Over 50% Of Circulating Motorbikes Are High-Class
Over 50% Of Circulating Motorbikes Are High-Class
In 2000-2001, low-cost motorbikes accounted for 80% of total motorbike consumption, but the figure is below 50% now, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Air Blade manufactured by Honda Vietnam, which was first launched on the market in April, is selling at VND32mil/unit ($2,000), higher than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price at VND28mil. The seller spontaneously raised the selling price because the market is witnessing the so-called ‘scooter fever’.
Honda Vietnam’s representative said that the company had to raise the capacity of its workshop in Vinh Phuc province (2,000 more units will be churned out a month) to meet the increasingly high demand. Now, clients who want to buy a white Air Blade will have to wait 10 days to get deliveries.
Since the beginning of the year, Honda Vietnam has sold 735,700 units of different models, including 40,600 Clicks and 39,800 Air Blades. SYM’s Elizabeth is also selling very well at VND31.5mil ($1,968.75).
Other manufacturers also said that they were running at full capacity in order to have enough scooters to deliver to clients. The demand for scooters has been increasing sharply since big city authorities lifted the ban on motorbike registration.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in 2000 and 2001, 80% of consumed motorbikes were low-cost ones, while the ratio is below 50% now. The scooter, a luxury kind of motorbike, is now favoured in big cities.
According to the Transport Police Administration under the Ministry of Public Security, the number of scooters registered to be circulated has soared in the last few years. The number of newly registered motorbikes in five big cities, Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang, Can Tho and Hai Phong, accounts for 54% of the total registered scooters nationwide.
That explains why local motorbike manufacturers are trying to launch new scooter models onto the market, which prove to be redoubtable rivals to imports.
Imported models, including Dylan, Piaggio, PS and Spacy, are also selling very well though they are very expensive with the selling prices of more than $5,000. Moreover, Honda SCR 110 imported from China is also a favourite thanks to the soft price at VND32mil ($2,000).
Dau tu
Which Tax Rate For Super Cars?
Which Tax Rate For Super Cars?
The fixed tax of $26,500 on the used imports which have the cylinder capacity of 5,000 cc and higher proves to be very low if compared to the tax rate of 70% imposed on brand new imports.
The HCM City Customs Agency has cleared two used super cars Roll Royce Phantom (manufactured in the UK in 2005 and 2006, cylinder capacity of 6,749 cc). The taxable values of the 2006’s and 2005’s cars defined by the customs agency were $216,000 and $194,000 respectively.
In fact, the database of Vietnam’s customs did not have the information about the selling price of the two super models, therefore, the HCM City Customs Agency had to refer to the information on the Internet, which said that a Phantom made in 2007 would be valued at $333,350/unit.
With the defined taxable values, the total tax sum the importers had to pay for the car manufactured in 2006 was $183,712 (fixed tax rate of $26,500 for over 5,000 cc cars, luxury tax and VAT), and the car has the post tax value of $399,712. As for the car manufactured in 2005, the tax sum was $169,412 and the post tax value was $363,412.
Supposed that a brand new Phantom has been imported to Vietnam. In this case, the taxable value would be $333,350, and the post tax value of the car (70% of import tax, luxury tax and VAT) would be over $900,000, much more expensive than the used import car of the same model.
Experts said that super cars bear low taxes due to the tax calculation method applied by customs agencies. Returning to the Phantom’s case, the HCM City Customs Agency defined the taxable value after considering the Notice No 2648 dated June 16, 2007 by the General Department of Customs (GDC). The notice provided the formula for defining the taxable value of the cars the prices of which are not listed in customs’ database as follows: “quoted prices on Internet ¬– (minus) 20% (for expenses like negotiations, and for paying tax at the export country) ¬– (minus) 10% if the used car was manufactured one year before” (20% if the car was manufactured two years before).
However, in many cases, GDC and HCM City Customs agency do not agree in calculating taxes for the imported cars.
An official from GDC said that the local customs agency was right when using the quoted price of $333,350 for reference, but it was wrong in the calculation method.
There are six methods of calculation that GDC has suggested, and GDC thought that the local customs agency did not follow the documents guiding the tax calculation. According to GDC, the local agency should have analyzed all the information available at this moment to define the taxable value instead of defining the value as it did.
Meanwhile, Vu Thuy Hoa, Head of the Taxable Value Division under the HCM City Customs Agency, the value of the car declared by the importer was $160,000, and that there was no better solution in this case.
In fact, the local agency used information from many sources already in calculating taxes. Mrs Hoa, on one hand, acknowledged that used super cars bear irrationally low taxes, but said that the problem lies in the fixed tax of $26,500 (applied for the cars with the cylinder capacity of over $5,000 cc), not in the tax calculation method.
Analysts said that importers would be the biggest beneficiaries in the deals of importing super cars. Maybach 62, Ferrari and other used cars could enjoy the ‘super low’ taxes, while the selling prices to customers remain ‘super high’.
PM Dung Sits Down With Wall St. Journal
PM Dung Sits Down With Wall St. Journal
PM Nguyen Tan Dung at JFK Airport, the US
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on September 24 granted an interview to the financial daily, the Wall Street Journal.
PM Dung told the paper that after 20 years of renovation and deep integration into the international economy, Vietnam has attained impressive socio-economic achievements and become one of the most dynamic economies in the region.
The country’s GDP has quadrupled over the period and enjoyed an 8.2% growth rate in 2006, ranking second in Asia, after China, Dung elaborated.
In order to turn the economy around, Vietnam had to rethink the way the economy was managed, he said.
Vietnam was determined to pursue its transition from a centrally planned economy to a multi-sector market economy. The country gave up on self-contained development and started open policies and actively integrated into the international economy in order to take advantage of the opportunities a market economy offers.
The Vietnamese economy has been operating under a market-oriented mechanism with economic sectors being equally treated and encouraged for development, the PM said.
He said besides its determination for renovation, the Vietnamese government has maintained a stable socio-political environment. It has also been ready and willing to discuss with and listen to investors to make suitable policy and law adjustments, helping to create a favourable investment-business environment for both domestic and foreign investors.
After joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Vietnam’s legal environment has become more transparent, equal and friendly for investors, Dung said, adding that the country has a young, active and enthusiastic labour force that is adaptable to sciences and technologies. Recent decisions to invest in Vietnam by world leading groups such as Intel, Microsoft, Nike and Canon are testament to Vietnam’s investment environment.
On the government’s role in economic management, the PM said: “We sped up the renewal of the State’s economic function by reducing and abolishing State direct examination of business activities through administrative orders, shifting from direct interference to deciding orientations for socio-economic development, creating and adjusting the business environment by policies, laws and macro economic tools. Together with its accession to the World Trade Organisation, Vietnam continues to perfect its legal framework in accordance with Vietnam’s WTO commitments.”
PM Dung went on to say that the private economic sector is an important part of the economy, which the Vietnamese government has created favourable conditions for. The private economic sector in Vietnam is developing vigorously and dynamically, he added.
He said that since the promulgation of the Enterprise Law in 2000, nearly 240,000 private businesses have been established and are now operational, representing about 45% of the country’s GDP.
“If you visit Vietnam right now, I believe that you will get a feeling of the country’s vitality and business spirit,” he concluded.
