HCM City (VNA) – HCM City needs 65,000 workers in the first quarter of 2016, according to the city’s Human Resource Forecast and Labour Market Information Centre. Tran Anh Tuan, deputy director of the centre, said the jobs in high demand are in the fields including marketing, sales, tourism service, hospitality, construction, health care services and househelper services. In March, demand will be high for workers in textiles and garments, footwear, food processing, transportation, import-export services. The shortage of labourers after Tet (Lunar New Year) is expected to range from 3-4 percent. Staff turnover is forecast to be more than 10 percent of the total employed workforce after Tet.-VNA (http://en.vietnamplus.vn/hcm-city-seeks-65000-workers-in-2016/86922.vnp)
Big names to appear at 2016 Vietnam Motorcycle Show
HCM City (VNA) – Some of the world’s top motorcycle producers and companies in supporting industries as well as Vietnamese importers will participate in the 2016 Vietnam Motorcycle Show in HCM City next April. Organised by the Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (VAMM), it will feature names like Honda, Piaggio, Suzuki, SYM, and Yamaha. VAMM said the event would take place from April 7 to 10 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7. In the context of the maturity attained by the country’s motorcycle market, the event is set to be an important one for motorbike manufacturers and importers. Many of the latest motorbikes will be on…
Gia Lai fulfill target of preschool education universalization
Gia Lai (VNA) – All 17 districts and towns in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai have met target of universal preschool education for five-year-old children, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). An inspection by the MoET from December 22-24 showed that 99.7 percent of five-year-old children in Gia Lai attended school this year and 99.3 percent of them completed kindergarten programme. The rate of school attendance among other age groups also rose remarkably, with 76 percent of children aging from 3-5 going to kindergarten in 2015, compared to 68.7 percent in 2011. The results were spurred by the efficient planning of school network and prompt…
Work on bridge spanning Red River set to start
Hanoi (VNA) – Work on the Hung Ha bridge spanning the Hong (Red) River and road connecting to Hanoi–Hai Phong and Cau Gie–Ninh Binh highways will start on December 27, said Nguyen Xuan Lam, deputy general director of Project Management Unit No. 1 under the Ministry of Transport. The 2km bridge is part of the 6km transport project, which links northern Hung Yen and Ha Nam provinces. The four-lane bridge is designed for vehicles to travel at 80 kilometres per hour. The project has a total investment of 2.87 trillion VND (135.7 million USD), including 117million USD loaned from the Republic of Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). The project…
Hanoi promotes use of biofuel
Hanoi promotes use of biofuel Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Committee has said local committees and other city agencies should use the E5 biofuel, which contains five percent ethanol, in their official cars. The committee will stop reimbursing the bills for regular fuel purchases by offices and authoritative bodies being funded by the state budget from the beginning of next year. The committee also said its officials should use the biofuel in their personal vehicles. The city’s department of trade and industry has been asked to ensure stable and sufficient supply of the E5 biofuel to meet the market demand.-VNA (http://en.vietnamplus.vn/hanoi-promotes-use-of-biofuel/86722.vnp)
Petrol prices drop to 16,405 VND per litre
Hanoi (VNA) – The prices of RON 92 petrol and E5 bio-fuel were reduced by 391 VND per litre as of 3 pm on December 18, the 5th consecutive cut and the 22nd adjustment so far this year. The petrol and oil price control joint team of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance said with the reduction, the price of RON 92 petrol will not be higher than 16,405 VND (0.72 USD) per litre and that of E5 bio-petrol not more than 15,910 VND (0.7 USD) per litre. The price of diesel oil also dropped by 1,246 VND per litre, while that of kerosene and…
Registrations of ‘.vn’ domains rise
Hanoi (VNA) – More than 106,300 new “.vn” domain names were registered in the first 11 months of this year, bringing the total number of “.vn” domain names to 343, 370, a year-on-year increase of 16.4 percent, according to the Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC). The VNNIC held a conference on December 10 to review its activities this year and discuss plans for next year. The “.vn” domain name was the most registered country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the ASEAN region and is now expanding in Asia. According to the Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD), “.vn” registrations were ranked in the top 10 in the region this…
Deputy PM: Changing cash-payment habit boosts economic growth
Hanoi (VNA) – Changing cash usage habit to e-payment will not only boost economic growth but also promote Vietnam as a civilized nation, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on December 16. He made his remarks at the Vietnam E-Payment Forum in Hanoi held by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and VnExpress, an online newspaper. Online payment accounts for 90 percent of total transactions in developed countries and the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) hereby rose by about 1 percent, Dam explained. Vietnam has been ready for e-payment in terms of infrastructure and the Government has set goals to stimulate online transactions for years, yet consumers seem not willing…
