kude.punny

Advertising Vietnam’s Tourism, Beaches Very Important

Friday, September 29, 2006 How to effectively advertise Vietnam’s tourism has concerned people, especially since Vietnam set goals to attract a large number of international tourists to the country in the coming years.

With a long shape the country has a lot of beautiful beaches. “Advertising plans for Vietnam’s tourism should focus on attaching the country’s image with its beaches,” is the opinion of different researchers, economists and tourism experts.

Professor John Quelch, Associate Dean of the Harvard Business School: “Word of mouth is important to advertising Vietnam’s beaches

I am confident that Vietnam will be come the second most well known destination for tourism among ASEAN countries after Thailand. In my opinion, in order to attract more tourists to Vietnam, investing more in advertising is not necessarily the only way. In this case, word of mouth conveyed by tourists who have been to Vietnam seems to be extremely important and effective

International events, conferences, meetings that Vietnam has been organising will definitely provide the country good chances to advertise its beaches. For example organising APEC meetings in coastal areas where there are terrific beaches like Da Nang, Hoi An, Ha Long, Nha Trang will be a good way to introduce APEC delegates to the beauty of Vietnam.

If the APEC summit 2006 in Vietnam is successful, APEC delegates, foreign leaders from 21 APEC member economies will feel satisfied on the organisation. This will help to build up a great reputation for Vietnam’s tourism. Certainly this would be much more effective than any other costly advertising campaign.

However, long and wonderful beaches, white sand are not everything yet. Vietnam has these things in place but if it doesn’t have enough high-quality hotels, resorts and good infrastructure like airports, roads to meet the needs of tourists. It is very much like an orchestra without music instruments.

Cheap and poor quality hotels and resorts will not help to lure “five-star” tourists to visit these beaches, while the amount such tourists spend in one day would be sometimes 10 times higher than a lower class traveler would do.

In my recent trip to Madrid (Spain) and Paris (France) I saw a lot of advertisements to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in conjunction with advertising the beautiful images of beaches. This advertising work was done by Vietnamese tourism companies. Recently many tourists have come back to Vietnam seeking to spend their holidays on the countries beaches. Many of my friends after using the diving service in Cu Lao Cham had very good words about the island. They said the landscape there was much more beautiful than the landscapes of beaches in Thailand.So a question then is why Vietnam has not focused on advertising for its beaches in Europe and America where people cannot go to local beaches during wintertime. Westerners are usually very proud of how suntanned their skin is after going back from long holidays in a beach in Asia. So why should we not make the most of the advantages we have? I believe that in the next few years, when mentioning beaches in Asia, people will think of Vietnam.Building world-standard beach resortsMany tourists have said that Vietnam has the potential to build up good reputation for its beaches, but it has not been done properly. Many of its beaches have been recognised by the world community such as Ha Long, Van Phong, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, Con Dao especially Da Nang was voted as one of the six most attractive beaches in the world by the American Forbes Magazine. However we have not yet find a good way to work on the planning with the view to turning them into world-standard tourism spots.An expert from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said, Vietnam would never have world standard beaches if the planning work was not done. There should not be poor quality hotels and resorts built next to four or five star ones on these beaches.To achieve the goals, the role of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is important. This government body needs to work either by collecting votes or defining best beaches in the country. Afterward, it has to play an active role in proposing to the government for proper comprehensive planning of these areas. The next step would be calling for investment in building high quality hotels, resorts on these beaches.As reported, Vietnam is really in need of having a knowledgeable “conductor” who is experienced and capable of working on the issue. Some people even suggest the country to invite international experts to take on the task. Since completing this Vietnam then shall go on with its marketing campaigns to advertise for its tourism industry attached with the images of its beautiful beaches.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 29, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Considers Allowing 49 pct Foreign Ownership Of Airlines
The Vietnamese government is considering allowing foreign investors to acquire up to 49 percent of local airline companies from January next year, a civil aviation official said.Ho Quoc Cuong, a deputy director at the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), said this was envisaged under a revised law on civil aviation.Lai Xuan Thanh, another deputy director, said the law would be more liberal than current regulations that capped foreign holdings at 30 percent – like at Pacific Airlines.The CAAV had just completed a draft decree to guide implementation of the law.The decree, if approved, would allow a single foreign investor to buy up to 30 percent of a local airline, while a group of foreign investors could join Vietnamese partners to establish an airline by contributing up to 49 percent of the capital.“It will also enable local enterprises to set up private airlines,” Thanh said, adding the new rules were expected to come into force on January 1.Source: Forbes
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 29, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Local Administration Vows To Settle Land Complaints
A Vietnamese provincial government promised Wednesday to resolve all public grievances against government land acquisition moves by this year.Lam Minh Chieu, chairman of the An Giang province people’s committee [local government], made the pledge at a meeting with 50 members of the public who recently lodged complaints against government decisions to acquire land paying low or no compensation, favoritism in resettling displaced people, and delay in processing their grievances.Chieu said he would even seek reviews of decisions issued by the highest authorities including ministries and central agencies.In neighboring Ben Tre province, chairman of the Ba Tri district people’s committee, Nguyen Thanh Hong, met 21 people with similar grievances on Thursday.Their grievances were mostly against the local government seizing their land for housing projects or building collectives years ago, with some cases even dating back to right after the country’s unification in 1975.Source: Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 29, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Braces For Typhoon
Vietnam braced Friday for the expected arrival of Typhoon Xangsane over the weekend, placing coastal provinces on high alert and preparing for the possible evacuation of thousands of people.The typhoon is due late Sunday after exiting the Philippines, where it has left 30 people dead and millions without power."Xangsane is one of the most violent typhoons in recent years," said Bui Minh Tang, director of the National Meteorological Centre."It could be as violent as Chanchu," which killed 267 people in the nation last May, he said.Some 30 coastal provinces have been placed on alert, notably central Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue and Danang which could feel the brunt of the typhoon.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered ministries and local authorities to prepare and sent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung and his agriculture minister to the central region to organize operations.Dung also asked televisions and coastal radio stations to regularly provide information on the typhoon's progress, the English-daily Vietnam News said."Regional authorities began collecting food, medicine, lifeboats and first aid kits for isolated areas and are preparing for the possible relocation for groups living in landslide and flood prone areas," the paper said.Up to 10,000 people could be temporarily displaced in the central city of Danang alone, said Van Phu Chinh, director of the regional's Food and Storm Control Department."The typhoon could trigger massive floods. We have asked inhabitants to stock water and food for a week," he told AFP."We are reinforcing sea dikes, we mobilised thousands of military and sent alert to around 600 fishing boats currently at sea."Local officials have been asked to suspend all authorizations for boats to leave ports.Xangsane, which packed maximum winds of 130 kilometres (81 miles) per hour when it slammed into the main Philippines island of Luzon before dawn Thursday, was the strongest typhoon to hit Manila in 11 years.According to Vietnamese authorities, 267 people were killed or went missing after typhoon Chanchu hit Vietnam, with dozens of boats disappearing at sea in what was seen as a failure of the nation's storm-response system. Source: CNA
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 29, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Imports More Fertilizers In First 9 Months
Vietnam is estimated to import nearly 2.4 million tons of fertilizers valued at 508 million U.S. dollars in the first nine months of this year, posting respective year-on-year increases of 18.1 percent and 15.3 percent.In the period, the country is set to import 566,000 tons of urea worth 138 million dollars, mainly from China, up 3.4 percent in volume but down 1.5 percent in value, according to Vietnam's General Statistics Office on Friday.Vietnam's demand for fertilizers is expected to stand at 7.8-8 million tons, including some 2.1 million tons of urea and over 2.2 million tons of nitrogen-phosphate-kalium fertilizer in 2006, sources at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said, noting that the country will have to import more than 2.5 million tons of fertilizers, including over one million tons of urea, in the year.Vietnam, home to over 150 fertilizer producers each with an annual capacity ranging from 500 tons to one million tons, imported over 2.9 million tons of fertilizers worth 648 million dollars in 2005, down 28.7 percent and 21.4 percent respectively from 2004, said the office.Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 29, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Thursday, September 28, 2006

Namibia: Vietnam Can Assist Namibian Fisheries
The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo, said on Monday that the Namibian fisheries sector will benefit a lot from Vietnam's experience in fisheries and fish farming.Iyambo, who was speaking during a meeting with Vietnamese Fisheries Minister Ta Quang Ngoc in Windhoek, said the Asian country had an "enriching experience" in fisheries.Vietnam can assist Namibia in increasing its production and add value to its export market, he said.The Vietnamese fisheries sector makes a substantial contribution to the Vietnamese economy and has during the last 10 years made an important contribution to the noticeable reduction in poverty in Vietnam from a poverty rate of 58 per cent in 1993 to 19,5 per cent in 2004.The Vietnamese fisheries sector has been able to fulfil the most optimistic expectations of the Vietnamese government with a growth in exports from approximately N$3,9 million in 1995 to approximately N$18,55 billion in 2005."If we can get assistance from Vietnam, we can become a fast developed country," he said.Iyambo proposed some areas where the Vietnam could assist the Namibian fisheries sector.Ngoc jetted into the country on Sunday, and his visit to Namibia is aimed at sharing experience in the area of fisheries, especially coastal management.The visit would also provide an opportunity to exchange views and ideas on issues of further co-operation.The Vietnamese Minister's programme included paying a courtesy call on Prime Minister Nahas Angula, and being shown Namibia's efforts in aquaculture.Ngoc was expected to visit the Ecofish freshwater fish farm at Mariental in the Hardap Region, and the Omahenen/Onavivi inland aquaculture centre in the Omusati Region.The trip ended at the coast where he was scheduled to visit the Marine Research Institute at Swakopmund, the Maritime Training Institute, the petrol vessel as well as the processing facilities at Walvis Bay.Vietnamese Minister brought along three experts, among them a marine biologist, an expert in management and planning and an expert on international co-operation.
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Foreign Tourists To Viet Nam Rise In September
Viet Nam welcomed approximately 290,000 foreign tourists in September.Viet Nam welcomed approximately 290,000 foreign tourists in September, which represented a 9 percent increase from the same period last year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said.The figure brought the total of foreign visitors to the country to around 2.7 million in the first nine months of this year, up 4.6 percent year-on-year.The number of visitors from Thailand surged by 48 percent; the Republic of Korea, 29 percent; Malaysia, 27 percent; Denmark, 26 percent; Japan and Russia, 21 percent, Australia, 18 percent, and Germany and the US, 16 percent.As a result of the increasing number of tourists, hotels throughout the country reported an occupancy rate of 70-80 percent in the period. The rate even reached 100 percent at various 4-5 starred hotels in large tourism centres, such as Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.According to the Ha Noi Tourism Department, China will permit its cruisers to travel from its Hainan island to Viet Nam's northern province of Quang Ninh, carrying around 1,000 visitors a day on an average.The move is expected to bring new hope to Ha Noi, as it will help triple the existing number of Chinese visitors to the capital city in the future, the department added.Ha Noi has received 870,000 foreign visitors since the beginning of this year.Source: Vietnam Agency
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

More Favorable Conditions For Investors
Investment fields with conditions are clearly specified in the new decreeDecree No.108/2006/ND-CP, which is one of the most expected legal texts guiding the implementation of the Investment Law, has been issued by the Prime Minister. Can you talk more about the new decree?To implement the new Investment Law, Decree No.108/2006/ND-CP is a prerequisite. Without the decree, along with others like decree on BOT, BT and BOO projects, decree on overseas investment of Vietnamese investors, decree on enterprise transfer of foreign invested enterprises in accordance with the Enterprise Law and Investment Law.During the compilation process, the MPI and experts from ministries and sectors consulted opinions of the business community, international organizations, foreign experts on international laws in Vietnam, etc... The Prime Minister also found time to directly discuss with the compiling board, checking for each word and provision for an early completion.In your opinion, which is the most important regulation in the new decree?That’s the regulation on administrative reform in investment license issuance. Previously, this is directly made by the MPI, with limited decentralization. Over the past 20 years, provinces were only allowed to grant licenses to foreign investment projects with capital lower than US$5 million. In 2000, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City were authorized to issue investment licenses to projects of US$15 million.Thus, the newly issued decree marked a great reform in administration. From now on, almost every projects (regardless the amount of investment capital) are licensed by provincial people committees. It’s not simply decentralization, but a policy of the administrative reform.This will raise responsibilities of provincial people committees in investment management, and set ground for the application of a one-door policy, creating a breakthrough in investment encouragement.Thanks to this, ministries and industries, especially the MPI, will have more time to focus on making macro policies and master plans for industries and regions; as well as provide information, forecasts, promotion, supervision and control to investment projects.Previously, almost all projects need approval from the Prime Minister. For now, the Prime Minister only checks projects in line with the investment scheme. In short, investors are not required to submit their projects to the Prime Minister for approval, providing that the projects are in line with investment scheme.One “hot” topic discussed by law makers is “re-programming” investment fields with conditions. How is this described in the new decree?To create favorable conditions for investors, it’s important to grant them freedom in doing business. Investment fields with conditions are clearly specified in the new decree, avoiding over limitations without legal basis. Limitation on cement industry is a typical example.For sensitive field, the MPI doesn’t have detailed regulations but a “background commitment”. The Government will consider investment license issuance based on each case.Many investors worried that the investment legal system are more pre-examination than post-examination. With the new decree, what’s your opinion about this?In fact, how the examination scheme works is not the most important thing. Which is the best for the state administration over enterprises and investment is more important. The Investment Law aims at creating favorable conditions for investor in the process of international integration.To implement the Decree, what steps will be done, do you think?The implementation of the new decree is the first and most important step to enhance the Investment Law. Since the law is related to policy issue, guidance from the state level is needed. The foundation of a task force to enhance the Investment Law has a special meaning. Besides, decentralization cannot be successfully made unless provincial governing bodies are provided with proper training. Source: VN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Southern Metro To Use Smart Cards on Buses
Ho Chi Minh City plans to introduce smart cards to replace of tickets on local buses.The Department of Transportation and Public Works said during the initial trial phase, the cards would be used by customers exempt from buying tickets – like people with physical disabilities.The capital Hanoi is testing out the card on two bus routes.The timings and routes of the buses for trial in HCMC will be announced soon.Source: ThanhNieB
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Traffic Accident In China Kills Two Vietnamese Tourists
A car crash Tuesday killed two Vietnamese tourists and hospitalized eight others as the victims were making a trip in China’s Yunnan province.The incident reportedly took place at 7:45pm Tuesday as the car carrying Vietnamese visitors crashed with another in Kunming city.The group included 19 Vietnamese tourists, including 16 officials from the Roads and Bridges Consultation Company in Vietnam’s Lao Cai mountainous province, a source said.Eight others were hospitalized in the accident.The tour was organized by the Binh Minh Tourism Center, an affiliate of the Lao Cai Import-Export Company.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Quarantines May Block Tropical Fish From Entering US Market
Tropical fish are to be subject to the US quarantine regulations when enter the market Vietnamese tropical fish exports to the US could be swimming into a roadblock as quarantine regulations have been tightened stateside from September 29, announced authorities in Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday.The municipal Agriculture and Rural Development Department released new regulations on tropical fish imports of the US Agriculture Ministry, which requires quarantine certificates for about ten kinds of fish.In detail, the new regulations say before exporting fish, the country must ensure its consignments are free of Spring viraemia, an infectious viral disease found in carp fish.The new regulations are difficult for Vietnamese tropical fish export businesses as the domestic quarantine offices do not have facilities to perform the virus checks or issues certificates in accordance with the US requirements.Dang Ai Viet, head of the Ho Chi Minh City quality management and aquatic resources exploitation and protection directorate said at present laboratories in Ho Chi Minh City lack equipment to test this virus.Nguyen Van Lang, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Tropical Fish Association, said last year when the EU announced the application of the regulations, Vietnam could not export the fish to that market.Thus, tropical fish entrepreneurs growing them for ornamental purposes have proposed the Vietnam’s Ministry of Fisheries to find solutions.The EU and US markets make up about 90 percent of the city’s export turnover, said the municipal Agriculture and Rural Development Department. Source: Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Coconut Price Soars, Growers Get Rich, Producers Starve
Coconut growers in Ben Tre might be enjoying record prices for their fruit but the local coconut processors are having a rough time as the export trade is taking away most of their supplies.It’s no wonder Ben Tre is called “Coconut Land” – there’s more than 35,000 hectares of the trees in the Mekong Delta province.Every day on the Ham Luong River, there are dozens of freighters waiting to buy coconuts and ship them to China, Thailand and Cambodia.Then there are the hundreds of coconut vendors throughout the province, so the processing companies have competition on two fronts.This massive demand is what’s fueling the price increase. A top-grade fruit is fetching more than 17 US cents, the highest ever, and traders believe the price rise has a fair way to go yet.Among the growers the mood is decidedly upbeat.“This year I’ll get about US$1,200 from my 400-meter square coconut garden. That’s US$100 a month, so it’s a prosperous life,” one grower said.The potential reward is tempting more people to plant coconuts, a trend that the provincial authorities have not failed to notice.“Sensing the great benefit of coconuts, we are planning to expand coconut growing by 5,000 hectares,” said Nguyen Quoc Bao, vice chairman of the Ben Tre People's Committee.With the coconut market booming in Ben Tre and beyond, other provinces are planting more trees too.Life is not so good for the dozens of firms that process coconuts in Ben Tre however.“My workshop is short of materials because of the high prices and stiff competition from traders,” said Piyal Kasturiratna, general director of the Phu Hung Coconut Processing Company. “We’ve had to cancel many orders and are just idling along at the moment.”The higher prices are purely a local phenomenon driven by demand; the export price has not changed so the coconut processors cannot afford to buy at these prices.Because of the persistent losses, 14 coconut processors in Ben Tre and two in nearby Tra Vinh have halted production for now.“Coconut processing is an important part of the province’s industry. However, the high prices and stiff competition are a major problem for coconut processors. We don’t know what to do about it,” said Tran Anh Tuan, director of the Ben Tre Department of Industry.Apparently the root cause of the high prices is the cooperation between Truc Giang Production, Trading and Import-Export Company (Treximco) and the Silvermill Group of Sri Lanka since 2001.With Silvermill’s ability and the growing demand for copra to produce candy, Vietnam’s desiccated copra has been shipped to many countries since then.Because of the thriving trade, Vietnam has become the fourth biggest exporter of copra in the world.According to several of the Mekong Delta’s coconut processors, it will be hard for the fledgling industry to grow without significant intervention, policy changes and such by the Vietnamese government.“Ben Tre will provide some tax breaks for struggling coconut processing companies,” Mr. Nguyen Quoc Bao said. “Still, they must do their bit by improving their competitiveness and adding more value.”Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 28, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Rice Husk Plants to Lessen Energy Costs
Rice in HuskThe HCM City Energy Conservation Centre (Enerteam) has submitted a plan to build two rice husk-fuelled power plants in Can Tho City.Nguyen Minh Thong, director of Can Tho City’s Department of Science and Technology, said the plants, with a combined investment capital of US$9.6 million, would use leftover husks collected after rice milling.Tran Quang Cu, the project’s technical consultant, said the plants could sell electricity at a low price for consumers.The two electricity plants are to be built in Can Tho City’s surrounding areas, each covering two ha and generating a total of 18,500-35,600 MWh a year.Cu said electricity prices could be as low as VND296 a kWh since the cost of rice husk was only VND100 per kilo.Each plant needs only two kilos of rice husks to generate one kWh.The plants would also generate electricity for machines that steam-dry rice paddy, a method widely used in modern husking mills in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.Traditionally, coal-powered and solar-fuelled dryers have been used, but steam dryers produce higher quality rice. VEN
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 27, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Face Shortage Of 100,000 Tons Of Sugar
Vietnam is expected to encounter shortage of 100,000 tons of sugar in the 2006-2007 ending next July, according to the Vietnam Sugar Association on Wednesday.Local experts estimated the total sugar production in Vietnam at more than 1.2 million tons, while the domestic sugar demand at over 1.3 million tons, said the association.Vietnam, with the current production scale, may need to import 500,000-600,000 tons of the product worth some 300 million U.S. dollars from now to 2010, it noted.The country has pledged to import some 55,000 tons of sugar each year after it joins the World Trade Organization, hopefully this year. It will gradually reduce taxes on sugar imported from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from current 40 percent to 30 percent in 2007 and 0-5 percent in 2010.Vietnam imported nearly 80,000 tons of sugar in the first five months of this year, increasing 15 times over the same period last year, according to the country's Trade Ministry.Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 27, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Import More Sugar In 2007
Raw Sugar CanesThe Ministry of Trade (MoT) said Vietnam will import around 500,000-600,000 tons of sugar, totaling US$300 million by 2010.In the period of 2002-2007, Vietnam's sugar production is estimated to reach only 1.237 million tons, which is still 100,000 tons lower than the domestic demands.Therefore, the Domestic Market Monitoring Group has proposed MoT to issue regulations on as well as work out long-term strategies for next year’s sugar import.Vietnam has pledged to allow the importation of around 55,000 tons of sugar a year, and the number will increase annually, when the country joins the World Trade Organization (WTO).By 2007, sugar import tariff will reduce to 30 percent as part of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) commitment. VEN
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 27, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Fruit, Vegetable Exports To Up 19% This Year
Thieu litchi in Bac Giang Province.Vietnam will earn as much as US$280 million from fruit and vegetable exports this year, up 19% over last year according to the Ministry of Trade.The major export markets for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables remain to be China, Russia and Japan.Recently, many large fruit areas have been established like Hoa Loc mango in Tien Giang, dragon fruit in Binh Thuan, Thieu litchi in Bac Giang, grape in Ninh Thuan, Nam Roi pamelo in Vinh Long, etc.Experts also recommend that India and Eastern Europe are potential export markets for fruits and vegetables. Therefore, exporters should pay more attention to these markets and improve product quality and safety to meet standards applied there.Experts also suggest that Vietnam needs to build brands for special fruits and vegetables, push up promotion activities, expand the acreage of competitive products, stabilize material supplies for processing plants, etc. Moreover, modern technologies should be applied more to produce clean, high quality fruits and vegetables.Source: VEN
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 27, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Nine-Month Exports Hit US $29.4 Billion
Vietnam posted an export turnover of US $3.3 billion in September, raising the country's nine-month export value up to US $29.39 billion, an annual increase of 24.2% and accounting for 77.86% of this year’s targeted figure, according to the Ministry of Trade.The country exported 4.1 million tonnes of rice, earning over US $1.1 billion, approximately reaching last year's figures in terms of quantity and value.Exports of coffee was down in amount, about 675,000 tonnes, but up in value, US $788 million, a year-on-year increase of 34%, due to high price.High price also doubled rubber export value compared to last year corresponding figure, chalking US $950 million. Source: Nhan Dan
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 27, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Police Prosecute Two Diamond Smuggling Suspects
Police on Sept. 26 prosecuted two Ho Chi Minh City residents on charges of smuggling diamonds and decided to put them in jail for four months for further investigations.Tran Binh Tam and Nguyen Huu Tai, aged 66 and 40 respectively, were seized by customs officers at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, HCM City, on Sept. 22 after discovering 428 diamonds worth over 150,000 USD hidden in Tam's luggage and 601 diamonds worth 91,000 USD in Tai's belongings.Police later found another 856 diamonds worth nearly 14,000 USD in Tam's house as well as 11 diamonds worth 3,420 USD and hundreds of faked diamonds in Tai's house.Both have pleaded guilty, saying they deliberately planned to elude import duties on diamonds, which are levied at 10 percent.They said they had managed to escape customs officers for several times and trafficked into Viet Nam a large quantity of diamonds from Hong Kong and Thailand.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Motorbike Taxi Services Go Professional
Amotorbike ‘taxi’ com-pany started recently in HCM City has been enjoying initial success, according to a report in Tuoi Tre newspaper.Omo-to-taxi service can be reached at 406-0707 to call up a motorbike taxi at a fare of VND2,000 per kilometre.The operation shows how ingenious local entrepreneurs can be. The headquarters is connected to the taxis by SMS’s and once the office receives a call from a customer, the operator will check which taxi is nearest to the caller and direct it to the client.Giang Hang Doanh, the founder of this service, says he has been toying with the idea for eight years but could only implement it this year thanks to developments in telecom like the wide penetration of mobile phones even among low-income earners like motorbike taxi-drivers, and the drop in tariffs.At first, it was difficult for him and his sister, the owner of the company, to persuade drivers to join the service.But after a while they were convinced and 500 of them have signed up.The scheme is simple: the drivers charge a fee of VND4,000 for the first kilometre and VND2,000 for each subsequent kilometre, and pay the company VND1,500 for each successful call.The service has enjoyed early success because of many factors. Many people want a regular, cheap service to take their children to school since their own work schedules do not coincide with school hours.They have signed long-term contracts for the service. Other customers want to ride with someone they can trust.Casual clients are happy to call up the service since they can be sure the fare is always correct – motorbikes have accurate odometers.
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Ha Noi Seeks To Build Retail Network
Ha Noi has begun to offer incentives to those planning to invest in shopping centres and supermarkets, in an effort to create a modernised retail distribution network in the city.According to a newly issued regulation of the Ha Noi People’s Committee, investors who build shopping centres and supermarkets in Ha Noi will enjoy tax preferences, and shortcuts in land and administrative procedures.The regulation is the latest move by the capital in strengthening the city’s retail sector as the country prepares to accede to the World Trade Organisation.Under the new rule, those investing in modern distribution networks will promptly be provided with construction and planning information that relates to their projects. In addition, the city will shorten the time taken for administration formalities associated with such projects.Investors will be given priority to rent land where site clearance and compensation have been completed for 50 years or even 70 years.The city will also build technical infrastructure, including roads, power and water supply systems to help make the projects possible.Nguyen Manh Hoang, director of the Ha Noi Trade Department, said this policy would be applied for both domestic and foreign investors, with the aim of developing a modern distribution system in Ha Noi.Local investors in approved projects will have the opportunity to borrow capital from the Development Assistance Fund and the Development Construction Investment Fund.Ha Noi currently has 70 supermarkets and shopping centres, but only 20 per cent of retail goods sold in Ha Noi go through this distribution channel, a much lower proportion than that in HCM City.Hoang said that the system of supermarkets and trading centres in Ha Noi was not satisfying the needs of local residents and businesses. So the city was planning to build an additional 60 standardised trading centres and supermarkets from now to 2010, with the aim of increasing the volume of retail goods passing through this channel from 20 to 30 per cent of all retail goods in Ha Noi.The city is encouraging local businesses to co-operate with big companies in HCM City to develop the retail distribution network.Source: Vietnam News
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Ha Noi Seeks To Build Retail Network
Ha Noi has begun to offer incentives to those planning to invest in shopping centres and supermarkets, in an effort to create a modernised retail distribution network in the city.According to a newly issued regulation of the Ha Noi People’s Committee, investors who build shopping centres and supermarkets in Ha Noi will enjoy tax preferences, and shortcuts in land and administrative procedures.The regulation is the latest move by the capital in strengthening the city’s retail sector as the country prepares to accede to the World Trade Organisation.Under the new rule, those investing in modern distribution networks will promptly be provided with construction and planning information that relates to their projects. In addition, the city will shorten the time taken for administration formalities associated with such projects.Investors will be given priority to rent land where site clearance and compensation have been completed for 50 years or even 70 years.The city will also build technical infrastructure, including roads, power and water supply systems to help make the projects possible.Nguyen Manh Hoang, director of the Ha Noi Trade Department, said this policy would be applied for both domestic and foreign investors, with the aim of developing a modern distribution system in Ha Noi.Local investors in approved projects will have the opportunity to borrow capital from the Development Assistance Fund and the Development Construction Investment Fund.Ha Noi currently has 70 supermarkets and shopping centres, but only 20 per cent of retail goods sold in Ha Noi go through this distribution channel, a much lower proportion than that in HCM City.Hoang said that the system of supermarkets and trading centres in Ha Noi was not satisfying the needs of local residents and businesses. So the city was planning to build an additional 60 standardised trading centres and supermarkets from now to 2010, with the aim of increasing the volume of retail goods passing through this channel from 20 to 30 per cent of all retail goods in Ha Noi.The city is encouraging local businesses to co-operate with big companies in HCM City to develop the retail distribution network.Source: Vietnam News
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Ha Noi Seeks To Build Retail Network
Ha Noi has begun to offer incentives to those planning to invest in shopping centres and supermarkets, in an effort to create a modernised retail distribution network in the city.According to a newly issued regulation of the Ha Noi People’s Committee, investors who build shopping centres and supermarkets in Ha Noi will enjoy tax preferences, and shortcuts in land and administrative procedures.The regulation is the latest move by the capital in strengthening the city’s retail sector as the country prepares to accede to the World Trade Organisation.Under the new rule, those investing in modern distribution networks will promptly be provided with construction and planning information that relates to their projects. In addition, the city will shorten the time taken for administration formalities associated with such projects.Investors will be given priority to rent land where site clearance and compensation have been completed for 50 years or even 70 years.The city will also build technical infrastructure, including roads, power and water supply systems to help make the projects possible.Nguyen Manh Hoang, director of the Ha Noi Trade Department, said this policy would be applied for both domestic and foreign investors, with the aim of developing a modern distribution system in Ha Noi.Local investors in approved projects will have the opportunity to borrow capital from the Development Assistance Fund and the Development Construction Investment Fund.Ha Noi currently has 70 supermarkets and shopping centres, but only 20 per cent of retail goods sold in Ha Noi go through this distribution channel, a much lower proportion than that in HCM City.Hoang said that the system of supermarkets and trading centres in Ha Noi was not satisfying the needs of local residents and businesses. So the city was planning to build an additional 60 standardised trading centres and supermarkets from now to 2010, with the aim of increasing the volume of retail goods passing through this channel from 20 to 30 per cent of all retail goods in Ha Noi.The city is encouraging local businesses to co-operate with big companies in HCM City to develop the retail distribution network.Source: Vietnam News
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Ha Noi Seeks To Build Retail Network
Ha Noi has begun to offer incentives to those planning to invest in shopping centres and supermarkets, in an effort to create a modernised retail distribution network in the city.According to a newly issued regulation of the Ha Noi People’s Committee, investors who build shopping centres and supermarkets in Ha Noi will enjoy tax preferences, and shortcuts in land and administrative procedures.The regulation is the latest move by the capital in strengthening the city’s retail sector as the country prepares to accede to the World Trade Organisation.Under the new rule, those investing in modern distribution networks will promptly be provided with construction and planning information that relates to their projects. In addition, the city will shorten the time taken for administration formalities associated with such projects.Investors will be given priority to rent land where site clearance and compensation have been completed for 50 years or even 70 years.The city will also build technical infrastructure, including roads, power and water supply systems to help make the projects possible.Nguyen Manh Hoang, director of the Ha Noi Trade Department, said this policy would be applied for both domestic and foreign investors, with the aim of developing a modern distribution system in Ha Noi.Local investors in approved projects will have the opportunity to borrow capital from the Development Assistance Fund and the Development Construction Investment Fund.Ha Noi currently has 70 supermarkets and shopping centres, but only 20 per cent of retail goods sold in Ha Noi go through this distribution channel, a much lower proportion than that in HCM City.Hoang said that the system of supermarkets and trading centres in Ha Noi was not satisfying the needs of local residents and businesses. So the city was planning to build an additional 60 standardised trading centres and supermarkets from now to 2010, with the aim of increasing the volume of retail goods passing through this channel from 20 to 30 per cent of all retail goods in Ha Noi.The city is encouraging local businesses to co-operate with big companies in HCM City to develop the retail distribution network.Source: Vietnam News
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

