him develop his abilities and minimize the disadvantages. This is science, not superstition,” she said. Using dermatoglyphics analysis to plan children’s future is a growing tendency in the large cities of Hanoi and HCM City. The service fee would be lower if service providers offered discounts to a group of many clients. An officer from K Company said the service fee would be VND2.6 million for a group of 15 children.
Le Bich Huong in Xa La residential quarter in Ha Dong district said at first, she did not have confidence in the services, but later changed her mind. “The dermatoglyphics analysis is reliable. It shows many characteristics of my son,” she said. In general, parents can receive results of the analysis after seven to 10 days. However, many questions and doubts have been raised about the service. What will happen if the dermatoglyphics analysis is inaccurate? A parent may think that his child has great abilities,and there is no need to spend much time to educate him and will succeed in life. Meanwhile, another parent may think that it will be of no use to educate his child, because the child will never succeed. What worries many parents is that there is no state agency which examines the quality of the service. The service provider hasn’t said much about which data and technologies they use to provide the service. Meanwhile, a parent in Cau Giay district said she will never use the service, because she fears the information may be used by criminals for illegal purposes. Thanh Mai, VNN |
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Social News 12/11 Highway projects’ costs down  Initial assessments indicate that the actual costs of most build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects on National Highway No.1 and Hồ Chí Minh Highway (the section passing through the Central Highlands) were lower than planned, meaning investors will collect their payback from road users faster than anticipated. Speaking to Báo Giao Thông (Transportation Newspaper), Dương Hồ Minh, Deputy Director of the Hồ Chí Minh Highway’s Project Management Board, said the board has reviewed and submitted the settlement reports of three BOT projects and all were lower compared to the originally approved total investment. For example, the original total investment for KM1793+600 – KM 1824+00 (Đắk Nông Province) was VNĐ1,023 billion (nearly $46 million). However, after settlement, the cost was VNĐ 634 billion, in other words reduced by a third, as reported by its investors. Post-settlement balance sheets for two BOT projects on National Highway No.1 have also been submitted by the highway management board to the Ministry of Transportation (MoT) for consideration. The actual cost for the expansion project on KM1642-1692 (Bình Thuận Province) was VNĐ142 billion lower than the original projection VNĐ2,608 billion and the cost for road surface renovation for the Phan Thiết–Đồng Nai section came down by VNĐ414 billion, from the initial estimate VNĐ2,085 billion. Nguyễn Viết Huy, Deputy Head of the PPP Department under MoT, said initial total investment is just an estimated cost of the project. Based on this figure, project owners make plan how to use the investment throughout the project implementation period. “Total investment figures always includes contingency expenses to cover depreciation or potential workload increases in actual construction. This contingency cost can only be determined after the project is finished,” Huy said. By law, the payback period stated in contracts with BOT investors is determined by the settled costs. The actual payback period will be reviewed and adjusted every three years during the concession period. According to Đỗ Văn Quốc, head of the MoT’s Finance Department, by the end of October, BOT investors submitted settled balance sheets for 30 projects, while settlement for 23 projects is still under way. Experts: Improving rice quality becomes urgent task Improving the quality of rice products has become the most urgent task given consecutive reductions in rice exports in recent years, experts said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on November 11. Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) Huynh The Nang told participants that, in the first ten months of 2016, the country shipped abroad a total of 4.2 million tonnes of rice worth 1.9 billion USD, dropping by 21.2 percent in volume and 16.9 percent in value compared to the figures of the same period last year. Between January and September, Vietnam’s rice shipments saw drops in a number of major markets. The Philippines topped the list with a 66.4 percent fall, followed by Malaysia and China, recording decreases of 54.8 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively. Nang said high-quality products and food safety are demanded in both domestic and international markets, while the Mekong Delta region, the largest rice granary of the country, has been severely affected by saltwater intrusion. The VFA chairman pointed to the fact that many exported rice batches have been returned for excessive pesticide residues. Therefore, he suggested that the focus should be placed on rice quality and the annual rice output for export should be reduced from the current 7-8 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes of high-quality rice. Experts noted a national rice trademark is impossible without rice quality meeting international standards, adding that the application of advanced technologies in the sector is a must. Le Van Banh, Director of the Department for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Product Processing and Salt Production, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is prioritizing the building of large-scale paddy fields to serve export. It has also taken solutions to improve the quality of rice