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Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, right, and his then-Lao counterpart Phankham Viphavanh preside over a groundbreaking ceremony for the fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Bung Kan province in October, 2022 (Photo: bangkokpost) Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai government on January 28 announced that the fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is set to open early next year which should help boost border exchanges not only between localities between Thailand and Laos but also trade in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), as it will speed up imports between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam , and China (Yunnan). The bridge, which connects the Thai northeast province of Bueng Kan and Laos' Bolikhamsay province, costs 3.6 billion THB (nearly 110 million USD), of which 2.5 billion THB comes from Thailand and the rest from Laos. According to deputy government spokeswoman Tipanan Sirichana, the construction is 60% complete and proceeding faster than planned. The project is … [Read more...] about Fifth Thai-Lao bridge to open next year

The ongoing strong cold spell is sweeping across northern Vietnam and is expected to last for a couple of days before drizzling rain hits the region, according to national weather forecasters. Illustrative photo Northerners still feel the chill before drizzling rain hits, starting on February 1. The northern region has endured a number of subsequent cold air waves for the past few days, causing temperatures to drop sharply. The latest strong spell hit northern localities on January 27, plunging the temperature to a low of 7 degrees Celsius in the highlands and 10 in the lowlands. Despite the sunrise, northerners still feel the chill, even in Hanoi where the temperature falls to as low as 10 degrees Celsius in the morning. The cold, dry weather is forecast to last till the end of January before daytime temperatures will rise sharply accompanied by drizzling rain and high humidity. Elsewhere the ongoing cold spell has also impacted the Central … [Read more...] about Cold wave grips northern Vietnam before drizzling rain falls

The digital transformation has made the cybersecurity market in Vietnam more attractive, leading to the establishment of more cybersecurity companies in the country. Opswat, a provider of critical infrastructure protection cybersecurity solutions, recently opened a critical infrastructure protection lab in Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first center of the U.S. company in Asia, proving its increased focus on growing its presence in Asia, including Vietnam. Many start-ups in the cybersecurity sector have been also founded in Vietnam, including Smart Cyber Security, which offers digital transformation services in cybersecurity. Vietnam National Cyber Security Technology Corporation (NCS) has supported large financial groups and organizations, banks as well as key units in Vietnam in cybersecurity. In September last year, NCS was the first unit to detect zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server. Vietnam has emerged as one of the leading countries in Southeast Asia … [Read more...] about Cybersecurity firms on the rise in Vietnam

A 47-seater bus carrying workers overturned on the Con Pass in Vietnam’s northern Phu Tho Province on Sunday, leaving many injured and hospitalized, local authorities reported. The accident happened when the bus was going down the pass in the province’s Tan Son District at 2:00 pm on Sunday, with 46 people on board. Many workers were trapped inside the vehicle when it turned on its side and local residents and rescuers had to break the windows to get them out. The district police were called to examine the scene of the accident and coordinate with the local health center to deploy rescue operations. “There are about three to five people with serious injuries, and four or five people with minor injuries," VTC News cited local authorities as saying. "All of them have been taken to the Tan Son District Medical Center for treatment.” The district police are investigating the cause of the incident. In his report to police, Nguyen Van Nhat, the bus driver, blamed the … [Read more...] about Bus overturns on northern Vietnam pass, injuring many workers

The article cited the speech by Vietnamese Minister of Plan and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at a start-up investment forum in December 2022 as saying that in recent years, more and more FDI flows have come to Vietnam’s start-ups. In the first nine months of 2022, Vietnam's innovative start-ups attracted about 500 million USD. Over the past two years, startups have attracted nearly 2 billion USD in foreign investment, which proved that “Vietnamese start-ups are increasingly attractive to international and regional investors.” In 2021, Vietnamese start-ups raised 1.4 billion USD in investment capital, 56% higher than the level of 894 million USD in 2019. The Vietnam National Innovation Center estimates that the capital attraction capacity of Vietnamese start-ups will maintain an upward trend in 2023. Thirty-nine investment funds have committed an investment of 1.5 billion USD to Vietnam in the period 2023-2025, bringing the total investment for Vietnamese start-ups to 5 billion … [Read more...] about Vietnam joins “golden triangle of start-ups” in Southeast Asia: Hong Kong newspaper

