Fact finding trip

Three major cities of Vietnam are distinguished with the annual prestigious awards of Travel & Leisure. The United States-based magazine Travel & Leisure has recently unveiled its 2022 Asia’s Best Awards with suggestions about the best travel destinations around the world. Accordingly, Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City are among the Top Ten “Best Cities in Southeast Asia” Hanoi- the thousand-year-old charming city President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. Photo: Cao Anh Tuan Ranked fifth on the list of Travel & Leisure , the charming capital city of Vietnam- Hanoi is a must-see travel destination for foreign travelers to the country. The fact is that the city is very peaceful and very welcoming to foreigners. It has a low crime rate, great tropical weather, and is easy to balance work life and fun, according to Bill Noland, an Aussie digital nomad in Hanoi. “It takes me around VND10 million or $428 for a convenient accommodation … [Read more...] about Hanoi among Top 10 cities in Southeast Asia

The Business Climate Index is the leading indicator of the European business and investment community in Vietnam. European businesses in Vietnam expressed their positiveness about Vietnam’s prospects for green growth, according to the latest Business Climate Index (BCI) released by the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and YouGov Vietnam. CEOs of European businesses gather an event in Ho Chi Minh City last April. Photo: EuroCham According to the BCI, nearly 80% of participants said their assessment of Vietnam’s green development potential improved from the first quarter of this year. About 44% of the respondents have good and excellent outlook regarding the potential for Vietnam’s green and sustainable development. Regarding the link between green growth and foreign-direct investment (FDI), nearly 90% of the respondents believed Vietnam should accelerate green sector development to attract more foreign investment. EuroCham Chairman Alain … [Read more...] about European businesses positive about Vietnam’s prospects for green growth

Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai (R) and Frankfurt Mayor Peter Feldmann at the meeting. (Photo: VNA) Mai said HCMC views Frankfurt as one of the key foreign localities in its external relations. He noted as there remains much potential for bilateral cooperation, the two sides should step up partnerships in trade, investment, information technology, science, environmental protection, and tourism. Meanwhile, Feldmann expressed his hope that in the time ahead, the two cities will further intensify exiting relations and expand cooperation to the areas matching HCMC’s interest and Frankfurt’s strength such as information technology, education, and environmental protection. During their working trip, the Frankfurt delegation will attend the opening ceremony of the city’s representative office in HCMC and an international automotive industry exhibition. They will also visit some German enterprises operating in the southern economic hub of Vietnam. VNA … [Read more...] about HCMC hopes for stronger ties with Germany’s Frankfurt city

Thanh Cong Textile Garment - Investment – Trading JSC in Tan Phu District is in need of more than 1,000 workers. The employees are to make up for those that have already submitted their resignation and to serve the company’s plan to expand 20 of its branches in various cities and provinces. Yet the company has had trouble recruiting new employees unwilling to work on assembly lines and deal with the pressure of meeting product quality and quantity. Nguyen Huu Tuan, the firm’s human resource manager, said the textile-garment sector is no longer attractive to laborers. He said "a significant number" of staff at the company has either quit or is about to, without revealing the specific figure. In most cases, those employees switch to work in other industries that can guarantee them higher salaries or move back to their hometown now that the living cost in the city has grown increasingly expensive. "With a monthly income of VND8-9 million ($340-385), workers would not be able … [Read more...] about HCMC short of textiles, footwear labor

A woman has drowned while her 13-year-old child remains missing after being caught in a rip current at Thien Cam beach in the central province of Ha Tinh on Monday morning. Rescue forces look for the missing visitors at Thien Cam Beach on July 4 According to a report by local authorities, a group of four visitors from Hanoi arrived at Thien Cam Beach to swim at 7.30 am on July 4. While swimming in an area some 40 metres from the shore, they were swept away in a rip current. Hearing their calls for help, some people rushed in and managed to save two. "The woman aged 50 and her 13-year-old child were swept far away," the management board of Thien Cam Tourist Site said on Monday afternoon. "We recovered the body of the woman at 10 am while still trying to find the teenager." … [Read more...] about Mother drowns, child remains missing at Ha Tinh beach

Optimistic exports In 2021, despite COVID-19, Vietnam's goods exports to CPTPP markets recorded encouraging achievements. Japan became the largest CPTPP importer of Vietnamese goods, accounting for more than 52 percent of Vietnam’s export value to the bloc. Meanwhile, exports to Chile and Peru increased 85 and 128 percent over the previous year. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the CPTPP bloc has contributed 15 percent to the global gross domestic product (GDP) and trade. The zeroing of import duties by large markets, such as Japan and Canada, will help Vietnam increase its export value. Vietnam’s major exports, including farm produce and seafood, electricity and electronics, became tax-freed ones as soon as the CPTPP came into effect. The Ministry of Planning and Investment has predicted Vietnam's exports would likely increase 4.04 percent by 2035. Having FTA relations with CPTPP countries will offer Vietnam opportunities to restructure its import and export … [Read more...] about Pacific Rim trade deal boosts Vietnam’s economy

A Samsung manufacturing plant in Bac Ninh Province. — Photo baophapluat.vn The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) two-pillar solution has introduced a global minimum corporate tax rate (GMCT) of 15 per cent applicable from 2023, but experts have mixed positions on the tax. Nguyen Mai, chairman of the Association of Foreign Investment Enterprises, said that the GMCT would boost Viet Nam’s tax revenues and contain tax avoidance, tax evasion and price transferring in the country. This is because tax rates lower than GMCT have incentivised illegal tax practices without significantly affecting investment attractiveness. In fact, 56 per cent of foreign-invested firms in Viet Nam declared unprofitability in 2020, with a total loss of VND151 trillion (US$6.5 billion), substantially reducing the country’s tax collection. Accordingly, he urged the Government to modify tax regulations in line with the GMCT and re-negotiate with FDI investors on investment terms … [Read more...] about Mixed views on global minimum corporate tax rate