varieties and develop post-harvest processing and preserving technologies. Hanoi, neighbouring localities join hands to ensure waterway security The Public Security Department of Hanoi on November 11 signed a coordination agreement with public security forces from eight neighbouring localities on ensuring domestic waterway security and order. Along with Hanoi, signatories are Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, Hung Yen, Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc. A report from the department showed that there are 15 rivers of different sizes with total length of 493.3km, running through the city. Sand exploitation activities are recorded in seven rivers. Due to high profit from natural resources in the rivers, illegal exploitation activities in Hanoi’s rivers have remained complicated, especially in bordering areas between the city and contiguous provinces. At the same time, the management and monitoring of exploitation activities by licenced organisations have been poor, leading to the abuse of licences to conduct excessive exploitation beyond allowed areas to cause negative impacts to the environment and landslide along river banks, as well as affect the dyke system. Under the agreement, the localities will work closely together in handling violations of environment and natural resources protection and domestic waterway traffic or activities harming dyke system. Ca tru festival for Hanoi young singers opens A total 97 artists aged between six and 29 from Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) clubs in Hanoi are joining together in the Hanoi Ca Tru Festival 2016 for young singers, which kicked off in the capital on November 11. The three-day event aims to seek young talents and promote the traditional art. It is also part of efforts to preserve the art, bringing Ca tru off the list of intangible heritage requiring urgent protection and making it part of the intangible cultural heritage of humankind soon. Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Truong Minh Tien said the agency will support the development of the art form through facilitating clubs’ performances in pedestrian streets surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. The department plans to outline specific measures to preserve and develop Ca tru, he stated. Ca tru is an ancient genre of chamber music featuring female vocalists, with origins in northern localities of Vietnam, including Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Vinh Phuc in the 15th century. It was inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2009. Ca Tru is a complex form of lyrical poetry using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms. A Ca tru group comprises three performers: a female singer who use breathing tecniques and vibrations to sing, while striking a wooden box, and two instrumentalists who play a three-stringed lute and a praise drum. Some Ca tru performances also include dance. The varied forms of Ca tru fulfill different social purposes, including worship, entertainment, singing in royal palaces and competitive singing. The art fell into disuse in 1945 and was equated to other unhealthy art practices, leading to inadequate preservation efforts, leaving Ca tru at risk of disappearing. Over recent years, Hanoi has conducted a number of activities to conserve the art, including expanded Ca tru festivals, conferences and seminars. Last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism started presenting the title of meritorious artists for artists of intangible heritage, including ca tru singing. Among 39 Ca tru singers honoured with the title, 17 are from Hanoi. The city has three venues for ca tru performance every weekend at Bich Cau, Quan De and Kim Ngan Temples, along with 14 Ca tru clubs and groups, which have preserved 30 traditional forms of melody and dances, and composed 18 new melodies. Hanoi also has 50 Ca tru singers capable of teaching the art, 220 practitioners and hundreds of learners. Workers’ housing flawed, overcrowded Designs flaws in low-cost housing for workers at Hà Nội’s Bắc Thăng Long Industrial Zone are blamed for a high rate of unused apartments and dire need of employee housing. Trần Anh Dũng of the Low-cost Housing Development and Management Company, which manages housing in Bắc Thăng Long Industrial Zone, said hundreds of applications for housing rentals have been received, but more than 20 per cent of two five-story apartment buildings were still unused since being made available for rent two years ago. Companies operating in the industrial zone are also seeking fewer apartments for their single workers, who do not want to live in such unfit conditions . For example, Canon wants to rent six apartment blocks instead of 11 as it did previously, Nissei wants one block instead of five, Panasonic wants one block instead of three. Dũng said that workers were not interested in such housing. For example, each apartment is deigned to house from 18 to 24 single workers, with only one bathroom. Workers pay VNĐ120,000 (US$ 5.3) monthly, meaning that each apartment costs VNĐ 2.2 million ($98.5) to VNĐ2.9 million ($130). That is far higher than what workers pay for a 48-sq.m family apartment - VNĐ1.2 million monthly - and VNĐ 1.33 million for a 54 sq.m family apartment. Trần Thị Mai Hoa, a worker for Denso Việt Nam Ltd Company, said she was happy to rent a 54-sq.m apartment in Kim Chung Low-cost Housing Block, paying about VNĐ1.4 million monthly for the apartment with a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. “It’s enough for us – a couple with two children and an elderly relative,” she said. “My husband and I used to pay VNĐ 800,000 ($ 36) per month for a room with area of less than 12 sq.m,” she said, adding that the room was too narrow that they have to send their kid to