VN's Mobile Communications Poised For The World
Lockheed Martin’s CEO shakes hands with VNPT's general director after signing a contract for the US-based company to supply Vietnam’s first communications satellite.Vietnam’s mobile network operators and other telcos could be in for some stiff competition from abroad as the country moves closer to joining the World Trade Organization.The nation’s booming telecommunications market, which is growing by 60-70 percent annually, is bound to attract dozens of foreign companies.Today there are more than 12 million mobile phone subscribers out of a population of 84 million.Foreign companies have not failed to see the trend in Vietnam, which they view as a place that provides a quick return on investment.With WTO membership on the near horizon, top names in mobile communications like Motorola, Siemens, Ericsson, Telenor, Lucent Technologies and Nokia have invested in Vietnam in recent times.Local mobile operators will surely face stiff competition from foreign companies when Vietnam becomes a member of the WTO.Many foreign firms have shown an ambition to expand into Vietnam’s mobile communication market by planning to buy shares of MobiFone and VinaPhone.And without sound policies and plans, Vietnam’s fledgling mobile operators might easily be “taken over” by the foreign competition.Development plansIn developed countries, there are usually between one and four mobile network operators. In Vietnam, there are already five: VinaPhone, MobiFone, Viettel Mobile, S-Fone and E-Mobile, and another is on the way, namely Hanoi Telecom. They use GSM or CDMA in their networks.So perhaps foreign telcos will find it hard to develop other mobile technologies in Vietnam.According to industry experts, the focus of domestic telcos on improving their services comes from an attempt to increase the number of subscribers and capture as much market share as possible before the foreign companies arrive in force.VinaPhone, MobiFone and Viettel Mobile have lowered their monthly subscription fees since June 1.Furthermore, all five mobile network operators use “6+1” second blocks for subscribers, knocking 15 percent off their monthly payment.But foreign telcos can move into the driving seat by buying shares of the native companies.MobiFone, VinaPhone and Viettel Mobile are scheduled to go public, to be equitized, so they will undoubtedly be targeted by foreign investors.Of course, equitization will bring more investment capital, modern technologies and management experience from abroad.Vietnam’s first satellite, VINASAT, will be launched by June 2008, giving the country’s telecommunications industry a big advantage on the road to global integration.Source: SGGP
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vung Tau Gets Luxury Beach Hotel, Shopping Complex
Southern Vung Tau City will see its first beachfront luxury hotel which will also double as a shopping complex opening on Christmas Day.The 17,600 sq Imperial Plaza and Hotel, with 150 rooms and 60 serviced apartments, will house a 6,000 sq.m shopping and entertainment centre.Lac Viet Corporation, the owner of this VND 246 billion ($15.3 million) property, has appointed CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Vietnam as its retail consultant and sole marketing agent.Vung Tau City, which is two hours from HCM City by road, attracted five million visitors last year including 200,000 foreigners. To add to the attractiveness of the location, the local economy has been booming resulting in higher incomes and increasing consumer spending.Richard Leech, CBRE retail service director, said the project would interest retailers who already had a foothold in Vietnam or were eyeing the emerging nation, and domestic producers with a track record for offering high quality goods and services.Source: VNA
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 26, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Monday, September 25, 2006

Waistlines Continue To Bulge In Vietnam
A nationwide study conducted by the Vietnam Nutrition Institute has found obesity rates climbing in the country mainly due to meat eating and people’s reluctance to exercise. The study highlighted the fact that Vietnam's rapid development in recent years from abject poverty to relative prosperity was having an impact on lifestyles. With food no longer scarce, Vietnamese were eating more meat and other fatty foods, and the busy pace of urban life had helped make Western-style fast food popular.Dr. Nguyen Cong Khan, head of the institute, also attributed the increasing obesity rates to the explosion of vehicles and labor-saving devices in recent years, resulting in a reluctance to undertake physical activities.He strongly advised people to eat healthy foods and exercise as obesity-related diseases were on the rise in Vietnam.The survey found the southeastern region, including Ho Chi Minh City and its neighboring provinces, topping the list of areas showing an increase in obesity."Obesity rates in the region have hit 29.6 percent, which should set off some serious alarm bells,” Khan said.Institution experts advised organizations providing food for their employees to focus on a reasonable nutrition regime for those people in sedentary jobs to prevent the risk of obesity-related diseases. The institute would step up efforts to persuade people to exercise and consume vegetables, milk, and fish in their daily meals, Khan said. Source: ThanhNien
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

French Naval Ship Arrives In Da Nang Port
The French supply and command ship, VAR, led by Rear Admiral Hubert de Gaullier des Bordes, Commander of French naval forces in the Indian Ocean, arrived in central Da Nang port on Sept. 25 to start their five-day visit.The delegation, including 21 military officers, 15 crew members and 183 non-commissioned officers, was welcomed by representatives of Da Nang city People's Committee, the Military Zone 5 High Command and relevant agencies.During the visit, the delegation will pay a courtesy visit to senior officers at the Viet Nam People's Army General Staff, the Da Nang city People's Committee, the Military Zone 5 High Command.The French navy officers will also visit Da Nang city, Hoi An ancient town, the central imperial city of Hue, Ha Noi and northern Quang Ninh province.
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

PM Asks To Retain 5-Million-Tonne rice Export Target
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has requested concerned agencies to make no change to the goal of exporting 5 million tonnes of rice this year, which could earn the country around US $1.4 billion.The PM asked the Trade Ministry to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam Food Association in directing the export of the staple as planned.According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the national rice output is estimated to reach 36 million tonnes this year, 100,000 tonnes more than last year.Therefore, the country can export 5 million tonnes of rice this year without leaving any impact on the national food security, the Ministry said.In the world market, the rice prices stood high continuously over the past several months, and the price of Vietnamese rice was competitive in comparison with Thai rice.Experts forecast that rice prices in the world market would continue to increase in the coming months.They based the forecast on the reality that demands for rice remain very high while a number of giant rice suppliers are cutting their exports. In addition, droughts that have hit several rice-growing countries have also affected rice supplies.By the end of August, Vietnam shipped abroad nearly 3.8 million tonnes of rice, earning US $1 billion. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Hotels Selected To Serve APEC Meetings
Hilton Hanoi Opera, one of 32 beautifulHotels in Hanoi.Thirty two luxury hotels in Hanoi have been selected to accommodate delegates, media workers and entrepreneurs attending APEC meetings, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).Of these, nine hotels namely Daewoo Hanoi, Sofitel Metropole, Hilton Hanoi Opera, Horison, Sheraton, Sofitel Plaza, Melia, Nikko and Thang Loi, were reserved for high-ranking delegations at the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting scheduled for late November.All of the hotels are located in the centre of the city and are able to provide services of an international standard, including satellite TV, internet services, swimming pools, tennis courts and shopping areas. They all have superb views and staff have extensive experience in welcoming VIPs for major international conferences.Nguyen Thuy Linh from the Daewoo Hanoi Hotel said with its world-class services and highly trained staff, the hotel was highly regarded by both local and foreign visitors.The hotel will provide special menus to welcome the APEC guests, concentrating on international dishes as well as Vietnamese specialties originating from all three regions of the country, Linh said.Boasting 270 luxury rooms, the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel houses a modern business centre. The hotel is also furnished with modern equipment to host major conferences and other events.The Melia Hanoi has always been considered a reliable venue for national and international seminars and meetings. It now has more than 300 rooms as well as convenient services. Hilton Hanoi Opera swimming pool.South African Chef Jurgen Kauz of the Melia Hanoi revealed that his hotel has presented a diverse set of menus for the delegates.High quality food suppliers have been carefully selected to meet the hotel's top priority of food hygiene and safety, Kauz said.Built in 1901 with the French-styled architecture, the Sofitel Metropole has welcomed many foreign heads of state, politicians and celebrities. The hotel has consistently been chosen as one of the leading hotels not only in Hanoi but also in Vietnam and Asia.Apart from these hotels, nearly 400 restaurants specialising in European, Chinese and Thai cuisines as well as Vietnamese specialties have also been selected to serve guests at the APEC events. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

US Representatives Call For Swift PNTR Apply For Vietnam
As many as twenty US representatives on September 21 signed a letter to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, calling for swift consideration and approval of the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Vietnam .“We urge you to call for swift action in the Ways and Means Committee and full floor consideration of H.R. 5602, a bill to grant PNTR to Vietnam . We hope this will be accomplished without delay,” said the letter.It went on to say that “ Vietnam is one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing countries in the world. With over 83 million people, Vietnam offers tremendous promise for US farmers, workers, and businesses. We hear from our constituents that the bilateral agreement the administration struck last spring with Vietnam is among the most commercially significant trade agreement in years.”“US businesses and agricultural producers, in our districts and elsewhere, are eager to take advantages of these terms, which only come into effect for them once Congress grants Vietnam PNTR and Vietnam joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO). We are therefore eager for the Congress to approve legislation to do so,” according to the letter.The letter concluded that “Time is running out to complete congressional consideration of the PNTR bill before President Bush travels to Hanoi in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Failure to grant Vietnam PNTR before that time has the potential to undermine US prestige in such an important region of the world.” (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

First Tourism Information Centre Opens In HCM City
A centre to provide information on tourism and related services, the first of its kind in Vietnam, was inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City on Sept. 23 to assist foreign visitors.The Tourism Information Centre (ITC) will provide tourists with free information about tours to cultural and historical sites, historic events in Viet Nam during the year and information about the scenic attractions of different regions.The TIC will also provide local tourists with professional services, including domestic and foreign tours, and the booking of plane tickets and hotel rooms.Geeshah Perry, TIC managing director, said the centre had been established in anticipation of Vietnam's admission to the World Trade Organisation.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Airlines Fires Cigarette Smuggling Airhostess
Vietnam Airlines General Director Nguyen Xuan Hien said that he has signed a decision firing the airhostess who smuggled cigarettes in Australia.Vietnam Airlines airhostess fined $10,000 in AustraliaVietnam Airlines has also disciplined six other staff who were involved in purchasing duty-free cigarettes in Melbourne, Australia to sell in Australia.According to Hien, the Chief of Vietnam Airlines Office in Australia, he immediately reported this case to his leaders in Vietnam. At an urgent meeting held last Friday, Vietnam Airlines officials decided to fire airhostess Luu Thi Lien and arranged for the six other staff that transported cigarettes for Lien to transfer to other jobs at lower salaries within six months.Head of Vietnam Airlines airhostess mission Nguyen Thi Minh Ha said that the agency would issue some more regulations to tighten control over airhostesses to avoid regrettable cases.One week ago, airhostess Luu Thi Lien was fined $10,000 by the Australian Customs Agency for purchasing duty free cigarettes in Melbourne to sell in Australia.Source: VNE
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Export 210,000 Tonnes of Rice To Indonesia
The Indonesian National Logistics Agency on September 22 signed contracts to buy a total of 210,000 tonnes of rice from three Vietnamese businesses.The Indonesian agency agreed to buy 158,000 tonnes of rice worth US $47.81 million from the Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood II); 26,000 tonnes worth US $7.85 million from the Tien Giang Food Company (TIGI Food); and 26,000 tonnes worth US $7.85 million from the Kien Giang Commercial Company. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Japanese Businessmen To Visit Vietnam
A delegation of 20 Japanese businessmen will come to Vietnam from September 24-29 for a study on Vietnam’s investment environment and a search in investment opportunities in the country.The field trip, organised by the Japan’s Vietnam Economic Research Institute, in co-operation with Vietnam's Embassy in Japan, is also aimed at promoting a new wave of investment of Japanese enterprises to Vietnam.During their field trip, the businessmen, who are interested in Vietnam’s investment environment, will pay their special attention to the northern provinces of Ha Tay and Hung Yen and the central highlands province of Lam Dong.The Japan’s Vietnam Economic Research Institute has given consultations to over 200 Japanese companies for investing in Vietnam in the current past . The Institute has a plan to set up a centre in Japan to provide Japanese businessmen with information about investment environment of some provinces and cities in Vietnam, said an official from the Institute. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 25, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Friday, September 22, 2006

Vietnam Fears WTO With Foreigners
Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen finding it difficult to negotiate with foreigners on trade issues.Vietnam could join the World Trade Organization early next year, but the communist country will not join the world trade body at any price, state-controlled media reported Friday."We will join WTO possibly in early 2007 at the latest," Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen was quoted by the online newspaper VnExpress. "We, however, will not join at any price."In May, Vietnam and the United States signed a trade deal that removed one of the last hurdles in Hanoi's bid to join the WTO, which sets rules for global commerce.However, the U.S. Congress still needs to grant Vietnam normal permanent trading relations and another round of multilateral talks is scheduled in October to iron out the remaining diffirences."Of course, we strive to join early, but not because of that (we) need to be under irrational pressure from foreign partners," Tuyen said adding he has instructed the Ministry of Trade's Multilateral Trade Policy Department to reject the irrational demands from the foreign partners.Hanoi had hoped to join WTO before it hosts the summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in mid-November, an even that U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to attend."The APEC summit in Hanoi is not the deadline that we tie ourselves into it and accept the irrational demands of the partners," Tuyen was quoted by the VnExpress as saying.Tuyen said joining the 149-member organization will bring about "huge opportunities" for the country, but it also poses a lot of challenges to the local industries.WTO talks to forge a global trade treaty collapsed in July amid bickering over how much to cut agricultural subsidies and tariffs. Source: China Post
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 22, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Abandoned Babies Surge in Vietnam
Nearly 140 inborn babies were abandoned in the January – August period at HCM City’s Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital because of various reasons.Ngo Minh Xuan, Director of the Newborn - Pediatrics Department of Tu Du Hospital, is still stunned by the case of a baby born prematurely. The baby was only 850g and fearing of future complications, the parents decided to renounce the child. They asked doctors to let the baby die and they would bring the child home for burial.“Initially, this family asked us to save the child at any cost but when the child’s health was stable, they asked us to let the baby die though we told them that future problems were unlikely. We will still cure and care for the baby though his family abandoned him,” said doctor Xuan.In the past eight months, nearly 140 inborn babies were renounced at the Tu Du hospital because of different reasons, ranging from congenital malformation, HIV, premature birth, illegitimate birth, poverty.They submit the form of renouncement to the hospital, that’s all. Other jobs belong to the hospital.“We take care of all abandoned children like others till they are healthy enough. Then we will transfer them to the Department of Social, War Invalids and Social Affairs or orphanages,” the doctor said.Apart from taking care of those unlucky children, doctors also patiently advise parents to take back their children.According to statistics by the HCM City Department of Social, War Invalids and Social Affairs, there is one child renounced each two days, mainly at obstetrics hospitals, particularly the Tu Du Hospital.Source: vtv.vn
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 22, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Activist Released From Vietnam Jail
American activist Cong Thanh Do, shown here in this undated file photo, was deported from Vietnam on Thursday. The resident of San Jose, Calif., was arrested Aug. 14 on accusations of trying to overthrow the government.An American pro-democracy activist who was jailed in Vietnam for more than a month on suspicion of plotting against the communist government returned home to a crowd of supporters.Cong Thanh Do, 47, of San Jose, arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday night, after the Vietnamese government deported him without comment.The crowd cheered as Do reunited with his family. He declined to talk to reporters but planned a news conference Friday.Police arrested Vietnamese-born Do on Aug. 14 while he was on vacation with two Vietnamese citizens in the south-central city of Phan Thiet. Police accused them of setting up the anti-government People's Democracy Party.Earlier this week, the Communist Party newspaper Nhan Dan (The People) quoted a police report as saying that Do was suspected of plotting to attack the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. No charges were filed against him.U.S. officials have said they saw no evidence that Do planned an attack.Do's imprisonment shocked his wife and children, who said they had no idea the unassuming engineer, who immigrated to the United States in 1982, had worked for years online, publishing and translating articles advocating free speech and a multiparty system in Vietnam under the pseudonym "Tran Nam.""I think if he told me, I would have stopped him," said his wife, Tien Jane Dobui. "But I have no anger. In the future, I want to share everything with him, to understand."Dobui said she spoke with her husband early Thursday and he sounded weak and tired from being on a hunger strike since Sept. 1, drinking only milk and water. He cried and told her he wanted to see his family, she said.Neither Vietnamese police nor U.S. Embassy officials were available for comment Thursday. Source: AP
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 22, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Thursday, September 21, 2006

Senators Target Vietnam's Trade Status
Two U.S. senators from the Carolinas are asking the Bush administration to find ways to protect the U.S. textile industry from "countries that engage in unfair trade practices," including Vietnam. Sens. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also have threatened to block legislation that could lead to Vietnam winning permanent normal trade relations with the United States. This week, the senators wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab concerning the issue, contending Vietnam's textile and apparel industry is heavily subsidized by the country's government. They say allowing Vietnam greater access to the U.S. market will lead to more job losses in the textile industry in the Carolinas, which have been hammered in recent years by overseas competition, especially from China. Many N.C. textile companies say their businesses have been hurt by countries with much lower labor costs. But other N.C. companies, primarily apparel makers, have moved much of their U.S. production overseas in recent years in a bid to reduce prices, and they tend to support more open trade relations.
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

