Thứ Ba, 8 tháng 9, 2015

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 8/9


Transport companies yet to lower fares despite fuel price cuts
On September 3, the Ministry of Industry and Trade requested petrol traders to lower prices of 92 octane petrol by VND1,198 per litre along with cutting prices for other types of fuel. Several experts said that it was necessary to tighten control over transport fees or even fine firms that delay cutting their charges.
They commented that authorities can control transportation fees but nothing had been done despite urging from the finance, and industry and trade ministries.
The situation is replicated across the country. “We’ve requested freight companies and bus firms to lower fees but they proposed to delay any move until after National Day,” said Nguyen Hong Ky, director of the Nghe An provincial Department of Transport.  
Dang Van Luong, acting director of Lao Cai provincial Department of Transport said they have requested the Department of Finance to co-ordinate in requesting transport firms to cut the fees.
Nguyen Thi Binh, an economist who works at the Vietnam-Germany University, suspected that transport firms may have colluded not to lower prices. The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Competition Management should intervene but they have yet to take action.
“Petrol prices have decreased by 10% and it’s obvious that transport fees should be lowered. It’s unacceptable that the fees have remained unchanged. We need to clarify which enterprises have cut fees and which have not,” said Than Van Thanh, vice chairman of the Vietnam Association of Transportation.
He added that petrol prices fluctuate regularly but it’s unfair that fuel traders are enjoying profits despite their inefficient operations.
“Our survey found that fuel account for 40% of transport fees, so the fees must be lower when fuel prices are cut,” Binh said.
She proposed that road hauliers and bus firms must make up a list of elements that are included in their fees. Otherwise, they would be suspected of having evaded taxes.
Associate Prof. cum Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, said, “The finance, and industry and trade should be held accountable for the lack of action on lowering transportation fees.”
After the Ministry of Finance asked for tighter control over road transportation fees, the Ministry of Transport requested departments of transport at localities nationwide to intensify supervision and report their findings before September 30.
The Ministry of Transport’s Department of Transportation in co-ordination with the Ministry of Finance’s General Road Administration and Department of Price Management must make report before October 10.
Air travel to become cheaper
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA) has asked airlines to reduce their fares and introduce promotional programs and special fares given fuel prices have fallen over recent months. According to CAAV the falling Jet A1 price has had a positive impact on carriers and lower fares would make air travel more attractive.
“Airlines in Vietnam have introduced many low-price tickets on domestic routes and introduced many promotions, some of which include free tickets,” a representative of CAAV was quoted as saying.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade had cut fuel prices five times as at September 3, from a high of VND20,710 ($0.92) per liter in June.
For years aviation costs have represented a relatively large share of the tourism cost structure. In order to secure reasonable fares, many travel companies have engaged staff to work 24 hours a day hunting for cheap tickets for their tours. Travel companies believe lower fares are good news for the industry and makes air travel more affordable.
Vegetexco Vietnam successfully IPOs
The Vietnam National Vegetable, Fruit, and Agricultural Product Corporation (Vegetexco Vietnam) successfully held an initial public offering (IPO) on September 4.
The corporation auctioned 27.7 million shares to the public on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, or 38.8 per cent of its charter capital after equitization, with a starting price of VND10,051 ($0.45) per share.
Six individual investors registered to buy a total of 31.2 million shares, 12.6 per cent more than that available. The highest bid price was VND12,001 ($0.52) per share and the lowest was its starting price.
All shares were sold to these six individual investors, for a total value of more than VND278.1 billion ($12.2 million), representing a capital surplus of more than VND1.4 billion ($61,600).
Vegetexco Vietnam is the largest enterprise in Vietnam specializing in exporting vegetables, fruit, and agricultural products. Its headquarters are in Hanoi’s Dong Da district and it has charter capital after equitisation of VND731 billion ($32.1 million).
Its products can be found in nearly 60 countries and territories worldwide, including major markets such as the EU, the US, Russia, Japan, and China.
In the first six months of this year the corporation’s revenue was VND102.5 billion (4.51 million) and after-tax profit VND19.6 billion ($862,400), up 17 per cent year-on-year.
Oil production on the up
A report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade on industrial production in August revealed that petroleum operations remain positive and companies are meeting their plans, with exploitation of crude oil and gas on the increase. Crude oil production was estimated at 1.5 million tonnes in the month, a 3.5 per cent rise compared to August 2014. In the first eight months of the year the total was estimated at 12.3 million tonnes, 8.7 per cent higher year-on-year.