their parents. When compared with family apartments, those for single persons are much less attractive. Dũng from the housing management department said his company was considering proposing to the Hà Nội People’s Committee to redesign the apartments, divide them into smaller ones for families or single workers. However, extra costs including power lines, water pipes were too high, Dũng said. Ngọ Duy Hiểu, National Assembly deputy of Hà Nội, said demand for low-cost housing among workers was huge, not only in Hà Nội but across the country. According to the Ministry of Construction, Việt Nam currently has 2.2 million people working in industrial parks but only 20 percent of them have their own homes. In Hà Nội, there are about 140,000 workers, 70 per cent of whom are migrants needing to rent houses. Workers have to rent expensive poor-quality accommodations because they cannot access low-cost housing projects which, to some extent, are subsidised by the Government through preferential policies, he said. “Low-cost housing should not be just a place to sleep. Workers work hard, even take night shifts. Poor quality accommodations surely have a negative effect on their health and productivity,” he said. Hiểu said developers usually complain about low profits of low-cost housing projects, and urged joint efforts by the Government and private sector to ensure better housing for workers. Ngô Chí Hùng, vice head of Hà Nội Industrial and Processing Zones Management Board, said that low-cost housing projects in Thăng Long Industrial Zone could offer housing for about 23,000 workers, but just 6,000 workers moved there because workers could not afford rental rates. For HN gardeners, lilies are beautiful business More than 100 ha of farming land in Hạ Mỗ Commune, Hà Nội’s Đan Phượng District have been repurposed to grow lilies during winter instead of conventional crops like corn or beans. For the last few years, the shift has helped flower farmers gain profits of up to VNĐ2 billion (US$90,000) per hectare, in part because each crop lasts from 70 and 90 days. Farmers, especially those from the Tây Tựu flower village in Bắc Từ Liêm District, flocked to Hạ Mỗ Commune to rent land and grow lilies. The Tây Tựu village is now considered the biggest flower granary in Hà Nội, providing a variety of flowers such as daisies, roses, purple heart-bells, and colourful carnations. However, urbanisation has resulted in narrowed farming land, making local flower growers seek other areas for growing flowers. Nguyễn Văn Cúc, a gardener from Tây Tựu village said that he rented more than 3 mẫu (Vietnamese acre, equivalent to 3,600 sq.m) in Hạ Mỗ Commune in neighbouring Đan Phượng District to grow lilies. He said that he paid land rental of VNĐ2 million ($90) for each sào (equivalent to 360 sq.m) yearly. He poured about VNĐ100 million for every sào of lilies including labour cost and fertiliser. “The investment is quite high but each sào of lilies could generate profit of about VNĐ200 million ($9,000) as long as the weather and market are stable,” he said. Cúc said that on average, each household there usually grew three or four mẫu of lilies and some had flower farms with areas of 15-20 ha. He said that local farmers did not worry much about farming technique but rather focus on output for their flowers. Deputy head of Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, Đặng Văn Đông, said that since 2012, the institute had aimed to promote lily farming in Hạ Mỗ Commune. The institute’s staff helped transfer technique and instructed local farmers to grow lilies with breeding imported from the Netherlands, he said. The cool weather in the north of Việt Nam in winter was a big advantage for lily growing, he said, adding that the quality of lilies grown in Tây Tựu and Hạ Mỗ now was competitive with those grown in other specialised flower-growing zones like Mộc Châu in the mountainous northern Sơn La Province or Đà Lạt in Central Highland. “Some types of lilies grown in Hà Nội’s suburban district are more beautiful than those imported from Europe or China,” he said. However, the lilies were sold mostly in domestic market, and preferred during Tết (lunar new year) and festivals. With current growing area, farmers could get profits but if the area was expanded, price of lily would be likely dropped, posing market risks for farmers, Đông said. “In the long-term, we must engage competent enterprises that will produce and export flowers,” he said. Rescuers to test skills in Đà Nẵng Rescuers from central provinces will compete in the Life Rescue in the sea competition in Đà Nẵng’s East Sea Park from 7am to 5pm on Sunday. The Sơn Trà peninsula’s tourism management board said the competition will draw teams from Đà Nẵng, Sầm Sơn beach in Thanh Hóa, An Bàng and Cửa Đại beach in Hội An and teams from Cam Ranh, Vinpearl Land in Nha Trang as well as resorts and hotels in the central region. The competition offers various events including beach marathon, relay marathon-swimming, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and surfing. Last year, rescuers from Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and Việt Nam took part in the International Sea Rescue Contest on the beach. Trees cut, path built illegally near waterfall Trees near Cột Đá waterfall, a tourism spot in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông, have been cut down illegally, ruining the scenic beauty, local residents and a company previously licenced to build a resort nearby have alleged. Nguyễn Văn Trân, director of Trade and Tourism Southern Highlands Ltd. Company, whose licence to build a waterfall tourist resort was revoked in January, said he had reported the matter to Đắk Nia People’s Committee and that the authorities promised to inspect the site. Five months ago, Trân said, he saw trees