Vietnam Lowers Import Duties on Petroleum Products
Jan. 19 – Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance lowered import duties for petroleum products from January 14 onwards, according to the ministry’s web site. The import tax for gasoline was cut to 0 percent from 6 percent, and the tax on diesel was decreased to 0 percent from 2 percent. The tax on kerosene was reduced […]
Fuel Firms in Vietnam Allowed to Withdraw from Price Stabilization Fund to Prevent Further Price Increases
Jan. 17 – The Vietnamese Finance Ministry is permitting domestic fuel traders to withdraw money from the national price stabilization fund to offset the increasingly high price vendors are paying for imported oil. The vendors have been told to keep prices stable. Since November 2010, domestic companies selling fuel have taken VND1,200 (US$.06) from the […]
New Rules and Regulations Effective Jan. 1 in Vietnam
Jan. 10 – Beginning January 1, 2011, several new rules have come into effect. Minimum wage increase Minimum wages at both local and foreign firms in Vietnam have increased by VND100,000 and VND370,000 per month, respectively. Depending on region, with urban areas having a higher minimum wage, local companies are required to pay a monthly […]
License Plate Fees Set to Rise Significantly in Vietnam
Jan. 5 – Vietnam will raise license plate registration charges up to VND20 million for cars with less than 10 seats in an attempt to reduce traffic in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The increase from the current VND2 million per vehicle would be effective beginning in February, the government said on Friday. Vietnam’s […]
Vietnam’s Central Bank Proposes Set Annual Interest Rates
Dec. 31 – Vietnam’s central bank is proposing to the government that the country set interest rates annually and allow companies to negotiate the price they pay for the country’s currency independently with banks, according to reports by Tuoi Tre, a local newspaper. The State Bank of Vietnam submitted the plan, which allows policymakers to […]
Vietnam Decreases Import Tax on Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Dec. 21 – Vietnam decreased its import tariff on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on Friday from 5 percent to 2 percent. A circular from the Finance Ministry said the move was aimed at stabilizing gas prices after a period of sharp fluctuations.
New Draft Proposal May Create Investment Barriers
Dec. 16 – Foreign investors fear that Vietnam’s draft proposal to develop its retail sector may, if enacted, erect barriers to invest from abroad. Last week, the Ministry of Industry and Trade floated its draft in an effort to generate feedback before submitting a final proposal to government.
Vietnam Central Bank Slashes Reserve Ratios for Some Banks that Lend to Agriculture
Dec. 15 – Vietnam’s Central Bank said Thursday that it was cutting the reserve ratios of five lenders that all have a large amount of capital loaned to the country’s agricultural sector. The central bank said the reserve ratios of the country’s top lenders Agribank, Vietnam International Bank, Kien Long Bank and Mekong Housing Bank […]
Vietnam Calls for Increased Investment in Agriculture and Rural Development
Dec. 8 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a conference in Quang Binh Province on December 6 to call for further investment into the agricultural and rural development sectors in six north-central provinces, from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue. From 2011 to 2020, provincial governments will request businesses to step up investment […]
PM Calls for Regular Submission of Statistical Reports
Dec. 3 – Vietnam’s prime minister has approved a new regulation that will make it mandatory for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and foreign invested companies and projects to issue regular statistical reports. Following Decision 77/2010/QD-TTg, wholly state-owned companies, state-owned corporations and their subsidiaries, and joint-stock and limited companies with 50 percent of their charter capital government […]