VNA
Rescuers Find More Bodies In Vietnam Bridge Disaster
Rescuers Find More Bodies In Vietnam Bridge Disaster
Rescue workers found six more bodies Thursday in the rubble of a bridge that collapsed in southern Vietnam, the country's worst bridge accident in which up to 43 workers were killed.
Rescuers worked through the night cutting away steel scaffolding and concrete from Wednesday's disaster in the Mekong Delta where a section of a Japanese-funded bridge under construction collapsed while 250 workers were on the site.
"Overnight we have retrieved five more bodies," Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung told Reuters TV at the scene of the collapse near the heavily trafficked Hau River that separates the city of Can Tho from Vinh Long province.
Bridge Collasped .
Relatives of construction workers kept an overnight vigil near the cordoned-off disaster area, which is about 170 km (105 miles) southwest of the commercial center of Ho Chi Minh City.
One woman fainted in grief when she was told that her husband's body was among the five.
About 100 workers were reported hurt, an estimated 17 with critical head injuries, a hospital official said.
The transport minister said so far 42 bodies had been identified and 87 people were injured, but more people were believed to be missing.
"Our top priority is to look for the remaining missing," Dung said. "This is the worst bridge accident in Vietnam's history."
Dung said construction would resume as soon as the site was cleared and safe.
The reason for the collapse was not immediately known, but officials said rains may have softened the foundation, causing scaffolding to collapse and bringing down a 90-metre (300-foot) section that had been built on Tuesday.
The twisted mass of steel, broken concrete and bent scaffolding stood at the height of a five-storey building about 500 meters (550 yards) from the river in Vinh Long.
Construction cranes lifted battered scaffolding and other material as workers in hard hats carefully sifted through debris.
Developing Vietnam is ramping up infrastructure projects to keep pace with an economy growing at more than 8 percent a year.
Japanese aid and a Japanese joint venture have been working on the bridge since 2004 to link Can Tho and Vinh Long province. The construction of a 2.75-km (1.7-mile) bridge was to have been completed by next year.
Source: Reuters
olice Get Custody Of State Official Implicated In Gambling
olice Get Custody Of State Official Implicated In Gambling
The Handico chairman (C) being taken back to Hanoi in August
Vietnamese prosecutors approved Monday a police request to hold a top official from a state-owned property firm for three months on gambling charges.
Le Kim Minh, 52, deputy general director of the Hanoi Housing Development and Investment Corporation (Handico), was arrested last month for his involvement in a gambling case in which eight other Handico officials were also taken in.
The eight were caught gambling during a police raid on a hotel in the hill resort town of Tam Dao near Hanoi.
They told the police that Minh too had been gambling with them, but fled when they arrived.
The officers found over US$10,800 at the scene.
Handico chairman Nguyen Van Kien, another deputy general director, Do Huu Dung, and chief accountant Nguyen Manh Hao too are in custody for three months.
The scam has attracted great notoriety because of its similarity to the PMU-18 corruption case that rocked the transport ministry and brought down a deputy minister. That case too first came to light with the PMU-18 chief being arrested for gambling.
Handico general director Hoang Kim Anh claimed that the men had not been aware they were breaking the law.
At Least 52 Dead In Mekong Delta Bridge Collapse
The death toll in Wednesday morning’s Can Tho bridge collapse in Vietnam has risen to least 52 with more than 150 others injured, police have said.
More people remain stuck in the rubble, officials at the scene.
However, with just one crane arriving at the disaster scene by Wednesday evening to move the rubble, rescue work was proceeding slowly.
The police said earlier there had been around 100 workers directly beneath the section that collapsed at 08:30 am at the start of the morning shift. Another 150 had been on the bridge.
"The top priority now is rescue work," Deputy Minister of Transport Ngo Thinh Duc told Vietnam Television. "The most difficult task now is to remove the huge fallen concrete blocks to save the people trapped underneath."
He said about 150 troops had been mobilized for the rescue work.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, currently in New York for the United Nations general assembly, sent a message urging authorities to mount a rapid rescue operation and investigate the cause of the accident.
By 5 pm Wednesday, just a few survivors had been found.
One of them, Vu Van Cuong, told Thanh Nien he had heard people screaming for help from beneath where he had been under the rubble.
“I heard a guy speaking to his mother on the mobile phone saying, ‘Mom, save me’,” a sobbing Cuong said.
Asked why collapsed, some officials and construction engineers told Thanh Nien that rains could have softened the foundation.
That could have, in turn, caused the scaffolding system to collapse, leading to the collapse of parts of the 90-meter section of the 2.75 km long bridge. It had only been built Tuesday.
The shock wave triggered by the collapse knocked down two nearby cafeterias.
Construction of the bridge started in September 2004 using Official Development Assistance from Japan. The US$300 million bridge was expected to be completed next year.
It is being built across the Hau river to link Can Tho and Vinh Long provinces, with the disaster occurring on the Vinh Long province side.
Thanh Nien
Mobifone’s IPO Excites Foreign Eyes
Mobifone’s IPO Excites Foreign Eyes
MobiFone is proceeding with its equitisition process with large global mobile operators looking to be strategic partners. MobiFone submitted its equitisation financial consultant bidding document to its parent VNPT Group in late August to start the bidding.
Its equitisation process has lagged behind schedule, however, it is likely to meet its final deadline to make an initial public offering (IPO) later this year.
Comvik International AB, a former part of MobiFone operator’s Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services company (VMS), has talked up its contribution to MobiFone’s healthy market position.
“The exact mechanism for the sale of equity and the selection of the eventual foreign partner for VMS is currently being considered, but we believe that there is no other company that can be ahead of Comvik as the preferred partner because of our history, our proven record of success and our unwavering support to Vietnam in the past, present and future,” said Jeffrey Noble, Comvik chief representative and CEO.
Its advantages from its parent Kinnevik Group and its sister companies in Cambodia and Laos are expected to make MobiFone a regional player.
“Quite simply, there is no other company that can match what Comvik has to offer to Mobifone and its customers,” said Noble.
The world’s tenth biggest GSM operator Telenor has been active in Vietnam for more than two years and is looking for a long-term investment in Vietnam.
“Our target and only objective is to become a sole foreign strategic investor to the local operator in order for Telenor to be able to contribute our competence, expertise and technologies into the company we invest in,” said Nguyen Dinh Hung, Telenor country director. From Europe, France Telecom also expressed its willingness to purchase stake in MobiFone in the frame of the competitive process decided by the government. If it succeeds, France Telecom will act as a strategic partner, providing expertise in management, finance, technology, services, training and R&D labs.
“France Telecom will be eager to have a broader partnership with VNPT Group in order to develop cooperation in mobile, internet and integrated services,” said Jean Pierre Achouche, general manager of France Telecom Vietnam.
Vodafone is still investigating the market after opening its Vietnam representative office in June.
“We announced the opening of our representative office in Vietnam only in June, this year and the government has yet to announce Mobifone’s equitisation plan, so it is too early to comment on a potential transaction,” said Jonathan Kriegel, Vodafone country chief representative.