The New World Hotel Vietnamese 1st Class Hospitality
During my recent stay in Ho Chi Minh City, I only wish that I had stayed at The New World Hotel Saigon. I had a very close friend Mr. Minh Vo and his family who have just return from Ho Chi Minh City and he informed me of his fabulous stay at The New World Hotel Saigon.The service he received was beyond his expectation. One of the reasons why 5 star hotels are 5 star hotels is the unbelievable service one receives from the second they walk through the door and the time they leave.One of the major services the hotel does is that they go out of their way to protect their customers. If you go out of the hotel during your stay the hotel makes sure that your protected from any scenario that may occur for example, Mr. Vo and his family went out from the hotel for a little tourist activity. Upon his return to the hotel he realize that his video camera was left in the taxi. He went looking for the taxi and the taxi was long gone. He informed the hotel desk what had happen. They told him calmly “ do not worry your video camera is safe “. A surprised Mr. Vo said great and returned to his room and 15 minutes later there was a knock on the door it was the hotel staff member that had Mr. Vo video camera. The video camera was un damaged and everything was there.It turns out that the hotel has there own private taxi service that service the hotel only. No other taxi’s from the outside is allowed to take hotel customers out but them. When you leave the hotel, the doorman takes down the taxi’s number, time of departure and customer name. Service like this is so wonderful.Other services, massages at the pool and while your having dinner. Special requests for bar drinks. If the hotel don’t have your favorite drink or alcoholic beverage they will have it for you within 20 minutes. A special butler male or female standing outside your door at all times available for any request. Private Shoppers, these people shop for you, just show them a picture or give them the exact details and they will have it for you in no time and for men you really don’t have to shave. You can request someone to shave and wash you. This is just some of many services. Pampering is the name of their business.Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure. Let Vietnam’s premier international hotel ensure your visit is as memorable as it is comfortable. Experience the best in personalized service and first-class facilities mixed with the warmth of Vietnamese hospitality.The Hotel is only 20 minutes from the airport and with the business and commercial district at its doorstep, there is no better located hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The pleasant outlook over lush Le Lai Park, plus the close proximity to the famous Saigon Market and many other tourist attractions including several golf courses, is further reason to choose the New World Hotel Saigon.I will certainly make this one of my priorities upon my return to Ho Chi Minh City.
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Southern City Witnesses Dramatic Rise In Foreign Travelers
The number of international tourists has risen markedly from early September, reported representatives of many big hotels in Ho Chi Minh City recently.Nguyen Anh Tuan, New World hotel’s manager of foreign affairs, said most of these travelers were businesspeople and investors coming to Vietnam to study the market, investment opportunities or taking part in conferences.Many first-class hotels including the Sai Gon Sheraton, New World and Rex Hotel were virtually filled to capacity, especially on weekends.Within the next several months, the number of travelers to Vietnam is forecast to continue to rise with events on the sidelines of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit and the main meetings in November, said Tuan.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Agricultural Products Seeking Ways To Penetrate Supermarkets
Farmers prefer selling their agricultural products to supermarkets as it can bring them higher profit. However, it will take them much more exertion to penetrate the supermarket system.Nguyen Cong Thua, Chairman of the Anh Dao Cooperative in Da Lat City, said that he could sell one kilogramme of tomatoes to Co-op Mart at a price that is 400% higher than the price offered by traditional markets. Lower profit has been reported for other products, but still satisfactory: 20-25% higher.Moreover, farmers prefer selling farm produce to supermarkets than to traditional markets because supermarkets are more stable outlets for their products.Big challengesIn order to have products sold at supermarkets, farmers have to meet strict requirements set by the distributors, which are big challenges for them.For example, distributors set very high requirements on the quality of products. Supermarkets always ask farmers to present certificates of product quality granted by competent authorities. As supermarkets will only buy first-class products, farmers find it very difficult to sell substandard products.In addition, requirements on delivery time, preservation and packaging also prove to be big challenges for farmers, who have not got used to industrial production. Supermarkets always want a wide range of products, but just order a small quantity of each item.Anh Dao Cooperative, for example, supplies 32 product items, including four items that Co-op Mart just orders 10 kg of each. Meanwhile, the HCM City-based Tan Phu Trung Cooperative, specialising in ‘safe’ vegetables, can provide 30 tonnes each of 15 kinds of products. However, supermarkets just take 2 tonnes at maximum.Payment method is also another big problem. Supermarkets make payments 20 days after deliveries, leaving farmers thirsty for capital for production.Tu Minh Thien, Director of the Consultancy Centre under the HCM City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that farmers cannot take initiative in their production plans because supermarkets always place orders just three or four days before the delivery time.In general, trading deals between farmers and supermarkets are made orally. As the two sides do not sign any contracts, the distributors can force the prices down or change suppliers if they want.Supermarkets can easily create difficulties for farmers, partially because the farmers and their produce brands are not well known by the public. Mr Thien said that the number of well-known brand names like Gia Huy orchid or Hoa Ca crocodile remains modest.What to do?Experts believe that it is not so difficult to solve these problems; however, state and scientists’ support will be needed.Regarding the quality of agricultural products, Dao The Tuan from the Vietnam Agriculture Institute said that Vietnam needs independent organisations that can certify the quality of products provided by farmers. There have been no such organisations so far, while state agencies are not capable enough to grant all kinds of certificates.Jo Cadilhon, Marketing Expert from FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) Asia-Pacific office, said that Vietnamese farmers should team up with each other to solve the problems that cannot be solved by one individual. Cooperatives, for example, would be in the right position to negotiate with supermarkets on prices and other details. In addition, if farmers join together, they will be able to invest in production tools, preservation and packaging processes which allow them to make safe and good products.Meanwhile, Mr Thien stressed the need to give State support to farmers in many fields, from technical advice to assistance in building strong brand names.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Caution Is Used When Dealing With African Companies
The Ministry of Trade has warned domestic enterprises to be cautious in dealings with companies from western and southern Africa.Vietnamese commercial affair divisions in Nigeria and South Africa said that recently they had received many requests from Vietnamese enterprises for information about the capabilities of local companies. The divisions have advised Vietnamese enterprises to be careful when dealing with local companies. Enterprises should limit contacting African companies from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana by e-mail.Especially, Vietnamese enterprises should be doubtful about African partners if they are asked to transfer money as fees for administrative procedures into private accounts.Generally, state agencies in African countries require fees for administrative procedures, and the enterprises, asking for permission from the agencies must transfer money into the agencies’ accounts in local currencies, not in US dollars. The regulation has been confirmed by Nigeria’s National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other regional agencies.Vietnamese agencies are better advised to contact the Ministry of Trade or commercial affairs divisions in African countries for necessary information.Several months ago, the Ministry of Trade warned about the possible risks in doing business with Tanzanian enterprises. The Tanzanian court, when handling a trade dispute between a Vietnamese and a Tanzanian company, made an irrational decision in considering the Government of Vietnam as the defendant.Africa is considered a potential market and Vietnamese enterprises have been encouraged to export more to the market. However, there are many inherent risks in exporting to the market due to political uncertainty. Moreover, Vietnamese enterprises lack information, while they have not found suitable payment methods.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Bar gold Hot Commodity
Hanoians are rushing to buy gold as the market has cooled and prices have been decreasing to ‘acceptable’ levels.Vu Minh Chau, Director of Bao Tin Minh Chau Company, said that bar gold, not jewellery, is selling very well, which means that people are buying gold for savings, not for wearing. He added that 1-2-tael bars of gold are most in demand these days.Experts believe that the devaluation of many hard foreign currencies has prompted people to buy gold for savings. Local investors buy gold for savings or depositing in banks instead of keeping local currency or making VND deposits.Mr Chau said that keeping gold is considered the safest choice these days as political uncertainty can lead to the devaluation of foreign currencies.Gold trading companies are trying to launch many gold products onto the market to meet the demand. There are two gold producing and trading companies in the north, Agribank’s Gold, Silver Company and Bao Tinh Minh Chau, while there are three companies in the south which can provide bar gold: SJC, PNJ and a private enterprise.The prices of bar gold offered by gold trading companies vary. Bao Tin Minh Chau sold bar gold on September 19 at VND11,610,000/tael, while Agribank’s Gold and Silver Company sold at VND11,590,000/tael. The prices announced by SJC on its website were VND11,750,000 in Hanoi and VND11,710,000 in HCM City. Meanwhile, the quality of bar gold is the same, because the State Bank of Vietnam keeps strict control over gold imports, and only good quality bar gold can be marketed.Explaining the difference in gold prices, Mr Chau said that the production costs vary because of different applied technologies. Moreover, transport fees and trademarks also lead to different price levels.In the latest news, gold prices have slightly increased after several days of falling. One tael of JSC gold was sold at VND11,730,000 in HCM City on September 19.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Ready For WTO Multilateral Negotiation Session
The Vietnamese negotiation delegation for the country’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will leave for Geneva, Switzerland, next week to attend the next multilateral negotiation session, said Luong Van Tu, head of the delegation.Tu, who is also a deputy minister of trade, said that Vietnam and its partners would solve remaining issues relating to foreign businesses export-import activities, as well as some tax and intellectual property issues at the up-coming session. The two sides will also review results of bilateral negotiations Vietnam has reached with WTO members.As the country is progressing toward WTO membership, a series of programmes and projects are being carried out in all economic sectors and enterprises with the aim of making Vietnam well prepared for WTO integration. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Made-in-Vietnam woodwork draws attention in US
Many US enterprises are taking notice of Vietnam's potential as a market for material wood as well as an exporter of furniture.At a recent seminar in New York hosted by Vietnam's wood industry, several major US woodwork producers, including Bluestone Log and Timber Inc., B&B Lumber Co., and J&J Log & Lumber Corp., said that they hoped to develop business ties with Vietnamese businesses in the future.The Vietnam Association of Timber and Forest Products (VIFORES) and the Vietnam Trade Centre in New York (Vietrade New York), co-organised the seminar to promote investment and seek export opportunities.In 2005, Vietnam's wood processing industry saw a rapid development, with its export turnover of over US $1.5 billion, an annual increase of 33.2%, said Trinh Vy, Chief of VIFORES office.The US has become a key importer of Vietnamese wood products such as outdoor and in-door furniture and handicrafts, Vy said, adding that Vietnam's woodwork exports to the US increased from US $388.6 million in 2004 to US $697 million in 2005.The VIFORES delegation previously attended an international fair on woodwork and furniture in Chicago between September 13-16. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Belgium Refuses Extradition Of Vietnamese Businessman To US
Belgian Minister of Justice Laurette Onkelinx on September 20 officially turned down the Florida Court's proposal for extraditing a Vietnamese food import-export business executive to the US.Vietnamese Ambassador Phan Thuy Thanh told the Vietnam News Agency that Belgium's decision to free Buu Huy, Deputy Director of the An Giang Food and Farm Produce Import-Export Company, came after she held a working session with the Belgian Ministry of Justice.Ambassador Thanh quoted the Belgian Ministry of Justice Office as saying that the decision comes into effect immediately after it was signed on September 20.Huy was arrested in Belgium on May 10 this year while attending an annual international aquatic product fair.He is now in good health, both physical and mental, and has been treated well by Belgian authorities, according to sources from the Vietnamese embassy. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 21, 2006 1 comments links to this post Back to top
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Vietnamese Beauty Mai Phuong Thuy
Vietnamese Beauty Mai Phuong ThuyHave you ever wonder why men save up all year long just to go to Vietnam or just never return from Vietnam, well Miss Mai Phuong Thuy is one of the reasons why.Miss Mai Phuong Thuy is a shinning example of pure exotic beauty. As a participant in the Miss World Pageant, she opened a lot of eyes in the beauty industry. The beauty business is now zero in on the millions of women like Miss Thuy.Mai Phuong Thuy, 18, from Ha Noi was crowned Miss Viet Nam 2006 at Vinpearl Resort in the city of Nha Trang. The runners-up were Luu Bao Anh of Can Tho (right) and Luong Thi Ngoc Lan of HCM City. The pageant is held every two years. Thuy was the tallest competitor in the Miss Viet Nam history, at 1.79m tall. She weighs 60kg and has measurements of 86-65-95. She is a student at the Foreign Trade University.Having been discovered through the beauty pageant, Miss Thuy is now getting offers from around the world. Swimsuit companies are pursuing her perfect figure for next years season. Cosmetic companies wants to use her beautiful skin tone and shampoo companies are in a heated bidding war for her rights to her luxurious long hair. Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy (middle) and 1st runner-up Bao Anh (right) and 2nd runner-up Ngoc Lan.“ I don’t want the world to discover our beautiful women but you can’t stop progress” says Mr. Nyugen owner of four nightclubs. He says that Vietnam has so many single women that the government had to slow down the business of women seeking foreign marriages and as the owner of four nightclubs he sees women competing fiercely to get a mans attention. Women in ao dai, the traditional Vietnamese dress.
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 20, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietravel To Serve APEC Leaders' Meeting
Vietravel tourism company has been selected by the National Committee on APEC 2006 to be the transport service provider and tour organiser for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Hanoi from Nov. 12-19.The company arranged 700 cars, including 400 with four to 16 seats, in order to provide transport for the event.During the APEC meeting, Vietravel will also provide the participants with attractive pre-tour and post-tour programmes. The pre-tour programme will include one-day tours, introducing the special historical and cultural characteristics of Thang Long-Ha Noi as well as the northern region.The post-tour programme will allow the guests to enjoy fresh air at nearby beaches and visit Vietnam's cultural heritages with tours lasting from two to five days.All staff will be carefully selected by the company so as to ensure the tourists' satisfaction. Source: VNA
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 20, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Encourage Motorbike Production, Export
Vietnam will remove the prevailing regulation which says no new motorbike production projects should be licensed, according to a local industry agency on Wednesday.The country's Industry Ministry has proposed the government abolish the regulation to create a fairer playing field for motorbike producers and assemblers in accordance with international commitments regarding its entry to the World Trade Organization, said the Institute for Industry Policy and Strategy under the ministry.In mid-September, the ministry worked out a national strategy on developing the local motorbike industry by 2025 which encourages all economic sectors to produce motorbike components and spare parts and the local investors to join hands with foreign partners in forming large-scale motorbike producers and distributors.Under the strategy, the industry will satisfy 90 percent of the domestic demand for motorbikes and to produce over 90 percent of their components and spare parts.Vietnam is also expected to export 450,000-500,000 motorbikes and the spare parts worth 300 million U.S. dollars between 2006 and 2010 to such markets as Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and establish motorbike research and development centers before 2010.The country also plans to meet 95 percent of the domestic demand, and manufacture over 95 percent of components and spare parts in 2015. It eyes motorbike export turnovers of some 500 million dollars in 2011-2015 period.Vietnam will, between 2016 and 2025, manufacture different kinds of motorbikes, including high-grade ones, for domestic consumption and export, and design and produce engines by itself. Meanwhile, the country will make motorbikes powered by clean fuels like bio-fuels.Local industry insiders estimated that Vietnam consumes 1.2-1.3 million motorbikes each year, and the figure will annually increase by, on average, 9.2-9.9 percent between 2006 and 2010.Now, Vietnam houses 52 motorbike producers and assemblers, including 22 state-owned, 23 non-state and seven foreign-invested enterprises, with combined annual capacity of 3.13 million units, according to Vietnam's Bicycle and Motorbike Association.Local producers and assemblers have total annual capacity of some 1.4 million motorbikes, and foreign-invested ones 1.73 million units.Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 20, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

U.S. Man Faces Terrorism Charge In Vietnam:
A Vietnamese-born U.S. citizen was being detained on suspicion of plotting to destroy the U.S. Consulate General and to overthrow the Vietnam government, state-run media reported on Wednesday.The reports sourced to Vietnam's security agencies could not be verified and a government spokesman did not immediately comment on accusations against Cong Thanh Do, a 47-year-old computer engineer from San Jose, California.Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung confirmed on Sept 7 that the man, also known as Do Thanh Cong, was detained in mid-August and was being held in Ho Chi Minh City.The official Vietnam News Agency and newspapers said "public security agencies discovered Thanh back in Vietnam, with alleged plans to implement a terrorist plot to destroy the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City."But Do's family and human rights groups said he had been arrested after using the Internet to call for alternatives to one-party Communist rule.They said he told a U.S. consular official who visited him that he was a member of the outlawed People's Democratic Party of Vietnam and was a peaceful supporter of multi-party democracy and freedom of speech.A U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Hanoi said it had not been told of any charges against Do. "There is no change in his status." Two weeks ago, the embassy confirmed Do was in custody.The communist government keeps close watch on peaceful dissidents and U.S.-based militants still angered by the 1975 collapse of the U.S.-backed South Vietnam government.Wednesday's reports cited police as saying the plot was to avenge the arrest of Vietnamese national Nguyen Huu Chanh of a U.S.-based group called Government of Free Vietnam. Authorities suspect Chanh's group of plots on Vietnamese embassies in London, Cambodia and Thailand. Chanh is detained in South Korea following a request by Vietnam to arrest and extradite him to Hanoi.The reports cited police as saying Cong Thanh Do, who left Vietnam in 1982, had also made contact with two other men "allegedly to establish a reactionary organization aimed at overthrowing Vietnam's government".Security and anti-terrorism measures are major issues for leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting from Nov 17 to 19 in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. The group includes the United States, China and Russia. REUTERS
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 20, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Police Step Up Traffic Patrols In Ho Chi Minh City
Traffic police in Ho Chi Minh City are to intensify patrols around the city at night to ensure traffic order and safety, with plans to levy heft fines for violators, said the city’s police chief Tuesday.Senior lieutenant colonel Pham Van Thinh, chief of HCMC traffic police department, announced he would deploy one-third of his forces to make tours of duty in the city at night starting as of 7pm today.Police will be on the hunt for those lining up past the stop line at traffic lights, riding in the wrong lane, running red lights, and riding the wrong way on a one-way street.Thinh added his department has just added 150 more traffic policemen to undertake the campaign.During the first half of the Traffic Safety Month in September, police in Ho Chi Minh City fined 36,497 violators and seized 3,801 vehicles.Poor traffic managementHowever, police patrols are not the only solution to for traffic, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Public Transportation Agency under the Ministry of Transport.The police traffic department blames the public transportation agency for illogical solutions dividing of traffic lanes on certain streets, and incorrect signage and traffic signals.“Two years ago, I proposed the Public Transportation Agency paint traffic lines at the Phu Nhuan intersection. There has been no response to date,” said Le Ngoc Thanh, chief of Traffic Unit No.4 in HCMC.Signage place by the Public Transportation Agency at intersections including the Phan Dang Luu – No Trang Long, Tan Ky Tan Quy, Go May, Ba Hom have also been a source of traffic jams.The most serious case is the traffic post located at Tan Kien – National Highway No.1 crossroads which leads to a mass of stuck on Binh Dien bridge, threatening an all out collapse of the structure, according to Thanh.Placing bus-stops at crowded crossroads or at traffic hotspots makes the traffic situation in the city even worse, he said. Source: Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 20, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

WTO: Vietnam To Cut 30% Of Import Taxes
Textile-garment industry will see import tax cut of 63%.Chief of the Ministry of Finance’s International Cooperation Department, Nguyen Thi Bich, a member of the WTO membership negotiation mission, said that Vietnam is committed to cutting around 30% of the current import tax rate within five years of membership.Could you reveal the main points of Vietnam’s cut to import taxes when the country joins the WTO?The comprehensive request for Vietnam when it enters WTO and free trade areas (FTAs) is gradually opening its market, through commitments to cutting import taxes.In addition, Vietnam must comply with international commercial principles on non-discrimination and be transparent in its policies.Protection of local production is only allowed through limited import taxes non-tariff protection measures.To date Vietnam has completed bilateral negotiations on market opening with all WTO members that requested negotiations on tariff. In general, the results of these negotiations for the import tax table of 10,600 tax lines have seen Vietnam commit to cutting around 30% of the current import taxes. The reduction will be mostly carried out in the first five years of membership.The areas seeing the strongest reduction are textiles and garments at 63%, fish and fisheries products 38%, timber and paper 33%, machinery, and electronic products 24%.Besides this, when Vietnam signs to FTAs such as the CEPT/AFTA (Common Effective Preferential Tariff/ASEAN Free Trade Area), and FTAs between ASEAN and China, and ASEAN and the Republic of Korea, the country will have to liberalise tariffs and remove import taxes on goods from those countries.However, the time period and the levels of reduction on “sensitive goods” are flexible.What will happen to the local production subsidy policy be when Vietnam becomes a member of the WTO?WTO rules on subsidy focus on distinguishing acceptable and non-acceptable forms. Permitted subsidy forms are those that are applied in general to support development and research, assist disadvantaged areas and to protect the environment. Banned subsidies are related to export bonuses or replacing imported products. These must be completely abolished immediately when Vietnam joins the WTO.Apart from these forms, Vietnam is allowed to maintain some types of subsidy for local production. However, as subsidized products of this kind cause losses for production in importing countries, those countries can use some retaliatory measures under the WTO mechanism.For agricultural subsidy, we commit to abolish all subsidies on exports immediately when Vietnam becomes a WTO member. Local subsidy can be maintained at 10% of output value, just like commitments of other developing countries in the WTO.Regarding industrial subsidy, Vietnam pledges to remove all export subsidies and import replacement subsidies paid directly by the state immediately upon becoming a WTO member. Subsidy in the form of investment preference for export must be abolished five years after joining the WTO (for projects that have become operational).However, those preferences are not applied to new projects licensed after the country enters WTO, or on any textile-garment projects.The Prime Minister has asked the MoF to make public the content and the itinerary for tax reduction to which Vietnam has committed. How is this task to be carried out?The general document on Vietnam’s tax commitments is being transferred among WTO member negotiators, who are comparing agreements they set.September 15, 2006 is the deadline for those countries to lodge their answers to the WTO Secretariat about the comparison. Until then the government cannot make public the detailed itinerary of tax reduction.However, we plan to release the information about the tax reduction itinerary on the main groups of goods.Bilateral negotiation results are being checked, but the Finance Minister has told MoF’s units to urgently research and analyze the impacts of WTO membership to identify micro and macro solutions to help Vietnamese businesses adjust themselves as Vietnam performs its regional and international economic and financial integration commitments. Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Expel Foreign Lawbreakers
Foreigners who intentionally or unintentionally break Vietnamese laws are likely to be expelled, according to a recent decree.The decree will take effect 15 days after it is published in the official gazette.But in cases where regulations under this decree conflict with an international convention of which Vietnam is a member, the convention will prevail.The decree spells out the jurisdiction and procedures that must be followed for making a decision on expelling a person and implementing it.It also regulates the responsibility of ministries and municipal and province people's committees in carrying out such expulsions in accordance with administrative procedures.Source: Vietnam News Agency
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Trade Office In Nigeria Established
The Ministry of Trade has officially inaugurated the Vietnam Trade Office in Nigeria.The office is located at 11/11A Ibiyinka Olorunnimbe Close, off Amodu Ojikutu Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State.The office is aimed to boosting bilateral trade activities between the two countries in general and promoting Vietnam’s exports to Nigeria in particular.This is the 55th trade office set up by the Ministry of Trade in foreign countries and territories. Vietnam’s trade offices have been set up in key markets including the US, Japan, Russia and China. Nhan Dan
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

