By Samantha Jones and Julia Gu
May 29 – Vietnam is composed of 63 provinces and five centrally-governed cities, which stand on the same administrative level as provinces (namely Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang and Hai Phong). The General Statistics Office of Vietnam further groups these provinces and cities into eight regions, listed below:
Nov. 17 – The Vietnamese government approved and outlined plans for two new international airports in a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai on Monday – one in the southern province of Dong Nai and one in the northern port city of Haiphong.
Construction on Dong Nai’s Long Thanh International Airport has been structured into two phases with the first phase scheduled to be completed by 2020 and the second phase to be finished by 2035. The airport is projected to handle 3 million tons of cargo and between 80 million to 100 million passengers annually. Continue reading
Oct. 18 – Vietnam’s first wind power turbine production factory, a US$61 million dollar project, was inaugurated at the Nomura Industrial Zone in the port city of Haiphong on October 15.
Invested in by General Electric, the factory is the first step of a larger initiative to address growing global demand for clean energy sources. Continue reading
Sept. 7 – The country’s flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has announced it will slash fares on domestic flights by 50 percent from September 15 to October 30.
The heavily discounted rates will include routes coming from the capital, Hanoi and the financial center, Ho Chi Minh City. The discounted prices will range from VND400,000 to VND860,000 per flight following the routes below: Continue reading
Aug. 3 – Electronic customs declaration and clearance is now available for trade passing by the Lao Cai border gate beginning August 1.
The province is the eleventh one to adopt the process for trading goods.This will make it easier for companies selling goods to China via the Lao Cai border to easily declare customs procedures and have the option to pay fees on a monthly or per customs declaration form basis.
Lao Cai Province’s main economic activities include agriculture and forestry. It is trying to attract more foreign direct investment in the area while developing cross-border trade with China and ecotourism. Continue reading
Apr. 27 – Vietnam will waive visa fees for foreign visitors to the country from August to September as part of the “Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010” campaign.
Foreign tourists can claim a refund of value added tax when they buy goods during the two month program. Tourist-related businesses in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City will also offer 10 to 40 percent discount for local and foreign tourists during the campaign.
Mar. 4 – The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to limit car imports by implementing regulations that would help cut down its trade deficit.
The new restrictions will affect the importation of cars with less than 16 seats which make up majority of total cars imported from abroad and require that they pass quality tests by the authorities. Cars imported to the country will only be allowed to enter via the major seaports of Cai Lan, Quang Ninh, Haiphong, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau. Continue reading
Jan. 21- A US$1 billion Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park has just opened in the northern city of Haiphong.
This is the third industrial park of its kind spearheaded by the Singapore and Vietnam government. The 1,600-hectare park is located in Vietnam’s third largest city, 100 kilometers from Hanoi with easy access to the region’s largest seaport, Haiphong Port. Continue reading
Dec. 18 – Cambodia and Vietnam have agreed to a treaty that will open Mekong waterways to increases trade and tourism.
The Treaty on Waterway Transportation legally binds Cambodia and Vietnam to reducing the official restrictions that have existed for cross-border navigation, according to the the Mekong River Commission. Continue reading
Sept. 22 – The new issue of Vietnam Briefing magazine is out now and available for download (click on the image – complimentary subscription required).
Set up to cater to industrial manufacturing, Vietnam’s industrial zones provide foreign investors with incentives and preferential policies not found in other parts of the country. It is these policies that can make investing in the country advantageous for those looking for inexpensive manufacturing locations in Asia. We provide a run-down of investment incentives for foreign investors in these zones, and then take an in-depth look at four important areas of Vietnam and the investment zones present there. These areas include Haiphong, Northern Vietnam’s only large deep-water port, Danang in Central Vietnam, Ba Ria-Vung Tau in Southern Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City, the commercial center of the country. Continue reading