being cut down both near the top and bottom of the waterfall. When he approached the loggers, questioning them about permissions to cut trees, they rebuffed him. “What right do you have to ask questions? Now this area is state-owned. We can do as we please,” Trân quoted them as saying. The offenders had also built an embankment around the bottom of the waterfall to turn it into a water reservoir for agriculture, he said. “Previously, this area was untouched, with a charming waterfall, bamboo trees and imposing basalt stone columns. Its beauty attracted many tourists. But now it looks like a hydroelectric reservoir. There are no bamboos left at all. There are just stones lying everywhere, like a huge construction site.” Residents of Đắk Tân village said such violations had been going on for years and started with the logging of trees in the forest near the top of the waterfall. The current situation was the result of repeated violations without intervention by local authorities. Speaking to Vietnam News Agency reporters, authority of Đắk Nia Commune expressed surprise that Cột Đá waterfall has been embanked, and promised to look into the matter immediately. The authority said the embankment was actually a road built to walk across the waterfall and that a company named Tam Nông Gia Nghĩa was responsible for its construction. The fact was that a decision to build the road was agreed at a meeting between the head of Đắk Tân village, the company’s director and some households. As per agreement, the company would finance the construction as the local authority had not granted a budget. Đồng Quang Huy, head of Đắk Nia Commune’s People’s Committee, said that after the meeting, head of Đắk Tân village should have informed local authorities about the decision, and that construction could start only once the plan was approved by the committee. Land administration officials in Đắk Nia Commune said the path could be considered as an encroachment on 3,500sq. m of state-managed land within the Đắk Kút quarry - also teeming with stone mining violations. The Cột Đá waterfall violations is not an isolated incident, but just one among the many encroachments on natural spots in Đắk Nông Province, according to the Việt Nam News Agency report. Vietnam-Japan cultural, trade exchange opens in Can Tho A Vietnam-Japan Culture and Trade Exchange (November 11-13) has opened at the Luu Huu Phuoc Park in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho showcasing the two countries’ culture and trade items in roughly 70 exhibition booths. Vietnamese exhibitors are primarily showcasing farm and industrial products, tourism services, food, pharmaceutical products, education and employment consultation services, consumer goods and souvenirs. While the Japanese booths feature agricultural products, seeds, lubricants, automobiles, education, pharmacy, employment opportunities, consumer goods, souvenirs, gifts, hotels and tourism products. Two important economic events have been planned for the event. A Mekong Delta investment conference transpired on November 11 with the participation of around 80 foreign and 300 Vietnamese organizations. The foreign organizations represented at the event include those from Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, Australia, the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, the UK and the Netherlands. A trade exchange forum takes place on November 12 involving 40 Japanese organizations involved in the agriculture, information technology, hotel, restaurant, production, trade, services, education and health segments. Visitors to the exchange will also have ample opportunities to gain better insights into the cultural identities of the two countries. An estimated 26 Japanese artists will join 103 Vietnamese artists in 33 planned performances. The program is expected to solidify the foundation for trade and investment between the business communities of Japan and the Mekong Delta region, according to Truong Quang Hoai Nam, vice chair of the Municipal People’s Committee. Trucks banned from traveling in Tan Son Nhat area The HCMC Department of Transport said starting November 12 at 6am, all trucks will be banned from traveling at Hong Ha street and the nearby intersections around the airport including Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi- VDN (from Truong Son street to Nguyen Kiem) in an effort to reduce traffic congestion on Truong Son street. Accordingly, strucks will be able to follow the new route as follows, Truong Son-Huynh Lan Khanh-Pho Quang-Dao Duy Anh-Ho Van Hue-Nguyen Kiem (1st route) and the second route will be from Phan Dinh Giot-Pho Quang- Dao Duy Anh- Ho Van Hue –Nguyen Kiem. German DJ Till von Sein to perform tonight Heart Beat Saigon, a HCMC-based group of DJs from different countries, and Goethe Institut in HCMC will host a performance of German DJ Till von Sein at 9 p.m. today at The Observatory in HCMC’s District 4. Till von Sein will join DJs Ouch! and Heart Beat Saigon’s German founder Chris Wolter and Swedish visual artist Erol. Von Sein will bring a combination of Deep House and Techno with a little Dub and Acid to his performance. This is the 21st gig of Heart Beat Saigon that offers a free entrance to attendees until 11 p.m. Those who come afterwards have to pay VND150,000 per person. The Observatory is located at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in HCMC’s District 4. Local architects urged to save energy in designs Experts attending a conference in HCMC on Wednesday shared an idea that Vietnamese architects lack knowledge on energy saving and need to learn more about advanced techniques that architects in other countries are using in their designs. Without the Building Energy Modeling (BEM), a tool in which architects use computer software to simulate a building and