The office reported that in the month, total import-export turnover reached 46.56 billion USD, down 17.3% over the previous month and 25% year-on-year, with exports dropping 21.3% to 25.08 billion USD, and imports falling 28.9% to 21.48 billion USD. While the domestic sector saw a trade deficit of 1.04 billion USD, the foreign-invested sector (including crude oil) posted a surplus of 4.64 billion USD. Experts attributed the result to the long New Year and lunar New Year (Tet) holidays, which were all in January, reducing the number of working days. Last year, the Tet holiday fell in February. The GSO reported that the manufacturing-processing sector earned the highest export revenue with 22.32 billion USD, accounting for 89% of the country’s total. Meanwhile, there were three goods groups with imports of over 1 billion USD. In January, the U.S. remained the biggest importer of Vietnamese goods with a revenue of about 7.6 billion USD, while China was the biggest exporter to … [Read more...] about Vietnam posts trade surplus of 3.6 billion USD in January

Under the first, the national GDP will grow 6.47%, inflation 4.08%, and export 7.21%, and export-import revenue is projected at USD 5.64 billion, heard a workshop in Hanoi on January 12. The figures are set at 6.83%, 3.69%, 8.43% and USD 8.15 billion under the second. CIEM Director Tran Thi Hong Minh said Vietnam stayed updated on assessments and recommendations last year in order to maintain macro-economic stability, rein in inflation, and facilitate reform and socio-economic recovery and development. Such efforts paid off as the national GDP grew 8.02% in 2022, the highest in the 2011-2022 period, outpacing the target of 6.5% set by the National Assembly, and inflation was curbed at 3.15%, below the 4% projected earlier, she noted. Nguyen Anh Duong, head of the CIEM's General Research Department, presented a report on Vietnam’s economy in 2022 and prospects in 2023, which said there would be more impacts on the economy this year, such as tight monetary policies adopted by … [Read more...] about CIEM sketches out Vietnam’s 2023 economic scenarios

Deputy Director of the FIA Do Van Su said disbursement of foreign investment this year is expected to hit USD 22-23 billion. Su acknowledged that the opening of China’s economy might affect Vietnam's foreign investment attraction, adding that China remained the leading investment destination in the region, so when they opened up, capital will flow into this market while that to Vietnam and other economies in the region will be limited. On the contrary, the investment capital movement of the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, and Taiwan (China) will be accelerated. This shift will be accelerated until 2025, and Vietnam will be a preferred investment destination for investors, he added. Currently, the RoK, Japan and Taiwan (China) are Vietnam’s major sources of foreign investment and they have constantly increased their investments in Southeast Asian countries. According to FIA, essential factors for FDI to continue to prosper in 2023 include economic growth results in 2022 and … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s FDI projected to reap up to USD 38 bln in 2023

There were 153 newly-registered projects totalling $1.2 billion, up 48.5 per cent in quantity and 3.1 times in value against last year's January. About $651.9 million of FDI capital was poured into the fields of wholesale, retail, and repair of automobiles and motorised vehicles, accounting for 54.1 per cent of the total registered sum. Meanwhile, the processing and manufacturing industry attracted $351.2 million, making up 29.1 per cent of the total registered capital. According to the GSO, 28 foreign countries and territories invested in Vietnam in January. Singapore took the lead with $767.6 million, accounting for 63.7 per cent of the total newly registered capital. China came in second with $198.2 million, making up for 16.4 per cent of the total sum. Meanwhile, Vietnamese investors have received investment certificates for three project overseas with the total capital of $126.7 million, up by 3.4 times against the same month in 2022. In 2022, Vietnam lured over $22.4 … [Read more...] about FDI inflows to Vietnam reach almost $1.7 billion in January

The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) convenes its extraordinary congress on January 28-29. (Photo: AKP/VNA) Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) convened its extraordinary congress on January 28-29, during which it issued many important decisions and policies regarding the leadership work, as well as orientations for national development in the time ahead. In his opening remarks, CPP Honorary President Samdech Heng Samrin , who is also President of the National Assembly, said 2023 marks an end to the 2018-2023 mandate of the legislature and the government, and it will also be the beginning of a new five-year tenure. There will be a lot of work to do in the future, he said, stressing the need to join hands and make all-out efforts to win the 7th-term parliamentary election slated for July 23, 2023. The congress set out major strategic goals for the next five years which are based on wishes of the people and reflect the real situation, both … [Read more...] about Cambodian People’s Party sets out strategic goals for 2023-28