News
Thailand-Cambodia rail link complete by December
Construction of a restored rail link with Cambodia to improve transport in the Mekong sub-region will be completed by the end of 2016, Khmer officials say. The Phnom Penh Post reported on 4 January that Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon visited the construction site in Banteay Meanchey province, ...
ASEAN: Ten become one
With the arrival of the new year, Southeast Asia has finally embarked on an important new journey that has been years in preparation. The hope is that the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will bring a new era of growth, though many say there won’t be conspicuous changes ...
5 Vietnamese arrested for stealing in Thailand: report
Thai police have arrested four men and one woman, all Vietnamese nationals, for allegedly stealing 4,000 baht (US$110.6) in cash from local tourist shops, news website The Nation reported on 3 January. Keep reading ...
Chinese vessel sank fishing boat in Vietnamese waters: authorities
Border guards in Quang Tri Province have confirmed that a Chinese steel fishing vessel rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat off Quang Tri, VTC News reported. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huy Tho of the Quang Tri Border Guard Command said the sinking occurred around 40 ...
Vietnam weakens dong fixing as it adopts market-based rate
The State Bank of Vietnam reduced the dong’s reference rate for the first time since August, after saying over the weekend that it is moving to a more market-based methodology in setting a daily reference rate versus the dollar. It lowered the fixing by 0.03 percent ...
What is the value of the Mekong river?
Putting a value on the Mekong River and measuring the impact it has on the gross domestic product (GDP) of downstream countries has for a long time been a strategic target of bureaucrats and non-governmental organizations seeking to measure and protect the world’s twelfth longest ...
Laos-Japan economic zone to benefit local community
The new specific economic zone (SEZ) being developed through cooperation between Laos and Japan should bring economic and other benefits to the government, local administrations and people by being a model on transparency of investment. Relevant officials made the comments about the project recently on the ...
SE Asia stocks: most markets set for losses in 2015, Vietnam outperforms
Southeast Asian stock markets ended down in thin trade on 31 December as investors stayed away ahead of holidays, with all markets posting losses in 2015 except for Vietnam. Singapore’s key Straits Times Index dipped 0.1 percent in mixed trade, with losses in most big caps offsetting gains in several blue ...
Red tape holds back Saigon canal boat tour: report
The operator of the only canal tour in Ho Chi Minh City has said that it is still building toilets and other tourist facilities and, in the meantime, cannot receive more than a hundred visitors a day. Phan Xuan Anh, chairman of tour operator Saigon Boat, ...
Softer loans won't quicken Vietnam coffee replanting
Cheaper credit extended to Vietnamese coffee growers for replanting part of the world’s biggest robusta production will not accelerate the process that has already been hindered by lengthy paperwork, traders and analysts said on 31 December. Vietnam aims to replace old coffee trees, now accounting for ...