Singapore Technologies Telemedia has demonstrated its capabilities by supporting the successful StarHub, Singapore’s premier converged information, communications and entertainment company. Since ST Telemedias’ investment in Indonesia’s Indosat less than five years ago, Indosat has grown its subscriber base by more than 400 per cent from about 3.5 million in 2002 to more than 20 million this year. Its net income surged by approximately 310 per cent to Rp1,410.1 billion ($1.36 billion) and network coverage has more than tripled to 8,200 base transceiver stations across the country.
Milenyo' continues rampage in Vietnam
Milenyo' continues rampage in Vietnam
Typhoon "Milenyo" (now referred to by its international codename of Xangsane) was downgraded to a tropical storm Sunday as it moved inland from the central Vietnam coast, where it killed two people, injured at least 80 others and damaged hundreds of homes, officials and state-controlled media reported.
The storm killed two people in Danang, Vietnam Television reported.
Heavy rains were expected to continue for the next several days, and could unleash floods and landslides across the region, said Bui Minh Tang, director of the national weather center.
The storm, which earlier killed at least 76 people and left 69 missing in the Philippines, hit Danang, a city of 770,000 people, at around 9 a.m., and caused widespread blackouts, said an official at the regional Flood and Storm Control Department
US Announces New Penal Tax On Vietnam Catfish
US Announces New Penal Tax On Vietnam Catfish
The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has slapped temporary punitive duties on tra and basa catfish imported from Vietnam based on a 2004 anti-dumping case.
It announced the decision after the third administrative review with a final report set to be released within 120 days, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
The tariffs will apply to tra and basa shipped to the US between August 1, 2004 and July 31, 2006.
The average tax is set at 63.88 percent though the rate for individual companies might be amended later.
But the Can Tho Agriculture and Animal Products Import-Export Co (CATACO) will have to pay 80.88 percent because it failed to meet the DOC’s requirements during the investigation.
East Sea Seafoods Joint Venture Co., Ltd has been exempt from the tax since it was not implicated in the dumping case.
Nine other companies that did not export in 2005-06 too have escaped the tax.
These consist of Ben Tre Forestry and Aquaproduct Import-Export Company; Thuan Hung Co., Ltd; Hung Vuong Co., Ltd; United Seafood Packers Co., Ltd; Nam Viet Joint Stock Company; Van Duc Foods Export Joint Stock Co; Phu Thuan Company; Vietnam Fish-One Company; and Sadec Aquatic Products Import-Export Enterprise.
The US began the anti-dumping action against catfish imports from Vietnam in 2002.
US Businesses Eye Viet Nam’s Telecommunications US Businesses Eye Viet Nam’s Telecommunications
US Businesses Eye Viet Nam’s Telecommunications
US businesses have witnessed the achievements of Viet Nam in developing information and communication technology (ICT) and are eager investing in the sector, said a representative of US Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).
“We see growth in Viet Nam. We have done some market research on the market here. A lot of our companies are interested in Viet Nam and that is why we are here for talks,” Mike Nunes, Director of TIA’s International and Government Affairs told a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent on the sidelines of the Viet Nam-US ICT Dialogue, in Ha Noi on September 18.
The information technology industry has grown by 28.6 percent since 2002, according to statistics from the National Institute of Posts and Telematics Strategy.
In a report, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) describes low tariffs, a positive investment climate, and an improving standards system as the three major factors which are encouraging US ICT manufacturing firms to do business in Viet Nam.
An increasing number of electronics companies are looking for low-cost manufacturing and assembly sites in Viet Nam, according to DOC. Noteworthy among the investments in 2006 was Intel’s announcement of a 1 billion USD investment for a semiconductor packaging and testing facility.
In a bid to boost the investment environment in Viet Nam, the Vietnamese government is mapping out a series of master plans for development of the software industry, e-commerce, and IT human resources to 2010, Vice President of the National Institute of Posts and Telematics Strategy Pham Manh Lam said in a speech delivered at the September 18 dialogue.
He added that the government will also continue to create the most favourable conditions to turn ICT into a key sector.
Top Agriculture Official Discusses Temporary Ban On Rice Export
Top Agriculture Official Discusses Temporary Ban On Rice Export
Vietnamese rice exporters have petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture to raise the 2007 export quota after the ministry told them not to accept any more orders for shipment in the final four months of the year. How has the ministry responded? Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan talks about the issue.
Has the ministry discussed the petition?
Exporters have contracted to ship nearly four million tons of rice so far this year. This is a safe quantity as far as national food security goes. It equals the volume last year and should bring in 13 percent more revenue than in 2006.
But, and it’s a big but, domestic stocks for next year will be exhausted if we continue to export rice as things stand. Therefore, the ministry told exporters not to sign any more contracts for this year and to focus instead on next year.
Some exporters say they still have rice in stock and the country has one million tons of paddy grain in stock. Since rice is fetching a good price, mightn’t it be a bit hasty calling a temporary halt to exports?
The country’s stockpile is enough to provide security for this year. However, Typhoon Pabuk and the other recent storm flooded 67,000 hectares of paddy in the central lowlands and highlands, so it’s essential to halt rice export for now.
In addition, the people no longer store unhusked grain and the existing stocks of rice companies are barely enough for domestic needs.
If the current and next crops are not damaged by storms or pestilence, will the ministry allow more exports in the final months?
Yes. If the summer-fall crop yields are decent and the following crop is successful, we will consider increasing the export quota for the fourth quarter.
Rice production this year is up by 200,000 tons or perhaps 300,000 tons on last year. Does that mean there is plenty of rice left?
The country needs 28.5 million tons of paddy rice for its own consumption this year while the total harvest is estimated at 35.5 million tons. That difference of seven million tons can be turned into four million tons of polished rice for export.
Adding the leftover stocks from last year, it means we can export a little over four million tons of rice, assuming the rice crop is not devastated by disease or natural disaster. Let’s not forget that the next two months are notorious for storms and flooding.
The export price of rice has gone up by US$10 to US$325 per ton. If the export quota is raised, farmers can make more money from the higher price of paddy rice. What’s your view?
It’s true that a higher price increases our export revenue. But it doesn’t mean that the price will drop down again later on. We predict that rice prices will keep going up next year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has concluded that, if more exports are allowed, the country’s food security cannot be guaranteed, especially in the first four months of next year.
If our stocks are insufficient, rice will cost more and the people will pay the price.
Source: Sài Gòn Giải phóng
From Homemade To Gucci: Booming Vietnam's Nouveaux Riches Indulge A Taste For Luxury
From Homemade To Gucci: Booming Vietnam's Nouveaux Riches Indulge A Taste For Luxury
In a country whose peasant army once marched on flip-flops cut from old tires, Gucci beach sandals priced at US$365 can come as a shock.
But the luxury market is booming in Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh's communist revolution exalted equality and the common man just a generation ago.
As the country begins to embrace private enterprise, its nouveaux riches are snapping up shoes at Gucci, handbags at Louis Vuitton and watches at Cartier, offering proof of how much the country has changed after decades of war.
"I sold a US$4,000 leather jacket recently," said Do Huong Ly, a stylish young saleswoman at the Roberto Cavalli shop in Hanoi. "Our customers want people to know that they are high-class."
Not long ago, displays of wealth were frowned upon in Vietnam. Those tire-sandaled troops who bested the French colonial army and outlasted the Americans embodied frugality and egalitarianism. The revolutionary government snatched up the assets of the wealthy and redistributed them to the poor.