Gas production in August, meanwhile, was estimated at 700 million cubic meters, equivalent to 100 per cent of the amount in 2014. In the first eight months it was estimated at 7 billion cubic meters, representing 1.2 per cent growth against the same period of 2014. As for liquefied petroleum gas, production in August was estimated at 55,000 tonnes, a 3.8 increase against August 2014. Total production over the first eight months was 475,300 tonnes, 8.1 per cent higher year-on-year.
Regarding petroleum processing, August production was estimated at 586,400 tonnes, 5.6 higher than in last August. The figure for the first eight months was 4.6 million tonnes, an increase of 30.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2014.
The electricity sector also saw significant growth, with power output estimated to have reached 14.3 billion kWh in August, an 11.3 per cent increase compared to August 2014. In the first eight months output was 105.1 billion kWh, an 11.7 per cent rise year-on-year.
Electricity sales in August 2015 were estimated at 12.85 billion kWh, an 11.7 per cent rise compared to August 2014. In the first eight months of 2015 sales were estimated at 93.9 billion kWh, an 11.7 per cent increase against the same period of 2014.
The coal industry, on the other hand, faced a range of difficulties from the biggest flooding for the last 40 years in northern Quang Ninh province. Clean coal production in August was estimated at 3 million tonnes, down 4.8 per cent compared to July but 3.7 per cent higher than in August 2014. Production in the first eight months was estimated at 27.6 million tonnes, up 5.8 per cent compared to same period of 2014.
According to the Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin), coal consumed in August was estimated at 2.5 million tonnes, a 19.3 per cent decline against July but a 7.9 per cent increase compared to August 2014. Consumption in the first eight months was estimated at 23.3 million tonnes, equivalent to 99.87 per cent of the figure in the same period of 2014.
Innovation thinking brings economic development
Innovation in science and technology and using the country’s advantages to develop distinctly are some of the directions for restructuring the country’s economy in the context of global climate change and global integration, Professor Nguyen Quang Thai, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Economic Association, told the “Vietnam's Economy 2016-2020: Development Breakthroughs ” forum on September 4 in Hanoi.
To quickly bring the country out of its underdevelopment and provide the foundations for it to basically become an industrialized country by 2020, the only way is to “accelerate industrialization and modernization associated with the development of the knowledge economy,” Professor Thai said, recalling the content of a document from National Congress X of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2006.
“It is necessary to further promote the industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas and overcome problems relating to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers,” the document stated.
According to Mr. Thai, these are “beautiful” words and targets. They seem to not be practical at this point in time, however, due to a lack of cohesion amid ongoing global integration.
There are outstanding problems existing in the country, including low labor productivity, and Vietnam is the most underdeveloped country in the 12 participating in the TPP negotiations.
It is unfortunate that views on industrialization and modernization since 2006 have lacked specific criteria for evaluating the results in each period of development, according to Professor Thai.
“Should we reduce the number of ‘beautiful’ words and clichés and issue more radical solutions to make the country’s economy develop in a faster and more stable manner?” he asked.
Agreeing with Professor Thai, a group of authors, including Professor Luong Xuan Quy, Professor Le Du Phong, Professor Mai Ngoc Cuong, Professor Do Duc Binh, and Professor Hoang Van Hoa, believe there must be a new way of thinking in assessing the country’s socio-economic development.
According to the professors, Vietnam has recorded certain economic achievements in the 30 years since “doi moi” under the leadership of the Communist Party. It joined the World Bank's group of lower-middle income countries in 2010, which contributed to dramatically improving its position and profile in the world.
However, in Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, 20-30 years was enough time for them to emerge from being backward countries devastated by war and become developed countries.
More than 30 years of reform has brought miraculous achievements to China, moving from the sixth- largest economy in the world to the second-largest.
After nearly 30 years of reform, Vietnam’s economy has not escaped from the risk of falling behind, which is the result of low labor productivity.
Vietnam should not only recognize and be proud of its economic achievements but also compare itself to the development levels of neighboring countries, according to the group of professors.
$35.2 million wastewater plant opens in Bac Ninh
The Phu Dien Construction Investment and Trading JSC put the first phase of a wastewater treatment plant into operation in northern Bac Ninh province’s Tu Son town on September 6.
