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With Vietnamese regulators’ efforts to minimise the risks of corporate bonds’ mass issuance, the landscape is predicted to be cooled down compared to a frenzy of debt instruments in the previous period. Corporate bond rush heads for slowdown. According to fresh data from the Hanoi Stock Exchange, as of January 22, there were seven successful corporate bond private placements with a total value of $279 million and two public offerings of $70 million. The real estate sector accounted for $233.7 million, equivalent to 66.9 per cent of the total issued value. Previously, over $17.82 billion of corporate bonds were issued last year, which increased by 38.5 per cent from end-2019 and 83.5 per cent from end-2018. Albeit a decline in the last quarter of 2020’s issuance volume the real estate sector witnessed the largest corporate bond issuance volume in 2020 of over $6.09 billion, accounting for over 35 per cent of total issuance value at an average coupon rate of 10.52 per cent. The banking sector also made up for nearly 30 per cent, with an average coupon rate of 6.69 per cent, lower than 7.06 per cent in 2019. Some significant bond issuers included BIDV, VietinBank, HDBank, and TPBank. The rush of corporate bond issuance has sought attention from yield-hunt investors in the face of ultra-low interest rates. “Rising medium- and long-term capital demands to satisfy stricter regulations on credit safety limits and capital adequacy ratio in 2021 were putting much pressure on commercial banks to raise funds from bond issuance in late 2020,” explained Nguyen Tu Anh, director of the General Economic Department under the Central Party’s Economic Commission. “On the other hand, foreign investors have been closely engaged in the domestic debt market. In 2020, foreign investors were actively net buyers, expect only three months of slight net-selling, with a total net buying value of $179.7 million.” However, the lack of transparency and independent credit …

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Farming in Vietnam has become more digitized, which has eased the workload and increased sales of products to people who live in other localities. In recent years, produce was often thrown away by farmers in harvest seasons because it could not be sold. Farm-produce "rescue" campaigns were then started by local authorities, ministries and individuals. However, for many farmers, this is no longer a concern thanks to digitization. Le Thi Dung, a farmer in Yen Khanh district in Ninh Binh province, said she understands the problems that farmers have faced, because she had to donate some of her unsold produce to schools and pagodas many times. In 2000, Dung began buying fields and land to organize large-scale agriculture production. But when Dung started, a lot of the work had to be done manually, which brought low efficiency, while her products did not sell because of the weak brand. Realizing the importance of technology in agricultural production, Dung became one of the first farmers to use information technology in their farms. The system measures and gives information about the status of the soil and environment, and suggests the time for watering and lighting, depending on the development stage of crops. The data collected by sensors is transferred to the central processing unit. The system analyzes the data and gives commands on the spot. There is no need to wait for the host. This hastens the regulation of the systems of irrigation, air conditioners and other instruments. The system maintains normal operations even if there is no internet connection to the host. Dung uses control boards or apps on smartphones to supervise all production activities and make timely decisions anywhere and at any time. The entire process of fertilizing, watering and taking care of crops is recorded automatically. Asked about the efficiency of the new model, Dung said in the past she had to hire 20 workers or even 40 workers in peak times, but now 10 …

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South Korean violin artist JMI KO, singers Seok Hun, Han Sara, and a K-pop dance troupe will perform in Hoi An from April 9 to 11 during the Korean Culture Day event, an annual cultural exchange between South Korea and Quang Nam province. South Korean singer Han Sara will perform at the Korean Culture Day in the central province of Quang Nam. Photo courtesy of Korean Cultural Centre The event will be held at the An Hoi Sculpture Garden, featuring an array of cultural performances, cuisine, and traditional arts of Korea and Hoi An. "Vietnam and Korea are making our 'family relationship' better," said South Korean ambassador Park Noh-wan. "I'm glad to introduce Korean culture to people in Quang Nam. I hope this year's event will bring the people of the two countries closer over the barriers of culture and language." Visitors will have the chance to experience Korean culture and cuisine from 3pm-6pm on April 10 and 11 including handicrafts, games and a lucky draw. From 7pm to 9pm, music shows will entertain event goers with performances by Korean and Vietnamese artists. Violinist JMI Ko is popular in Vietnam with her music video Xin Chào Việt Nam (Hello Vietnam) featuring beautiful landscapes including Hoi An. She has been living and working in HCM City for ten years. Singer Han Sara participated in Giọng Hát Việt (The Voice of Vietnam)'s season 4. Her songs are popular among young listeners. The South Korean Embassy in Hanoi has cooperated with the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to host the National Taekwondo Clubs Championships - Korean Ambassador Cup 2021 from April 7 to 14. The tournament is co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam with the support of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation, the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and the People’s Committee of Hoi An with the participation of nearly 1,000 taekwondo athletes, coaches and staff. The UNESCO-recognised world heritage Hoi An and the …

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