News
Vietnam's visa waiver policy fails to give tourism a strong boost: report
It has been two months since Vietnam started waiving visa for tourists from Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain. But Ung Phuong Dung, director of Indochina Services Travel Group, told Saigon Times Online that around half of her clients from these five European countries still ...
Vietnam plans to drop fines for some tax defaulters
The Ministry of Finance plans to forgo fines imposed on businesses which were behind their tax due date if their partners, including state agencies, had failed to pay them on time in accordance with contract terms. Keep reading ...
Southern farmers bring dead fish to province office to protest pollution
Fish farmers in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on 7 August brought hundreds of kilograms of dead fish to the government office, accusing seafood processors of polluting a local river. The move came one day after they protested with dead fish in front of the ...
Vietnam eyes lower transport prices
The Ministry of Transport is investigating transport companies who have failed to lower prices amid a drop in petrol costs. Since many transport firms have been slow to reduce their fees even after recent hefty petrol price cuts, the ministry has asked local transport departments to ...
Policy, financial hurdles stymie Vietnam auto industry
Auto maker Vinaxuki recently announced plans to sell its plant in Hanoi’s Me Linh District to repay its debts amid prolonged losses. It has laid off most of its employees leaving mainly security guards in a factory that used to employ hundreds of workers and engineers. It ...
HCMC plans 3 reservoirs to reduce flooding
The Ho Chi Minh City government plans to invest VND950 billion (US$42.3 million) on building three reservoirs to store rainwater in the next five years in a bid to reduce flooding in the city. Keep reading ...
Asparagus becomes latest promising crop
Farmers in Ha Noi’s suburban Phuc Tho District are making more money after turning to a new crop, asparagus. Bui Thi Lang, head of the district’s Hiep Thuan Commune’s farmers’ association, said that they started to grow asparagus earlier this year after local authorities sought crops ...
Minister declares Vietnam map issue resolved
Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong has demanded an end to opposition politicking on the Vietnam border issue, following the second and “final” verification of maps used by the government to demarcate the eastern boundary against French charts. Namhong, also a deputy prime minister, on 3 September presided ...
China, Vietnam agree to 'properly handle' disputes
The leaders of China and Vietnam agreed on 3 September to “properly handle” their disputes, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, amid tension over a territorial spat in the South China Sea. China’s increasingly assertive moves to press sovereignty claims in regional waters have rattled its neighbors ...
Vietnam seeking to boost exports: officials
Vietnam is seeking measures to boost exports as it is forecast to continue seeing a slow growth, officials said on 3 September. Export prices and volumes of many agricultural and mineral products will continue their downward trends, affecting the increase of export value, Nguyen Tien Vy, ...