Credit growth this year positive at 18 percent
Hanoi (VNA) – Credit this year could reach roughly 18 percent, meeting the capital demands of the economy, Deputy Director of the State Bank of Vietnam’s Monetary Policy Department Nguyen Duc Long said. Long noted that the rise in credit was an indication of positive economic growth and improved consumption in the domestic market. Further, according to Long, the increase in credit was seen in the beginning of the year and continuing every month, instead of only during a few months at year-end, as seen last year. Statistics from the central bank showed that lending rose 14.5-15 percent in the first 11 months. Also, the SBV reported that credit growth…
Banks battle it out in Tet loans market
Hanoi (VNA) – Commercial banks and financial companies are fiercely competing for a slice of the profitable personal loans market as demand often rises sharply at the end of the year. Industry insiders said the period between December till the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday is always the most popular period for personal loans, as Vietnamese people requires money for home repair and purchase, shopping and car purchases. To meet the rising demand, many banks are offering preferential loan packages to attract customers. VietBank is marketing home purchase loans at an annual preferential interest rate of eight to nine percent for the first year. An Binh Bank is offering loans…
Vietnam believed to gain the most in TPP
Vietnam stands to gain the most among 12 countries concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal’s negotiation early this week, said the Los Angeles Times on October 8. The US-based daily newspaper quoted the Peterson Institute of International Economics as saying that Vietnam’s textile-garment and footwear sectors are very likely to boom once the TPP is effective. The pact will let the country ship many products tariff-free to a market where members together constitute two-fifths of the global trade. The nation is also improving its tax and investment policies, developing infrastructure and pursuing other trade pacts to entice more investments, the newspaper noted. Investment bank Goldman Sachs forecast that Vietnam’s economy…
Local beer players face foreign firms
Hanoi (VNA) – The local beer market is set to face tough competition due to a rising number of foreign brewers moving into the market after Vietnam joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), experts said. Under the TPP agreement, Vietnam’s imported beer tax from member countries will be reduced from 35 percent to 0 percent. As a result, imported beer will flood Vietnam. Both international and local players are expected to step up marketing activities, new product developments as well as expanding distribution networks. Sabeco is the biggest Vietnamese beer maker, with a 46-percent market share. The Hanoi Beer Alcohol and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Habeco) accounts for 17.3 percent of…
More foreign investors open stock tcodes in Vietnam
VSD has also agreed to adjust information on 25 foreign investors, including six organisations and 19 individuals. It also canceled the codes of one foreign unit. In the first 11 months of the year, the authority issued tcodes for nearly 1,000 foreign investors. Of these, 661 were individual investors and 277 were foreign organisations. The number of individual investors has reached a record high since 2011, thanks to Decree No 60/2015, which went into effect in September, creating more room for foreign investors. Vietnam continues welcoming more foreign investors to the country and to open stock transaction accounts. Currently, Vietnam has issued tcodes to 18,508 foreign investors, of which 2,864…
Workshop enhances women’s legal understanding, access
Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop was held on December 7 in Hanoi to enhance legal understanding among women and facilitate their access to legal assistance. The event was organised by the UN Women Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women). In her opening remarks, Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Vietnam, said that the revision of the Law on Legal Aid has enhanced access to legal aid services for Vietnamese women. Director of the Legal Aid Bureau under the Ministry of Justice Nguyen Thi Minh said the 2013 Constitution has ensured women’s legitimate right to legal aid access– particularly those who are victims of domestic violence…
Taiwan’s 1-bln-USD paper plant gets investment license
The People’s Committee of southern Binh Duong province granted an investment license to Taiwan-based Cheng Loong Binh Duong Paper Ltd, Co. on December 4 for the construction of a 1-billion-USD paper plant. It is the largest foreign direct investment project in the locality in 2015. The 75-hectare plant will be located at Singapore Ascendas – Protrade Industrial Park in Ben Cat district. It is designed to produce 1 million tonnes of industrial paper and 50,000 tonnes of household paper per year. The first phase of the project will start in December and is expected to be operational by January 2018. According to Chairman of Cheng Loong Corporation in Taiwan Su…
Hanoi enforces registration of electric bikes
Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi Police would implement mandatory registration of electric scooters and bikes from December 6, said Nguyen Manh Hung, deputy head of the Hanoi Road and Railway Traffic Police Division. Vehicle owners found violating the law after December 6 will be fined, according to Decree 171 issued by the government. By the middle of 2016, Hanoi Traffic Police will deal with all unregistered vehicles that are still being used. Such vehicle owners will be fined amounts ranging from 80,000 VND (3.5 USD) to a maximum of 1 million VND (44.4 USD). In addition, when electric motor vehicle owners violate traffic laws, they will be subject to other forms…
Dak Lak: Coffee output continues dropping
Dak Lak (VNA) – Coffee bean output in the 2015-16 crop in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak is likely to reach 440,000 tonnes, a decrease of 14,000 tonnes from the last crop, according to the provincial People’s Committee. This is the second consecutive crop that faces a drop in output. Severe droughts have hurt the production as nearly 48,000 hectares of coffee plants suffered from water shortages.A large area of ageing coffee plants is another reason. According to a plan targeted for the 2015-16 crop, the province will ship abroad about 250,000 tonnes of coffee beans, up nearly 83, 000 tonnes against the last crop. It is currently…
CBRE Vietnam manages Phu My Hung projects in HCM City
HCM City (VNA) – Commercial Real Estate Services (CBRE) Vietnam has been selected to manage the Phu My Hung Development Corporation’s commercial projects in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, according to CBRE on November 30. CBRE Vietnam will manage seven projects including office buildings and commercial centres that cover a combined area of 160,000 sq.metres. CBRE Managing Director Marc Townsend expressed his delight at the deal and hoped that the two companies will cooperate more in the future for the development of the district. CBRE Vietnam pledged to provide the best services for clients, investors and residents in the area, Marc Townsend said. Phu My Hung is the first…
Vietnam, Japan enhance cooperation in trade unions
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Japan National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) are strengthening cooperation, thus contributing to driving the relations between the two countries forward. President of the VGCL Dang Ngoc Tung and Zenroren Chairman Yohikazu Odagawa discussed cooperation orientation and potential between Vietnamese and Japanese trade unions during their talks in Hanoi on November 30. Tung said the two organisations have actively worked to protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers. He added that he hopes the two trade unions will further cooperative ties for information and experience exchanges as well as better protection of employees. This is significant in…
Visa issues five million cards after 20 years in Vietnam
HCM City (VNA) – Twenty years after coming to Vietnam, Visa has announced it has crossed the five million card mark in the country. “Vietnam is one of the fastest growing markets for Visa across the globe. We’ve made some fantastic progress in growing electronic payments here in the past 20 years, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Sean Preston, the company’s country manager for Vietnam. This year the company achieved strong growth in Vietnam despite a downturn in global economic conditions, with the total payment volume through Visa cards growing by 44 percent. Preston said his company would continue to expand in Vietnam in…
Jollibee begins franchising in Vietnam
HCM City (VNA) – Jollibee has begun franchising in Vietnam, marking a new strategy in the country for the Philippine fast food chain. A five-year franchise contract, estimated to cost 4.5-5 billion VND (200,500-223,000 USD), will see Jollibee advise on staff training, restaurant layout, equipment, raw materials and others. Franchisees will also benefit from the company’s marketing activities. Tran Thi Lan Anh, deputy chairwoman of Jollibee Food Corporation and general manager of Jollibee Vietnam, said the company would have 73 of its stores nation-wide by the end of this year, up from 69 now. Founded in 1975 as a single ice cream parlour in Manila, Jollibee is today the flagship…
US’s steel antidumping investigations groundless: spokesman
Hanoi (VNA) – The US Department of Commerce (DOC)’s launch of investigations into the dumping of circular welded carbon-quality steel pipes imported from five countries, including Vietnam, is groundless, stated Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh. Replying reporters’ queries on Vietnam’s response to this issue at the ministry’s regular press conference on November 26, Binh affirmed that Vietnamese companies are operating in accordance with the market mechanism without subsidies from the Government and they don’t dump the product in the US market. The DOC should acknowledge and address the issue objectively and fairly in the spirit of trade liberalisation and in accordance with commitments to multi-lateral trade liberalisation as well…
Five key fruits developed in southern region
HCM City (VNA) – The southern region has focused on growing five key fruit trees on hundreds of thousands of hectares, said an agricultural official. The region has grown dragon fruit trees on 37,000 hectares, mangoes on 22,700 hectares, durian on 10,500 hectares, longan on 25,600 hectares and rambutan on 7,800 hectares, according to Pham Van Du, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultivation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Over the past year fruit exports have increased, which has encouraged domestic fruit production, Du said. In the first 10 months this year, fruit exports earned 1.5 million USD, up 30 percent on the year. The improved rural…
