For over a month now, relevant personnel at the Ministry of Transport is busy with the final preparations to soon hand over Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot Expressway to the people’s committees of Khanh Hoa and Dak Lak provinces. In light of Decision No.17/QD-TTg dated July 28, two out of three components under Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot Expressway will be assigned to two localities having the road passage for management. The 32km-long first component with an estimated investment value of $244.8 million will be assigned to Khanh Hoa's People’s Committee while the 48km-long third component valued at around $282 million will be assigned to Dak Lak's People’s Committee. The 37.5km second component with a value reaching $426.8 million will be managed by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) as the road section lies in both localities and features complex terrain. Building a comprehensive highway network is one of the government priorities With more than 117.8km of total length, … [Read more...] about Huge transport investment expected to vitalise central regions
6731 crater lake hwy central point or 97502
AMM-55: Partners back ASEAN’s central role
At these meetings, held within the framework of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-55), partners said they attached importance to their relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and support the grouping’s central role. ASEAN and its partners agreed that dialogue and cooperation for peace, stability, sustainable development and prosperity are the focus of their relationship. Accordingly, the parties agreed to step up cooperation towards comprehensive and sustainable post-pandemic recovery. ASEAN expected its Northeast Asian partners to cooperate more in public health, digital transformation, innovative technology, smart infrastructure, human resource quality, and green and sustainable development. The countries also showed their hope to strengthen cooperation in other areas like climate change response, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources. Regarding the international and … [Read more...] about AMM-55: Partners back ASEAN’s central role
Salt of the earth: Israeli artist’s Dead Sea sculptures
Israeli artist Sigalit Landau wades into the warm, briny waters of the Dead Sea to inspect her latest creations -- everyday objects coated in salt crystals that glisten in the bright morning sun. The lowest point on Earth is also Landau's studio where she submerges objects -- from a ballet dress to a lampshade's wire frame -- for weeks until they are magically transformed by ice-like layers of salt. "These waters are like a laboratory," said Landau, looking at a salt-encrusted coil of barbed wire, its sharp points now caked and rounded thanks to the mineral-rich water heated by the scorching desert sun. "What you're looking at," she said with wonder, "are the barbs, which are very threatening and sharp -- and how they've actually become quite coated and kind of sealed off, snowy, flaky-looking." Multidisciplinary Israeli artist Sigalit Landau is pictured next to one of her artworks, submerged in the salty Dead Sea water at the Ein Bokek resort, on August 2, 2022. … [Read more...] about Salt of the earth: Israeli artist’s Dead Sea sculptures
American readers reveal Vietnam’s 10 best city hotels
Topping this year's list is Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers on the iconic Dong Khoi Street, formerly known as Rue Catinat and made famous by Graham Greene’s novel "The Quiet American." The hotel features 485 rooms and suites that offer views of Dong Khoi, one of the city's busiest tourist streets lined with an array of shopping centers, restaurants and hotels. "It has an unbeatable location in the center of the city. We loved that we could walk everywhere to all the trendy bars, restaurants and tourist attractions," a reader commented. A night's stay costs from VND3.45 million ($148). Capella Hanoi, which opened in 2021 amid the Covid pandemic, came second on the list. Standing on Le Phung Hieu Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter, just a few steps from the Hanoi Opera House, the hotel has 47 rooms and suites, each individually styled with operatic artifacts and … [Read more...] about American readers reveal Vietnam’s 10 best city hotels
Stability of Vietnamese dong under pressure of global headwinds
Vo Tri Thanh *Vo Tri Thanh Global central banks are in a dash to raise interest rates to cool rampant inflation and their moves are challenging the State Bank of Viet Nam’s policymaking in a way to support the economic recovery while sustaining macroeconomic sustainability. Last week, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) raised interest rates by another 75 basic points (bps) – the second straight month and its third this year – in an effort to fight inflation which hit a 40-year high of 9.1 per cent in June. That takes the cumulative June-July increase to 150 bps – the steepest since the early 1980s. The European Central Bank on July 21 increased its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 per cent for the first time in 11 years and is signaling further hikes this year after consumer prices in the euro area are expected to rise to 8.9 per cent in July. Data from Reuters showed seven central banks of the Group of Ten delivered 350 basis points of rate hikes last month – nearly half of the … [Read more...] about Stability of Vietnamese dong under pressure of global headwinds