But since the late 1980s, a government that once micromanaged all economic affairs has been introducing free-market reforms and courting foreign investors, and with them have come new western styles and attitudes.
"Members of the new generation want to enjoy life and pamper themselves with luxurious things," said Nguyen Thi Cam Van, 39, who has purchased five US$1,000 handbags at Louis Vuitton.
"If I can afford to buy something nice, it makes me feel proud," said Van, who works at Siemens and also consults for a Vietnamese import company. "It lets you show people your taste and style."
One of her friends has 50 Louis Vuitton bags, Van said. "I think five is enough."
Some of Vietnam's shopaholics are young people who work for multinational corporations but still live rent-free with their parents. Others work for powerful state-owned companies and many have made fortunes in Vietnam's small but booming private sector.
They indulge their urge to splurge at Dolce and Gabbana, Burberry, Escada, Rolex, Clarins, Shiseido and the like.
In the two decades since Vietnam began implementing its economic reforms, the nation's poverty rate has been cut in half, and per capita income has doubled in the last five years.
Still, most workers in this nation of 84 million people still earn just a dollar or two a day toiling in the farm fields.
Those working low-wage jobs find the new lust for luxury hard to stomach.
"The rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are struggling to make ends meet," said Dao Quang Hung, a Hanoi taxi driver. "The money they spend on a Louis Vuitton bag could buy several cows for a farmer's family and lift them out of poverty."
At the new Gucci shop in Ho Chi Minh City, the flip-flops are among the economy items.
The black-clad sales staff, looking fresh off a fashion show runway in Milan, offer a pair of golden, spike-heeled shoes for US$765.
Across the hall at the Milano store, the display last year featured a US$54,000 Dolce and Gabbana dress, one of just three in the world, according to marketing director Dang Tu Anh, who represents both stores.
The others, Anh said, were worn by film star Nicole Kidman and Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl.
Milano's best customers, Anh said, think nothing of dropping US$5,000 on a handbag and a pair of shoes.
"If they can buy something luxurious, it proves they have money," Anh said. "And that's good."
Vietnam's older generation, shaped by the hardships of war, finds itself at odds with younger Vietnamese over the new consumerism.
"Now the younger generation in Vietnam is racing for materialistic enjoyment," said Huu Ngoc, a 90-year-old scholar and author. "Individualism is destroying our cultural identity. We may become richer but lose our soul."
The war generation wasted nothing and always saved for the future, convinced that catastrophe lurked around every corner. But opinion surveys show that the 60% of Vietnamese born after 1975 are very optimistic about the future _ and determined to enjoy the here and now.
Van, for example, enjoys pampering herself at the salon with massages and manicures. But she lives in fear that her father, a college professor, will learn about her five Louis Vuitton handbags.
"I can't tell him I have these," she said. "And I would never tell him how much they cost. He would think that I was completely irresponsible."
Van's indulgences are modest compared to those of Vietnam's super elite, who tool around in the ultimate status symbols: a shiny BMW or Mercedes-Benz.
And pay cash.
Vietnam Dismisses US Report On Religious Situation Vietnam Dismisses US Report On Religious Situation
Vietnam Dismisses US Report On Religious Situation
Spokesman, Le Dzung
Vietnam has rejected the US’s 2007 religion report, saying it is inaccurate and lacks objectivity despite acknowledging the country’s positive development.
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Le Dzung, told reporters Monday that Vietnam pursued an "unswerving policy to respect and ensure citizens' rights to freedom of worship, religion and non-religion".
These rights were enshrined in the Constitution and other laws, including the Ordinance on Belief and Religions, he said.
"In practice, religions in Vietnam have received the government's attention and favorable conditions. Followers and clerics of different religions are allowed to exercise their beliefs in the normal way.”
Dung highlighted the burgeoning relations between Vietnam and the US and an increased mutual understanding on issues of common interests, including religion.
"Although the annual report prepared by the US Department of State contains some assessments lacking objectivity and accuracy, it has recognized the real and positive developments in religion in Vietnam," he said.
Vietnam PM Approves Government TV Channel
Vietnam PM Approves Government TV Channel
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ratified Wednesday the setting up of a TV channel to cover the activities of government agencies.
Vietnam Online will inform the public about central and local government projects, policies, and initiatives and will also have English subtitles for expatriates.
It will be featured on the official government website www.chinhphu.vn.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan and former and current Government Office chiefs, respectively Doan Manh Giao and Nguyen Xuan Phuc, will supervise the channel’s functioning.
Pham Viet Dung will be the editor-in-chief.
The inauguration date is yet to be announced.
Vietnam Mulls English Standards For Tourism Industry
English language standards for Viet Nam's tourism industry were presented at a seminar held in Hanoi Wednesday under an EU-funded project for Vietnamese tourism.
A recent survey of 200 hotels and travel companies across the country found the need to adopt English standards for workers across the industry.
Tests conducted by TOEIC Vietnam for more than 1,000 workers during the survey showed that 45 percent of tour guides, 53-87 percent of security personnel, 42-76 percent of room service staff, 67-69 percent of receptionists, and 85 restaurant workers lacked English skills.
The seminar was jointly organized by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and TOEIC Vietnam, an English teaching school.
Source: VNA
Hai Phong Police Throw The Book At Delinquent Cops
Hai Phong Police Throw The Book At Delinquent Cops
The Hai Phong city Police Department announced Tuesday one of its officers would be stripped off his rank for assaulting a citizen and another demoted for abusing and assaulting a senior police officer.
Senior Lieutenant Pham Van Hai, deputy chief of law and order of Thuy Nguyen district, would lose his rank for badly beating up Nguyen Van Long earlier this month, the announcement said.
Long had gone to the district police station to post bail for some friends who were held after a row at a karaoke parlor.
He was verbally abused and assaulted by Hai and his subordinates Nguyen Van Vu, Nguyen Tien Hung, Nguyen Van Thang, Vu Tien Duy, and Vu Trong Cuong. They too were reprimanded.
Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Binh Dinh of Ngo Quyen district was demoted to lieutenant for insulting and attacking Hong Bang district’s police commander, Pham Quang Chien, on August 9.
Chien had been sent to deal with a quarrel involving Dinh only to be called names, spat at, and hit by Dinh.
Hai Phong Police Throw The Book At Delinquent Cops Hai Phong Police Throw The Book At Delinquent Cops
Hai Phong Police Throw The Book At Delinquent Cops
The Hai Phong city Police Department announced Tuesday one of its officers would be stripped off his rank for assaulting a citizen and another demoted for abusing and assaulting a senior police officer.
Senior Lieutenant Pham Van Hai, deputy chief of law and order of Thuy Nguyen district, would lose his rank for badly beating up Nguyen Van Long earlier this month, the announcement said.
Long had gone to the district police station to post bail for some friends who were held after a row at a karaoke parlor.
He was verbally abused and assaulted by Hai and his subordinates Nguyen Van Vu, Nguyen Tien Hung, Nguyen Van Thang, Vu Tien Duy, and Vu Trong Cuong. They too were reprimanded.
Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Binh Dinh of Ngo Quyen district was demoted to lieutenant for insulting and attacking Hong Bang district’s police commander, Pham Quang Chien, on August 9.
Chien had been sent to deal with a quarrel involving Dinh only to be called names, spat at, and hit by Dinh.