WTO Entry Weighs On Shipping Firms’ Minds
Vietnam’s WTO accession is keeping many domestic port operators up at night, with most concerned about the capacity of their facility when compared to other ports in the region.Wave of change: the nation’s ports must navigate around a number of challenges to be competitive post-WTOA visit to most ports in the country, according to shipping experts, will show many are not up to scratch in terms of capital, human resources, technology and management experience.Most seaports are small with limited capacity and professional skills, and their market is limited to local customers, except for Saigon, Danang and Haiphong ports.Quang Ninh port director Vu Khac Tu said most of the cargo handling equipment at Vietnamese ports is at intermediate level when compared to Asia and other ASEAN countries.“The ports are not capable of investing in expanding and renovating technology, storage facilities, maritime services and specialised lorries. So they have to be content with backward technology,” he said.“While most countries in the world use third-generation 30,000dwt-80,000dwt cargo ships in response to the growing trend towards large container vessels, Vietnamese ports can only accommodate first- and second-generation container ships. So the ports in the country’s northeastern port system are unable to measure up to foreign shipping lines when the country integrates into the world economy,” Tu added.Le Cong Minh, general director of Saigon Port, said he was deeply concerned about the state of Vietnam’s competitiveness against heavy-weight rivals when it joins the WTO.Foreign shipping giants have already begun investment forays into Vietnam’s shipping business with attention being focused on port operations. They have started a campaign to invest in seaports, especially container ports, with capital amounting to billions of dollars in Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.Goods news, however, came from a forecast that demand for goods needing maritime transport is likely to outstrip the capacity of ports. Nevertheless, experts are warning that the current trend to lower port service charges will result in hurting the industry as profits will drop and there will be no re-investment capital resulting in obsolete technology and poor services.In the immediate future, the best solution for ports is to modernise technology to ensure that Vietnamese seaports develop adequately, economists said.According to Saigon New Port’s director Nguyen Dang Nghiem, specialised cargo handling equipment requires a very large investment capital, but this investment brings about high efficiency, helps shorten cargo handling time and will recoup capital quickly.But the capital investment is high with specialised cranes priced at $4-$5 million apiece needed to handle containers for ships of 2,000TEUs, which each are 32.5 metres wide. VIR
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Viet Kieu Real Estate Rules Reviewed
More Viet Kieu are to become eligible for real estate purchases in Vietnam as the government makes good on promised guidance for the enforcement of the Law on Residential Housing that took effect on July 1.The new decree backing the Law on Residential Housing overhauls ownership rights and fee obligationsAccording to the new Decree 90/2006/ND-CP, limitations on the number of houses Viet Kieu may own will be lifted, as long as the purchaser “returns for long-term investment purposes according to the Investment Law, contributes to national development, are scientists engaged in regular activities in the homeland or otherwise allowed to return to settle in the country”.Viet Kieu that meet these categories will be extended the same rights as Vietnamese nationals in purchase, exchange and inheritance of real estate, without limitation on quantity. Previously, legal entitlement extended to one property only.The decree also provides for Viet Kieu who reside in Vietnam for at least six months, enabling them to purchase one apartment or stand alone house. However, those falling under this category will have to wait longer for legal reform, as it will take time for the ministries of foreign affairs and public security to issue specific guidance on the method used to calculate how long a Viet Kieu individual has been in the country.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will then work out specific regulations to certify Viet Kieu who are eligible for home ownership in Vietnam.According to the decree, developers of commercial residential housing projects include domestic companies, foreign investors, Viet Kieu and cooperatives who register real estate businesses or hold a business licence.Qualified housing developers must have ownership capital equalling at least 15 per cent of total investment for a residential development of less than 20 hectares, and the ratio must be bigger than 20 per cent on projects exceeding 20ha.Lots available for residential development will be made public for investor registration, and bidding will be initiated if there are two or more investors applying for a given block.Provincial People’s Committees will have to publicize the list of planned housing projects to both foreign and local investors, and applicants will be evaluated on criteria ranging from ability, experience, and architectural design, through to technical and environmental standards.Developers who have laid infrastructure for housing projects can transfer land use rights or cooperate with other investors for property development, in keeping with approved master plans and construction progress benchmarks.Real estate developers building houses for rental will be issued with an ownership certificate for these properties. Real estate developers building houses for sale will not be issued with such certificates, which will be issued directly to the homeowners.The law stipulates that if design of the property has been approved, and the construction of the foundations completed, the developer will be entitled to call for advanced payments from persons wishing to purchase or rent the residential property. In cases of purchase, this amount may be up to 70 per cent of the property’s value.If developers fail to hand over the property on the date committed in the purchase contract, they have to pay interest on the deposit for the duration of the delay. Buyers are also required to pay interest on any outstanding amount they fail to pay on time.The law provides that real estate developers of residential property for sale must offer a structural integrity guarantee of at least 60 months for buildings with nine floors or more, and any other homes built using state funds. Buildings of four to eight floors must be backed by a least 36-month guarantee, while the period is 24 months for any other type of residential property.The decree further states that should a developer fail to provide the appropriate guarantee; property end owners are entitled to take legal action. If developers do not fully comply with their responsibility and cause damages to the end owner, they must provide compensation or face prosecution.The decree also requires developers to set aside funds for maintenance of high-rise residential blocks. Accordingly, developers selling projects since the law took effect must furnish an amount equivalent to 2 per cent of total property value, a sum that is allowed to be included in the sale price.Developers will have to pay maintenance fees on floor space that they do not sell, except on public space. The amount equates for 2 per cent of the total value of a given space, with value calculated based on the highest sale price of a residential unit within the block.For projects that were sold before the law took effect, on which developers have not collected maintenance fees, residents must pay a fee equal to 70 per cent of the total sum. The remainder will be offset by state funds.These maintenance fees will be deposited in commercial banks and managed by the management committee of the building, which represent the interests of owners.VIR
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Foreign Investors Scramble To Get Foothold In Trade Sector
As the prospect of WTO membership draws nearer, many foreign investors are champing at the bit to set up wholly-owned firms in Vietnam’s trading and distribution sectorHowever, many of these investors are being hampered by restrictive investment laws.Phan Huu Thang, director of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) said that Vietnam’s state agencies were preparing to open up the country’s distribution sector in-line with the bilateral and multi-lateral agreements signed with various WTO negotiating partners.“We have seen that several foreign investors are currently making moves to establish wholly foreign invested trading and distribution firms in Vietnam prior to the time Vietnam gains official WTO membership,” said Thang.The opening of the trading and distribution sector will follow the opening-up of the country’s shipping logistics sector, in which two foreign firms - one Danish and one Japanese - have been allowed to establish a wholly-foreign-owned business, and a Singaporean firm is likely to receive a similar licence.Thang told Vietnam Investment Review that Mitsui&Co was the first firm to ride a new wave of Japanese investors looking at Vietnam’s trading and distribution sector. Mitsui&Co’s application, which stemmed from its involvement with the Vietnam-Japan treaty to support Vietnam’s bid for WTO membership, was made directly to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the MPI a month ago.“Mitsui&Co wishes to be the first in the [trading and distribution] field.MPI specialists have been positively working with the Japanese company on appropriate application procedures so as to meet Vietnam’s schedule for WTO’s membership,” said Thang.“Such procedures will take time and we understand that Mitsui&Co has to make all necessary preparations to win governmental approval.”VIR learnt that Mitsui&Co applied to start a $30 million trading firm which will provide services mainly to Japanese firms and traditional clients.A Mitsui&Co official, who was contacted by VIR, refused to discuss any details of the project, which he described as part of a “new and sensitive” situation.Having been present in Vietnam since 1991, Mitsui&Co has established two representative offices and has also invested either directly or indirectly in Vietnam’s steel, port management, industrial supporting and food processing sectors.Recently, MPI turned down an application from the Danish Kjaer Group A/S to set up a firm to import and distribute auto parts and cars into Vietnam. VIR
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Expects US Exports Of $7.3 Bln
Vietnam's exports to the United States are projected to reach a record $7.3 billion this year, widening a trade surplus with its former battlefield enemy, state media said Monday. Exports to the US in the first seven months of the year jumped 45 per cent to $4.4 billion, according to Vietnamese government statistics published in the English-language Vietnam News. Over the same period, Vietnam imported only about $538 million in US goods, according to US statistics. Vietnam's government has projected the year's total exports to the US will reach at least $7.3 billion, up from $6.6 billion last year. Textiles, shoes and wood products accounted for most of Vietnam's gains, despite continuing US quotas on garments from Vietnam. Last year, Vietnam had a 5.4-billion-dollar trade surplus with the US, which has been its biggest export market since a 2001 bilateral trade agreement went into effect. Vietnam's exports to the US have soared since Washington lifted a Cold War-era trade embargo in 1994. The year the embargo was lifted, Vietnam exported only 50 million dollars to the US, but quickly increased trade with the help of foreign-invested textile companies and domestic agriculture. Vietnam is expected to join the World Trade Organization in the next year, increasing its exports - especially textiles, which will no longer be held back by quotas once Vietnam is in the WTO - while opening up the domestic economy to more foreign imports. Bangkok Post
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 19, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Monday, September 18, 2006

Missing U.S. Pilots' Grave Found In Vietnam After 40 years
A Montgomery woman whose husband's military ID was recovered from a shallow grave in Vietnam after 40 years said she's relieved to know he had not been captured and tortured during the war."After so many years, I had no hope that he was still alive," Ann Andrews said.The Defense Department in May informed her that Air Force Maj. Stuart M. Andrews and a co-pilot apparently were buried by villagers after a plane crash.Andrews, 37, took off from Qui Nhon Air Field in South Vietnam's Binh Dinh Province on a reconnaissance flight in a Cessna O-1E Bird Dog on March 4, 1966, flying with 1st. Lt. John Conlon. They never returned.Despite a lack of remains, Andrews was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on June 13, 1978, and that same year, his name joined a list of 33 Yale University graduates on a memorial tablet at the university, honoring those who died in the Vietnam War.The pilot's family anguished for years about how he died."You'd hear stories about people who were captured and tortured, and you'd just pray that nothing like that could have happened. Knowing that it hadn't, that it had been quick, was a relief," Ann Andrews told the Montgomery Advertiser for a story Friday.Claire Evans, Conlon's sister who lives in Dallas, Pa., agreed."That was the worst part of not knowing - not knowing how they died, whether they'd spent years as POWs or been tortured," she said.The grave was discovered after military officials followed up on a tip in August 2005 from a villager in the Gia Lai province about a plane crash.On Feb. 6, investigators from the Hawaii-based Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command began an archaeological dig after hearing reports of villagers burying two men from the crash.They found a metal military ID bearing the name Stuart M. Andrews.Because the grave was shallow and dug in what the report called "an erosion area," searchers found only four teeth, but an expert at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii was able to identify them as Conlon's.Evans plans to bury her brother's remains next month at Arlington. She's doing it for her children, she said, one of whom is named John Conlon Evans after her brother, and for their children."When I got the news, I found myself thinking this is awful," she said. "But it isn't because at least now there is closure, and in my heart, I have the feeling that they have finally come home." AP
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Calls For Stronger Foreign Investment In Agriculture
Vietnam will appeal for greater foreign investment in biotechnology, technical infrastructure, and farm produce processing between 2006 and 2010, local newspaper Investment reported Monday.Under a national program on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the five-year period drafted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam will strive to lure more FDI in its agriculture, especially in biotechnology to turn out more high-quality strains of plants and animals, foodstuff processing technologies, post-harvest preserving techniques, construction of agricultural facilities, and the field of processing agriculture, forestry and seafood products.To attract more FDI in the agriculture, the country is expected to issue more preferential policies on assisting investment, and developing material zones, agricultural infrastructure, rural areas, human resources, markets, and capital market.By early September, Vietnam had lured 1,095 FDI projects with total registered capital of 5.2 billion U.S. dollars specializing in agriculture, forestry and seafood, according to the ministry's statistics. There are 805 valid projects totaling 3.9 billion dollars with investors mainly coming from Thailand, China, the Netherlands, Singapore, France, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.Now, 88 operational FDI projects specialize in breeding animals and producing animal feeds with average capital of 11 million dollars per project, and 420 other projects with total registered investment of 1.3 billion dollars in growing forests and processing wood. Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

20 Pct Of Vietnamese Garment Firms To Face Bankruptcy Risk After WTO Accession
Up to 20 percent of Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises will face difficulties and risk of bankruptcy after Vietnam joins the World Trade Organization (WTO), hopefully late this year, local newspaper Saigon Liberation reported Monday.Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association Le Quoc An was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the risk is high as half of a total 2,000 local textile and garment enterprises do outsourcing for foreign firms and the rest produce items under their foreign customers' designs and materials appointed by them.Enterprises, which have yet to develop their own trademarks, and have stable markets, loyal customers and suitable ways of tapping human resources, will encounter the risk, he said.The local firms should resort to stable workforce with cheap labor cost, improve capacity of design, marketing and management, and intensify information technology application into production and sale, especially e-commerce.Vietnam posted textile and garment export turnovers of over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year surge of 28.2 percent. It is estimated to reap 5.5 billion dollars from exporting the products, mainly to the European Union and the United States in 2006, up 14.6 percent against 2005, according to the association. Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

New Land Decree To Spur Real Estate Sales
The domestic property, market is expected to thaw somewhat following newly issued Government land and housing regulations.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed Decree 90/2006/ND-CP that provides guidelines for the enforcement of the Housing Law that came into effect July 1.Under the new decree released last week, housing developers will be allowed to transfer their land-use rights after they complete construction of infrastructure on their land.Developers will also be permitted to raise capital from potential buyers or renters before building housing projects.The decree also requires that developers of commercial residential projects contribute capital equal to at least 15% of the total investment capital of projects that are under 20ha. For projects of over 20ha, a 20% contribution is required.The decree also requires municipal and provincial people's committees to publicity announce the State's criteria for the selection of investors of commercial residential projects.Selection will be based on capability, experience, technical and environmental standards, and design and architectural skills.Local people's committees will be responsible not only for publicising the lease of land-use rights but also for organising public bidding for commercial housing projects.Foreign ownershipLegal procedures required for the granting of house ownership certificates are also explained in the new decree.The decree states that foreign organisations and individuals can own houses in Vietnam if they have invested in the construction of rental housing.Foreign housing ownership would last the duration of the foreigner's investment project license.Foreign individuals inheriting a house, however, are not permitted to receive housing ownership certificates. If the house is sold by another party, the foreign entity may receive the profits from the sale.Low-income housingThe new decree also requires localities to set up funds for low-income housing.A large percentage of the fund's sources must come from the locality's sale of state-owned properties and from land-use rights fees the locality collects from commercial housing and urban construction projects.Residents in the armed forces and employees in industrial parks and economic zones will be given priority for low-income housing, but they will qualify only if they have never owned or rented state-owned property.In a related matter, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the creation of a Central Steering Committee of Housing Policy at the national level.Lower-level committees at the city and provincial people's committees will also be set up. Source: Viet Nam News
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

PM Receives French Co-Operation And Development Minister
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on September 15 received Brigitte Girardin, French Minister Delegate for Co-operation, Development and Francophony, who is on an official friendship visit to Vietnam.During the meeting, the PM emphasised that the Vietnamese Government would do its best to strengthen comprehensive co-operation with Europe, in which France plays an important role.The PM said that France was one of the largest European donor of official development assistance for Vietnam. Many big investors in Vietnam are from France and a big number of Vietnamese also reside and work in France, he said.PM Dung expressed his wish for France to continue its support of Vietnam in all areas. He spoke highly of the signing of a framework document between the two countries and the establishment of the France-Vietnam Economic Development Co-operation Council, saying that these would help to increase the efficiency of economic co-operation between the two countries.Minister Girardin informed the PM of the framework document, under which France will prioritise co-operation programmes with Vietnam in the areas of agriculture, education-training and infrastructure, particularly in building a railway system in Hanoi and the aviation sector.She appreciated the Vietnamese Government's efforts in corruption prevention and administrative reforms and conveyed French President Jacques Chirac's invitation for PM Dung to visit France in the future.During her visit to Vietnam from September 14-16, Minister Girardin called at the Hanoi National University (HNU) and the Hanoi University of Technology on September 15.As part of a co-operation agreement between the two governments and a project on training, the HNU has established the French University Centre which has enrolled its first 48 students for the 2006-2007 academic year. A similar centre was also established at the Ho Chi Minh City National University.The centres, which will transfer graduate and post-graduate training technology to a European standard, will receive funding from the two governments for infrastructure, equipment and personnel in three years. Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Five Chiefs Of State To Visit Vietnam During APEC Summit
Heads of delegations of APEC member economies at the APEC Senior Officials Meeting 3.The heads of state of the US, Russia, Japan, China and Chile will visit Vietnam on the occasion of the APEC Summit in November in Hanoi.At the most recent press conference under the framework of the APEC Senior Officials Meeting 3 (SOM 3), Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of SOM APEC 2006 Le Cong Phung announced that the US President, Russian President, Japanese Prime Minister, Chinese President and Chilean President would pay official visits to Vietnam.Mr Phung said that the US, Russia, China and Japan are the most important economies in APEC while Chile was a bridge between Vietnam and North America. Welcoming the five heads of state to Vietnam during the APEC Summit shows that Vietnam is not only close to the community of APEC economies but also attaches importance to strengthening political and economic cooperation with APEC members.So far, most countries and regions that have completed negotiations with Vietnam regarding its WTO membership are APEC members, such as the US, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, China, said Mr Phung.The US Government is also trying to urge the US Congress to approve permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status for Vietnam before President Bush pays the official visit to the country. VNN
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Rice Husk Plants To Lessen Energy Costs
The HCM City Energy Conservation Centre (Enerteam) has submitted a plan to build two rice husk-fuelled power plants in Can Tho City.Rice husking mills in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta River discharge about 3.7mil tonnes of rice husks into the rivers and canals annually.Nguyen Minh Thong, director of Can Tho City's Department of Science and Technology, said the plants, with a combine investment capital of US$9.6mil, would use left over husks collected after rice milting.Tran Quang Cu, the project's technical consultant, said the plants could sell electricity at a low price for consumers.The two electricity plants are to be built in Can Tho City's surrounding areas, each covering two ha and generating a total of 18,500-35,600 MWh a year.Cu said electricity prices could be as low as VND296 a kWh since the cost of rice husk was only VND100 per kilo.Each plant needs only two kilos of rice husks to generate one kWh.The plants would also generate electricity for machines that steam-dry rice paddy, a method widely used in modern husking mills in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.Traditionally, coal-powered and solar-fuelled dryers have been used, but steam dryers produce higher quality rice.Polluted riversRice husking mills in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta River discharge about 3.7mil tonnes of rice husks into the rivers and canals annually, with Can Tho City alone dumping 240,000 tonnes.The husks instead could be transported to the power plants for use as fuel, Thong said.Because of the potentially high cost of transporting the husks from the mills to the electricity plants, Can Tho City authorities have agreed to locate the two power plants near big rice husking mills.The first power plant will be built in Co Do District, where 18 rice husking mills are operating with a daily capacity of 1,720 tonnes of rice.Construction on the other plant will begin in Thot Not District, which boasts 14 mills with a combined capacity of 1,100 tonnes of rice a day.(Source: Viet Nam News)
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Airlines To Put Guards On Flights
Placing guards on flights to protect passengers and crew is a step that Vietnam Airlines will have to carry out when the firm opens its direct route to the US.This will be stipulated in the Vietnam Civil Aviation Security Programme that is about to be issued by the Minister of Transport. This is the first time Vietnam will establish an aviation guard force.Vietnam Airlines will design specific rules on recruiting, training and using this force. However, for each flight on which the firm employs guards, it must report to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) the list of guards and the kinds of weapon they are carrying.For international flights to Vietnam that have guards, international airlines must also report to CAAV the number of guards and the weapons they have on each flight.Dinh Viet Son, Director of CAAV Security Department, said that in the US and some other countries, aviation guard forces fall under national security forces and they have great power on flights.In Vietnam, the aviation guard force may be under the aegis of the Ministry of Public Security or Ministry of Defence. Vietnam Airlines is designing a scheme on the establishment of the aviation guard force to submit to CAAV for consideration, Mr Son disclosed.Security Tightened For APECThe current aviation security programme was issued by the Ministry of Transport in 2004. This programme, according to airlines and management agencies, is no longer appropriate to the new Law on Aviation and supplementary regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), particularly as the time for the APEC Summit in Hanoi is coming (November 2006).Tran Tien Dung, Chief of Security Department of Vietnam Airlines, said that the embassies of the UK, the US and many other countries have sent documents to Vietnam outlining their requirements for aviation security during the time their delegations are in Vietnam to attend APEC meetings. They emphasised that they would send their aviation guards to Vietnam.Vietnam will welcome around 10,000 officials and staff from 21 APEC economies and thousands of correspondents and visitors during the week for the APEC Summit. Some chiefs of state will come to Hanoi by special aircraft while others, by Vietnam Airlines’ aircraft. Vietnam Airlines will increase the number of flights from and to Hanoi.Source: VNE
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Office Space Scarce In HCMC
All office buildings for lease in HCM City have been fully occupied for the last three years, especially A and B-class offices. All leaseholders want to extend their lease contracts despite a 10% leasing fee increase.No More Vacancies In Office BuildingsFCG Vietnam, a software outsourcing company has been looking to lease 7,000 sq m for a year. At last, it has decided to lease the 3,000 sq m building on Ly Chinh Thang street, district 3, and the 10-storey building on Nguyen Trai street, district 5.The company will have to spend a lot more money to decorate the two buildings to make it easier for management. FCG Vietnam’s Director General Ngo Hung Phuong is still not satisfied with the two buildings; however, he cannot find anything better.Mr Phuong said that the existence of the two offices will force the company to pay more for management fees. Moreover, neither of the two buildings are located in advantageous positions: one is situated on the one-way street Ly Chinh Thang, while the other in district 5 is surrounded by a series of fashion and consumer shops.In fact, investors now cannot find any empty space to lease. Real estate consultancy companies said they cannot fulfil the orders by clients for offices. The supply of offices has become short, while the demand is increasing, and new buildings will only become operational after three or four years.Real estate consultancy companies said that the office shortage will last for at least several more years. A recent survey released by Chesterton Petty Vietnam showed that there was only 350,000 operational sq m of office, which is widely considered too small for a big economic centre like HCM City.Brett Ashton, Deputy Director General of Chesterton Petty Vietnam, said that a prolonged shortage would lead to office price fever.A sq m of office may be offered at $38/sq m in the next year, even higher than the current levels in central areas in Singapore, at $34/sq m, Mr Ashton said.Many investors, unable to wait until they can find offices to lease, have had to build offices themselves. Manulife insurance has signed a contract on leasing 7,000 s qm of land to build its offices in the Phu My Hung urban area, where it will move after leaving the Diamond Plaza in two years. Similarly, Unilever will also leave Central Plaza to set up offices in a building with 10,000 sq m of space.Investment in real estate promises lucrative dealsNothing can bring more lucrative deals than investing in office buildings. Mr Ashton said that the demand for offices is increasingly high, especially from domestic companies which tend to want first-class offices.In fact, all office buildings are occupied, even those that are still under construction. Vietcombank Tower in district 1 is an example. The 77,000 sq m project will only be put into operation in 2009, but the project investor, the Vietcombank – Bonday – Ben Thanh Joint Venture believes that the building will have a high occupancy rate. Vietcombank, the strategic client, will lease at least 20% of the total area, while a trade group and an international university plan to lease several thousand sq m.The office building owned by Sacombank on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street, which will put 20,000 sq m of area into operation early next year, has also found its first clients.Buildings that are located some distance from the city’s centre can also enjoy many clients. Three office buildings invested in by Phu My Hung (Broadway 1, Broadway 2 and Lawrence Ting) in the Nam Saigon urban area are full. Other projects are under construction there, including Saigon Paragon tower invested in by Kim Cuong Company, and the office buildings of Nam Long and Holcim will become operational in the next year.In the north western area of the city, the E-Town 1 building on Cong Hoa street (Tan Binh district) has leased 26,000 sq m, while E-Town 2 with 27,000 sq m of space area will be put into operation next year. It is estimated that tens of office building projects are under construction now in HCM City.Source: SGGT
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

City Starts Crackdown On Meat Hygiene
The HCM City Animal Health Department began inspecting slaughterhouses last week in line with stricter meat-hygiene standards recently implemented in the city.Director of the department, Huynh Huu Loi, said that the inspections are to ensure compliance with the HCM City People's Committee's Decision No. 31, which recently tightened the city's slaughtering hygiene regulations.Cattle and poultry used to be slaughtered on the floor without sufficient clean water to clean the meat, and untreated water discharged, polluting the environment and groundwater.The decision requires slaughtering facilities to install a system whereby cattle and poultry are hung above the ground for slaughter. Also, the facilities will have to comply with waste treatment standards to protect the environment.The recent municipal authority regulation also requires workers to wear protective uniforms. Treatment of discharged water and waste from the facilities will also be inspected.Loi said that his agency has been providing training courses on food safety for meat facilities in the city.But of the 32 permitted slaughtering facilities in the city, he said that only 17 have completed installing this new system, while the remaining 15 are currently in the process.The inspection will ask the local authorises to suspend the permits of the facilities that have not implemented the new slaughtering system and fail to meet the food safety regulations.Loi said that he would also report the name of the delinquent facilities to the media to alert consumers.However, he said that unlicensed slaughtering operations still provide about 10% of the city's meat.According to the city People's Committee decision, slaughterhouses must be relocated out of residential areas.The city People's Committee has asked the VISSAN Export - Import Corporation, the Nam Phong Food Processing Company and the HCM City Co-op Alliance to invest in the establishment of new slaughterhouses in the city's outer-districts of Binh Chanh; Hoc Mon and Cu Chi.To prevent a bird flu epidemic, the city has only permitted three companies, the Phu An Sinh, Huynh Gia Huynh De and An Nhon, to slaughter poultry in the city.Source: Viet Nam News
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Exports Over 95,000 Tonnes Of Rice To Japan So Far This Year
Vietnamese rice traders have four times won bids to sell 95,078 tonnes of rice to Japan so far this year, the Vietnam Food Association has announced.This includes up to 3,000 tonnes of broken sticky rice. This is a good signal for the Vietnamese food sector as Japan has carried out a high protection policy towards rice. Last year, Vietnam exported 79,024 tonnes of rice to Japan, including only 80 tonnes of broken sticky rice.
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 18, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Friday, September 15, 2006

