Other Briefings
Twenty Percent Discount on Power Costs Proposed
Aug. 11 – The Ministry of Industry and Trade has submitted a proposal that will allow businesses that operate only during the day to be qualified for a 20 percent discount on electricity costs during peak hours of the morning. Currently, business power users are charged double in the peak hours between 9:30 a.m. and […]
Foreign-Invested Firms to be Allowed to Export Rice
Aug. 10 – Following its WTO commitments, the Vietnamese government will now allow foreign-invested businesses to distribute and export rice this year, says Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien. Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai approved the measure. Mr. Hai also added that the trade ministry should also ask the […]
Vietnam Tops Business Confidence Survey
Jul. 16 – A survey conducted by banking company, HSBC, showed Vietnam as having the most optimistic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region. The HSBC Emerging Markets Small Business Confidence Monitor tallied the answers of more than 3,400 SMEs in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Respondents in the Asian region included […]
E-Customs Clearance Process Still Limited
HO CHI MINH, Jul. 14 – Despite being offered on a trial basis in Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong since 2005, the e-customs clearance service is still bogged by inefficiencies and delays. City customs departments are ill-equipped to handle the surge of applications because of insufficient bandwidth capacity sometimes aggravated by the country’s […]
Maryland to Open Business Recruitment Office
Jul. 13 – The American state of Maryland will soon establish an economic development office in Vietnam. The office will be managed by the Meiwah International Holdings, an importer-exporter company, that will be charging fees by commission and seeking out business opportunities for the state in Vietnam. Previously, the state set-up recruitment offices in South […]
China Signs US$430 Million Power Plant Construction Deal
Jul. 9 – China’s Wuhan Kaidi Electric Power has agreed to build the Mao Khe thermo-electric power plant in Quang Ninh Province for US$430 million. The power plant project is backed by the Vietnam National Coal and Minerals Industrial Group with a capitalization of VND9,315 billion. When it is finished in 2012, the plant will […]
Largest Software Park Approves US$316.45 Million Worth of Projects
By Fan Feng Jul. 9 – The country’s largest software park and high-tech industrial area, Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Industrial Zone, has approved the investment licenses of four projects worth a total of US$316.45 million. Shipbuilder Vietnam Shipping Industrial Group invested US$85.6 million for the Vietnam Ship Research Institute to house its national research and design […]
Unilever Vietnam Now Fully Foreign-Owned
Jun. 29 – Unilever Vietnam is now a fully foreign-owned company after buying 33.33 percent of shares held by its former joint venture partner, the Vietnam National Chemical Corporation (Vinachem), for an undisclosed amount. The buyout was approved by regulatory officials and is now in the process of being finalized. Previously, Unilever held US$75.3 million […]
Vespa Factory to Open in Vietnam
Jun. 26 – Italy’s Piaggo is opening a new US$30 million Vespa factory in Vietnam to manufacture their 125 and 150 cc scooters. Piaggio is Europe’s biggest maker of two-wheeled vehicles and the fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. The plant is forecast to produce 100,000 scooters to be sold in the country and […]
Vietnam Approves US$438 Million Railway to Cambodia
Jun. 18 – Vietnam is set to build a 128.5 kilometer railway linking Ho Chi Minh City to the border with Cambodia at a cost of US$438 million. Construction will begin next year. The railway will form part of the Trans-Asia Railway linking Singapore and Kunming, China, the Ministry of Transport said in a statement. […]