Vietnam Metro Passes Acts To Tackle Gridlock
Vietnam Metro Passes Acts To Tackle Gridlock
Ho Chi Minh City approved several plans to curb the burgeoning metropolis’ miasmal traffic problems at a meeting last Saturday.
Officials unanimously passed a proposal to control the opening and closing times of schools and industrial parks in an effort to prevent traffic jams at the beginning and end of the day.
Head of the city’s Department of Transport and Public Works Tran Quang Phuong said the plan would be piloted at every industrial park and several schools and universities in the city beginning October 15.
Phuong said industrial parks and schools nearby each other would be banned from opening or closing within 30 minutes of each other so that large crowds and vehicle jams don’t clog the city at opening and closing times.
Deputy director of the Department of Education and Training’s Nguyen Hoang Chuong said that colleges and universities would begin at 8am while kindergartens and primary schools would open sooner to allow parents enough time to get to work after dropping off their children.
Delegates to the meeting also approved a measure to install cameras around the city to detect traffic law violations.
Additionally, city mayor Le Hoang Quan also asked local agencies to curb rampant street vending that encroaches onto busy streets.
Officials also considered a proposal to halt the construction of new public buildings in crowded areas, fearing that larger buildings in city centers would make for more congested streets.
Several officials suggested that certain streets be off-limits to certain types of vehicles and that others become one-way streets.
There have been 15 traffic jams over 30 minutes-long so far this year, four times the amount than in all of 2006, according to traffic police.
One such jam on August 30 lasted seven hours, said police.
During rush hour, motorbikes and cars travel an average of 8-10 kilometers per hour, according to the police.
Apple's iPhone Is Launched In France, via Vietnam
Apple's iPhone Is Launched In France, via Vietnam
Standing on the sidelines at a telecom conference in Hanoi, France Telecom's chief executive Didier Lombard said Orange has won the iPhone contract.
After the launch of Apple's iPhone was shouted to eager audiences in the U.K. and Germany in elaborate celebrations this week, the launch of the phone in France has been revealed in a whisper – on the sidelines of a trade show in Vietnam.
As expected for months, the Orange service provider, a unit of France Telecom, has signed an exclusive agreement with Apple to market the iPhone in France.
Standing on the sidelines at a telecommunications conference in Hanoi, France Telecom's chief executive Didier Lombard said Orange has won the contract. Parisians may get a more detailed unveiling Monday at the Apple Expo in Paris.
Orange hasn't issues availability dates, but reports say the device will debut Nov. 29.
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone in London, then traveled to Berlin to introduce the phone in Germany.
The iPhone operates on Edge data networks, which are slow, so the availability of Wi-Fi, which the phone also can use for Internet access, is important to users.
France Telecom's embrace of the iPhone would seem to be a marriage made in heaven, because the service provider has more than 2,000 paid Wi-Fi hotspots in Paris alone.
In addition there are several hundred more Wi-Fi hotspots – many of them offered by the city for free. France Telecom and the city of Paris have been squabbling over the free sites.
At the iPhone's unveiling in Berlin, exclusive German provider Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile trumpeted its 8,500-plus Wi-Fi hotspots.
In the UK, Wi-Fi is needed even more as exclusive iPhone service provider O2 can cover just an estimated 30 percent of the U.K. population. Apple and O2 have forged an arrangement with Wi-Fi provider the Cloud for iPhone subscribers to use its 7,500 U.K. hotspots.
Since its debut less than three months ago, Apple has sold more than one million devices in the US alone.
Thanh Nien Is Hiring For A New English Language Daily
Thanh Nien Is Hiring For A New English Language Daily
Thanh Nien will publish a new English language newspaper, Thanh Nien Daily, from October 1 to add to its existing Vietnamese language daily and weekly, and two websites (one each in Vietnamese and English).
The new publication is looking for reporters, copy editors, and other staff to be based in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Thailand, Singapore, and other places.
Applications are invited from reporters, copy editors, and graphic designers with a desire to work for a quality English language publication and the following qualifications:
1. Reporters, Translators:
Below 40
University degree or equivalent
Excellent English skills – specialized qualification or university certification from English-speaking countries will be an advantage
At least one year’s experience at English language publications or websites
2. Copy Editors:
Native speaker/overseas Vietnamese/others who learnt English as first language
University degree or equivalent
At least one year’s experience in editing English language publications or websites
3. Proofreaders:
Below 40
Excellent English skills – specialized qualification or university certification from English-speaking countries will be an advantage
At least one year’s experience in proofreading English language publications or websites
4. Graphic Designer:
Below 35
Degree from University or Junior College of Fine Arts for Application
Expertise in using graphics software
Fair English language skills
Application:
Application letter in English encapsulating your abilities and experience, one photograph
Resume, copies of certificates
For reporters/translators only – Five English language articles published in newspapers/magazines
Applications should be sent in by Sept. 15 to 248 Cong Quynh St, District 1, HCMC or by email to admin@thanhniennews.com or thuthuy@thanhniennews.com.
Please inscribe clearly on the envelope or in the subject line of the email the post you are applying for.
Qualified applicants will be invited for a personal interview. All applications will not be returned under any circumstances.
'Karaoke' Finds Voice In Vietnam
'Karaoke' Finds Voice In Vietnam
The first local versions of Sony Pictures Television International format "Karaoke Showdown" will air in Vietnam and Indonesia at the end of this year, the company said Thursday.
Format rights to the music variety show, which originated in Europe, were sold to Vietnam terrestrial TV broadcaster VTV3 and Indonesian free-TV broadcaster Trans TV, SPTI said.
Financial details of the agreements, which are straight licensing deals with consultancy, were not disclosed.
This is SPTI's first format to go into the streets of the host broadcaster's cities to shoot, said Mary Chan, SPTI's executive director for Asia production.
Previous formats all were shot in the studio.
"Asia loves karaoke and everyone -- the audience, actors and celebrities -- is able to participate. It's very interactive," Chan said.
Both deals are part of larger packages, including scripted formats, being negotiated across the region, Chan said.
SPTI also has renewed "The Gong Show" on Trans TV for an additional 39 episodes, bringing the total so far to 52. And Vietnam's VTV3 has acquired 52 episodes of "Wheel 2000" this year.
SPTI has been stepping up its formats slate for Asia, including acquiring Asian rights to five games shows from the U.K.'s 12 Yard Prods. in September.
Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia are SPTI's top formats markets in Asia but interest also has been increasing in Malaysia, Chan said.
SPTI formats in Asia include shows like "Dragons' Den" (India), "Pyramid" (Vietnam), "You're Hired" (Indonesia, Thailand) and "The Gong Show" (Thailand, Indonesia), "That's My Stuff" (Indonesia), "Chain Reaction" (Indonesia) and "Fotoplay" (Indonesia).
Vietnam Quality Agency Lists 23 Helmets Meeting Safety Standards
Vietnam Quality Agency Lists 23 Helmets Meeting Safety Standards
Vietnam’s Agency for Standards and Quality announced Thursday that 23 brands of crash helmets meet its safety standards and advised consumers to look for its seal of approval.
The announcement follows a recent nationwide inspection by the agency ahead of the December 15 deadline when wearing helmets becomes mandatory for all bike and motor scooter riders.