US Federal Bank caught off guard by global inflation
Mr. Jerome Powell, Chairman of FED Many readers are now wondering how and why the US Federal Reserve Bank (FED) miscalculated on forecasting the current global inflation. In a talk with Saigon Investment, Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Tho discussed this issue further. JOURNALIST: - Sir, you are one person who has studied very carefully the inflation in many countries in general and the United States in particular. Please can you give Saigon Investment readers a basic sketch as to how this situation is prevailing and to its effect on other economies. Dr. Tran Ngoc Tho: - There are many factors explaining the current rising global inflation such as broken global supply chains, warming of the jobs market, loose monetary and fiscal stimulus packages, and the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is not just the FED but almost all investors and financial institutions, not only in the US but also in most economies are wrong in believing that high inflation is a thing of the past. However, if … [Read more...] about US Federal Bank caught off guard by global inflation
Post-pandemic retail market recovers strongly
Olivier Langlet, CEO of Central Retail Vietnam, said Vietnam is one of the group’s major markets, with annual sales growing rapidly to nearly THB38.6 billion or more than VND25 trillion within 10 years, accounting for 22 percent of Central Retail’s total revenue. In 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the group’s retail sales in Vietnam grew 0.2 percent, marking a new record. Central Retail currently has more than 300 shops and 39 shopping centers, with total retail space of more than one million square meters. Another foreign retailer, AEON, also plans to build additional hypermarkets in Hanoi, targeting 20 shopping centers in Vietnam by 2025. These and other expansion plans reflect an impressive post-pandemic economic recovery. Domestic retailers are also thriving. The Masan Group, for example, has successfully overcome COVID-19-induced difficulties to maintain operations. In 2021, revenue of The CrownX - the owner of WinCommerce (with WinMart supermarkets and … [Read more...] about Post-pandemic retail market recovers strongly
American movies inspire Vietnamese family to take memorable van life road trips
Lam Son, a Hanoian, first learned about the nomadic lifestyle after watching American movies depicting mobile homes parked in the middle of vast valleys. This was the source of inspiration for the Vietnamese YouTuber to set out on his first road trip in a mobile home with his family a couple of years ago. Son converted his old Mercedes Sprinter into a mobile home fully equipped with essential items for long-haul road trips. “This was originally a van. When traveling, my family members sit in the driver’s cabin full of safety equipment. We only use the renovated part on the back of the vehicle at rest stops or campgrounds,” the 35-year-old said. Since he renovated his first mobile home, the Son family has traveled to many parts of Vietnam on the vehicle, bringing exhilarating experiences to their two children. He expects the road trips will make their childhood more colorful and help them unplug from screens to fully experience van life. Lam Son's children view … [Read more...] about American movies inspire Vietnamese family to take memorable van life road trips
Demand for cotton forces adjustments
Thanh Cong Textile Garment Investment Trading JSC exported over one-third of its products to the United States in 2021. However, the company started to face challenges following the US’ blanket ban on all Xinjiang cotton. Last year, President Joe Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Vietnam’s cotton imports reach up to one million tonnes each year, Photo: Shutterstock Tran Nhu Tung, chairman of the company, said that the company has adopted regulations this year related to this act. Accordingly, buyers have to be responsible for export orders to the US which source Chinese cotton materials. Thanh Cong secures many large orders from the US. In 2022, the company sets a target to generate $179 million in revenues and $10.87 million in profit, up 120 per cent and 188 per cent respectively against last year. Tung noted that yarn exports are the main driving force for Thanh Cong. “There is a rapidly growing demand for yarn imports in the global … [Read more...] about Demand for cotton forces adjustments
VND remains most stable currency in region: Report
With the internal strength of the currency and the central bank's flexible management, the VND is expected to depreciate by a maximum of 3% in 2022. The Vietnamese Dong (VND) has devalued by 2.21% against the US dollar compared to late 2021, but remained the most stable currency in the region, according to the Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC). VND is among the most stable currencies in Asia. File photo. In the international market, the US dollar index (DXY), which measures the value of the US dollar against other currencies, rose by 0.76% in July and 10.7% since early 2022. According to the BVSC, all currencies from emerging economies in Asia have depreciated against the USD, with Thailand’s Bath suffering the largest decline by 9.42% compared to the beginning of the year. It was followed by South Korea’s Won whose value fell by 8.49%, t he Philippine Peso (-7.54%), the Malaysian Ringgit (-6.4%), and the Indian Rupee (-6.22%), or the Chinese … [Read more...] about VND remains most stable currency in region: Report