simulate its energy use, one cannot say how environmentally friendly a building is no matter how much green space it has, said Tran Thanh Vu, a lecturer with the Vietnam Clean Energy Program sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Not many architects in Vietnam understand or even know about the BEM or the Building Information Modeling (BIM), a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a structure. “An architect should be a combination of an artist, an engineer and an economist but in most cases, Vietnamese architects consider themselves as artists only,” he said. Without putting themselves in the shoes of engineers and economists, architects cannot design buildings that bring about high economic efficiency. If young architects in Vietnam do not equip themselves with BEM and BIM tools, they will fall behind their regional rivals, in the context that the ASEAN Economic Community has been established since last year, allowing laborers of eight sectors, including architects, to freely move and work among countries in Southeast Asia. American architect Joseph Deringer said 70% of multi-story buildings in the U.S. apply energy-saving solutions and that architects have to be involved in the entire building process. Meanwhile in Vietnam, not many architects have enough knowledge about ventilation and do not have little or no voice in the installation of air-conditioners in the buildings they design. Vietnam has a set of criteria for saving energy in building projects but not many investors have fulfilled those criteria, Vu said, explaining that State agencies that grant construction permits for building projects do not usually check the energy-saving standards at those projects. For projects built by private investors, saving energy is one of their top concerns to help cut costs. However, to make their buildings friendly to the environment, investors have to spend big on building materials in the first place, which is a problem as most investors do not want to use their buildings for a long time but sell them to others after several years. HCM City health sector wants to digitize five key areas Deputy Director Tang Chi Thuong of the HCMC Department of Health during a two-day seminar on smart healthcare that wrapped up this Wednesday expressed hopes of developing five key areas of the municipal health sector. First, electronic medical records will be made common, now that such a practice is being piloted at Thu Duc District Hospital. Next, digitization of medical records will be carried out. Currently, many hospitals have to hire external space to keep such records with some of them more than 10 years old rotting, whereas medical records have been long diitized in other countries. Besides, the HCMC Department of Health will set up an intelligent emergency network since the emergency operation center of the city is now too out-of-date. The introduction of modern technologies into the preventive medicine sector will also receive attention for close control of diseases, helping the industry leaders quickly learn where epidemics are breaking out and how many cases have been infected to work out effective prevention solutions. Also, an electronic portal will be developed for the health sector of the city to promptly provide citizens with information on health issues through this channel. To perform the five tasks above, the municipal health industry will adopt synchronous solutions in terms of policy, finance, human resources and technology, said Thuong. These solutions will be closely incorporated with the programs and plans of HCMC and the Ministry of Health for development of information technology (IT) applications, with an aim towards a smart city and better services for citizens. The HCMC health department encourages enterprises to invest in IT solutions and applications to meet the demand of the industry and provide for those in need in the form of product-service for lease. The deployment of IT applications will be closely associated with administrative reforms. Regarding human resources, Thuong said his department would ask the municipal government for preferential policies to attract qualified IT personnel into medical facilities. The agency will assist those in need in the implementation of IT applications and equip public servants with IT skills. Besides, senior staff and civil servants in charge of IT will be offered professional training. Project targets child malnutrition among northern ethnic groups A new project is being carried out to combat child malnutrition among ethnic groups living in the north of the country. The Northern Mountain Integrated Child Nutrition Improvement project has been signed into effect by Save the Children Fund in Việt Nam (SCIV) and World Bank (WB), targeting Yên Bái and Sơn La provinces for the period 2017-2021. The project has a budget of US$ 2.82 million funded by the Japan Social Development Fund. To ensure sustainable and long-lasting results, Save the Children will work with both local community authorities as well as government agencies, specifically, the Maternal and Child Health Department under the Ministry of Health and the provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development. Dragana Strinic, Country Director of SCIV, praised the growth Việt Nam has achieved in the last 20 years, however, she noted that the country was still struggling with child malnutrition among ethnic groups. She stated that H’mông, Dao and Thái ethnic minorities witness “alarmingly high rate of stunted children”, with 40-50 per cent of all children suffering from stunting. “Addressing child malnutrition is extremely important at a personal level for each child, because it affects their health, brain development, life expectancy and productivity. It is also important from a socio-economic perspective