When Will Vietnam Have Private Airlines?
Mr Lai Xuan Thanh.If the draft decree on aviation transport of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) is approved, foreign investors can participate in establishing airlines in Vietnam. Lai Xuan Thanh, CVVA Vice Head, talked about the draft decree.More Airlines To Be Established In VietnamAccording to Mr Thanh, the amended Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam permits all organisations and individuals of all economic sectors to participate in aviation operations, but there is no specific regulation on this issue.The draft decree on aviation transport compiled by CAAV with detailed regulations and instruction will pay the way for capable investors to be involved in this field.The draft decree allows foreign investors to take part in setting up airways in Vietnam?That’s right. However, what percentages of stocks in an airway that foreign investors are permitted to hold is always a sensitive issue, not only in Vietnam but also in other countries in the world. However, we think that the draft decree is very open, integrative and advanced compared to other countries.Currently we only allow foreign investors to own 30% of shares of local airlines, as the case of Pacific Airlines.If the draft decree is approved by the Government, foreign investors can contribute capital to establish airways in Vietnam on the condition that they have legal representatives who are Vietnamese citizens with capital contributions up to 49% in aviation transport and 60% in general aviation fields.Many projects on establishing private airlines have been sent to the CAAV but why have none of them been approved?Among those projects, one to set up the private Mekong Air airway was approved but it was finally not carried out because the project couldn’t find financial investors.Recently, another scheme to set up the Saigon Air was said to be unsuitable to implement in the current context.Generally, the projects submitted to the CAAV don’t show financial capacity or don’t meet necessary criteria. We now don’t have any new project on establishing private airways.However, I believe that once Vietnam joins the WTO, the country’s aviation market will be promising for local and international investors. Source: Tien Phong
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 15, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Bien Hoa Company Exports Sugar To Indonesia
Bien Hoa Sugar Stock Company has just exported 2,100 granulated sugar to Indonesia.The company plans to export an additional 10,000-15,000 tonnes of sugar from now to the end of this year to countries in Asia.According to an official of the company, after temporary halt due to a shortage in domestic supply of sugar, the company has started to re-export its products to the Middle East markets.Bien Hoa sugar company has just invested VND 14 billion to build a new oven system that meets environmental standards. Nhan Dan
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 15, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

San Jose Man Detained In Vietnam
A bipartisan group of House members from California held a hearing Thursday on human rights in Vietnam, seeking to pressure that country to release a pro-democracy activist from San Jose who has been held one month.``Please help me and my children bring my husband home,'' Tien DoBui told the congressional Human Rights Caucus on behalf of Cong Thanh Do, a 47-year-old U.S. citizen and engineer at Applied Materials.Vietnamese officials have confirmed that Do was arrested Aug. 14 during a family vacation in central Vietnam but have said little about why he is being held.Do told a U.S. consulate official who visited him in jail that he is a member of the People's Democratic Party of Vietnam, a group active on the Internet that advocates a multi-party democracy for Vietnam. He had not told his family about his activities, his wife said.Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, was in Vietnam on Thursday on a scheduled trip, and had planned to raise Do's case with the communist government.Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a San Jose Democrat who has worked for Do's release, said Vietnam's monthlong detention of him was ``shocking and completely unacceptable.''Lofgren and two other California House members -- Republican Ed Royce and Democrat Loretta Sanchez -- said the timing of the hearing was designed to keep the case in the spotlight.``Pressure can work, and international pressure can change a country's behavior,'' said Royce, as the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia covered the event.Representatives from human rights groups and Vietnamese-American organizations said this fall was a good time to influence Vietnam, with the country seeking new trade deals and membership in the World Trade Organization.In November, President Bush is scheduled to visit Vietnam for a meeting of the 21-nation Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.The human rights climate in Vietnam ``is a mixed bag,'' said T. Kumar, an advocacy director for Amnesty International. He said while the Vietnamese parliament was conducting more open debates, the government had cracked down on free expression on the Internet.Nguyen Ngoc Bich, a board member of the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, told the caucus that Vietnam released three political prisoners this month, but had arrested 12 dissidents, including Do, in the past month.DoBui became emotional as she told the caucus that the detention of her husband had taken a toll on the family.``We are living in the shadow of fear,'' she said. ``We don't know anything about his situation. I can't eat or close my eyes without my husband in my mind.''Source: MercuryNews
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 15, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

President Triet Leaves For 14th NAM Summit In Cuba
President Nguyen Minh Triet left here yesterday for Cuba to attend the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement to be held from September 15-16.The Senior Official Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) opened in Havana on Monday, attracting representatives from 115 out of 116 NAM member countries.Addressing the opening ceremony, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque has called on all NAM member countries for further unity and abide by NAM principles set forth from the establishment of the movement 45 years ago.The Cuban Foreign Minister affirmed that Cuba, as the NAM president for the next three years, would try its best to strengthen the movement and boost friendship and co-operation among NAM’s member countries.At the meeting, delegates will finalise all documents, drafted for consideration at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, to be adopted by NAM leaders at its 14th summit.Speaking on the sidelines, Viet Nam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Le Van Bang, who attended the preparatory meeting for the summit, said that Viet Nam would further co-operate with Cuba and other NAM member countries to strengthen the movement as well as protect the rights of nations.The summit is expected to adopt many important documents and an action plan for strengthening the movement, enhancing solidarity and boosting co-operation among developing countries.On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem arrived in Havana to attend the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which opened at Havana’s Friendship Palace yesterday. summit, according to a Vietnam News Agency reporter in Cuba.The NAM countries account for two-thirds of the member nations of the United Nations and 51 per cent of the world’s population. — VNS
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 15, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Jails 29 Inmates For Staging Riots
A court in southern Vietnam sentenced 29 inmates to up to 13 years in prison for staging riots, a court official said Thursday.The prisoners were convicted of causing public disturbances, attacking authorities and damaging property. They were given jail terms ranging from two years to 13 years at the end of the two-day trial Thursday in Long An province, said presiding judge Le Quang Hung.Nguyen Thanh Nha, who was serving a 12-year sentence for robbery, instigated the riots in July 2005, urging other inmates to gather to demand better meals, Hung said.But instead of making their request to prison representatives, the inmates began to destroy furniture, musical instruments and food worth some US$15,000, he said.Four riot police, who were sent to restore order, were injured by rocks and bottles thrown by the inmates, the judge said.Nha was sentenced to 13 years in jail. Long An is 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.The convicted have 15 days to appeal their sentences. Source: IHT
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 15, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Hanoi Busts Largest CD, DVD Smuggling Case
Market inspectors and police in Hanoi made their biggest-ever haul of smuggled CDs and DVDs Thursday when they raided a train at a local station. The contraband weighed some three tons.Sixty bags containing the discs, reportedly from China, occupied a compartment of the train which was leaving for Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Trong Binh, an official from Hanoi’s market inspectorate, said.The goods had no invoice or certificate of origin.Market inspectors and police were investigating to identify the owners of the goods, Binh said.Source: Tien Phong
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 15, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Thursday, September 14, 2006

Vietnam Wins Bid To Export Rice To Demanding Japanese Market
Vietnamese exporters have won a bid in Tokyo to provide 14,000 tons of rice to Japan, marking the fourth successful bid in the discerning market this year.The bid was organized early this month and the average price for this bid is US$422.5 per ton.According to Vietnamese Commercial Affairs Section in Japan, Vietnam has won a bid to export rice to Japan four consecutive times so far this year, totaling 95,000 tons.Last year, domestic exporters provided 79,000 tons to the market.Food securityThe Ministries of Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development and the Vietnam Food Association (Vinafood) have agreed to keep close watch over rice exports in the last months of the year.Vietnamese rice exporters will not be allowed to sign export contracts at low prices, since the domestic inventory rice level is low, while the prices in the international market are skyrocketing.According to Vinafood, Vietnam has signed contracts to export 4.5 million tons of rice so far this year.Experts have warned that the supply may become short towards the year end as the total yield may fall short by 500,000 tons due to bad weather.Meanwhile, rice prices are expected to keep rising in November before the new crop is harvested.The prices may decline later as the supply becomes more profuse; however, the prices are forecast to stay firm at high levels as the demand for rice imports remains big.Vietnamese exporters have offered higher prices to their partners.The Southern Food Association now offers 5 percent broken rice at $275 per ton (freight on board) FOB, up by $2-5 per ton over the last week.Other rice exporters in the country are offering $267-270 per ton, FOB, for 5 percent broken rice. Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Wins Bid To Export Rice To Japan
The Vietnam commercial affairs section in Japan has reported that on September 8 Vietnam won a bid to export 14,000 tonnes of rice to Japan.Of the total, there will be 11,000 tonnes of ordinary rice and 3,000 tonnes of broken sticky rice. The average price for this tender is JPY47,316 ($422.5) per tonne.So far this year Vietnam has won four bids to export rice to the country totaling more than 95,000 tonnes.However, the Vietnamese commercial affairs section in Japan said that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was amending some articles of the Law on Flora Epidemic Prevention, which is scheduled to take effect on August 10, 2007. The section told Vietnamese rice exporters to strengthen inspections of growing, husking and maintenance stages to meet Japan’s strict requirements for product quality.The US and Thailand also won bids this time, of 13,000 and 30,000 tonnes, respectively. Source: VNE
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Higher Greenback Value Bring Both Joys And Worries
The fact that the average inter-bank VND/US$ exchange rate has, for the first time, exceeded the VND16,000/US$1 threshold has been worrying importers.Greenback prices have increased sharply in previous days. On September 13, the average inter-bank exchange rate declared by the State Bank of Vietnam exceeded the VND16,000/US$1 level to reach VND16,002/US$1after staying at VND15,996/US$1one day before.In fact, the actual exchange rates announced by commercial banks were a bit higher than the rates announced by SBV, at VND16,032-16,042/US$1. Meanwhile, the Vietnam Trade Information Centre said that the dollar purchasing and selling prices offered by the Bank for Foreign Trade (Vietcombank) were VND16,005 and VND16,042, respectively.Analysts attribute the greenback value increase to the higher demand for foreign currencies in the market. According to an SBV Hanoi Branch report, the total outstanding loans in foreign currencies in the last months have increased by 24% over the end of the last year.The weaker local currency will certainly benefit exporters; however, it could hurt importers, as they will have to pay more for imports.Nevertheless, in general, the devaluation of the VND has been celebrated by local enterprises. Le Quoc An, Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), said that those who import materials to make products for domestic sales will suffer from the weaker currency. However, most apparel enterprises earn their living by exporting products. Therefore, the VND devaluation will be welcome. Mr An added that the local currency price had been firm for longer than expected.He cannot see any adverse effect of the weaker VND on enterprises’ business plans. Though apparel enterprises still have to import materials which will be more expensive due to the stronger dollar, they will not be much influenced, because they only make small imports.Meanwhile, the weaker VND has been worrying Nguyen Gia Tho, Chairman of Song Long Cooperative, whose business specialises in importing plastic materials for domestic production and sale. He said that the adjustment of the exchange rate will make his cooperative suffer. However, he is not sure if greenback prices will go up further, and therefore, he has not thought of changing his business plans.Meanwhile, for many other enterprises, the weaker local currency is not the biggest concern at the moment. The most fearful thing is the increased prices of input materials. The prices of all kinds of materials have been increasing sharply over the last two years, triggered by the oil price hike, causing big difficulties for enterprises’ operations.Truong Van Phuoc, Head of the Forex Control Department under SBV, said that it was quite normal to see the greenback value increase.With the current exchange rate, the local currency has been devaluated by only 0.6% over the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the exchange rates of many other currencies can go up and down by 3-4% overnight.When asked how the adjustment of the exchange rate will affect trade, Mr Phuoc said that the import and export balance was controllable.There have been no big changes in the black market. One dollar was sold at VND16,060 yesterday. VNN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Central Province Seizes Biggest-Ever Haul Of Illegal Wood
Four people have been caught red-handed in the largest-ever illegal logging scam in Thua Thien Hue province, moving contraband down the Bo river, said provincial police Tuesday.Some 285 logs, mostly valuable wood, totaling 40 cubic meters were seized in the incidentThe haul is reportedly only the tip of the iceberg in the case, but represents the largest of its kind to date in the province.The smugglers belong to four local groups that fled the scene, as police were outnumbered when they attempted to make the seizure. ThanhNien
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Southern Resort City Flooded, Four People Struck By Lightning
Phan Thiet fishing portSouthern Vietnamese resort town Phan Thiet is flooded and four people there have been seriously hurt by lightning strikes following thundershowers Tuesday, local officials said.The southern part of the town is inundated under 100 mm of water.The four injured people were rushed to the a local hospital.ThanhNien
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Has Highest Number Of Female Legislators In Asia
Vietnamese women are actively taking part in the country development Up to 27.3 per cent of employees in legislative agencies in Vietnam are women, which is among the highest rates in Asia, international delegates to the APEC conference being held in Vietnam heard Thursday.At the third APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM III)’s Gender Focal Point Network workshop, Vietnam also reported its female workers outnumber males in all sectors by 2.4 percent.Some 22-35 percent of private enterprise executives in Vietnam are women, the country also said.Legislators from Chinese’s Taipei are 20 percent women while 30 percent of government officials in Japan belong to the fair sex.The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) comprises 21 countries or economies as the bloc purpose is to promote and discuss trade and economic issues.The SOM III being held in central Danang city and Quang Nam province has entered the ninth day and expected to conclude in several days.Source: Tien Phong
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Has Highest Number Of Female Legislators In Asia
Vietnamese women are actively taking part in the country development Up to 27.3 per cent of employees in legislative agencies in Vietnam are women, which is among the highest rates in Asia, international delegates to the APEC conference being held in Vietnam heard Thursday.At the third APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM III)’s Gender Focal Point Network workshop, Vietnam also reported its female workers outnumber males in all sectors by 2.4 percent.Some 22-35 percent of private enterprise executives in Vietnam are women, the country also said.Legislators from Chinese’s Taipei are 20 percent women while 30 percent of government officials in Japan belong to the fair sex.The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) comprises 21 countries or economies as the bloc purpose is to promote and discuss trade and economic issues.The SOM III being held in central Danang city and Quang Nam province has entered the ninth day and expected to conclude in several days.Source: Tien Phong
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 14, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Vietnam To Raise Minimum Salary Next Month
Vietnam will lift minimum salary for state employees by 28.6 percent on Oct. 1, which is estimated to increase its state budget spending next year by more than 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, local media reported Tuesday. Under a newly-issued government decree, the monthly minimum salary of people working in the administrative sector, armed forces, political and social organizations, and state-owned enterprises will stand at 450,000 Vietnamese dong (VND) (28.3 dollars), instead of 350,000 VND (22 dollars) currently, Youth newspaper reported. Under the new salary scale, pensions for retirees, allowances, and social insurance will also be raised. The salary hike is expected to benefit 11.8 million people. This is the third time that Vietnam has raised the minimum salary since 2003: from 210,000 VND (13.2 dollars) to 290,000 VND (18.2 dollars) in 2003, to 350,000 VND (22 dollars) in 2005, and to 450,000 VND (28.3 dollars) in October. Vietnam has planned to increase gross domestic product (GDP) per capita to 1,050-1,100 dollars in 2010 from 640 dollars in 2005. Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

3rd Oil Refinery To Locate In Ba Ria-Vung Tau
The Government’s Office has released dispatch 4999 about the location of the third oil refinery.The Government has decided to choose Long Son in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau for the location of the third oil refinery. However, investors may choose Vung Ro in the central province of Phu Yen, or Doc Ham in the southern province of Ninh Thuan as alternative places.Regarding the mode of investment, the Prime Minister will allow a joint venture, a 100% foreign owned or domestically invested entity to run the oil refinery.The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to join forces with relevant authorities to appraise the oil refinery project. The ministries will have to report the work to the Government for a final decision.Vietnam is now building the first oil refinery, Dung Quat, in the central province of Quang Nam. The construction is expected to be completed after 44 months, and the oil refinery, to be put into operation in early 2009. Final details of the second oil refinery, which is expected to be located in Nghi Son, Thanh Hoa Province in the central region, are being finalised.
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

VinaCapital To Buy 30% Of Pho 24
VinaCapital Group officially announced Tuesday that it will buy 30% of the Pho 24 Joint-stock Company.Pho 24 (Noodle 24) is one Vietnam’s most successful franchises. The company opened the first Pho noodle restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City in 2003, and now has plans to open its 41st Pho noodle restaurant in the country.The brand name has also expanded overseas with a franchise system in Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea.VinaCapital Group, capitalized at US$224 million, manages the Vietnam Opportunity Fund (VOF), a closed-end fund listed on the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Source: SGGP
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnamese Prime Minister Meets Asian Leaders
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on September 10 took part in a high-level meeting of Asian leaders in Helsinki, where the sixth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM 6) is being held.The meeting reviewed the role of Asia and the development process of ASEM, and discussed an Asia Europe Declaration in the spirit of the 2004 Hanoi Declaration on Closer ASEM Economic Partnership.The Asian leaders agreed to invite India, Mongolia and Pakistan to take part in the next Asia Europe Meeting, and proposed admitting them to ASEM in 2007.At the meeting, the Asian leaders also agreed to allow two European countries, Bulgaria and Romania, to become official members of ASEM.Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held a meeting with the Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to discuss issues of common interests, including the construction of a trans-Asia railway from Singapore to Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China's Kunming, in order to boost trade exchange between those regional countries and China.At the meeting, the Cambodian side gave an update on the railway construction process and said there was still two parts of the railway with a combined length of 256km that had to be completed.Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his wish that these countries should reach an unanimity to enable China to support the construction of the railway. The five prime ministers agreed to raise the issue in the coming Nanjing Meeting in China.Source: VNA
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Can Tho Exports 420,000 Tonnes Of Rice
Businesses in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have shipped 41,000 tonnes of rice abroad, bringing the total volume so far this year to 420,000 tonnes.The figure represents 93 percent of the city's target set for the whole year.The Song Hau Food Company, the Mekong Food Company and the Thot Not Food Processing Joint Stock Company are leading the locality in exporting rice, with a combined amount of 300,000 tonnes.The achievement was attributed to their efforts to expand their markets to Europe, North America and North Asia, and invested tens of billions of VND to install modern husking and packaging lines in order to improve the quality of their products.They also signed contracts to buy paddy and processed rice from farmers in neighbouring provinces and cities.In addition, local authorities have taken measures to assist businesses in surveying foreign markets and marketing their products. Source: VNA
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

US To Grant $1.2mil To Help Vietnamese Disabled
Five rehabilitation centres in the five northern provinces of Thai Binh, Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, Ha Giang and Nam Dinh will receive aid totaling $1.2 million from the US.On Tuesday, US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Marine visited a rehabilitation centre in Ha Giang to discuss the supplementary assistance for the centre.According to the US Embassy in Vietnam, the project to help Vietnam’s rehabilitation centres is being conducted by the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.Accordingly, the foundation has opened three rehabilitation centres in Thai Binh, Hoa Binh and Ha Nam provinces. At the same time, the foundation also continues to help provincial rehabilitation centres in Ha Giang and Nam Dinh provinces.The foundation has also helped train technicians, provide machinery and medicines for the five centres as well as organised trips to rural areas for disabled people in the centres and established groups of disabled people who help each other.Since 1988, the Leahy War Victims’ Foundation and the Fund for Refugee Children and Orphans under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have contributed nearly $43 million to assist Vietnamese disabled. Source: VNE
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

American Investor Seeks Tourism Complex On Con Dao Island
US-based MH Golden Sands is to develop an international tourism, commercial and convention complex on Con Dao Island off the coast of southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau province in southern Vietnam.The US investor has recently presented an investment plan to the provincial government to inject US$30-50 million on Dam Trau- Suoi Ot resort covering 100ha-site as part of the project.As proposed, the company plans to develop a 300ha-site near the island’s Co Ong airport into a complex that will provide luxury tourism, financial and commercial services among others at international standards.Co Ong airport will be upgraded and the investor expects to make the most of the site adjoining to the airport to attract guests.MH Golden Sands has proposed two alternatives for translating the project into reality.First the company will work out an overall plan for the project and call on other investor-participation to develop part of the project.The second option involves the company implementing the whole project autonomously.The resort is designed to comprise a villa section, a 100-room hotel, a 600-seat conference hall, a mini golf course, a shopping center, a water sport area and other facilities.The provincial authorities said it would give priority to large-scale tourism projects that were be able to provide high-class services to tourists, expecting to tap the island’s tourism potentials.The authorities also said that would provide favorable conditions to allow the investor to study the project, as well as implement it in the future.Overall targetThe provincial People’s Committee is expected to spend over VND365 billion ($23 million) between now and 2010 to build Con Dao Island into a national tourism site of consequence.The provincial authorities have approved a plan to develop tourism in Con Dao, notorious as a brutal prison site under colonial rule.Under the plan, the local government will implement 21 projects to develop infrastructure on the island, including transportation systems, airports, ports, and other facilities such as electricity and water.The province is calling for investment in 13 other tourism projects valued at a total of VND1.1 trillion ($68 million).Con Dao comprises 16 islets with total area of 7,678ha, of which at 5,150ha Con Lon is the largest.Late last year former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved a master plan for developing Con Dao Island into an economic zone with tourism identified as a key to growth. Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Europeans Attracted To Vietnamese Fashion At Fair
Vietnamese fashion accessories on display at an international fair in Belgium are attracting scores of visitors.At the 61st Accenta International Trade Fair in Ghent city, Vietnam has been invited as the partner country for this year and it has displayed the traditional women’s garment the aodai, palm-leaf conical hat, handmade jewelry, and other items.It has also sent national artists who are performing Vietnamese traditional music.The fair is part of “Vietnamese Days” in Belgium to intensify political and diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Belgium/the EU.Of some 100 international fairs held annually in Belgium, Accenta is the biggest and it is sponsored by the Belgian royal family. It has been held annually since 1946.Nine countries and territories are taking part in this year’s event which runs from September 9 to 17.Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Textile & Apparel Exports To Saudi Arabia Up 287.9%
Textile and apparel exports to Saudi Arabia reported whopping rise of 287.9 percent to $10.4 million during the first seven months of 2006, according to statistics released by Ministry of Trade (MOT).In July, country’s textile and garment exports increased 19.4 percent to $1.9 miilion.Among the categories reported high export growth include fabrics which accounted for 50 percent of total exports turnover worth $5 million, followed by children wear export climbing 144.7 percent to $719 thousand.Click to view category-wise exports turnover to Saudi Arab.Fibre2fashion News Desk- Vietnam
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 13, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Trade Bill Approval – A Priority For Bush
Winning approval of the Vietnam trade bill was a priority for the Bush administration, said a spokesperson for the US Trade Representative's Office.Meanwhile, Senators Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat and Gordon Smith, an Oregon Republican have written to Bush "Granting Vietnam PNTR (permanent normal trade relations) would be a move of great historic and commercial value."Besides, two members of Bush's Republican Party – Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina – are blocking consideration of the agreement in the Senate because of textile concerns.At this juncture, business groups are concerned that waiting until after the election to vote on the Vietnam bill could be fraught with risks, especially if a big Democratic victory makes it politically difficult for Republicans to get anything done.The Bush administration reached an agreement in May making the way for Vietnam to join the World Trade Organization by the middle of October and normalize trade relations between the two former battlefield enemies.The lop-sided deal requires Vietnam to open its markets to more US farm goods, manufactured products and services such as banking and telecommunications.The deal only requires the United States to lift quotas it now imposes on clothing imports from Vietnam because such restrictions are a violation of WTO rules. VNN
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Tailored Clothes The Best Place Is Hoi An
Welcome to Hoi An, a small port town in the middle of Vietnam where experienced tailors eagerly await your order. You may be thinking that this is impossible, or that it would cost a fortune. You may also be thinking that to get this service you would have to go to an expensive tailor in Beverly Hills. Well, you would be wrong!In Hoi An you will have the luxury of walking into a shop knowing that whatever you buy will fit perfectly and that every detail will be as you wish. The biggest dilemma will be which color to choose for your new outfit!When you arrive an oasis of tailor shops greets you. You can choose a tailor on your own, or if you want a recommendation, you can ask at the front desk of your hotel. They will have feedback from recent guests and will also direct you on where to go to begin your shopping.As you enter a store very experienced tailors will greet you. First the tailors will measure you and next you will choose which colors and types of cloth you want. Cotton and silk are the main fabrics used for clothing made in Hoi An, and they range in quality. Colors are about the only thing that vary from shop to shop and if you are not satisfied with the selection at the store you go to, the tailors will be more than happy to use cloth from another shop.The next part of the process is the most fun. During this time you are able to describe exactly what you want to the tailors. If you don't know exactly what you want, the tailors will happily guide you along until you are satisfied with your order. Pockets or no pockets? Exactly how long should that skirt be? And what color buttons for that shirt? The tailors will cater to your requests and to make sure that you will look good in the clothes that they make for you.I went to two different tailors. The first was Tien and was recommended to me by my hotel. The shop specializes in silk and cotton garments and has an assortment of colors and styles to choose from. These friendly tailors charge reasonable prices and speak both French and English. Orders can be made at the store at 54 Nguyen Truong To. Orders can also be made by Telephone: 0510-863900, or by email: Haipq_2000@hotmail.com.I found Dong Phuong, the second shop, on my own while browsing down the main street in town. What drew me to this one shop was a particular dress that I saw hanging on display. I immediately walked in and was measured. I ended up buying two of the dresses (of course in different colors) for me and another one for my sister, not to mention some other skirts and tops. Dong Phuong is located at: 15b Le Loi Street and their telephone is: 0510-861422. This shop makes all types of clothes and also has all kinds of materials. They also promise quick service, which I can second. The service is friendly and the tailors make beautiful clothing.The best part is that this is all affordable- to everyone who visits Vietnam! A dress will cost $12, while a suit will cost around $24, being the most expensive. These prices are definitely very affordable! Orders can be rushed and will be taken to your hotel if needed. I went into the shops around 4 p.m. and was trying on my clothes by 9 p.m. After I saw the quality of the clothes they had made, I ordered more clothes! The tailors worked hard to finish the order so that it would be ready before I left and even though I was leaving very early the next morning, the tailors completed my order before my departure. They went as far as to go to my hotel to deliver my clothes at 6:30 the next morning. I was happy to be able to say goodbye to the tailors and also very pleased with my new wardrobe! The tailor from Don Phuong even gave me a scarf as a gift!If you are making a journey down through Vietnam you will more than likely make a stop in Hoi An. It has a lot more to offer to a traveler than clothes. Aside from tailor shops, Hoi An is a lovely town and a great place to unwind. There are lots of restaurants to dine in as well as many quaint places to stay. It is a short bus ride away from Danang and should definitely be on any visitor's destination list who is going to Vietnam. As you leave Vietnam you will notice that a lot of the passengers on your flight will be leaving with a little more than they arrived with and will more than likely have bought a new bag to hold their clothes. So make sure to put a label on your bag, because I'm sure you will have one holding all of your clothes too!
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Football Betting Could Become Legal In Vietnam By Mid-2007
People in Vietnam could just begin to bet legally on football by mid 2007, a top sports official said.Vice chairman of the Committee for Sports and Physical Training, Huynh Vinh Ai, said however a law legalizing betting, which he was drafting, needed to be passed first.But once football betting became legal, turnover would definitely be equal to or higher than the VND5 trillion (US$313.5 million) raised through the national lottery annually.Five foreign bookmakers – Singapore Pools; Ladbrokes of the UK; Betandwin of Austria; Intralot of Europe; and Infront belonging to the world football governing body FIFA – and Vietnamese company SMS were waiting on the green light from the Vietnamese government.Drafting of the bill was nearing completion and would be sent to the government within this month, Ai said. Source: Nguoi Lao Dong
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Land Owners Not Paid For Their Land
Owners demand $7.82 mil land dues from industrial zones authorityEighty families crowded the Can Tho city industrial zones office Friday to demand payment for land taken over for setting up an industrial zone.They sold 60 hectares of land for the Tra Noc Industrial Zone (IZ) 10 months ago but have so far received just VND25 billion (US$1.56 mil) out of the VND150 billion due.Vo Van Luy, director of the city IZ administration, said the huge cost of VND135 billion ($8.5 million) for building infrastructure in the zone barely left anything to pay the landowners.He, however, promised full settlement by November.The administration would discuss the problem with city authorities next week, he said. Source: SGGP
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