Able to handle 33,000 cubic meters a day in the first phase, the plant will collect and treat wastewater from wards such as Dong Ngan, Dinh Bang, Tan Hong, Dong Nguyen, Chau Khue, and Trang Ha, serving some 100,000 people. The second phase is expected to increase capacity to 70,000 cubic meters a day.
The project was invested and developed by Phu Dien in partnership with the SFC Vietnam Environment Investment and Development JSC under the build-transfer (BT) mode, with total investment in the first phase of VND800 billion ($35.2 million).
The technology used minimizes the environmental impact of pollutants such a toxic gas, odors, and noise. The wastewater undergoes biological treatment and is sterilized by ultraviolet rays rather than chemicals, as is the case with older technologies.
Vietnam has only 50 wastewater treatment plants, including 26 under construction, serving 22 per cent of residential areas and 87 per cent of industrial parks (IPs), according Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.
The Prime Minister has recently directed local authorities where IPs are located to develop wastewater treatment systems or they will not be permitted to expand the IPs, Mr. Hai was quoted as saying at the breaking ground ceremony for the treatment plant in Bac Ninh.
Phu Dien and SFC have provided technology and EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contracts for a range of wastewater treatment plants in Vietnam, including the Yen So treatment plant in Hanoi.
BIDV supporting new Phu Quoc projects
On September 4 on Phu Quoc Island the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) signed cooperation contracts with Vinpearl Phu Quoc (VPQ) and Sun Phu Quoc (SPQ) to provide capital and banking services for the under-construction complex on Hon Thom Island and cable car line connecting it with Phu Quoc Island, invested by SPQ, and the Vinpearl Hotel Phu Quoc and Vinpearl Villas (Phase 3) projects, invested by VPQ.
BIDV said that after considering the economic efficiency of the two projects and the financial capacity, experience, and management capacity of the investors it determined the two projects had a high possibility of profitability and so decided to cooperate in providing credit and banking services.  
“With the capacity of the investors BIDV believes the two projects will begin operations as planned, create job opportunities for local people, and contribute to local economic development on Phu Quoc Island and in Kien Giang province,” Chairman of BIDV Tran Bac Ha said.
Prudential kicks off customer call center
On August 31 Prudential Vietnam officially opened a free 24/7 customer service call center, at 1800 1247, to serve increasing demand from customers.
Callers can resolve all matters relating to insurance services with the call center or, alternatively, call (08) 3948 1388 between 9am and 8pm.
“We pay great attention to continuing to improve customer satisfaction and their experience in using our services,” said Mr. Wilf Blackburn, General Director of Prudential Vietnam. “The call center makes Prudential even closer and friendlier to customers, where they can receive the information they need immediately and resolve any problems in making their future financial plans. Prudential accompanies Vietnamese people on the way to a better life and prosperity.”
The call center has been operating a trial basis since July 9 and has received around 30,000 calls to date.  
An Phat to increase holding in Vinaconex 3 to 51%
At an Extraordinary General Meeting held on September 4, shareholders of the Vietnam Construction JSC No. 3 (Vinaconex 3) approved a report from the Board of Directors on increasing the holding of the An Phat Real Estate Investment Trading JSC in the company from 24 per cent to 51 per cent.
An Phat becomes the largest shareholder in Vinaconex 3, with shares totaling 4.08 million.
The shares will be sold to An Phat from existing shareholders without a public bid.
With an increased participation by An Phat, Vinaconex will boost its construction and investment activities in projects in Thanh Hoa and Thai Nguyen provinces and seek opportunities to strengthen its investment in Hanoi.  
Vinaconex also has plans to increase its charter capital from VND80 billion ($3.52 million) to VND200 billion ($8.8 million) by issuing 12 million shares.
Vinaconex 3 was established under a decision from the Ministry of Construction. It has developed a number of projects, including a residential project in Trung Van ward in Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem district and a complex of housing, office space for lease, and schools at 310 Minh Khai Street in the capital’s Hai Ba Trung district, among others.
Established in 2012, An Phat has charter capital of VND500 billion ($22 million) and has developed projects in Thanh Hoa, including the Dragon Sea Hotel in Sam Son Beach.