The 23 brands include ten manufactured in the country and 13 imported, according to the agency.
Ngo Quy Viet, head of the agency, said further inspections would be done soon to update the list.
Buyers should look for a stamp saying “Checked – TCVN 5756:2001”, he said.
He admitted that the number of helmets meeting the safety standards was like “a grain of sand in the desert” considering there were 148 brands being sold in the market.
List of 23 helmet brands certified as safe:
Locally-made: Amoro, Protec, HSL, Hitech, Xanaha Suzuki, Honda, Azura, Sankyo, Amono, Moto.
Foreign-imported: Index Helmet (Thailand), Michel visorex (Malaysia); SGV visorex (Malaysia), BG 03 Cap viso (Malaysia), Yamaha (Taiwan), Apolo (Malaysia), Honda (Japan), TA-15 (Taiwan), Index (Thailand), STM (Thailand), HJC (China), Shell-Helmets (China), Shell-Helmets (USA).
Five To Be Charged For Central Vietnam Oil Tank Blast
Five To Be Charged For Central Vietnam Oil Tank Blast
The explosion in a 15-meter high tank tore off its 5mm steel lid
The Da Nang police asked the prosecutor’s office Wednesday to ratify charges against five officials for an explosion at an oil depot this year which killed four workers.
Le Anh Thau and Nguyen Van Phuc of Petrolimex Construction Company No.5, Mai Huu Phuoc and Le Duc Chan of the Zone 5 Petrol Company, and deputy director of Da Nang’s Petrol Base Depot, Pham Dieu, face a charge of “deliberately violating labor safety codes causing serious consequences”.
Phuc, Chan, and Phuoc were arrested last month while the two others are under house arrest.
The police also asked Vietnam Petrolimex to take disciplinary action against 12 other officials.
Five other workers were also critically injured last March when the explosion in a 15-meter high, 12,500-liter tank under construction tore off its 5mm steel lid and blew up the welders working on it.
The blast is suspected to have been caused by gasoline getting mixed with water pumped into the tank to test for leakage, and being set off by the welding torches.
Thanh Nien
Investors Gaze Into The Crystal Ball
Investors Gaze Into The Crystal Ball
Want to know what foreign investors think of Vietnam's investment climate? More than 100 local and foreign bankers, investment fund managers and businesses who attended the Alternative Investments IQ Vietnam 2007 conference in Ho Chi Minh City last week helped provide some answers. Xuan Hoa reports.
Vietnam’s market return potentials is standing head and shoulders above the rest of the Asian pack.
Kuwait Asia Holdings Private Equity Division senior manager Waleed Alowaiyesh was one of many of the conference attendees to offer a robust vision of Vietnam’s advantages over its investment rivals.
“We are looking for opportunities to become a minor stake holder in local firms that are operating in the three hot sectors of manufacturing, IT and real estate,” Alowaiyesh said.
The conference was the first to have been held in the country that looked to identify sweet spots in the domestic market for fund managers such as Alowaiyesh to exploit.
Rounding off a hectic first day, Alowaiyesh held a fistful of business cards and proclaimed: “We will find the answer to our question on where opportunities are located amongst these cards.”
Gazing into the looking glass, BIDV-Vietnam Partners Investment Management (BVIM) general director Bradley Lalonde said his firm saw the biggest opportunities to make substantial returns laying in the bevy of state-owned enterprises that were to embark down the equitisation road.
However, Lalonde signaled his concern over the repeated delays of eagerly anticipated initial public offerings (IPOs) such as the Vietcombank issuance. Fund managers in Vietnam fear that further hold outs may decelerate investment flows into the market, a real worry for firms such as BVIM that has $90 million in funds from domestic investors and a further $300 million from offshore players waiting for the green light to jump into the fray.
In response to investors’ concerns, State Capital Investment Corporation deputy general director Le Song Lai revealed that a plan to equitise and list 71 large state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by 2010 had been adopted by the prime minister.
According to the Ministry of Finance’s assessment, only 44.4 per cent of SOEs are classified as Group A (i.e. profitable) businesses, 39.5 per cent as Group B, and 16.1 per cent as Group C and most of them are small-sized ones.
VinaCapital, which recently announced it had established an infrastructure development fund pushed the infrastructure agenda with middling success. VinaCapital Group co-founder and managing partner Don Lam said Vietnam needed approximately $140 billion between now and 2020 for public works and strategic opportunities lay in the government’s lack of access to significant funding.
“With finance-banking and construction-real estate, these are the three most exciting areas for us, for the next three months at least,” said Andy Ho, VinaCapital Group’s managing director.
However, a large number of Vietnamese business representatives at the forum’s debate opined that red hot industries such as IT products and services, retail, bio-tech and pharmaceuticals are where the high-end profits were hiding.
Are the fruits still sweet?
A buzz surrounded this year’s conference on the stock market’s prolonged “correction” and the market forecast downgrade by Merrill Lynch.
VinaCapital’s Don Lam said that the buzz was much ado about nothing.
“These past few months have been a challenging time for the stock markets. The VN Index peaked at 1,133 points in mid-March and dropped till now, however, the underlying fundamentals still strong,” he said.
PXP Vietnam Asset Management director Kevin Snowball said the continued focus on China and South East Asia would push the alternative investments in Vietnam considering the country as a hedge against a “China only” strategy.
In his message to PXP’s investors, Snowball said: “At 900 points by August this year, PXP estimates the VN Index to be on 22 times weighted average 2008 earnings. 1,200 points is achievable by year-end, particularly if the exchange reacts quickly to resolve the issues of trading technology and the delay of large SOE equitisation.”
Stumbling blocks to investment
However, Ernst & Young Vietnam partner Allanda McConnell rang alarm bells. “Vietnam can be both an enormous opportunity and a potential threat to any foreign investor,” she said.
Another problem that looms large on the horizon for first time investors in Vietnam is corruption. Vietnam ranked 111th out of 163 countries in 2006 based on the Corruption Perception Index and its rank of 160th out of 174 countries for ease of doing business is woefully short of where the country needs to be.
Templeton Asset Management Limited executive director Richard Piliero sits on the other side of the fence and is adamant that the financial market is on its way to substantial growth.
At the moment, corporate disclosure is still weak even during IPO stages and worse for OTC companies. Piliero said the over-the-counter market was still largely un-regulated and comprised the bulk of “listed” securities with no requirement for a display of full financials.
These are the operational challenges that are faced by stakeholders before and during the investment process in Vietnam.
Human Trafficking On The Rise In Northern Region
Human Trafficking On The Rise In Northern Region
The number of human trafficking cases involving women in the northern province of Yen Bai began increasing in 2004, according to local police reports.
Since 2004 there have been 374 women and children illegally sold to foreign countries.
And from the beginning of 2007 through the present a total of 60 people have become victims of this ordeal. Twenty-five people were from Mu Cang Chai District, 14 from Van Chan District, and 11 from Nghia Lo Town.
"Most victims are young women and female children in difficult situations. They generally do not have a lot of education or knowledge. The traffickers deceive and take advantage of them, telling them they can go work elsewhere and earn a higher income than in their local areas," said Ta Khac Hong, Head of the Mu Cang Chai’s police station .