in order to stop the inter-generational cycle of poverty and decrease income disparities in society,” Strinic said. The project will adopt an integrated approach combining various interventions, such as campaigns to change behaviour, promotion of breast-feeding, improving feeding practices for infants and the young, and offering more diverse diets through the development of home gardens. Some 142,000 people in 200 villages in the two provinces are estimated to benefit directly from the project, while the entire population of the two provinces (375,000 people) will be indirect beneficiaries. According to Ousmane Dione, WB Country Director for Việt Nam, the project promisted solid results as it targeted 20 per cent increase in the number of infants from 0-6 months old to be exclusively breastfed, an increase of 30 per cent of pregnant women receiving maternal care (at least three check-ups during pregnancy), and developing action plans for promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture. A generation of children with better cognitive development and greater physical productivity will ultimately drive Việt Nam’s economy, in terms of growth and international competitiveness, he added. Nguyễn Đức Vinh, Head of the Child Health Department, affirmed that the MoH would work closely with SCIV and other bodies to secure the success of the project, in order to “make sure no one is left behind". Hà Nội prepares for BRT pilot run The first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) pilot route in Hà Nội will begin operating next month, according to the People’s Committee. Vice Chairman Nguyễn Quốc Hùng has urged the Hà Nội Transport and Services Corporation (Transerco) to prepare personnel, facilities and infrastructure for the trial run after December 15 when BRT buses are handed over to the city. The Department of Transport is also required to complete the plan for traffic systems and collect reasonable opinions from experts, scientists and the community, in order to determine the best way to operate the bus system. Further, the local Department of Transport is working with Transerco to create favourable conditions for BRT operations, and ensure safe and convenient rides for passengers.The pilot route will depart from Kim Mã station in Ba Đình District to Yên Nghĩa station in Hà Đông District through Giảng Võ, Láng Hạ, Lê Văn Lương, Lê Trọng Tấn, Trần Phú and Ba La streets. About 21 bus stops were built on the 14.7km route, with the bus departing every three minutes and each carrying up to 90 passengers. The trip is expected to take 30 minutes to travel the entire route, as opposed to the current one hour or more. The cost of the project has been set at US$53.6 million (VNĐ1.1 trillion) and financed through the World Bank loans. The BRT system has specialised designs, services and infrastructure to improve the quality of the system and help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. More agencies to inspect toll stations Việt Nam Road Administration has asked the Ministry of Transport to allow more related agencies to take part in inspection and supervision of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) toll stations. The proposal is to ensure transparency and prevention of negative, anti-tax losses and to avoid fraud charges in the operation. The agencies that are expected to join in include Economic Security Department under the Public Security Ministry, General Department of Taxation of the Finance Ministry and taxation departments in localities. Earlier, the Ministry of Transport requested Việt Nam Road Administration to inspect and monitor the toll system of all BOT projects nationwide. The BOT stations were required to ensure a one-stop toll system, gradually moving to an automatic system. Investors in BOT projects were also asked to enhance recording all data related to vehicles traveling on the roads and to ensure data and videos were kept for at least one year. Farms flouting rules forced to close down The People’s Committee of this southern province has asked local authorities to inspect all farms in the province to ensure they were equipped with standard waste water treatment system. Those who were found to be discharging waste water into the environment would be forced to close down. Lê Tuấn Quốc, Vice Chairman of the committee, made the request at a working session with Xuyên Mộc District’s People’s Committee on Wednesday. Currently, Xuyên Mộc has the most number of farms in the province. Figures from the district’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment revealed there were 59 farms in the province, of which, 35 were pig farms and 24 were chicken farms. All the farms were licensed to operate by the provincial People’s Committee. However, some large-scale farms, such as those with more than 3,000 pigs, polluted the environment by discharging untreated waste water into the river, affecting water quality and locals’ health. At the working session, the inspection team said they conducted an unscheduled inspection on four pig farms in Hòa Hội and Xuyên Mộc communes and found two farms discharging waste into the environment. A farm of Đặng Thị Yến in Hòa Hội Commune, with capacity of 3,000 pigs, discharged some 30cu.m. of waste water and 1.2 tonnes of solid waste. The farm was only some 5km away from the Sông Hỏa Reservoir, which, according to plans, will supply water to residents in Xuyên Mộc District for the next several months. In another farm of Nhân Hòa Breeding Co. Ltd in Xuyên Mộc Commune, with capacity of 5,200 pigs, the biogas was out of order. All waste was being discharged into the Cát Spring connected to the Sông Hỏa Reservoir. The team has taken samples from the two farms for testing. Quốc asked the departments of natural resources and environment, agriculture and rural