Vietnam Airlines inaugurates Pleiku airport expansion
The Vietnam Airlines Corporation held a ceremony to inaugurate the Pleiku airport upgrade project in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on September 5.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai,  Public Security Minister General Tran Dai Quang, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang and leaders of Central Highlands provinces attended the event.
The project has been started since September 28, 2014 and is expected to be completed on December 31, 2015.
Public Security Minister General Tran Dai Quang praised efforts of the Vietnam Airlines and contractors for concluding the project four months earlier than schedule, ensuring both quality and safety.
He said that the upgrades and expansion of Pleiku Airport is significant to travel demand and socio-economic development between the Central Highlands region and big cities in the country, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
On this occasion, the low-cost airline Vietjet Air launched new routes Pleiku-Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City.
Pleiku Airport uppgrade project which was funded by the central government and Gia Lai budgets, and the Airport Corporation of Vietnam at a total capital of VND 950-billion (US$ 43.2 million) includes expansion of the airport's runway, building of two aprons to accommodate A321 aircraft, and upgrade of the lighting system and the passenger terminal.
HCMC calls for European investment in eight key fields
Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman Le Hoang Quan led a high- ranking delegation to visit Germany, Italy and Hungary yesterday, aiming to call on European businesses to invest in eight key fields of infrastructure construction, support industry, hi-tech agriculture, urban development, financial- bank, trade, education and health.
City’s enterprises in industry, mechanics, textile and garment, and tourism sectors also accompanied with the delegation on this visit.
One of the most important activities of a working visit is to sign cooperation agreements between Ho Chi Minh City and Torino city in Italy, Budapest capital in Hungary and Leipzig city in Germany respectively.
Moreover, the delegation will have a survey to metro systems, learn economic and historical values of the three cities, exchange their experiences about management of fresh water source.
The delegation will kick off three seminars to call for European firms to invest in the eight key fields of infrastructure construction, support industry, hi-tech agriculture, urban development, financial- bank, trade, education and health.
On the occasion, the city’s delegation also organizes Vietnamese art performances in Germany’s Leipzig, Berlin and Frankfurt.
Vietnam finds new direction for rice industry
After 30 years of renovation, Vietnam has obtained great achievements to become one among two top rice exporters in the world. However, rice productivity has reached its peak while the world supply has been increasing forcing the country to find new development direction for this industry.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam now exports about 6-7 million tons of rice a year with a turnover of US$2.6-2.8 billion.
Professor Vu Van Viet, deputy director of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, said rice production has expanded in area and output not in processing to improve the grain value. Post harvest loss has been high and the most concern is that productivity has reached its peak and been difficult to further increase.
Dr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, head of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Vietnam’s rice production has showed signs of less competitiveness than other emerging markets such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia and has been behind traditional producers like India and Thailand.
The most weakness of Vietnamese rice is from quality, which has mainly accessed easy markets such as the Philippines and Africa with low export price, which is US$10-15 lower than Thai rice price a ton of the same variety.
Post harvest loss hits 13 percent while it is only 6.1-9.1 percent in Thailand and 6 percent in India, he analyzed.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported difficulties in rice exports since early this year. In August, the export turnover reduced 13.1 percent over the same period last year.
Mr. Tran Manh Bao, director general of Thai Binh Seed Company, said despite of export slowdown businesses still have to ask permission to export. In addition, rice land area allocation limit of 3 hectares to a household has been a barrier for farmers who want to attend in large scale production models.
At meetings on agricultural development towards higher added value and sustainable development, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said agricultural restructuring should improve rice value and quality instead of expanding volume and output to improve competitiveness at this time.
The ministry has determined that rice would continue to be strength of the agricultural industry.
The Government has also set a target to maintain 3.8 million hectares of rice land in an overall plan by 2020, visions till 2030.
A national plan should be mapped out to define where rice areas would be for exports, where for local consumption and where would be converted into other crops, say experts.
The Prime Minister has recently permitted to shift part of rice area in the Mekong Delta into maize and other fruit trees with higher value than rice, which Minister Cao Duc Phat said a right policy that not only ensure rice area under planning but also convert new crops back to rice cultivation when necessary.
Professor Tran Van Khoi, deputy director of the National Agricultural Promotion Center, said that rice growers have been short of knowledge especially market information.
Therefore, it is necessary to improve their awareness of goods production, build a stronger connectivity between farmers and businesses, businesses and businesses from production to consumption phase, and attract investors to agriculture, he suggested.