No Luster For Gold In Vietnam
The price of gold in Vietnam lost its luster Monday as world rates fell sharply on a stronger US dollar, according to market analysts.Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) gold prices closed at VND11.94 million (US$743) per tael (1.25 oz) down, reaching the lowest point over the past four months, down VND370,000 (US$23) per tael after late trading Monday.Domestic trade volume remained low yesterday, a SJC representative said, as individual investors took a “wait-and-see” attitude for further lowering rates.Globally, the precious metal lost $14 – 16 per ounce to close at $596.5.Market watchdogs attributed the sharp decline to the strong recovery of the greenback and the relentless dip of crude oil prices over the past week.However, global tensions and political uncertainty in the Middle East could easily drive up prices again, financial experts said.Recently, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has approved five commercial banks and three gold companies to trade gold on account.Trading gold on account is the selling or buying gold carried out on the sellers’ and buyers’ accounts instead of selling or buying gold in kind.Five commercial banks and three gold companies are now allowed to trade gold on account, including Eximbank (Vietnam Import – Export Bank), Sacombank, Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Phuong Dong Bank (OCB), Viet A Bank, the Saigon Jewellery Company (SJC), Agribank’s Fine Arts, Gold and Gemstone Trading Company, and Gold Trading Company under Agribank (Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), HCM City Branch.While banks and companies prefer to trade gold on account, this kind of business remains unfamiliar to individual clients due to the low liquidity.People still prefer to purchase actual gold. Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Arrested Vietnam Businessman Threatened To Kill Investigators
Nguyen Duc Chi A Vietnamese businessman arrested for swindling US$10 million from his partners once threatened to kill policemen investigating his case, a top police official revealed at a press conference Monday.Nguyen Tien Luc, a senior investigator in the public security ministry, said Nguyen Duc Chi, former head of the Rusalka resort in Nha Trang town, sent messages on his and other investigators’ mobile phones threatening to “beat to death anyone investigating the case”.He, however, did not say how Chi laid his hands on the phone numbers.Chi had also threatened the police at the time of his arrest last year, “Today you arrest me, tomorrow someone will arrest you”.He had claimed to have bribed police officials but refused to reveal their names unless the police promised in writing not to prosecute them. His bargain had been rejected, Luc said.In 2003 Chi illegally obtained a land-use certificate for 45ha for the project. He used it as collateral to secure investments from which he pocketed $10 million.Several senior officials including two provincial deputy mayors have been arrested.Postal scamLuc mentioned another case in which a Hanoi vendor, Nguyen Lam Thai, had sold low-quality equipment at inflated prices to over 40 post offices across Vietnam.Thai had pocketed over VND45 billion ($2.8 million).The police had no proof that the Ministry of Posts and Telematics and the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications – a state corporation which manages all post offices – had been involved in Thai’s deals.Nguyen Trong Hy, deputy chairman of the National Sports Committee holding a deputy ministerial rank, was not in line for criminal prosecution for writing to post offices recommending Thai.The sports equipment Thai had sold because of the letter had only been worth VND800 million ($50,000), Luc said. Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Swiss Target Vietnamese Business Opportunities
Night at Vietnam's southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City A Swiss delegation is visiting Vietnam to encourage economic ties between the two countries, which are celebrating 35 years of diplomatic relations, swissinfo reported Monday.Swiss businesses are keen not to miss out on Vietnam, which has one of Southeast Asia's fastest growing economies and is on the verge of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO)."I feel as though I'm witnessing something similar to what happened around 15 years ago in China," Catherine Kellerer, in charge of bilateral relations with Vietnam at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), told swissinfo."Step by step, the Vietnamese authorities are implementing a series of reforms which favor the [business] market to attract foreign companies and investors," she said.In 2005 alone, $5.8 billion worth of foreign investments were made in Vietnam, up from $4.2 billion in 2004. Gross domestic product in the communist country has increased by 8.4 per cent, a growth rate topped only by China.With an internal market of 83 million inhabitants – roughly the size of Germany – Vietnam is seen as a good business opportunity.OpportunityIn addition to the current visit, the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) is organizing during the first half of September a forum on bilateral Swiss-Vietnamese business ties.Taking place in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest city, speakers include the Swiss ambassador to the country, Bénédict de Cerjat, and SACC president Werner Berger.Also taking part are around 100 representatives from Swiss and Vietnamese companies in addition to officials from both countries.According to Daniel P. Keller, director of Swiss Consulting, based in the country's capital Hanoi, the advantages of doing business in Vietnam go beyond having a young, motivated, well-educated and low-cost workforce.The framework conditions to attract foreign investors have markedly improved over the past few years, he said.What's more, a new law designed to make conditions more equal for domestic and foreign companies is set to come into force in the coming weeks. The cost of basic services such as telephone and electricity are to be reduced and intellectual property rights reinforced.ProblemsNevertheless, Vietnam, like many developing economies, still suffers from corruption and complicated bureaucracy.Another problem is that while the authorities seem to be keen to encourage the big guns such as sporting goods company Nike or computer chip manufacturer Intel, there seems to be less support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).This is the experience of Andrea Kalberer, owner of ABPromotions, a textile company employing 350 people near Ho Chi Minh City.He says the Vietnamese government "doesn't pay enough attention to SMEs. I often have the impression that the authorities think all foreign investors should be global players"."And to think that in Switzerland 99.7 per cent of businesses have fewer than 250 employees." Source: Swissinfo
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 12, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Monday, September 11, 2006

Japanese Culture To Be Introduced In Vietnam
The program “Japanese cultural days” will open on September 17 in the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House to celebrate 33 years of Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relation.The event will bring Vietnamese closer to Japanese traditional beauties with a series of events, including a photographic exhibition and music programs.Vietnamese people will have a look at Japanese gastronomy and enjoy sushi, a well-known cuisine of this country.Japanese will share with Vietnamese features the Origami craft, with animated instructions to make different paper objects including sea creatures, fruits, vegetables, animals, numbers, and more.Reportedly, some Vietnamese famous singers and bands will join the cultural event.Source: SGGP
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Thais To Deport Hijacker To Vietnam
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’ Spokesman Le Dzung A Thai court ordered Thursday the extradition to Vietnam of a man who faces charges of slandering Vietnam's government and violating its security.Vietnam applauded the decision, saying it would help prevent similar violations in the future.Ly Tong, a Vietnamese-born US citizen, hijacked an aircraft from Thailand in 2000 and flew it over the Vietnamese capital during a visit by then US President Bill Clinton.He was arrested upon his return landing in Thailand and was later sentenced to prison there for violating Thai airspace.The Vietnamese government sent an extradition request to Thailand in December 2004 charging Tong with slandering the Hanoi government and violating the territorial security of Vietnam.The Bangkok-based Criminal Court handed down its decision to extradite Tong to face trial in Vietnam deeming the penetration of Vietnam's airspace as a security breach, not a political crime.Tong has 15 days to appeal the decision.Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’ Spokesman Le Dzung said Vietnam “applauds” the court’s ruling.Tong’s activities “seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, security and laws and international laws and regulations” and must be punished severely, Dzung said.The Thai court’s decision was in conformity with the laws of Thailand and Vietnam as well as international laws and would help prevent similar activities in the future, he added.In 1992, Tong also hijacked a Vietnamese jet and forced the pilot to fly over Ho Chi Minh City as he dropped leaflets calling for an uprising.He then parachuted out of the aircraft in the hope of leading a rebellion against the Vietnamese government, but he was instead captured and sentenced to 20 years in jail.Vietnamese authorities freed him as part of amnesty in 1998.Source: Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Government To Sell State-Owned Houses To Tenants
The Vietnamese government said Friday it wants to speed up the sale of houses to people currently occupying them for rent and outlined measures for the purpose.In a release the Government Office said the sale of state-owned houses under government Decree 61 issued in July 1994 had been proceeding at a snail’s pace for the last 12 years.Most localities with large numbers of state-owned houses like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong had not completed their sale within time specified by the government.For instance, HCMC had only sold 54,963 houses and Haiphong 10,000, the release said.The deadline for registering to buy the houses has been set for October 31, 2006.SolutionsIn the release the government asked agencies managing state housing funds to transfer them to people’s committees of provinces and centrally-governed cities before December 31.House buyers would pay land prices as per the rates fixed by local authorities since December 31, 2004.Exemption of land use fees and house prices would be based on regulations issued before January 1, 2005.Buyers would be issued house ownership and land use certificates in accordance with regulations in force prior to the issuance of a government decree to guide the recently passed Housing Law, the release said.In an important gesture, people buying houses under a 10-year installment plan are allowed to pay in cash rather than gold.The government also assigned specific tasks to provincial authorities and the Ministry of Construction in using the money collected from selling the houses and in supervising the agencies selling the houses.Thousands of applications for buying the houses are awaiting approval.Hanoi has received 19,600 applications this year, five times last year’s number, but it has only approved 9,000 cases.Source: Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Three-Quarters Of Southern City Construction Projects Delayed
Phu My bridge Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have recently authored a report that revealed about 74 percent of on-going construction projects in the metro are behind schedule.According to the report, the city currently has 3,002 projects which are under construction, 2,228 projects behind schedule, seven others do not conform to overall city design, and fifteen were found to have poor construction quality.Some of the projects began in 2000, but are only half-finished, though the estimated construction time was much less in original plans.The main reasons cited for the delays are the low rate of land clearance for construction and lack of investment capital.Phu My bridge and East – West Highway are two among many examples of slow land clearance as land owners refuse to give up land for less than market value.Vietnamese counterparts in the projects face the risk of paying tens of thousands of US dollars per day as financial penalty to foreign investors and builders for the problem.Local authorities are considering solutions to tackle the delays, and may consider suspending several of the projects, Tuoi Tre newspaper said .Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Capital City Aims To Become Nation's Leading Export Centre
Ha Noi is preparing to become the nation's leading export centre during 2006-2010. The city aims to increase export growth from 15.5 percent to 18-20 percent per year, reaching an annual export turnover of US$6.5 billion by 2010."To boost exports, we must further develop trade promotion." said Ha Noi Trade Department director Nguyen Manh Hoang.The city already has a strong trade promotion programme in place, Hoang said. The city's export market has been expanded to 187 countries worldwide. The city's exporters have recently expanded into many new markets in such locations as South Africa, Angola and Australia, he said.The city's trade department plans to further improve organisations responsible for trade promotion activities, said the department's deputy director Nguyen Phuong Nam.During 2006-2010, the city will build showrooms for displaying export products. A trade centre for garment accessories, an auction centre, and a new fair and exhibition centre will also be built.The city will also cooperate with other provinces and enterprises to boost trade promotion activities, and the role of trade representative offices in other countries will be developed.The city also expects to improve policies relating to land use rights, administrative procedures, and planning, in order to create positive conditions for promoting exports, the Department of Trade said.The city will focus on export markets for products with strong potential such as electronics, telecommunications, textiles and garments, software, and labour export. In particular, the city is preparing to produce high-tech electronic components for export to Japan, the Republic of Korea, North America and Africa.In 2001-2005, the city's export turnover stood at over US$10 billion. The scale remains relatively small. The city's contribution to the country's export turnover fell overall, from 10 percent in 2001 to 8.82 percent in 2005.Source: Vietnam Agency
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Simplify Investment Procedures
Vietnam will empower the People's Committees of cities and provinces, and management boards of industrial parks and export processing zones nationwide to license nearly all kinds of domestic and foreign-invested projects.Under a draft decree on guiding the implementation of the new Investment Law, taking effect in July, the committees and the boards will have the rights to either directly consider and license most of projects or indirectly license some projects which are earlier approved by the prime minister, local newspaper Youth quoted Pham Manh Dung, director of the Legal Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, as saying.The prime minister is in charge of approving projects in some limited fields, including construction of airports, air transport, building and running national seaports, mineral exploration and exploration, broadcasting and television, and casino, Dung said, noting that if projects in the fields have already been listed in Vietnam's development plans, investors do not have to submit them to the prime minister for approval.Now, the prime minister approves the construction of casinos, however, when casino investment is listed in the country's development plans in the coming time, the committees or management boards will be in charge of considering and licensing casino projects, he noted.Now, several ministries, mainly the Ministry of Planning and Investment, are in charge of licensing projects in some specific areas, including insurance, banking and lawyers' operation.Also under the draft decree, domestic investors can register for establishing enterprises and for investment at the same time, provided that their projects have capital of below 300 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 18.9 million U.S. dollars). Under the prevailing rule, they must set up enterprises first, and then ask for investment licenses.Vietnam plans to attract 30-34 billion dollars of foreign direct investment (FDI) between 2006 and 2010. Under a draft program on enticing FDI from 2006 to 2010 worked out by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the country is anticipated to attract 22-24 billion dollars of fresh FDI and 8-10 billion dollars of additional capital of operational projects.To this end, Vietnam will strongly encourage foreign investment in information technology, electronics, micro-electronics, biotechnology, basic technology, auxiliary industries, agro- processing, realty trading, tourism, healthcare, education and training.Vietnam is expected to attract FDI worth 6.8 billion dollars next year, up from anticipated 6.5 billion dollars this year. Of the FDI in 2007, between 5 and 6 billion dollars is expected to be fresh investment, and the rest additional capital of operational projects, according to the ministry's Foreign Investment Department.Vietnam attracted nearly 5.9 billion dollars worth of FDI in 2005, up 40.2 percent over 2004. As of July 20, it housed 6,427 foreign-invested projects with a total registered capital of over 54.6 billion dollars, the department said.Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Border Police Seize Contraband From China
Police in Vietnam’s border areas with China seized large quantities of smuggled goods.Some 3,000 eggs and 208 kg of candies and cookies were confiscated by Lao Cai province police on Thursday.Police in Cao Bang province seized another 2,800 eggs, seven disc drives, 10 parabolic tuners and antennas, and seven TVs smuggled in from China.They have filed charges.
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Submits Tariff Plan In Preparation For WTO Entry
Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen Vietnam has submitted a roadmap on tax reduction and opening of the agriculture sector to the WTO Secretariat, and is set to continue multilateral accession talks in late September in Geneva.According to Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Vietnam’s commitments on tax lines reduction have been circulated and approved by WTO Secretariat members.There would be an unofficial meeting between Vietnam and negotiators to handle the remaining multilateral issues and to complete Vietnam’s documentation on WTO accession, said Xuan.On September 7, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson announced that Vietnam and the European Union had reached an agreement on all remaining multilateral WTO issues of interest to the two sides.The EU saw no further bilateral obstacles to Vietnam’s accession to the WTO, Mandelson said while he met with Vietnamese Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen Brussels the same day.He noted that Vietnam has made remarkable progress towards WTO accession during the past year.The EU has always been a staunch supporter of Vietnam’s accession to the WTO, he said, adding that he would be delighted to see the country pass this final milestone.Apart from the EU, a Vietnamese delegation has been to the US to handle the remaining multilateral issues with the country ahead of full WTO member.WTO obligationsIn bidding for WTO membership, Vietnam has made bilateral commitments to 26 other members to reduce the overall level of import duties by 22 percent from current levels.In bilateral negotiations on market access with the 26 trading partners, taxation emerged as the most complex and sensitive issue.The 22 percent reduction in import duties will be implemented over a five-year period after Vietnam becomes a member. Thirty-six percent of the 10,600 classes of import tax will be decreased following a roadmap spanning 5-7 years.Reductions vary from sector-to-sector, ranging from a 2 percent reduction on imported minerals to a 63.2 percent reduction on textiles and garments.The tariffs on imported seafood will be cut by 38.4 percent, on leather and rubber by 21.5 percent, and on agricultural products by 10.6 percent.For agriculture, the commitment on average import tax on agricultural products is 21 percent in comparison with current tax level of 31.6 percent.Vietnam also committed to applying regulations on food hygiene and safety to agricultural products.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Foreign Airlines Investors Maybe Allowed
Foreign investors are likely to be permitted to join hands with Vietnamese partners to set up air carriers in Vietnam, local newspaper Saigon Liberation reported Monday.Under a draft decree on guiding the implementation of the newly- approved Civil Aviation Law, foreign investors can establish airlines if the airlines' representatives are Vietnamese people. The draft also encourages individuals to participate in the field.Enterprises eligible for doing aviation business must have legal capital of 80-480 billion Vietnamese dong (5-30.2 million U. S. dollars) and exploit at least one aircraft which has been used for no more than 10 years, said the draft.The number of foreigners in the airline's management board should not exceed one-third of the total membership, while foreign capital should not exceed 49 percent of the airline's registered capital.The Vietnamese prime minister will consider licensing an airline under a proposal of the Transport Ministry within two months since investors submit all relevant documents.Vietnam's aviation sector served over 4.9 million domestic and foreign passengers and 80,400 tons of cargoes in the first eight months of this year, registering year-on-year rises of 13.1 percent and 14.4 percent respectively, according to the country's General Statistics Office.Source: Xinhua
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 11, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Friday, September 08, 2006