"But what happens is, instead of having a chance to get an easy job with a higher income as promised, the women must resort to difficult jobs like house cleaner, maid, and even prostitution, all the while unable to escape their suffering and poor treatment."
Hoang Thi L. (not her real name), from Son Thinh Commune in Van Chinh District, was one rare lucky woman who managed to escape and return to Viet Nam.
"While I was working in a Chinese whorehouse, one night a man bought me and asked me to marry him. I believed I was lucky to meet him, but I fell into another disaster when I was made to be the ‘wife’ of all seven men in his family," said L.
"I often thought I could not stand my life anymore, but my mother’s image gave me the strength to escape and find my way back home."
According to Luong Thi Dam, Vice President of the Women’s Union in Yen Bai Province, most people who were deceived and sold to other countries are living in poverty with many children. And often, it was people in the same village that deceived the women and children. Cu Thi Ly in Khao Mang Township of Mu Cang Chai District was a typical case. She sold her own two children and deceived many other women in her district.
As revealed by local police, there are many cases in which families of human trafficking victims only informed the authorities after trying for a long time on their own to find them. It is this lack of knowledge that unintentionally lends a helping hand to this kind of crime. Most of the girls sold to other countries never return, which creates enormous difficulties for the investigators trying to prevent this type of crime.
It is of great importance that relevant organisations and individuals co-operate with each other to disseminate information on trafficking violations and also to run training courses on law consultancy in remote villages, encouraging women not to be deceived by such evildoers. Individuals must also strengthen the control over their homes and neighbouring villages to effectively prevent further cases of women and children trafficking.
Seized Tiger Bones And Parts Genuine, Confirm Vietnam Police
Seized Tiger Bones And Parts Genuine, Confirm Vietnam Police
Tests done on animal bones and parts seized following the recent arrest of a tiger-smuggling gang confirmed them to be genuine, meaning the gangsters could face charges, the Hanoi police said Friday.
Last Tuesday the police raided two houses in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan district, both rented by 40-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh, and seized two disemboweled, 250 kg tigers from freezers.
They also found two tiger skins and bones and parts besides eight pairs of ox horns, two pairs of stag horns, two pairs of elephant tusks, and five bear arms.
Ringleader Thanh and her three henchmen, Chu Van Bien, Nguyen Duc Thiep, and Tran Van De, were arrested.
Under interrogation, Thanh confessed the gutted tigers were from Myanmar and India and their bone marrow was sold for VND6.5 million (US$400) per gram to traditional doctors for curing rheumatism and other joint ailments.
Thanh and her gang extracted the marrow in the two houses.
They had begun their operations in 2004, and were suspected of being linked to a much larger international animal-smuggling ring, the police said.
An official from the Hanoi Forest Protection Department added that the ring could be charged with illegally transporting and slaughtering wild animals.
The police said they would carry out further investigations.
Oliver Stone In Vietnam For My Lai Massacre Film
Oliver Stone In Vietnam For My Lai Massacre Film
American filmmaker Oliver Stone arrived in central Vietnam Wednesday, beginning his 3-day research trip in preparation for his new film about the notorious My Lai Massacre.
“I am very happy to be back in Da Nang,” said Stone, a Vietnam War veteran who served as a sergeant in the 25th Infantry Division 39 years ago, at Da Nang Airport upon his arrival.
Stone said he would visit My Lai to see the “killing fields” for himself.
He said he would stay in Quang Ngai Province for 2 days.
My Lai is a hamlet in Son My village, Quang Ngai Province. Its 504 civilians were slaughtered by soldiers from the US Army’s 11th Brigade on March.16, 1968 in one of the most shameful US misconducts to receive widespread mainstream media attention during the war.
However, Stone added, it was too soon to talk about the film now as it was only in its preparatory stages.
The director seemed to be exhausted after a long flight straight from America and did not answer many questions from reporters at the airport.
Two of his companions, producers John Kilik and Nicholas Simon, set up a short press conference at the airport where Kilik said that Stone wished to call on his old friend Phung Le Ly – author of the memoir When Heaven And Earth Changed Places, which he adapted into the renowned film Heaven And Earth.
Kilik also said Stone hoped to begin shooting the film in Central Vietnam by the year’s end, but that a variety of undecided factors made no plans confirmable.
Oliver Stone is known for such provocative films about the war as Heaven and Earth, Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, which earned him 2 Best Director Academy Awards.
He also directed such acclaimed films as JFK, Nixon, Alexander and World Trade Center.
His new film, titled Pinkville, got its name from the US Army’s nickname for My Lai, as “pinko” was a derogatory word for communist.
The film will feature Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum and possibly Michael Pena.
Willis will play William R. Peers, the Army general who investigated the My Lai murders that included 182 women, 173 children and 60 elderly.
Tatum will portray Hugh Thompson Jr., an Army helicopter pilot who helped stop the killing by flying between the attackers and the My Lai villagers, rescued several survivors and later testified against the soldiers.
Michael Pena is in talks to play Captain Ernest Medina, the troops’ commanding officer who was held responsible for the massacre by the public. He was charged with the crimes but ultimately found not guilty. Pena appeared in Stone's last film, "World Trade Center."
United Artists is in talks to finance the $40 million project. In the screenplay by Mikko Alanne, the audience pieces together the truth as Peers finds his way through the event's cover-up, in which only one member of the group, Lieutenant William Calley, was convicted of murder and served a mere three and a half years under house arrest. Thanh Nien
Glitter To Ask Vietnam For Amnesty: Report
Glitter To Ask Vietnam For Amnesty: Report
British pop singer Gary Glitter, jailed in Vietnam for child molestation, will ask the government to free him later this month in an amnesty, the Agence France Presse quoted his lawyer as saying Thursday.
The disgraced 1970s pop star has been behind bars since late 2005 and was sentenced to three years' jail in March 2006 for committing obscene acts with two girls, then aged 11 and 12, in a southern Vietnamese resort town.
"I hope Glitter will be given amnesty later this month to mark national day on September 2," Glitter's lawyer Le Thanh Kinh told AFP.
"Glitter's case will be considered and sent to the Central Amnesty Council, and I think he will be on the list (of people to be granted amnesty)."
The 63-year-old faded pop star, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, received a three-month term reduction in February to mark the traditional Tet lunar new year, moving his official release date forward to August 2008.
Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet said this week some prisoners will be amnestied by the central government to mark national day, after several provinces amnestied inmates last week, local media reported.
To be eligible, prisoners must show they have made "good progress in re-education" and must have served at least half of their terms.
By the end of this month, the lawyer said, Glitter will have served two thirds of his sentence, including pre-trial detention, and would potentially qualify for early release.
"He has obeyed prison rules and has compensated the victims," Kinh told AFP. "I really think he may be freed later this month."
Glitter, a former "glam rocker" once famed in Britain for his flamboyant bouffant wigs and silver jumpsuits, had several hits in the 1970s including "I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am!)" and "Do You Wanna Touch Me?"
He fell from grace when a British court jailed him in 1999 for possession of child pornography. He served half of a four-month term and then left Britain.
Glitter lived in several other countries including Cambodia, where he was pursued by the British media, and from where he was expelled in 2002.
He then moved to Vung Tau, a Vietnamese beachside and oil industry town with three Vietnamese prostitutes he had met in Cambodia and who helped him procure children for sex, according to prosecutors at his trial.