Rice production should be reorganized focusing on developing high quality varieties and Vietnamese rice brand names.
Besides, authorized agencies should simplify procedures for rice exporters, preventing interests
Ministry requests continuous supply of ethanol for E5 biofuel
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has requested all possible means to ensure sufficient supply of ethanol as materials to produce bio-fuel E5, according to head of the ministry’s Science and Technology Department Nguyen Phu Cuong.
An ongoing scheme counts four qualified ethanol manufacturers across the country, which should ensure enough supply of ethanol to make E5 – a blend of conventional petrol and ethanol.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the government is promoting the use of E5, which costs 330 VND per litre less than conventional petrol.
During a meeting on September 3, Deputy Director of Quang Ngai Industry and Trade Department Nguyen An reported that all filling stations in the province are selling E5 which has become popular.
However, he also expressed concern over a lack of the biofuel for sale in the coming time due to limited ethanol stock.
The biggest obstacles facing E5 manufacturers are capital and supply of input materials, he added.
Vietnam seeks cooperation with Russia’s Far East region
On the sidelines of the 2015 Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia from September 3-5, Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang met with several Russian officials on ways to promote trade and investment connections between the two countries.
A working session on September 4 between Minister Vu Huy Hoang and Russian Minister of Energy Aleksandr Novak focused on cooperation in the energy field, especially in oil and gas development, coal supply and thermal power projects in Vietnam.
The two sides concurred that energy links will continue to be one of the most important fields in economic cooperation between Russia and Vietnam.
During his meeting with Primorye regional Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky on September 5, Minister Hoang affirmed that there is a great potential for the two countries to bolster their connections, especially between Vietnam and the Far East region of Russia.
Vietnam sees cooperation possibilities in energy, wood processing, garments, agriculture and the export of farm products, he said.
Hoang emphasised the role played by the Vladivostok sea port in serving export goods transport between the two countries, saying that he hopes Primorye region authorities will facilitate Vietnamese investment in the region.
For his part, Miklushevsky said apart from its abundant natural resources, the Far East’s authorities are offering incentives to facilitate cooperation among domestic and foreign investors.
He stressed the region is focusing on developing its light industry, wood processing and agriculture while inviting Vietnamese enterprises to join special economic zones in Primorye.
During their stay in Russia, the Vietnamese delegation also had meetings with other Russian senior officials to discuss favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to join priority investment projects in Russia and the region as a whole.
Vietnam holds potential for seafood
The domestic market, with a population of 90 million people, presents a great opportunity for seafood producers to increase the sales of their products due to rising demand, experts said.
Dinh Thi My Loan, chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Retailers, said the average annual consumption of seafood by the domestic market has reached 27kg per capita, and the figure is expected to surge by 5.37 percent on average per year for the period 2011-20. Total seafood consumption by the domestic market is forecast to stand at 790,000 tonnes for this year and 940,000 tonnes for 2020.
Some 35 percent of the local population live in cities and pose high demand for seafood products due to their improving income, according to Loan.
Meanwhile, development of the local retail system, especially modern retail channels, presents major opportunities for seafood enterprises to increase their domestic market share.
The sector currently has 8,000 processors providing 400,000 tonnes of seafood products every year, worth 15 trillion VND (666.7 million USD), Loan said.
Le Thi Thanh Lam, deputy general director of the Sai Gon Food Trading Ltd Company, said with the strong development of the local supermarket system, seafood enterprises have promoted the production of frozen seafood products for distribution via the supermarket system.
At present, frozen seafood products account for 60 percent of frozen processed food products at supermarkets, Lam said.
However, Loan said, to increase market share at home, local seafood enterprises should pay attention to improving quality and food safety and to building their brand name.
Cooperation among producers/processors, distributors and retailers should be more efficient, she said.
Lam said many local small- and medium-sized seafood processing enterprises still use old equipment and technology for production and providing products of questionable quality.
Moreover, the high cost of transport and distribution has made retail prices soar for seafood products on the local market, placing limits on consumption, she said.
Therefore, supermarkets should apply strict quality controls to incoming seafood products and must provide incentives for seafood products from newly formed companies, Lam said.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, deputy general director of Saigon Coop, said to sell goods to supermarkets, food enterprises, including seafood firms, must supply goods with stable quality and a taste that is suitable for local customers.