development, environmental police and local authorities to inspect the building/repair of the waste treatment system before allowing it to resume operation. He also directed relevant authorities to revise the planning of farms in the province and stop permitting farms to be located near residential areas. Saigon airport adopts new navigation method to address air traffic congestion The new system will help ease overcrowding and reduce pollution at Tan Son Nhat. Vietnam aviation authorities officially put into operation a new method of navigation designated as SID/STAR RNAV 1 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on November 10. This method enables aircraft to fly on any desired flight course within the coverage station-referenced navigation signal, a huge improvement over conventional methods which are dependent on ground navigation. RNAV 1 requires little radar navigation aid, therefore decreases navigated distance and eases the amount of communication and workload on air traffic controllers and pilots. Air traffic controllers can also maintain a safer and more accurate standard deviation thanks to restriction on one-point air traffic flows. Compared to conventional methods, RNAV 1 is 10 to 15 percent more efficient, and also reduces fuel consumption and pollution. The adoption of RNAV 1 comes at a time when Tan Son Nhat Airport is dealing with severe air traffic congestion with a daily average of 600 flight departures and arrivals. Previously, authorities had to restrict the number of flights during peak hours as a temporary solution. RNAV 1 will be adopted at airports in Hanoi and Danang in early and late 2017 respectively, before being implemented across the country by 2020. Tan Son Nhat is already overburdened by the flights and passengers. It received more than 26.5 million passengers last year, exceeding its capacity of 23 million, and the number is expected to increase to around 31 million this year. The rapid growth of the local aviation market in recent years has overwhelmed airports in major cities and led to regular flight delays and cancellations. Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam showed that more than 20,000 flights, or 15.8 percent, were delayed in the first six months this year. That was up slightly from 15 percent a year ago. HCM City needs 400 new street names Otherwise, taxi drivers will have a tough time finding their customers. Ho Chi Minh City authorities are considering a plan to officially rename about 400 streets that are either wrong or duplicate names. The plan, developed by the city’s Urban Research and Development Center (URDC), is part of a citywide project to rename city streets and public places. Nguyen Thi Thu, deputy chairwoman of HCM City, said that the project aims to reduce confusion in the city, and is part of a broader plan to establish a clear address system for the southern hub. According to URDC’s research, HCM City currently has 1,774 streets that are referred to by unofficial names, and about 400 that have duplicate or meaningless names. However, the city is running out of choices for street names, which are usually named after famous Vietnamese historical figures or places. The research team pointed out the names of 16 famous people have been used for over 50 different streets. Other cases involve duplicate names and “not so appealing” names such as Kenh Nuoc Den, which literally means “black canal”. The team suggested altering the names of those streets or adding signs to reduce confusion for residents and visitors and, at times, make navigation less troublesome for the city's emergency services. Deputy chairwoman Thu said that some street names will be altered or extra information will added to signs so that people can recognize them more easily. Thu has also asked the research agency and other related units to come up with a list of new street names. Korean Culture Centre launches fine art competition The Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam has announced the launch of a fine art competition for serious and aspirational artists. Works themed Republic of Korea culture and people will not be limited by any material or expressive form and will be accepted by the Centre through February 11, 2017 at email address trungtamvanhoahanquoc@gmail.com. All submitted images will be reviewed by a panel of four established leaders in the art world: Lee Dae Joong, director of the Korean Culture Centre; Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition; Le Van Suu, principal of Vietnam University of Fine Arts; and Choi Bong Sik, a Korean painter. The panel will select the three top finalists. First place will receive a trip to the ROK to display their works at personal exhibition in 2017. Second place will receive US$200 in cash and a trip to the ROK while third place will get US$200 in cash. The event is part of cultural activities to mark 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the ROK under the sponsorship of Hansae Group. It also aims to strengthen mutual understanding and cultural exchange among Korean and Vietnamese painters. Concert celebrates musician Pho Duc Phuong’s 50-year career A concert marking the 50-year career of composer Pho Duc Phuong will be held at the National Convention Center in Hanoi on December 29. The music show titled Tren Dinh Phu Van (On the Peak of Phu Van Mountain), named after the musician’s favorite song will feature around 100 artists, including dancers, instrumentalists, singers Thanh Thanh Hien, Thanh Lam, Tan Minh, Tung Duong, Bang Kieu, Thu Phuong, the 5 Dong Ke band and others. The event is also participated by one of the leading saxophonists in the country, Tran Manh Tuan. Pho Duc Phuong is one of the leading veteran musicians in the country. His works is well-known for its contemporary style folk songs