News
Businesses prefer Vietnam-EU FTA over TPP
When comparing Vietnam’s commitments within the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement and the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, businesses see bigger benefits in EVFTA, especially in government procurement. Tran Quoc Khanh, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said it was not the initial intention of Vietnam to apply ...
Snakehead fish farmers required to register: gov’t
Snakehead fish farmers are required to register with the Fisheries Administration as part of new regulations aimed at better governing and monitoring an industry that became legal in April after an 11-year ban. According to Hav Viseth, deputy director-general of the Fisheries Administration, farmers that operate ...
Asean professional women's forum tackles tourism issues
A networking forum for women professionals active in South-East Asia’s tourism and travel sector was held in Vientiane on 13 June. More than a hundred female tourism professionals from across the region attended the forum which continues today to identify ways to develop aspects of their ...
VN Central Bank’s $12 billion worth of US govt bonds not a surprise
Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, with forex reserves many times bigger than Vietnam’s, only invest 10 percent of reserves on US government bonds. Meanwhile, the proportion is 30 percent for Vietnam. Singapore invests $109 billion on similar items, while the Philippines has poured $41 billion into the ...
Industry Ministry crushes Binh Son export aspirations
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has refused Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co. (BSR)’s proposal to export Dung Quat oil refinery’s products, according to newswire Vneconomy. According to the MoIT, the government put a high priority on consuming Dung Quat’s products on the domestic market, ...
Productivity soars for Vietnam
Vietnamese workers have substantially improved their productivity levels in the last 15 years, according to ICAEW’s latest ‘Economic Insight: South East Asia’ event launched in Ha Noi on 10 June. According to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales report, ‘pure productivity’ grew 2.3 ...
Salt mine protests intensify
More than 500 villagers rallied on 12 June against a company’s underground salt mining project in Kham Thale So district amid concerns over the environmental impacts. The company is excavating to explore underground salt deposits in a location about 500 metres away from Bang Nong Hua ...
Universal health cover still a challenge
While economic growth and poverty reduction has been impressive, health outcomes improved and Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, 6 and 7 are on tract; Universal Health Coverage is still a major challenge. The symposium was held on 13 June in Vientiane and also attended by President of ...
PM challenges EU to follow through on threat to cut aid
Prime Minister Hun Sen on 13 June blithely brushed aside a recent threat from the European Parliament to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Cambodia over human rights abuses, challenging the body to follow through.“I am never afraid of China because Cambodia has ...
No decision yet to be made on Noi Bai Int’l Airport expansion
No plan for the Noi Bai International Airport expansion has yet been selected, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat said in a recent interview with Vietnam News Agency amidst public debate about the expansion, which is said to cost up to five billion USD. Proposals on ...