State-owned construction firms slow to equitise
State-owned construction companies are making slow progress with privatisation efforts as they have encountered a number of problems, the Ministry of Construction said.
The ministry said these companies are having difficulty attracting the attention of strategic investors for their IPOs.
Strategic investors are not interested in these companies or in their IPOs, and the State will have difficulty making divestments from these companies, according to the ministry.
There is currently no detailed policy on how State-owned construction companies can sell their stakes to strategic investors. For example, no policies governed the bidding between strategic investors and the selling procedure before and after the IPOs have been released, the ministry added.
Moreover, many companies in the construction sector are unable to sell their brands for equitisation since the Ministry of Planning and Investment has not yet issued a policy on selling company brands following the Resolution 47 issued by the Government last year, the construction ministry said.
In order to improve the equitisation and divestment of state-owned construction companies, the Ministry of Construction recently proposed that the Government should amend Decree 59, issued by the Government in 2011, to allow equitised firms to keep their reverse funds which help them manage the devaluation of receivables and erase the receivables that they can no longer collect.
The ministry also proposed that the Government allow construction firms to use their average profit earned during the 5-10 years before the equitisation as a comparative advantage and allow the employees who represent the company to make investments in subsidiaries and associates and to buy the parent company's shares when it is equitised.
At the moment, these employees are not included in the policy that allows a company's employees to buy its shares at a preferential rate.
The Ministry of Construction also proposed that the Government provide detailed instructions to help investors value unlisted firms, help the firms comply with the market's regulations when they are removed from the exchanges and assist them in seeking strategic investors.
This year, the Ministry of Construction plans to complete equitising 19 firms, including nine parent companies, such as LILAMA, COMA and VICEM and eight of their subsidiaries.
This month, LILAMA, a parent company, is completing the procedures to organise its IPO.
In addition, two other parent companies, CC1 and FICO, submitted their IPO plans to the Government in June of this year, while two more, COMA and VNCC, plan to submit their IPO plans to the Government this month.
Four parent companies, Song Da Corp, VICEM, HUD and IDICO, and HUD's subsidiary – HUDS – are being assessed. They expect to complete the assessments within the third quarter of this year and submit their IPO plans to the Government in the fourth quarter.  
Two subsidiaries – the Housing and Urban Services Co Ltd (HUDS) under the Housing and Urban Development Corp (HUD) and Khanh Hoa Housing Development Co Ltd under Song Da Corp – will be equitised separately from their parent companies.
Based on these plans, by the end of this year, 170 subsidiaries will need divesting with a total value of 5.25 trillion VND (233.6 million USD). In August alone, the construction ministry approved the divestment plans proposed by 25 subsidiaries and made complete divestments from 12 of them with a total collection of 200.75 billion VND (8.92 million USD).-
Dong Nai: FDI attraction surpasses yearly target
The southern province of Dong Nai attracted about 1.57 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) capital from the beginning of this year to August 20, up 70 percent compared to the same period last year and surpassing this year’s target by 57 percent.
According to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, 1.23 billion USD was poured into 68 new projects and 337 million USD went into 22 existing projects as registered additional capital.
The Republic of Korea’s (RoK) Hyosung Dong Nai Limited Company put up the largest investment capital with over 600 million USD in the period.
The majority of investors have primarily employed green and environmentally-friendly technologies in accordance with the province’s long-term plans, said the department.
In the first 8 months of this year, disbursement of existing projects recorded a year-on-year rise of 5.3 percent to hit 800 million USD, reaching 73 percent of the yearly target.
By August 20, the province had licensed 1,517 FDI projects with total investment capital of nearly 27.67 billion USD, 1,161 of which are operating with total capital of 23.16 billion USD.-
Asparagus becomes latest promising crop
Farmers in Hanoi'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 with higher economic value than rice.
Lang said at that time, few local farmers were interested in growing asparagus because it was new to them and required big initial investment – about 30 million VND (1,330 USD) per ‘sao’ (360 sq.m)
Despite this the asparagus soon flourished and helped the farmers increase their income, Lang said.
There are 4.7 ha of asparagus in the commune, providing about 100 kilos of asparagus daily. A kilo of asparagus can be sold for 50,000 VND – 70,000 VND (2.2-3.1 USD).
Lang said that a company and wholesaler came to the commune and ordered asparagus to sell in markets.
"Now, we don't have enough asparagus to sell," she said.