of the northern region. Cost of BOT projects drops: Transport Ministry The Ministry of Transport yesterday said that by October, cost of most build- operate-transfer (BOT) projects decreased by VND100-500 billion compared to the initial calculation. Investors of projects have submitted the balance sheets of 30 BOT projects in which cost of these projects reduced much more than the initiate estimation. For instance, the BOT Ho Chi Minh Highway through the highlands province of Dak Nong, it costs around VND634 billion, a drop of VND388 billion compared to the first calculation which was approved. Similarly, balance sheets of BOT projects of the National Highway N. 1 in the section through the central province of Binh Thuan and the section of Phan Thiet-Dong Nai diminished hundreds of billions Vietnam dong. The Ministry explained the costs fall compared to the estimated investment because the investors did not use reserved expenditure. Accordingly, the Ministry is reviewing the BOT projects nationwide based on independent auditing. After that, the Ministry will re-calculate the contract and the time for collecting toll. It is expected many projects will have shorter time of collecting toll. Formosa must complete waste treatment system before production The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will consider permitting Taiwanese steel plan Formosa who polluted sea environment in the central region in April to run production only after the company completes waste treatment and control items. The company has been required to pay special heed to building the system of bio-reservoirs to control biochemical and industrial wastewater after treatment. The information was quoted from the ministry's document about Formosa to repair consequences from the environmental pollution it caused in four north central provinces. According to the document, an inter-agency supervision council has recorded the company’s efforts to implement its commitments to remedy the consequences. Specifically, the company has transferred US$500 million compensation to the Vietnamese Government and continued carrying out short and long term measures as per requirements by the ministry and administrative penalty decisions. The company has mapped out a plan to construct and upgrade some other waste treatment items to protect the environment in compliance with international standards. Wastewater and fume treatment items at the first blast-furnace of the steel plant have basically been built meeting standards by the end of October. In addition, Formosa has collected about 97 tons of waste mud it discharged a month to store at warehouses before handing over the mud to Ha Tinh Industrial Waste Processing Company for treatment. The ministry has tasked the Vietnam Environment Administration to work with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Management Board of Ha Tinh Economic Zone to conduct periodical and unscheduled inspections and continuously keep an eye on Formosa operations. Formosa is located in Vung Ang Economic Zone, Ha Tinh, one out of four provinces comprising Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue that have been badly affected by Formosa environment disaster. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE |
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Hanoi turns page toward a new book street Capital authorities have approved a plan to set up a fixed book street on December 19 Street, which links Hai Ba Trung and Ly Thuong Kiet Street in downtown Hanoi.  People select books at a book fair held last year in dowtown Hanoi. A new book street will open all year round soon in December 19 Street. The city’s leaders have asked concerned agencies spread information about the venue, control the origins and contents of the books available at the street as well as invite publishers and book stores to set up stalls the street. The book street will gather up to 20 stalls and remain open between 8am and 10pm. The area will offer book cafes, reading spaces, book talks and exchanges between authors and audiences. It will also contain public toilets. The street is planned to open on December 19 this year. Depending on the actual operation of the fixed book street, another mobile book street will be organized at the weekend pedestrian zone near Ly Thai To Park next to Hoan Kiem Lake. "If the new book street hosts exchanges with authors, it will be more interesting," said student Pham Hoang Tuan Minh, "Students like me always search for new books in Dinh Le Street, which only sell books. We just simply buy books and go. There is nothing more to entertain." According to examination by Hanoi’s Transport Department, there is not a busy traffic on December 19 Street. The street at the moment is mainly used for parking service, and it is among most convenient places to open a fixed book street. Nguyen Nam Phong, an official from Kim Dong Publishing House, supports the move. "HCM City has opened the book street since earlier this year and the books have been sold well there," he said, " After six months, as many as 200,000 copies of books by our publishing house were sold there. The sale at book fairs is also very good. A fixed book street will host more activities to encourage reading." Nguyen Minh Khánh, deputy director of Hanoi’s Information and Communications Department, said the department has planned a clear map for the street. "December 19 Street is the most suitable street, as it both offer enough space and does not affect surrounding residents’ life. Book stalls will be built based on existing scenery," he said, "More big trees will be grown on the border line running in the middle of the street. More benches will be placed to offer sitting places in open green space for people." VNS |
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