He was arrested at Ho Chi Minh City airport in November 2005 as he tried to leave Vietnam. After his arrest, Glitter, who has denied the charges, paid 2,000 dollars in compensation to the family of each victim.
He was not charged with child rape, which carries the death penalty.
Rural Girls Reconsider Marrying Koreans
Rural Girls Reconsider Marrying Koreans
“I don’t dare marry a man whom I know nothing about and totally depend on him, no matter how rich he is,” said Vo Thi Mong Tien, a girl from the same commune as Huynh Mai.
Tien, 20, who is living in Ngoc Chuc commune, Giong Rieng district, in southern Kien Giang province, thought much about the case of Huynh Mai.
“We have gathered in recent days to talk about Huynh Mai’s story. We feel sorry for her and worry about ourselves. I and my friends think that we will never exchange ourselves like her,” Tien said.
Huynh Mai’s story has made great impacts on the thinking of many people in Ngoc Chuc commune, especially young girls.
An 18-year-old girl who has a similar family situation as Huynh Mai and was recommended by match-makers to marry a foreign man of nearly 40 years old said: “I didn’t agree to marry him. I have decided to get married to a Vietnamese man despite any difficulty. Many women are still living well in Vietnam; so will I.”
Vo Van Banh, a leader of a local youth organisation in Ngoc Chuc commune, said that the commune had around 2,000 people at the age of marriage. Around 10% of girls are fulfilling formalities to marry foreign men but since the case of Huynh Mai, over half of them have cancelled. The remaining are trying to learn more about their future husbands.
The local youth organisation has established a programme to help girls who want to marry foreign men.
“Huynh Mai is a special case but we should not, based on this case, criticise girls who marry foreigners because this is their right. I think it is more important to help them learn carefully about their future husbands as well as the customs and habits, culture and laws of the places where they will live,” Mr. Banh said.
The ashes of Huynh Mai, who was killed by her Korean husband in late June, were brought to her hometown on August 31.
Mai’s mother, Tran Thi Giang, said that Mai married the Korean husband through the introduction of a match-maker, who lives around 3-4km from her house. This woman’s two nieces also got married to Korean men and they are quite happy.
“I hoped that my daughter’s life could be changed like the nieces of the match-maker,” she said.
According to the mother, till the day her daughter flew to Korea, she and her husband hadn’t seen the face of Mai’s husband.
The family has used part of the VND200 million of money presented by various organisations and individuals to build a tomb for Huynh Mai and the remaining to repair their house.
“We followed Mai’s aspiration from when she was alive: she only wished that her parents had a better house,” the mother said. VNE
Vietnamese Coffee Not Going To Chicago: Vicofa
Vietnamese Coffee Not Going To Chicago: Vicofa
Doan Trieu Nhan, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, denied the news that Vietnamese coffee would be traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
“I know mass media recently reported that Vietnam would put coffee up for transactions at CME. I can say that the news is not true,” Mr Nhan said.
According to Mr Nhan, a lot of prestigious foreign coffee enterprises and associations called him, asking why Vietnam had decided to take coffee to CME while it did not have to do that. While Vietnam’s annual coffee output is not enough for export, and foreign dealers even fly to Vietnam to seek supplies, it is not necessary to take coffee abroad to sell.
When asked to clarify the news about the working session between Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem and CME leaders, Mr Nhan confirmed that Mr Khiem once visited CME. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of coffee trading. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Luong Le Phuong held a meeting to discuss the very important cooperation.
In fact, CME will help Vietnam build up the coffee trading floor in Dak Lak by upgrading it into an internationally standardised trading floor. With the experience and support of CME, Vietnam hopes to create a modern, dynamic and effective trading floor. The success of the coffee trading floor will help much in building other floors for trading other farm produce, including rice, vegetables and fruits.
In related news, Vicofa has advised its members to think carefully before signing export contracts, saying that the coffee price will increase as a result of the supply shortage.
The 2006-2007 crop was considered a bumper crop, with Vietnam’s output nearly 1mil tonnes and Brazil’s 2mil tonnes. However, the output was not enough to meet the demand which increased sharply because traders, anticipating the coffee shortage of the next crop, bought in large quantities.
Experts have warned that the 2008 crop will be a failure crop in accordance with the two-year cycle. According to Mr Nhan, the coffee price at this moment is relatively high, but just a half of the peak price seen in 1995-1996. The coffee price hit its peak at $3,000/tonne in 1995.
Coffee trading in the world has been developing very well in recent years. In June 2007, for example, trade volume had increased by 33% over the same period of the previous year, from 6.7mil bags in June 2006 to 9.7mil bags in June 2007.
Vietnam’s coffee exports in the first half of the year increased by 20% over the same period of last year. In the 2006-2007 crop, exports increased by 74% over 2005-2006, from 589,000 tonnes to 884,000 tonnes.
Fake Goods Penetrating Vietnam All Too Easily
Fake Goods Penetrating Vietnam All Too Easily
Law enforcement authorities met Friday to discuss the swell of counterfeit goods in Vietnam recently, a development that has shamed the country’s moves towards stronger intellectual property rights regulations.
At a conference on preventing fake goods in the southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province Friday, delegates warned that the growth of sophisticated copycat items should wake the country up to the need for the protection of intellectual property rights.
Fake goods have fooled both authorities and consumers and are entering the Vietnamese market freely, said Phan Hung Chien, vice head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security.
Many fake goods are now more elaborately detailed and designed that ever before, according to authorities.
Chien expressed serious concern that several popular counterfeit items may have seriously adverse health affects on consumers.
He cited a rash of recent cases in which food, liquor, and medicine had been faked in large amounts since early this year.
Fake hi-tech goods like motorbikes, electronic items, CDs, and even counterfeit currency have entered Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s two largest markets for counterfeit goods.
An official from the Ministry of Information and Communications said the infringement of intellectual property rights had also became rife in the fields of publishing, labeling, software, movies, and art.
Counterfeit networks had been expanded abroad and the fight against them was growing stronger all the time, Chien admitted.
Delegates at the conference spoke out against the lack of legal guidelines in prosecuting criminal goods-fakers and counterfeiters. They also pointed their fingers at light fines and easy penalties given to violators, saying such measures were not strong deterrents.
Insufficient cooperation between enforcement agencies concerned was also to blame, some delegates said, calling for closer coordination.
Since 2002, police have uncovered around 1,000 counterfeit cases as well as thousands of intellectual property rights infringements.
Source: Thanh Nien
Vietnam Relaxes Domestic Passport Formalities
Vietnam Relaxes Domestic Passport Formalities
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued a decree Monday to streamline the country’s passport formalities.
The decree orders that applications be handled in eight days’ time, at the latest, upon the receipt of relevant documents.
New or renewed passports will now last for 10 years instead of the previous eight-year terms.
Additionally, the decree also states that passports replace ID cards in all administrative procedures in Vietnam.
The public security and foreign affairs ministries will work with local agencies to issue specific guidelines on the implementation of this decree.
Vietnamese expatriates will submit passport applications to Vietnamese embassies in their respective countries.
Vietnam began enforcing a visa waiver for overseas Vietnamese on the first of the month and since August 15 provincial and municipal immigration departments have begun accepting applications and issuing passports via mail.