Chairman of Phuc Tho District People's Committee, Hoang Manh Phu, said asparagus was grown over six hectares under a pilot programme in three communes of Hiep Thuan, Cam Dinh and Tho Loc.
Growing asparagus is a good way for local farmers to increase income, he said, adding that the crop would bring more profit if farmers learned cultivation techniques, connected with the market and built their brand.
HCM City eyes investors for supporting industries
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has unveiled plans to attract foreign investment in supporting industries in 2015-16, reported Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper.
The city will help 100 businesses involved in supporting industries in fields of engineering, electronics – information technology, food and fashion design upgrade their technologies and machinery.
It has instructed relevant agencies to seek investments from Japanese, RoK, Thai, and Taiwanese businesses in export processing and industrial zones.
Dong Nai tourism targets 235 million USD revenue by 2020
The southern province of Dong Nai’s tourism sector sets its goal of earning 5.17 trillion VND (235 million USD) in revenue by 2020.
The number of tourists visiting the province will be 5.8 million at that time.
In order to achieve these goals, Dong Nai approved a plan to develop tourism to 2020 with a vision to 2030 that includes 28 projects with a total investment of 18,730 billion VND (851 million USD).
The fund for 2015-2020 is 8.59 trillion VND and the 2020-2030 period is 10.78 trillion VND.
Of 18.73 trillion VND, the local budget will contribute from 10 to 15 percent.
Dong Nai is home to some landscape areas suitable for tourism development such as the Ca Tien National Park, Dong Nai Culture and Natural Conservation, Ba Xe and Hiep Hoa and Co islands,
The province is also coordinating with ministries to complete facilities supporting tourism such as the railway line connecting Bien Hoa to Vung Tau, Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway, and roads to other destinations.-
Can Tho's IZs attract 1.96 billion USD
Industrial zones (IZs) in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have 220 projects in operation, with total registered investment capital of some 1.96 billion USD.
The management board of the local export processing and industrial zones reported the figures, adding that the disbursed capital amounts to nearly 45 percent of the registered value, reaching 866.16 million USD.
During the first eight months of this year, enterprises in Can Tho's IZs posted a combined industrial production value of 824.6 million USD and a total trade and service revenue of 209.7 million USD.
The companies obtained 1.03 billion USD in total revenue, with some 385 million USD coming from exports during the period.
The management board said the city was speeding up site clearance, administrative reforms and infrastructure and human resource development to attract further investment.
Can Tho hosts eight IZs: Tra Noc 1, Tra Noc 2, Hung Phu 1 and Hung Phu 2A, as well as Hung Phu 2B, Thot Not, O Mon and Bac O Mon. The IZs are located along the Hau river, and the projects here employ more than 30,700 workers.
Can Tho is nationally considered a motivating force for the development of the Mekong Delta. The country has located key projects here, such as the Can Tho international airport, the Cai Cui port and the O Mon thermo-electricity centre.
Pleiku airport upgrade for better services
The Vietnam Airlines on September 5 held a ceremony to inaugurate the Pleiku airport upgrade project in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, enabling the airport to serve up to one million passengers per year.
The project includes expanding the airport’s runway, building aprons to accommodate two A321 aircraft, and upgrading the lighting system and the passenger terminal.
With the upgrade, the airport is capable of handling A320, A321 and Boeing 737 aircraft, improving passenger services.
Addressing the event, Public Security Minister General Tran Dai Quang, who is also head of the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands Region, said the project is significant to the socio-economic development of the country and the Central Highlands region in particular.
He praised efforts of the Vietnam Airlines and contractors for concluding the project four months earlier than schedule, ensuring both quality and safety.
China automotive exports to Vietnam quadruple
China has become Vietnam’s top source of automotive imports this year, surpassing the previous top exporter, the Republic of Korea (RoK) as the nation’s booming economy fuels automotive imports.
Individuals and businesses have imported nearly 16,900 Chinese manufactured motor vehicles in the eight months leading up to September, according to the Import-Export Department.
Deputy Director Tran Thanh Hai of the Import-Export Department said the increase is primarily attributable to an increase in the number of heavy duty trucks, which is nearly a 4.5 fold the number last year.
Older model trucks were creating excessive damage to the nation’s roads and a crackdown by the government has contributed to the jump in imports from China as their trucks are substantively cheaper than those from other nations.