Farm produce exports to China hit 4.3 bln USD in first 9 months
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s agricultural product exports to China reached about 4.3 billion USD in the first nine months of 2015 as heard at a conference on Vietnam-China trade and investment on agricultural product in Hanoi on November 24. The event was organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Hanoi Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre and the China-ASEAN Centre reported Ha Noi Moi newspaper. Representatives from the two countries’ enterprises exchanged information on fruit export-import demand, particularly in the context of the expansion of trade with third countries through Vietnam-China border gates. Deputy Chairman of China’s Food and Agriculture Products Rong Weidong said China is a…
No time for exercise after work
Female workers of Thai Binh northern province’s Job Services Centre didn’t know how to react to regulation that all workers have to take afternoon exercise at the office building’s gym after working time. If they don’t obeyed the strict rules, each violator will be fined VND15,000 (22 cents) per day. All workers have to abide by the regulation including when feeding an infant or feeling ill, except that he/she has doctor’s prescription. The rule, set up one year ago by the Labour Union of the Centre, under the Thai Binh Province’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department aimed to help workers improve their health condition, a Labour Union official explained.…
PV Gas named in list of ASEAN 100 companies
Hanoi (VNA) – PetroVietnam Gas (PV Gas) has been named in the list of ASEAN 100 companies by Asia’s leading business magazine Nikkei Asian Review. With a market capitalisation of 9.43 billion USD and a net profit of 584 million USD in the latest fiscal year, PV Gas was placed in the 48th position and is the only Vietnamese company on the list. PV Gas is the third largest company in the region’s oil and gas sector, behind only Thailand’s PTT and its affiliate PTT Exploration and Production. Singapore Telecommunications tops the list with a market capitalisation of 47 billion USD.-VNA http://en.vietnamplus.vn/pv-gas-named-in-list-of-asean-100-companies/85185.vnp (151130)
Eximbank to deploy new banking software
Illustrative image (Source: Internet) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Export-Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Eximbank) will use India- based Infosys’ new software Finacle Core Banking for its banking products and services and internal management. The agreement was made at a signing ceremony held in HCM City last week. The software has a modern architecture and technology foundation that can help banks easily develop products, services and expand branches in the future; provide the ability to handle online transactions in multiple languages and currencies; and shorten time to solve problems. “Customer demand for modern banking technology is increasing. It requires Eximbank to choose proper technology solutions”, said Dang Phuoc Dua, Eximbank…
VN Gov’t urged to break up monopoly of big food corporations
CASRAD, the Research Center for Development and Agricultural System, has warned that Vietnamese rice exporters have been facing big problems in the last two years with exports down in both quantity and value. As the world market has become unstable and the competition is getting stiffer, Vietnam has been gradually losing its advantage in low export price. As Vietnamese farmers cannot enjoy large benefits in the value chain, they don’t want to continue growing rice. According to CASRAD director Dao The Anh, there are 200 medium and large enterprises joining the export network. However, the enterprises do not export rice under their private brands, because they depend heavily on contracts…
Luxury cars to be shown at int’l motor expo in HCM City
HCM City (VNA) – A number of authorised auto importers and distributors in Vietnam have confirmed they’ll attend the 2016 Vietnam International Motor Show (VIMS) scheduled for October 26-30 next year in Ho Chi Minh City. Four-wheeled vehicle fans in the city will have a chance to contemplate a variety of imported models from well-known brands such as Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini, Porsche, Renault, Rolls-Royce, Subaru and Volkswagen. The event follows October’s successful VIMS 2015, the first motor show of its kind in Vietnam. It was held in Hanoi. Laurent Genet, General Director of Audi Vietnam, representing car importers, said the five-day VIMS 2015 attracted more than 70,000…
Vietcraft Excellence label debuts
Hanoi (VNA) – The national label for Vietnamese handicrafts – Vietcraft Excellence – was released in Hanoi on November 17. According to Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association Chairman Do Nhu Dinh, the brand originated from a green production project to create livelihoods for needy communities in rural areas. It promotes local products based their core values and encourages sustainability. To attain the accreditation, businesses need to fulfil 46 criteria for their production and consumption processes. The accredited firms see greater chances to access the European market, to which Vietnam exports more than 550 million EUR worth of handicrafts each year.-VNA http://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietcraft-excellence-label-debuts/84899.vnp (151120)