Rice Asked To Intervene Over Vietnamese-American's Arrest
A Vietnamese-American advocacy group has urged US Secretary of State. Condoleezza Rice to seek the release of an American pro-democracy activist held in Hanoi, saying the arrest sent a "chilling message" to other US citizens.Vietnam's communist government on Thursday confirmed the detention last month of Cong Thanh Do, a Californian computer engineer, but declined to say why he was being held."The unwarranted detainment of Cong Thanh Do, a US citizen, sends a chilling message to all Americans who wish to visit or do business in Vietnam," Baoky N. Vu, an official of the Vietnamese-American Public Affairs Committee, said in a letter to Rice Thursday.The committee strives to increase the participation of Vietnamese Americans in the American political process."We respectfully ask that you call on the Vietnamese government to immediately release" him, Vu told Rice in the letter, a copy of which was sent to AFP.Do's relatives said he was detained on August 14 in Vietnam's southern city of Phan Thiet, accused of conspiring to launch a terrorist attack against the US consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.The 47-year Vietnamese-American last Friday told US officials who visited him at a police detention centre that he was a senior member of the banned People's Democratic Party of Vietnam, seeking non-violent political change.He also told them he would start a hunger strike that day that would last until his freedom or his death, his family said.The US government said it had seen no evidence Do had planned a terrorist attack against US interests in the Vietnamese city.Vu said Do was a human rights activist and "professes no tendencies of violence."Even more ludicrous are the accusations by the authorities that he was plotting to attack the US consulate, his own diplomatic refuge," Vu said.The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called the terrorism claim "a bizarre accusation which does not appear to be based on any real facts".Vu said the incident underscored "the harassment and persecution that many Vietnamese citizens desiring freedom face every day" and urgedPresident George W. Bush to push Hanoi to embrace democracy, when he attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hanoi in November.Zoe Lofgren, a legislator with the US House of Representatives, said the arrest was "unprecedented."This was the first time a US citizen was being held in Vietnam solely because of his pro-democratic, non-violent views, said California Representative Lofgren. "His incarceration is outrageous."There are about 1.5 million Vietnamese-Americans in the United States who are an influential force during elections. Yahoo News
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 08, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Thuy To Wear Ao Dai At 2006 Miss World Pageant
Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy will unveil the depth of Vietnamese beauty during the 56th Miss World contest in Poland this month.Following her success as Miss Vietnam 2006 this August, the 18-year-old Hanoi beauty is already on her way to the host city Gdansk in Poland.The tallest-ever Miss Vietnam (1.79m) is fond of jogging, swimming, reading, listening to music, especially hip-hop and dance.Thuy, a Rirut University scholarship recipient, relishes Vietnam’s traditional delicacies of ‘Pho’ (noodle soup) and spring rolls.Thuy will grace for the final contest on September 30 with the traditional Vietnamese ao dai, a tunic-like dress popular in Vietnam.
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 08, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Online Advertising Potential In Vietnam
With increasing internet use alongside consistent IT development, online advertising is on the rise in Vietnam. Though currently a newborn and fledgling market, its potential is enormous.Vietnam’s Fledgling Online MarketThousands of websites are born and 15 billion visitors access the internet every day. Worldwide online advertisement grew by 25 percent in 2005 and is expected to continue rising sharply in the future. It is high-time Vietnam jumped on the bandwagon.Google and Yahoo are online advertising’s two biggest earners. Google’s net profit rose to US$369 million in the first quarter of this year with revenues surging to US$1.3 billion, a 93 percent year-on-year increase. Yahoo’s net profit doubled to US$205 million in the first quarter this year as the company grossed US$1.2 billion in sales.In line with the trend, online advertisement in Vietnam is growing rapidly. Local enterprises now put their banners and logos on most popular websites and use low-cost e-mail advertising.The online advertisement revenue in Vietnam is estimated to reach US$4 million this year, a US$2.1 million year-on-year increase.Professional advertisingVietNamNet surprised observers when it asked a professional advertising company to act as its exclusive advertisement agent.As one of the highest ranking e-newspaper in Vietnam, VietNamNet earns a lot of easy money from advertising and many assumed it could continue its self advertising campaign without outside help. But big ad firms offer service benefits.“By asking the Online Advertising Joint-Stock Company (OAC) to act as an exclusive advertisement agent, VietNamNet will save on personnel and cost, so we will be able to improve the website’s quality,” said Editor-in-Chief and Chairman of VietNamNet Nguyen Anh Tuan. He continued: “Some said that this is a risky decision, but the OAC now possesses the most popular websites in Vietnam, www.24h.com.vn and www.xem.com.vn,”“We cooperated with VietNamNet as it is the top Vietnamese website with strong IT infrastructure. Our new ideas and methods can bring great opportunities to our customers,” said Chairman of the OAC Phan Minh Tam.“As the internet computer market grows rapidly, Vietnam’s online advertising potential is at its first great peak. A country of more than 80 million inhabitants with the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growing by 7.5 percent annually is a good business environment. Vietnam is currently a fledgling market for online advertisement, but it has a lot potential,” said Ms. Duong Thu Huong, Public Relations & Operations Manager at IDG Ventures Vietnam based in Ho Chi Minh City. SGGP
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 08, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Joining WTO, Vietnam Needs To Develop Infrastructure, Seaports
Developing infrastructure and seaports when Vietnam becomes a member of the WTO was the suggestion of more than 80 US companies at a talk on Vietnam’s opportunities and challenges in the post-WTO period.At the talk, held by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Hanoi on Thursday, Nike’s Director of Logistics John Isbell said that Vietnam’s stable developing economy in the past decade had created millions of job opportunities, billions of US dollars worth of export turnover.Once the country joins the WTO, this year’s end, a new wave of investment will continue promoting economic development, during which, investment and trade will still be important factors for social-economic development, job creation and budget revenue, he added.However, he emphasised the significance of the urgent development of seaports and infrastructure immediately after the country became a WTO member, as a key condition to promoting by-sea exports.Amcham Chairman Walter Blocker also described the close cooperation between the State and businesses in infrastructure development as the foundation for economic development.“Large infrastructure projects need many years for completion so Vietnam needs to have early plans to maintain development speed,” he said.According to the Amcham Chairman, this organisation also recommended that the Vietnamese Government develop infrastructure by licencing and encouraging the private sector to become involved in and provide financial support to this area during the Vietnam Enterprise Forum in June 2006.Restructuring and developing the system of seaports is also Vietnam’s strategic goal. In the south, many seaports will be relocated or upgraded in the next 10-15 years.Many investors have submitted their seaport building projects to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Recently the Saigon Container Port company, a joint venture between the Tan Thuan Joint Stock Company and the UK’s P&O Group, has obtained an investment licence from the HCM City People’s Committee, with authorized capital of $249mil. VNE
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 08, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Confirms Detention Of U.S. Citizen
A Vietnamese-born U.S. citizen was detained in mid-August, a government spokesman said on Thursday as rights groups complained he was arrested after using the Internet to call for alternatives to one-party communist rule.Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said the man, Cong Thanh Do, 47, was "temporarily detained in Ho Chi Minh City for violations of Vietnamese law" on August 17, but he declined to say on what charges."When we receive the outcome of the investigation we will let you know," the spokesman said at a regular media briefing.Do's family in San Jose, California, publicized his detention at the weekend, days after Vietnam released its most prominent cyber-dissident, Ham Hong Son, under a presidential amnesty.Son served more than four years on a conviction of spying after posting essays and translations on democracy on the Internet.A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Hanoi said on Thursday she had no new information on charges against Do, a computer engineer who was born in Vietnam and has lived in the United States since 1982."It's for the Vietnamese government to delineate the charges," she said.Do received a visit last Friday from a U.S. consular official in Ho Chi Minh City, the U.S. and Vietnamese officials said.Paris-based Reporters Without Borders activist group, a frequent critic of the Hanoi government, said it believed five so-called cyber-dissidents, including Do, were in custody."These men have been punished for using the Internet to publicly express disagreement with the political line of the sole party," the group said in a letter sent to diplomats of the United States, France and Finland, which is president of the European Union under its rotation system.The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also protested the detention.Hanoi has been under pressure from Washington and Brussels to improve its human rights record as it prepares to join the World Trade Organization this year and host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in November.Do's daughter Ben DOB said by telephone from California on Monday that her father told the consular official he was a member of the outlawed People's Democratic Party of Vietnam and that he was a peaceful supporter of multi-party democracy and freedom of speech. Reuters
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 08, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Thursday, September 07, 2006

Traffickers Executed In Vietnam’s Largest Drug Bust
Nguyen Van Hai alias Hai Luan Three drug traffickers were executed by firing squad in Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday for smuggling over 800kg of heroin, the biggest-ever drug haul in Vietnam. The three men, Cam Minh Tam, Tran Anh Toan, and Ho Anh Tuan – dubbed Tuan “rabbit” – were members of Vietnam’s largest drug gang, led by 45-year-old Nguyen Van Hai, alias Hai Luan.Police busted the gang in August 2004. In 2005 a HCMC court sentenced 16 members to death and 11 to life terms. Two others got jail terms.They were charged with possessing weapons and trafficking almost 820 kilograms of heroin between the central province of Nghe An, bordering Laos, to HCMC.Five members, including boss Nguyen Van Hai, were executed in June.Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Anyone trafficking 600 grams or more of heroin or more than 10 kilograms of opium faces death. ThanhNien
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Caravelle On List of “100 Luxury Hotels in the World”
Readers of the American magazine The Robb Report have voted the Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City as one of the luxury 100 hotels in the world. Back on July 28, the Vietnam Tourism Association listed the Caravelle as one of its top ten hotels of 2005.It is reportedly the only Ho Chi Minh City establishment on the luxury 100 list.Beside an ideal location, accommodation and high-grade facilities, the winning hotels have to inspire the best things of the cities where they are located. Their competent and wholehearted staff must have a wide knowledge of their cities for the benefit of guests.The Caravelle Hotel is located in Lam Son Square opposite the Opera House in the heart of town.It has five restaurants and bars, including an open-air rooftop bar with panoramic views of the city. It comprises two buildings: the original 10-floor Caravelle and a 24-story tower added in 1998. Liberated Saigon
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

PM Approves Saigon Port-SSA Marine Container Terminal
Vietnam Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, has approved the establishment of a joint venture between Saigon Port and SSA Marine to develop and operate SP-SSA International Container terminal (SSIT) at Cai Mep, in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. SSIT will support container traffic in the greater Ho Chi Minh City area. Ho Chi Minh City container traffic is currently 2,200,000 TEU's per year and growing at an average rate of 20% per year."We are very pleased the Prime Minister approved our project. SSIT is a critical element in Port Area 5's long-term plan to shift container volume from the existing ports in Ho Chi Minh City to less congested deep water container terminals," stated Le Cong Minh, director general of Saigon Port.The joint venture between Saigon Port and SSA Marine is the first proposed international joint venture container terminal approved by the Vietnamese government for the Cai Mep - Thi Vai Region."Vietnam's economy and container volume are growing at unprecedented levels. Couple this growth with Vietnam's future admission to WTO, and it's obvious this additional container terminal capacity will be required as quickly as possible. We are moving forward with our engineering and hope to have this world class terminal operating in 2009," emphasized Bob Watters, SSA Marine vice president - managing director Asia.SSIT will consist of 600m of berth and 60 hectares of back-up land. It will have a total annual capacity of 1.35 million TEU's. The total cost to construct and equip the terminal is $160,000,000.About SSA MarineSSA Marine, a subsidiary of Carrix, Inc., is the largest U.S. owned, and the largest privately held container terminal operator and cargo handling company in the world, handling approximately 22 million container TEU's per year. The nearly 60-year-old company serves more than 120 locations worldwide, including port operations throughout the U.S. as well as internationally in Panama, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, South Africa and New Zealand.About Saigon PortSaigon Port is under the Vietnam National Shipping Lines Corporation (Vinalines) and operates 5 terminals in South Vietnam with nearly 4,000 employees, more than 3 km of wharf length, 30 buoy berths and total area of approximately 600,000m2. Cargo throughput has increased from less than 1,000,000 to more than 12 million tons annually. For many years Saigon Port has been a leader in terminal operations, for all types of cargo, in Vietnam. SOURCE: SSA Marine
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam Ranks 104th In The Ease Of Doing Business
Video conference on launch of Doing Business 2007 Report.Vietnam is ranked 104/175 countries in terms of the ease of doing business, down six ranks from last year’s 98, said the World Bank’s report released at a video conference on Launch of Doing Business 2007.Vietnam’s down rank indicates that the country’s overall progress in regulatory reforms lags behind other countries and more is needed to be done to make Vietnam more competitive.The down rank does not mean that Vietnam’s ease of doing business has not been improved but other countries have improved their ease of doing business more quickly and better than Vietnam, said Caralee McLiesh, programme manager and co-founder of the Doing Business Project of the World Bank Group.This year’s report focuses on reform, updates indicators developed in the three preceding reports and covers 20 additional countries. The report presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and their enforcement compared across 175 countries.WB’s ranking relies on 10 indicators: Starting a business, dealing with license, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business.According to the Doing Business 2007 Report, Vietnam is among seven economies in East Asia which implemented one or more reforms that has improved the Doing Business indicators in the reported period. Source: Nhan Dan
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Danish Leader To Visit Vietnam
Deputy Prime Minister Bendt Bendtsen will lead a delegation of 21 Danish businesses to visit Vietnam from September 11-15 to beef up bilateral trade relations.He is to meet with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Sinh Hung and some other high-ranking Vietnamese officials.Bendtsen and representatives of major companies in Denmark will participate in a number of trade promotion activities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as seminars and the inauguration ceremony of the Song Day construction material factory.He will also attend the inauguration ceremony of the Danish Investment Fund and the inauguration ceremony of the new office of CSR Vietnam, a Danish occupational health and safety advisory company.Other activities include a visit to the Viking Vietnam Joint Venture Company and Vitexo Garment Company and participation in the opening ceremony of the forum titled “Vietnam construction with Danish technology” in Hanoi. Source: TBKTVN
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam To Tap Into Stronger Chinese Yuan
The soaring Chinese yuan against the US dollar signals a great opportunity for Vietnam’s economic development, said Vietnamese financial experts.The yuan rose as high as 7.9367 per dollar on Tuesday, its highest level since the revaluation, and has gained another 2.18 percent since then.Nguyen Phuoc Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City-based Vietcombank, said the country’s trade sector would benefit from a stronger yuan if exporters salvaged the chance.A stronger yuan would make Chinese exports more expensive for buyers abroad, so domestic exporters should seize the chance to increase shipments of the items in which China has always been a heavyweight rival.He explained that in the past, China valued its currency lower than the real rate to boost exports, drawing pressure from the US to float the yuan, allowing it to rise and thus decrease China’s exports.TourismTran Phuong Binh, general director of the East Asian Commercial Joint Stock Bank, forecast a new wave of Chinese tourists flocking to Vietnam for both travel and shopping.A stronger yuan versus other currencies would encourage Chinese citizen to travel abroad to shop.According to Dao Hong Chau, deputy general director of the Import & Export Bank of Vietnam, stronger yuan will orient foreign investors to switch their investments to China’s neighbors, pitting Vietnam as a number one consideration.He explained the majority of investors made investments in China for export, but businesses were hit with the increasing yuan, and higher production costs.He suggested that Vietnam should continue to better improve its investment environment to attract greater attention from international investors.Stronger yuanSince China revalued its currency by 2.1 percent in July 2005, ending the currency's decade-long peg to the dollar, China has repeatedly said it will allow its forex regime more flexibility.The European Union, Japan and especially the US have insisted that Beijing raise the value of the yuan, arguing that a weak currency gives its exporters an unfair advantage.China imposes tight controls on currency trading, allowing the exchange rate to fluctuate within only a 0.3-percent band on either side of the dollar parity rate during each trading day.The official China Securities News has speculated on how the central bank could widen the currency's trading band. A more flexible exchange rate would allow more room for appreciation in the yuan, it suggested.US Senators, Charles Schumer, a Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican, have meanwhile said that if the yuan does not rise by September 30 they will proceed with a vote on legislation to impose a 27.5 percent tariff on Chinese goods.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Apec Urged To Push Trade Talks On
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson The US has called on its economic partners in the Pacific Rim to help kick-start stalled global trade talks.US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson urged Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders to push for new talks.The call came as the 21-member Apec group, which includes Russia and the US and accounts for almost half of global trade, met for talks in Vietnam.The so-called Doha round of world trade talks broke down in July after almost five years of negotiations.The talks collapsed amid acrimony with both the US and Europe blaming each other for their failure.Tariff rows"I can't think of anything... that can have a more positive impact on the global economy than trade liberalisation"Henry Paulson, US Trade SecretaryDisagreement over agricultural subsidies and tariffs continue to be the main stumbling bock, with the US and EU accusing the other of not making enough concessions.However, World Trade Organization (WTO) leader Pascal Lamy has refused to accept that the Doha round has failed - instead insisting that the talks are merely "suspended".In an effort to restart the talks, the US has vowed to call on Apec leaders to help save the talks."I can't think of anything... that can have a more positive impact on the global economy than trade liberalisation," Mr Paulson said as the two-day meeting began in Hanoi."It's going to be very, very important that the finance ministers think creatively when they go home about how to put a real impetus behind the Doha Round," he added.Cheap exportsLiberalising trade was discussed by the Apec group, with the US calling for action to iron out global imbalances.America's politically-sensitive trade gap has led some US lawmakers to accuse China of keeping its currency artificially weak in order to boost exports, while US manufacturers argue cheap imports from China are hurting business and driving millions of Americans out of work.But China's finance minister Li Yong said ironing out any imbalances could not be addressed by any one nation, instead it must be a joint effort.As well as trade, the 21-member bloc is set to discuss measures to "combat terrorist financing, money laundering and other abuses of our financial systems".It comes as the US has urged several Apec members to close bank accounts it says communist North Korea is using to launder profits from criminal operations in order to help finance a nuclear weapons programme.
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Fake Foreign Drugs Detected In Vietnam
The Vietnam Drug Administration (VDA) has detected and suspended the trade of over 60 fake medicines since early this year, 80 per cent of which have come from abroad.The fake medicines violate numerous drug regulations and standards with false VDA content declarations, bacterial contaminations, inconsistent dissolutions of medicines, incorrect weights and textures of drugs as well as improper mixing of eastern and western medicines.The problem of fake medicine is currently a controversial issue for the country’s pharmaceutical sector. Source: SGGP
posted by Mike Weston Thursday, September 07, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Vietnam Celebrates National Day
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City celebrates August Revolution and National DayThe 61st anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2) was celebrated at a grand meeting in Hanoi on September 1. Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, President Nguyen Minh Triet, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Pham The Duyet joined Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi and representatives of Hanoi people and armed forces at the event.Mr Nghi, who is also Politburo member of the Party Central Committee, delivered a speech recalling the glorious revolutionary tradition of the nation and previous generations who successfully carried out the August Revolution, a great historical victory that ushered in a new era for the Vietnamese people, the era of independence, freedom and socialism.He said that with guidance from the Party and State, assistance from the central government and co-operation from people nationwide as well as thanks to great efforts of the Hanoi Party organisation, authorities and people, the capital city has gained great and comprehensive achievements over the past 20 years of renovation. Hanoi has increased its GDP by 6.4-fold during the 1985-2005 period, while its budget revenues have increased by 10 times, export value by 47.4 times and GDP per capital by 3.7 times.Hanoi is determined to join the nation in successfully implementing all the tasks set by the 10th National Party Congress while preparing to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in 2010. On this occasion, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Quoc Trieu launched an emulation movement to welcome the 52nd liberation day of Hanoi, the 2006 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the 60th anniversary of National Resistance Day. He called on Hanoi people to work hard to implement the 10th Party Congress's Resolution, promote administrative reform and thrift practising, fight corruption and prepare well for the 2006 APEC meeting. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam International Athlete Arrested For Sex With Underage Girl
Police in Hanoi caught red-handed a national athlete having sex with a 12-year girl in a hotel, newspapers reported Friday.Tran Xuan Anh, 24, who won a bronze medal in wushu at the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia, confessed to the police to having sex with the girl, H.A.He had been solicited by a pimp to stay overnight at Phuong Nam hotel with a young girl while he was riding a motorbike around the city earlier in the day.Anh, a third-year student at the National Sports College No. 1 in Bac Ninh province, accepted and went to the hotel where the girl was waiting.The police did not reveal how they managed to catch him in the act.In Vietnam the age of consent is 14 and sex with people below that is treated as statutory rape.The girl, born in 1994, lives in Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi and is studying in grade seven.In 2004 Anh was once detained by the Hanoi police for disturbing public security after he brandished a gun to threaten some youths.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Escaped Victim’s Letter Helps Nab Traffickers In Vietnam
A letter written by a 20-year-old Ho Chi Minh City girl has helped police break up a gang trafficking Vietnamese girls to Macau for prostitution and nab the culprits.The gang’s mastermind, Nguyen Bich Tuyen, 25, was arrested last Saturday after a three-month surveillance.Nguyen Thi Khoi An, 34, of Ho Chi Minh City and Tuyen’s brother, Nguyen Van Thuan, 22, were also arrested.In 1999 Tuyen left Hau Giang province for Vung Tau, a tourist city, to work as masseuse. A year later a friend introduced her to a Chinese man who took her to a massage parlor in Macau for a promised payment of US$2,500.After working there for a year, she paid the money and earned some more to returned to Vietnam and resume her massage job in Vung Tau.In 2003 Tuyen once again went to the Chinese territory, this time to work in a brothel. There she met two Vietnamese madams, one visiting from Hanoi and another residing in Macau, who promised to give her $300 for every girl she brought from Vietnam.Tuyen has admitted to the police that she took seven girls, including two of her relatives.In Macau the girls have to work hard to return the ‘fees’ of $2,500 to the two madams. They earn HKD250 (US$38.8) from each client.One such girl, who refused to do sex work, managed to return home after paying the $2,500 and sent the letter to the police which has helped bring the gang to book.ThanhNien
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

US Travel Agencies To Set Up In Vietnam
The Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement will soon let US travel agencies operate in Vietnam. Thoi bao Kinh te Sai Gon (Sai Gon Economic Times) newspaper spoke to tourism administration vice chairman Pham Tu about prospects for stiff competitionCan you talk about the tourism agreements that will come into effect when Vietnam joins the World Trade Organisation?There is still no general agreement for tourism when Vietnam joins the WTO. I think that basically, it will be like the one we have discussed with the US. Vietnam will play on an equal ground, with no more Government subsidising for native enterprises.How will the market be after that?Of course it will be exciting with a lot of good opportunities. The event will be a wake up call for the Vietnamese tourism sector to start developing faster and more professionally.Every coin has two sides, and we should concentrate on the positive one. When the international travel agencies come to Vietnam, they will have much stronger promotion capabilities, which means the country’s image will be larger on a global scale.Besides, the domestic tourism agencies will also learn from their programmes.Will the international market dominate the native one?Not really, but they will be a big chunk of the market. We must accept it because our travel capacity is not strong enough.In tourism, travel accounts for just 10 per cent of the total - the rest is divided between hotels, restaurants, entertainment, transport and shopping. Vietnam has 600 enterprises with business licenses for international travel; however, most of them are young and fall short in both ability and experience. In the travel sector, capital is not the most important thing - management capacity is. Vietnam enterprises are weak in their understanding of the market and customer service.As we inch closer to the date, how will the tourism sector alter its development plans?The target to receive 6 million visitors by 2010 is double the current demand. But this target cannot be compared with figures in other countries. We need an attraction to triple the number of the visitors - it’s not easy to do this. To reach the target, tourism development needs to become a national policy. We must improve roads, railways, airways and waterways.The State should give more incentive policies to the sector, and make visa exemptions for a number of countries.As for training the labour force for the sector, the administration has requested the Government to establish three tourism schools this year so that the country with have 10 more schools by 2010. The sector will also take part in promoting the image of Vietnam by co-operating with other sectors to organise Vietnamese cultural events in other countries. Move festivals will also be promoted.More importantly, we will establish tourism offices in many more places around the world (now there are only 25 Vietnamese enterprise offices abroad).Do you have any warnings for enterprises in the face of all this economic change?Joining the WTO is a drastic challenge. Some enterprises will go under. No one can tell enterprises what to do - they have to find their own way to keep afloat in the face of global competition.Domestic enterprises should understand international laws and also dare to take risks. Probably around half of the enterprises will fail, and half will emerge as the best the country has to offer.There may be, in fact, some who will perform well with clever business plans, not just because they are a large company. In tourism, benefits sometimes belong to medium- and small-sized enterprises. VNN
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam-Fastest Growing Stock Market In Asia
At the Hanoi Securities Trading Centre.In the next few years, the stock market in Vietnam will see further robust growth, Netty Ismail and Stephen Engle quoted economic specialists as saying in an article entitled “Sell-offs could drive market in Vietnam” published in the International Herald Tribune on August 31. The paper quoted Spencer White, Hong Kong- based Asian strategist at Merrill, as saying that, “We are going to see a very significant transformation of the Vietnamese stock market over the next two to three years." Vietnam, which began market-oriented reform in 1986, has the fastest-growing stock market in Asia, he said. Currently, there are 48 companies on the six-year-old Ho Chi Minh City Securities Trading Centre with a combined market value of about US $3 billion. Market value on the Vietnamese exchange increased 50% on July 12, 2006 after shares in Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (Sacombank) made their debut. Meanwhile, Kelvin Lee, head of investment banking at VinaCapital Group in Ho Chi Minh City, which manages US $600 million of investments in Vietnam, said that sales of shares in State-owned companies could accelerate stock market growth as the government seeks to sharpen the ability of those firms to compete after Vietnam joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Jonathan Pincus, senior country economist at the United Nations Development Programme in Hanoi, said that having a capital market is very important to Vietnam's future. A securities law that comes into effect in January seeks to lay out standards of disclosure and governance for all companies, whether they trade over- the-counter or on exchanges. Vietnam is also offering tax incentives for companies to shift the trading of their shares to the stock market, he said. (VNA)
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Wine Made Of Coconut Milk Exported
Ba Thanh, a farmer in southern Ben Tre province, Viet Nam's "coconut country," has made wine from coconut milk and exported the new product to several Asian and European countries.A prescribed dose of this kind of wine will give drinkers silky hair and digestive stability without having headache. The wine can be added to soda or heated.Ba Thanh succeeded making the wine from coconut milk in late 2005. His wine plant, located in An Thanh commune, Mo Cay district, turned out 15,000 bottles a month for domestic use and export. The wine has won favour of many customers in the UK, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.Ben Tre province has about 40,000 ha of coconut trees and is well-known for coconut products like coconut sweets, fine arts and handicrafts made of coconut shell, wood and leaves.To expand the plantation and processing of coconut, the Ben Tre People's Committee has recently asked relevant agencies to soon carry out a project to grow another 5,000 ha of coconut, set up a coconut producers and processors association, and build a programme to support enterprises involved in the field. VNA
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam International Athlete Arrested For Sex With Underage Girl
Police in Hanoi caught red-handed a national athlete having sex with a 12-year girl in a hotel, newspapers reported Friday.Tran Xuan Anh, 24, who won a bronze medal in wushu at the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia, confessed to the police to having sex with the girl, H.A.He had been solicited by a pimp to stay overnight at Phuong Nam hotel with a young girl while he was riding a motorbike around the city earlier in the day.Anh, a third-year student at the National Sports College No. 1 in Bac Ninh province, accepted and went to the hotel where the girl was waiting.The police did not reveal how they managed to catch him in the act.In Vietnam the age of consent is 14 and sex with people below that is treated as statutory rape.The girl, born in 1994, lives in Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi and is studying in grade seven.In 2004 Anh was once detained by the Hanoi police for disturbing public security after he brandished a gun to threaten some youths.Source: Tuoi Tre
posted by Mike Weston Wednesday, September 06, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Tuesday, September 05, 2006