While the sales volume remains relatively low, the pace of growth has been fast as Vietnam experiences a booming export market as foreign companies relocate and use the country as a manufacturing base.
Banks face tough balancing act
Credit this year has grown robustly and might surpass the 15-17 % annual target, however, commercial banks will find it difficult to balance lending and deposit sources, according to experts.
Statistics from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) showed that credit as of August 20 rose 9.31 % against December last year, doubling the 4.07 % rising rate in the same period last year.
In the period, credit to priority sectors rose sharply, of which lending to high-tech application sectors was up 29.12 %, agriculture and rural development up 9 %, the export sector up 4.99 %, supporting industry sectors up 3.2 %, and small- and medium-sized enterprises rose 4.07 %.
Further, deposits in the period rose nearly 7.26 % against December last year, lower than the 7.92 % increase during the same period last year.
Experts forecast that with the current rising pace, credit this year would surpass 17 %, explaining that lending often rose due to higher rates in the last months of the year.
Also, because of unbalanced credit and deposit sources, experts from the Viet Capital Securities Company (VCSC) forecast that banks would face challenges in luring deposits.
Additionally, VCSC's experts suggested that the central bank should closely watch the market to prevent an interest rate rise due to the dong devaluation this year.
After the central bank's decision to devalue the dong by 1 % and increase the trading band to 3 % last month, industry insiders were concerned about an interest rate increase in the last months of the year, as demands on maintaining the dong would fall.
However, the central bank, late last month, affirmed that it would not change the dong interest rate this year.
According to the latest report from the central bank, in the week ending August 21 the dong mobilising rates continued to be stable, with 0.8-1 % per year applied for demand and below 1 month terms; 4.5-5.4 % for 1 to below 6 month terms; 5.4-6.5 % for 6 month to below 12 month terms; and 6.4-7.2 % for 12 month plus terms.
The average lending rates also remained steady, with 6-7 % and 9-10 % year applied for short-term, and medium-and-long-term loans for priority fields, respectively.
The rates were commonly 6.8-9 % for short-term and 9.3-11 % for medium and long-term ordinary loans.
Vietnamese enterprises seek opportunities in Czech market
Trade relations between Vietnam and the Czech Republic have been enhanced since 2012 when Vietnam was listed as one of 12 priority markets in Czech’s national export strategy until 2020.
Businesses of both nations have increased cooperation in trade and investment, particularly in exports of garments, textiles, and footwear.
In the last 5 years, trade turnover between Vietnam and the Czech Republic has doubled in value. Last year trade revenues totaled US$652 million—US$85 million in Czech exports to Vietnam and US$567 million in imports from Vietnam.
The Czech Republic has undertaken 36 projects in Vietnam, ranking 42nd among 101 countries and territories which have investments in Vietnam. It has regularly attended international conferences of donors to Vietnam and is the first East European country to provide official development assistance to Vietnam.
Despite these economic and trade achievements, cooperation has been modest compared with the two countries’ potential.
Truong Manh Son, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic, has called on the two ministries of trade and industry to increase communications and links between the two business communities to help Czech enterprises do business or open representative offices in Vietnam and form joint-ventures with Vietnamese partners.
As a gateway to Europe, the Czech market is currently a primary target for small and medium-sized Vietnamese enterprises, particularly in the garment, textile, and footwear sectors, according to Le Hong Thang, Director of the Hanoi Department of Trade and Industry.
Thang said that “trade promotion in markets in Eastern Europe offers the shortest way to the EU market. Once we conquer the Czech market, an outlying EU market with 90 million people who like Vietnamese products and their prices, we’ll expand in the area.
Thang noted that one advantage Vietnamese enterprises have is that consumers in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and Poland are already very familiar with Vietnamese brands of garments, textiles, and footwear products.
Tran Thi Minh Thu, a member of the executive board of the Hanoi Leather and Footwear Association, said Vietnamese firms can compete and win the trust of Czech consumers.
According to Thu, “with restricted capacity in self production and purchasing of semi-finished materials, Vietnamese leather and shoes makers will have to face fiercer competition in the market. But compared to the products made by those who are doing business in the Czech market, we are strongly confident in vying there.”
In 2013, the Czech government officially recognized the Vietnamese community of more than 60,000 people as an ethnic minority group there, acknowledging their contributions to local socio-economic development.
Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VET/VIR

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