Delta outlook disappoints despite fuel price tailwind

A kilogram of husked local Vietnamese Musang King ranges from VND500,000-850,000 per kilogram, equivalent to VND1.5-1.8 million per kilogram (husk removed). The price has increased 10% over the a year ago. Malaysia’s Musang King is considered the "best durian in the world" and is currently grown by Vietnamese farmers in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta. The fruit regularly sells out at local markets, and buyers have to wait between two weeks and a month to receive their stocks. Oanh, a durian connoisseur in Ho Chi Minh City, said Musang King durian flesh is fragrant, supple and fat. "I have to pay deposits a month in advance to receive the goods." A fruit shop in Hanoi also reported that it had just sold 10 unhusked Musang Kings for VND700,000 per kg (2-4 kg per fruit). "Since it is a fallen fruit, and is shipped by air, the quality is high. No matter how many we have, customers buy them all," the store manager said. Explaining the high price of Vietnam-grown … [Read more...] about Vietnam-grown Musang King durian more expensive than imports

To obtain more space and money for today’s most common and popular gasoline RON95, Vietnam needs to sell its reserves of the cheaper RON92 fuel, which were supposed to have been auctioned off last year. But Vietnamese ministries were unable to agree on a set starting price for the fuel so the auction never happened. RON 92 is a low-power fuel that is now mainly used to make biofuel. But the Ministry of Industry and Trade has reported that selling such a large volume of the gasoline is difficult because few local wholesalers need biofuel at the moment. Vietnam has not had to release fuels from the national reserve for emergencies in five years, but the Ministry of Industry has announced that bulking up the nation’s scant reserves is a must. According to the National Reserve Law, petroleum is a strategic reserve commodity. But the reality on the ground is that Vietnam’s average total reserves over the last five years has been just over 370,000 cubic meters a year, equivalent … [Read more...] about Vietnam struggles to auction outdated gasoline

Hoai An from Hanoi planned to visit Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s biggest island in the south, with his family during the five-day holiday. However, she had to find another place closer to home like Sa Pa or Hoa Binh after realizing air tickets were too high. The cheapest price for round-trip flights between Hanoi and Phu Quoc was VND6.6 million ($280) per person. "The cost of transportation was over VND20 million for a family of three people," she said. "It was too expensive." This year, Vietnamese will enjoy a five-day break as the Hung Kings anniversary celebration falls on April 29, which is a Saturday, and people are entitled to take two extra days off the following week to compensate for that and Reunification Day on Sunday. Linh Nhi from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and her friends are also wondering whether to visit Da Nang or Thailand during the upcoming holiday. Currently, Vietjet Air's round-trip flight tickets between HCMC and Da Nang during the holiday cost about VND 4.5 … [Read more...] about Expensive air tickets discourage travel plans during Reunification Day holiday

Although Vietnam reopened its door to international tourists over a year ago, small and medium lodging facilities in Ho Chi Minh City are still struggling to recover due to the small number of international visitors. Their largest source market is China while the number of guests from the northern neighbor remains modest, forcing many hotels to use their facilities for other purposes or stop leasing spaces. Shutdown, falling room occupancy In District 1, many hotels which used to be crowded with foreign travelers are now empty or have been replaced by other businesses. On Ly Tu Trong Street, a spacious hotel is being repurposed. The hotel is in a prime site, near Ben Thanh Market, Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street, and Le Loi Boulevard, once favored by international tourists. Many 'House for Lease' signboards can also be seen along Bui Vien Walking Street and De Tham Street with many of them being hung in front of small, one- and two-star hotels. The director of a chain of … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City hotels waiting for int’l guests