House Leader Eyes Vote On Vietnam Trade Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives should vote on a trade agreement with Vietnam before President George W. Bush visits the country in mid-November, a top Republican said on Tuesday."I see it on the agenda before he goes to Vietnam," House Majority Leader John Boehner told reporters as lawmakers were returning to Washington after a month-long break.However, the Ohio Republican left open the possibility the House might wait until the week after the November 7 congressional elections to vote on the Vietnam trade bill.That would be cutting it close because Bush is expected to be in Vietnam on November 18-19 for the annual APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) leaders summit.Many Republicans are wary of voting on any trade deal ahead of this year's election, which Democrats see as their best opportunity in years to win control of the House.The U.S. agreement with Vietnam paves the way for Hanoi to join the World Trade Organization and would permanently normalize trade relations between the two countries.It is a mostly one-sided agreement that requires Vietnam to open its markets to more U.S. farm goods, manufactured products and services such as banking and telecommunications.However, the United States would be required to lift quotas it now imposes on clothing imports from Vietnam because such restrictions are a violation of WTO rules.The U.S. textile industry has been pushing for changes in the agreement, such as a safeguard mechanism that would allow the United States to reimpose quotas in response to a surge.The Senate could vote on the agreement this month, even if the House decides to wait until November. However, the textile issue could delay action in the Senate as well.A pair of textile-state Republicans -- Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- have threatened to block a vote on the Vietnam trade bill unless their concerns are addressed. Reuters
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 05, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

The Vietnamese Hairstyle
Under the reign of King Hung, the Vietnamese hair was fashioned into a bun (or chignon) or swept-back up to the top; sometimes it was pulled back into single braid, which was favoured by both sexes. Over time, hairstyles have gone through many changes, each period featuring a unique elegance. Nowadays, however, the familiar traditional way is long loose hair allowed to gently flow freely down over the shoulders. Some ladies even apply the chaplet hairstyle that graces their slender form, thus bringing out their femininity. Looking at the ladies’ hairstyle in each region, we may understand their clever hands and delicate thinking. To the southern women, the hair must not be wound up with any accessories inside and tied round the head like their northern counterparts, but do it into a bun loose on the back, with young girls often using nice hairpins or combs, and the elderly keeping it a little higher. Anyone with thin short hair may add a wisp or use a piece of dark-coloured fill to make a bigger and higher knot, firmer and tighter. The Vietnamese hairstyle is diversified in time and space, and also in terms of ethnic groups. A single girl from the Thai ethnic group usually keeps a shoulder-length bun, right under her collar while a married woman does it on top of the head. The Red Dao young girls in the provinces of Lai Chau and Lao Cai often hide away their hair in a 6m-long cotton turban, in the form of a big cap, with brilliant woollen balls hanging around. The Flowery Ha Nhi people usually keep their hair inside a cap, delicately studded with courbary beads, and sewn with long colourful tassels. By contrast, the Black Ha Nhi ethnic young girl simply wears a black turban round the head. The Mong weave their hair with flax fibres and wind them round the head. Young ladies of the Muong ethnic group wear their hair round their heads, covering it with a white kerchief delicately laced with fine rattan fibres. The Kh’mer who allow their shining black long, loose naturally waved hair to flow down over their shoulders look so graceful and gentle, so charming. The X’tieng ladies’ shoulder-length hair, laced with a home-woven embroidery ribbon, looks no less romantic. Young girls of the Ngai ethnic minority always keep two plaits, their black braids standing against the background of the soft, lovely indigo blouse. Generally, the hairstyles of young ladies of ethnic minority appear colourful, innocent and attractive at first glance, yet so alluring and captivating in close look. Vietnam is located at the crossroads of Southeast Asia and the Vietnamese culture has rich interactions with other nations’, hence the influence of the European hairstyles on the Vietnamese fair sex. The short cut hair first came to towns and cities, then gradually spread to rural areas. As a result, the Vietnamese hairstyle has changed so much, according to tastes and fashions. VNP
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 05, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival
Time: September 30 (lunar August 9).Place: Do Son Township, Hai Phong City.Feature: It is a traditional festival which attracts participants from three villages, including Do Son, Do Hai and Ngoc Xuyen. The villagers usually organize qualification rounds in early August and only the final competition is held on lunar August 9.To prepare for the festival, the villagers have to select good buffaloes and carefully care for them. On the main festival day, the villagers usually make offering to deities before the competitions. The six best buffaloes will compete each other. The prizes will be awarded to buffaloes’ ownersF
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 05, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

City Residents Chill Out At Supermarts On National Day
People around the country made a beeline for shopping malls over the long National Day weekend both to shop and have a relaxed time with family and friends.Despite muggy weather, supermarkets in Hanoi were packed to the rafters with customers who were also enticed by the promotions on offer.At Big C supermarket, they had to queue up for 20-30 minutes to pay the bill during peak hours.Fivimart prepared for the big holiday by stocking 10-20% more goods than normal and opening more cash counters.A customer in Gia Lam District said her family went to the supermarket not only to shop but also to relax given it was rare for the entire family to get together in this manner.The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh museum, and parks too attracted large crowds of people.Ho Ngoc Dung, sales executive at the West Lake Water Park, said an estimated 20,000 people, 70% of them came from neighbouring provinces, visited the park.There were so many visitors to Thu Le park that most had to be let in without tickets, Nguyen Tien Trong, a park worker, said. There had been too many people in front of the ticket counter and at the entrance, causing congestion.The demand for parking outside shopping malls on Hang Ngang, Hang Dao, and Cau Go Streets was intense.Leaving the cityFamilies travelling outside the capital city mainly hired 16-seat buses, according to transport operators, with 45-seat buses not much in demand.A Thu Trang transport company representative said many families had preferred to rent self-drive vehicles for flexibility though a new Toyota or Daewoo was quite expensive to hire.For instance, the price of hiring a Daewoo Lanos car for 12 hours was VND500,000.Families and companies in the central Da Nang City opted for tours to Quang Binh, Thua Thien Hue, and Quang Nam provinces.Visitors from neighbouring localities flocked to Da Nang's Son Tra peninsula to bathe in the sea and relax.In HCM City, sales at supermarkets skyrocketed by 30-50% since National Day coincided with the Big Sale Month.Co.op Mart's average revenues were VND1bil a day.Discounts and freebies played a major role in bringing in customers but the supermarkets said stable prices had been even more attractive.City recreation hotspots were packed with visitors. An estimated 220,000 people visited Dam Sen Cultural Park in the three days from Friday to Sunday, a 30% increase over last year.Nguyen Huu Trung, its vice director, attributed the surge to the park's investment in several new forms of entertainment ahead of the national holiday.At least 30-70% more passengers than normal had registered for tours to the resort town of Vung Tau, officials at inter-provincial bus stations said.Tran Tuong Huy, head of Fiditourist Tourist Co.'s Research and Development Department, said people had also booked other short tours to resorts like Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc with the number of corporate visitors increasing sharply.Not less than 10,000 people had registered for short tours to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and China, Huynh Thu Dung, head of Vietravel's press department, said.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 05, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Thousands Flock To Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum On National Day
Tens of thousands of people flocked into the capital city of Hanoi to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on the occasion of Vietnam’s National Day.Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum welcomed over 25,000 people on Saturday, ten times more than on a normal day.On the morning of September 2, the roads surrounding the mausoleum were crowded with visitors, most of whom were schoolchildren and the elderly from northern provinces.Vietnamese and foreigners lined up together, all waiting more than an hour to see the late President and pay their respects on National Day.The square in front of the mausoleum was teeming with people all weekend.The Sunday after National Day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung burnt incense to commemorate the late President in home no. 67, the house where President Ho Chi Minh passed away in 1969, just a stone’s throw from the mausoleum.The PM gave his regards and thanked the government officials at the Ho Chi Minh Monument for their dedicated preservation of all the exhibits pertaining to the late President.He affirmed that the preservation of the monument has been a great service to the Party and the people of the nation.Source: VNN
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 05, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

.vn Domain Names To be Transferrable
Vietnam Domain names are natural resources so speculation is banned. However, the state will allow the transfer of .vn domain name under certain conditions, said Deputy Minister of Post and Telematics Le Nam Thang.Hundreds of companies may have to re-buy their namesMr Thang said that it was not compulsory for domain names to be linked with certain entities.“For example, if the domain name is nhandan it is not obligatory that the site post the contents of the Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper. The compatibility between the domain name and the contents is abstract so it is not a standard to check websites with controversial domain names,” Mr Thang said.“Only the current regulations of the Vietnam Internet Centre are used to determine whether a domain name is controversial or not. After 60 days of registration, the centre will check whether the registered domain name has been activated or not. In addition, relevant bodies will see whether the content of that website is suitable to Vietnam’s habits and customs or if it violates Vietnamese laws. The site must be alive in the way that it must be updated, not having ‘dead’ information to keep the website for speculation,” the Deputy Minister added.He also confirmed that it was wrong to think that the trademarks of products and services in real life and on the Internet must be related to each other because the international regulations on intellectual property don’t cover domain names. Vietnam’s Law on Intellectual Property also doesn’t protect domain names.“Trademarks in real life and on the Internet have some relations, but it doesn’t mean that they must go with each other. That’s the practice in the world now. We are integrating into the world economy so we can’t be outside this rule,” he emphasised.Source: Tien Phong
posted by Mike Weston Tuesday, September 05, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Monday, September 04, 2006

Today’s Vietnamese Woman Is Being Recognized
Today’s Vietnamese Women has come along way since the old conservative colonial rulers and Confuciusiam.The modern Vietnamese Women like every other woman wants more out of life like education, respect, money, and to be notice for her beauty and talents.Vietnamese women are well known throughout Asia for their exotic looks complimenting with their trade mark the glistening long black straight hair with perfect figures that can be fitted into ( Ao Dai ) the Vietnamese traditional dress that is designed to show the figure.“They have certainly come into their own” says, Mr. Duong. A café shop owner on one of the busiest streets in Ho Chi Minh City. I never realize how beautiful and sexy they are in western clothes says, Mr. Duong. Being a writer and a reporter, I ask him about his feeling about the Vietnamese women revealing too much. Mr. Duong says, of course this is great for the woman. She must really feel very confident about her self to dress so provocatively. Also, its good to let the world know that Vietnam have beautiful women that’s mix with French, Chinese and American. Mr. Duong went on to say that Vietnamese women traditionally eat very well to control their weight and looks for marriage at an early age. Vietnamese women must be married by 28 to 30 years of age or they would be look down upon as no one wants them. It is a sin to be fat because traditionally Vietnamese men only goes by looks not by personality or education says, Mr. Duong
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 04, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Tourist Flock To Hanoi Hilton Site
"Maison Centrale" French for "Central Home or Building", the infamous Hanoi Hilton were many of our POW's were kept in North Vietnam.The Hanoi Hilton, the infamous prison site that held American prisoners and also Vietnamese sympathizers is more popular than ever.Hundreds of tourist is flocking to see the site. Some of its most famous attendees where Senator John McCain who spent 5 ½ years of captivity.Other famous people associated with Vietnam are Senator John Kerry, who served on a gunboat in the Mekong Delta. Also, Jane Fonda infamous behavior sitting on an Anti-Aircraft gun. All these images are in the minds of tourist who wants to see howhistory was made.The Hanoi Hilton was active from 1961 to 1973, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong held hundreds of Americans captive. In North Vietnam alone, more than a dozen prisons were scattered in and around the capital city of Hanoi. American POWs gave them nicknames: Alcatraz, Briarpatch, Dirty Bird, the Hanoi Hilton, and the Zoo. Conditions were appalling; food was watery soup and bread. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured for countless hour sand paraded in anti-American propaganda. "It's easy to die but hard to live," a prison guard told one new arrival, "and we'll show you just how hard it is to live."American prisoners were held at the Hoa Lo prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton from 11 August 1964 to 28 March 1973. The French built this prison near the turn of the century, with construction completed in 1901.By 1996, most of the walls of the Hanoi Hilton had been torn down to make way for new construction. Portions of the walls were retained for historical reasons. The Vietnamese also have bitter memories of the prison, for many communist revolutionaries were kept and tortured there.In 1998, the old front of the prison was painted and restored and the remaining portions of the prison were turned into a tourist site. Some of the cells have been opened and considerable information about Vietnamese prisoners is available. The information about the U.S. prisoners of war is unreliable.
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 04, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Counterfeit Liquor Manufacturers Caught
Nam and fake liquor.Police in HCM City uncovered a network of counterfeit liquor manufacturers following a bust at Mui Ne Restaurant on Thai Van Lung Street, Ben Nghe Ward, HCM City. At the above restaurant, policemen apprehended Vo Van Be Nam, 41, a motorbike taxi driver, as he was handing over 12 bottles of fake Hennessy V.S.O.P to staff of this restaurant.Nam declared that he had been hired to deliver the alcohol and that he had brought fake liquor to this restaurant several times previously.Police then searched four houses. At a three-storey house at No. 133 Cao Dat Street, District 5, they discovered Nguyen An Binh, 28, Nguyen Van Huu, 33, Binh’s elder brother and some others in the act of producing counterfeit liquor.Police seized many bottles and boxes of various kinds of famous foreign liquors and tools to make liquor at this house.The four houses on Cao Dat, Cao Thang, Duong Ba Trac and Ta Quang Buu were hired by brothers Binh and Huu to produce and store fake liquor. This network has produced thousands of bottles of counterfeit liquor.Clients of this network are wine shops at some markets, some restaurants and bars in HCM City and some southern provinces. Some restaurants and bars directly placed orders from this network to deliver to their customers.Police do not yet have specific statistics on the volume of fake wine that this ring produced. VNE
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 04, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Vietnam’s Telecom Industry Opens For Integration
Vietnamese telecommunication companies are eager to expand cooperation with foreign partners.Beginning with US and CambodiaViettel on August 10 received a licence to provide VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) services in Cambodia and became the first telecom business in Vietnam to investing in services abroad. Accordingly, this company will invest US$1 million in Cambodian market.Viettel’s Deputy General Director Nguyen Manh Hung said that the firm’s viewpoint is investing in foreign market would help the company better develop its market.“Viettel will lose opportunity of investment abroad when it completes investment in Vietnam. Therefore, we invest in Vietnam and Cambodia in parallel,” Mr Hung said.He added that by investing abroad Viettel will create alliances with extremely cheap charges. For example, Singapore has a policy allowing customers using mobile phone service in the alliance including the US, Singapore, Hong Kong to enjoy free calls.The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) has long targeted to open a branch in the US to carry out market research activities and assist its affiliates to expand relations with American partners. Moreover, the existence of a branch in the US can help advertise the image of VNPT in the US.VNPT chose the US over other markets because it is the world’s largest ‘telecom wholesale market’, with modern network infrastructure connected to all countries. All international calls coming through the US to other countries have cheaper charges. The main reason is the US forces countries that want to transfer international calls through the US to reduce charges. For example, a call from France to Vietnam will have higher charges than one from France, through the US to Vietnam.The US is considered the transit centre for international calls. Most of leading telecom companies in the world have subsidiaries or branches in the US.On the other hand, a community of Vietnamese American (over 1.3 million) in this country has turned the US a potential market for VNPT in providing retail services like pre-paid phone and Internet card, money transfer service.VNPT hopes to set up a company in the US to collect transfer charges by attracting all international calls to Vietnam to go through its company in the US. Customers will benefit from this service since the charges will be lower instead of making direct calls to Vietnam.However, VNPT is facing many difficulties. The biggest is that American laws don’t permit wholly foreign owned companies like VNPT to open wholly foreign owned firms in the US. VNPT can only buy around 25% of stocks of an American company to offer this service. However, in this case, VNPT can’t turn viable profit.VNPT also plans to invest in Malaysia’s Acasia, which is a joint venture of some big telecom companies in ASEAN member countries.Calling for investment into VietnamApart from investing in other countries, Vietnamese telecom companies want to seek foreign partners. The pioneer in this field is S-Fone mobile network.This CDMA network operates under a 15-year business cooperation contract signed between Saigon Postel and the Republic of Korea’s SLD Telecom in 2000. The initial investment of this project is $230mil, including $218mil from SLD Telecom. Saigon Postel contributes $11 million and invisible assets.Hanoi Telecom and Hutchison Telecom signed an agreement worth $656mil in 2005 to build another CDMA mobile network, which is about to operate.So far, many big names in the world telecom industry have come to Vietnam, like Telstra, Alcatel, Ericsson and Nokia.Vietnam will equitise its state-owned telecom companies to facilitate capital raising from the international market. The current form of investment is no longer suitable and foreign investors are looking for a new form, for example joint venture.According for experts, as basic investment cost in telecom will increase while profit goes down because of increasing competition, if Vietnam maintains contracts, it will only be able to attract low-quality investors.In the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, Vietnam agrees the establishment of telecom joint venture companies. According to BTA, which took effect in December 2001, American investors are allowed to own up to 49% of capital in joint venture companies that provide basic telecom services in Vietnam (mobile and satellite telephone services) after four years since the BTA takes effect, own up to 49% of capital for fixed telephone service after six years and 50% in added value telecom services after two years. VNN
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 04, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Visiting Uncle Ho’s Countryside
President Ho Chi Minh’s countryside is a place of talented people and historical sites. The locals are very hard-working and kind-hearted.The tomb of Mrs Hoang Thi Loan, Uncle Ho’s mother, is about 14 kilometres from Vinh city, where Ho Chi Minh Square and Uncle Ho’s statue are located. The tomb is placed on Dong Tranh Mountain peak, which belongs to the Dai Hue mountain range in Nam Dan district, Nghe An province.The tomb was built in 1984, on the occasion of President Ho Chi Minh’s 95th birthday anniversary. From the mount foot, visitors will have to climb nearly 300 stone steps leading to the tomb. Above it is a concrete roof stylised as the loom with which Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan used to weave cloth to earn a living and feed her children. Leaving the tomb, we come to Hoang Tru village where three small and simple historical houses are placed.The first one is great grandparent Hoang Duong (grandfather of Uncle Ho)’s house where teacher Hoang Duong and Mrs Nguyen Thi Kep taught their loved pupil Nguyen Sinh Sac. Then, they married their daughter Hoang Thi Loan to Nguyen Sinh Sac, Uncle Ho’s father.The second one is Hoang family’s temple house where President Ho Chi Minh’s autograph is being kept. Uncle Ho sent a letter to the Hoang family in early years of the August Revolution (1945).The third one is the three-room thatched cottage that Mr Hoang Duong built for couple Nguyen Sinh Sac and Hoang Thi Loan after the wedding.Leaving Uncle Ho’s mother’s village, we come to Sen (Lotus) village. Ho Chi Minh Memorial House is located on a large piece of land near the gate of the Sen village. Various precious documents related to President Ho Chi Minh are being kept there.The five-room wooden house was built in 1901 when Nguyen Sinh Sac became the second best examinee of a court examination. His whole family lived there.Four letters “an tu ninh gia”, meaning “merit given to good family”, by King Thanh Thai, are being reserved in the house. Source: Nhan Dan
posted by Mike Weston Monday, September 04, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top
Friday, September 01, 2006

Vietnam Welcomes Tourists On Luxury Cruise Vessel
One thousand tourists and crew members arrived aboard the luxury cruise ship Superstar Gemini which docked in Ho Chi Minh City Friday.During their stay in the city they will visit popular tourist sites like the Museum of War Remnants, Ben Thanh Market, and the Municipal Theater, among other places.On September 4th the ship will set off for central Vietnam to visit Hue, Hoi An, and Danang.Superstar Gemini, a 20,000-ton vessel built at more than US$100 million, was launched in 1995.Source: Nguoi Lao Dong
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 01, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

HCMC Police Nab Major Fake Liquor Gang
Ho Chi Minh City police Thursday busted a major ring producing fake foreign liquor and seized thousands of bottles.The spurious brew, bearing famous labels like Hennessy, Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker, and others were being distributed to restaurants, bars, and shops in the city.The police quoted Nguyen Van Huu, 33, the ring leader, as saying they produced the fake stuff by mixing a quantity of the real thing with an unnamed liquid.Huu sent his men to collect empty bottles of top liquor brands and filled them with the concoctions the gang made. They also manufactured fake bottle caps and cartons.The police said they raided seven houses used by the ring in districts 1, 5, 8, and 10 and found tons of materials and tools used brewing the fake liquor n. Two of the houses had been used just for making fake caps.Huu and the others were taken in.Police said they discovered the gang after finding a man delivering fake liquor to a downtown restaurant.Investigations were continuing, they said. Thanh Nien
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 01, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

German Lamp Maker Opens Concept Store In Vietnam
The first concept store of Megaman, a famous German brand of lamps, opened in Ho Chi Minh City Thursday.Megaman focuses on compact fluorescent technology and has a reputation of combining functionality with aesthetic looks.Founded in 1994 Megaman is one of the top brands in the lighting industry and has a presence throughout the world.Source: Nguoi Lao Don
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 01, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

1,000 Imported Vans Will Get Customs Clearance SoonThe Ministry of Finance has asked the Government to clear the 1,000 vans that have been imported already, and to put an end to the prolonged arguments about what the vehicles were, vans or passenger cars.Nearly 1,000 vehicles, which look like passenger cars but can carry cargo, have been imported into Vietnam since 2000. These vehicles could not get customs clearance, because the importers have refused to pay the high tax sums the customs agencies required. The problem lies in the fact that the customs considered the vehicles ‘passenger cars’, while the importers insisted that these were ‘vans’.The definition of the vehicles is very important, because it decides the tax rates the importers will have to pay to get the imported vehicles cleared. Since customs called the vehicles ‘passenger cars’, they imposed high tax rates on these vehicles, which the importers could not pay.In fact, the design of the vehicles is perhaps contributing to the confusion. They look like vans from the outside, but they can carry people. Several importers once tried to import these vehicles to turn them into ‘human movers’.The Vietnam Registration Administration (VRA) certified that these were vans; however, the General Department of Taxation did not think so. And while the two relevant authorities are still arguing about the name of the vehicles, the imported vehicles are being kept at ports.Even if the importers agree to pay taxes, the imported vehicles will still be unable to be circulated. The vans’ owners will not be able to register the vehicles at police agencies because the name of the vehicles remains unclear.Trinh Xuan Dao, Deputy Director of Nhat Phuong Company, one of the van importers, said that its clients now want to return the bought vans to Nhat Phuong, because they cannot register the vans.According to the Ministry of Finance, the imported vans should be cleared soon to ensure normal operation of enterprises. In the long term, the ministry will join forces with other ministries to draw up a suitable tax policy on vans. VNE
posted by Mike Weston Friday, September 01, 2006 0 comments links to this post Back to top

Milk Prices In Vietnam Highest In The World
Retail milk prices in Vietnam are the highest in the world. However, Vietnamese milk cow breeders are not benefiting from the high prices.The Institute for Agriculture and Agricultural Development Research has announced a surprising survey, which said that retail milk prices in Vietnam are the highest in the world. While the retail price level in North America, Oceania, China, Israel and the EU is $0.8/kg on average, and the level in Eastern Europe and South America is $0.4/kg, a kilogramme of dairy products is selling at $0.82/kg in Vietnam.The paradox is that while the retail price is the highest in the world, the fresh milk prices that dairy processing plants pay farmers is the lowest. While Japanese and South Korean farmers can sell fresh milk for VND8,700-11,500/kg, and Thai and Chinese sell for VND4,600/kg, Vietnamese farmers can get VND3,500 only for a kilogramme of fresh milk. With such a low purchasing price, dairy processors can reap big profit in Vietnam with their dairy products.At present, Vinamilk purchases 49% of the total fresh milk provided by local farmers, Dutch Lady, 20%, and Moc Chau Company, 5%. In 2005, the total output of fresh milk was 197,500 tonnes. In fact, these companies prefer using imported milk powder to make dairy products instead of locally made fresh milk. Customers still think that the dairy products provided by Vinamilk are made mainly from fresh milk, which is more nutritious. However, 40-70% of their products’ content is milk powder.Under the current regulations, dairy producers only have to show the ingredients used, they do not have to give the ratio. This has allowed producers to be misleading about the contents of their products.
Source: TN

được đăng bởi kude.punny @ 20:31