Other Briefings
United States is Vietnam’s Top Foreign Investor
Jan. 6 – The United States is Vietnam’s top foreign investor for 2009 with a total capital investment of US$9.8 billion. The Foreign Investment Department says that American investment accounted for 45.6 percent of Vietnam’s total foreign investment followed by Cayman Islands at more than US$2 billion.
Vietnam Opens Cross-Border River Trade with Cambodia
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.
Real Estate Prices in Downtown Hanoi to Climb by 21 Percent
Dec. 14 – Land valuation in downtown Hanoi will increase by as much as 21 percent next year based on a new proposal submitted by the Hanoi People’s Committee. The proposal sets next year’s prices for the city’s main commercial streets like Hang Ngang and Hang Dao in Hoan Kiem District at VND81 million (US$4,300) […]
IBM to Develop E-Government Center for Ho Chi Minh City
Dec. 11 – IBM will develop an e-government cloud for Ho Chi Minh City to enable a one-stop solution for government services and allow better access to government information. According to technology news site, Sys-Con Media, the company will first consolidate all of the city government’s e-mail systems and web sites. IBM will also be […]
Hanoi Petitions for Additional US$144.5 Million for Anniversary Projects
Dec. 10 – The Hanoi People’s Committee is requesting for an additional VND2.6 trillion (US$144.5 million) for projects slated for the city’s 1000th anniversary next year. The city has 34 projects lined up of this kind with nine of those already completed that includes: The Hanoi Library, the statue of King Le Thai To, the […]
Vietnam to Sell US$1 Billion Foreign Bond in January
Dec. 9 – Vietnam will have a possible US$1 billion foreign bond offering next month to fund its many energy projects. It will be Vietnam’s first overseas bond since 2005 when demand for the bonds exceeded supply. “We want to sell it at the end of this year, but we don’t think we can make […]
Vietnam Receives US$8.06 Billion Pledge from International Donors
HANOI, Dec. 8 – International foreign donors have pledged more than US$8 billion worth of official development assistance to Vietnam to maintain the growth of its macro-economy and help reduce poverty. The pledge was made official during a Consultative Group meeting in Hanoi that was attended by representatives from the World Bank, the Asian Development […]
New Resolution to Dissolve Loss-Making State Firms
Nov. 30 – Vietnam’s National Assembly has approved a new resolution that would dissolve unprofitable state-owned firms and increase efficiency of the remaining ones during the last day of its month-long session. The committee reported that 45 percent of its 91 state-owned groups in the country met low returns on equity of less than 10 […]
Virtual Offices Concept Face Government Resistance
Nov. 27 – Government agencies have been slower to accept the virtual office concept leading to delayed processing times for tax and registration documents that use a virtual office address. Virtual offices are a popular option for small businesses because it provides all related business needs from a phone number to a business mailing address […]
Vietnam Devalues Currency, Raises Interest Rates
HANOI, Nov. 25 – The central bank has announced that it would devalue the Vietnamese currency and raise benchmark base interest from 7 percent to 8 percent beginning next month. This is the third time since since 2008 that the dong has been devalued. The central bank said that one-time devaluation will see the currency’s […]
