Illustrative photo:SGGP/ Viet Chung The Office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade this morning informed that gasoline, an essential goods, directly affecting the production activities of enterprises as well as people’s livelihoods. The gasoline price hugely affects the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which impacts the whole country’s macroeconomy. From the beginning of the year up to now, the local and international gasoline markets have been uncertain affecting the fuel supply and prices in the local market. Currently, the whole country has 38 wholesalers of gasoline, 329 gasoline distributors and nearly 17,000 retail gas stations. In order to strengthen state management in the field of gasoline business , prevent violations in petroleum business activities, and support the authorities in regulating the supply and demand of gasoline, it is necessary to apply information technology in updating data for petroleum trading enterprises across the country related to gasoline … [Read more...] about Vietnam puts gasoline database system into operation to avoid violations
Fast moving consumers goods
Lao government asks agencies to foster exports
People join traffic in Vientiane. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Lao government has instructed ministries to streamline procedures to facilitate trade and speed up freight transport and the export of goods , reported Xinhua news agency. The move aims to facilitate trade and accelerate freight transport and the export of goods such as farm products, timber and non-timber forest products, and minerals. The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was assigned to work with relevant bodies to streamline procedures and the certification process, so that domestic transport and the export of products managed by the ministry would take place at a much faster pace, according to Lao economic daily. The Lao government advised the relevant bodies to devise clear and streamlined regulations to shorten all the related processes and cut spending, thus speeding up the movement of freight. In addition, authorities were told to formulate legislation to regulate products … [Read more...] about Lao government asks agencies to foster exports
Opportunities for e-commerce in Vietnam to boom
Illustrative image. (Photo: SGGP) According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dung, Chairman of Vietnam E-commerce Association (Vecom), in 2021, despite being heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam's e-commerce still maintained a good growth momentum with an increase of about 20 percent and a scale of $16 billion. Keeping the growth momentum, Vietnam is now one of the countries with the largest e-commerce market size in the region, besides Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Vietnam's internet economy in 2021 grew by 31 percent compared to 2020 and reached a scale of $21 billion. Of which, the online retail sector enlarged by 53 percent and touched a scale of $13 billion. There are two waves that have contributed to the steady development of e-commerce in Vietnam in 2020 and 2021 and will be the driving force for the next period. The first wave took place during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and the second one from June to September 2021, during the fourth … [Read more...] about Opportunities for e-commerce in Vietnam to boom
All to play for in e-commerce rise
The pandemic has pushed forward the trends of e-commerce in Vietnam 2-3 years earlier than forecast with the sector growing in size four times over last year, according to a 2021 Lazada report. “Some of the e-commerce trends we expected would happen in 2025, such as in edutech and fintech, have already happened in 2022,” noted Nguyen Huy Hoang, chief business officer at OnPoint E-commerce. “Hence, all e-commerce platform companies are investing hugely in Vietnam.” However, as shopping centres and small brick-and-mortar stores are now reopened, many investors are concerned that the boom in e-commerce was just a short-term fad and the majority of consumers could quickly shift back to offline shopping. On May 12 at the Vietnam Online Business Forum, the general consensus amongst experts was that e-commerce will continue to boost the economy after the pandemic. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2022, the industry saw more than 8 million new online consumers. A survey … [Read more...] about All to play for in e-commerce rise
Vietnamese tech retailers manage to survive Covid-19 pandemic
Many retailers in phone and electronics segments focus on developing online channels to survive during the coronavirus pandemic period. To survive adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic, many Vietnamese tech retailers have quickly boosted their sales on online platforms as their physical stores nationwide have to close until April 15 to comply with the prime ministerial directive stipulating measures to combat the pandemic. Photo: MWG Significant demand on tech products Mobile World Investment JSC (MWG), the largest tech retailer in Vietnam, saw a surge in demand in online shopping since the beginning of April as more than 10% of its 2,000 phone and electronics stores, mainly in Hanoi, have to close. Dang Thanh Phong, PR manager of MWG, told Hanoitimes that its revenue from online sales accounted for 13% of the total phone and electronics revenue in March, higher than that of the previous months. Due to the closure of its stores, sales in … [Read more...] about Vietnamese tech retailers manage to survive Covid-19 pandemic
Vietnam expecting to spend even more on imports
Vietnam expecting to spend even more on imports - illustration photo Southeast Asia is facing rising inflation, a problem that is exacerbated by the failure of energy and food prices to fall. Last month, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) tightened monetary policy for the third time since October to deal with inflation that is expected to heat up. According to analysts, the MAS has redefined the midpoint of the popular exchange rate policy band and slightly increased the slope of currency appreciation to help the Singapore dollar strengthen against the currencies of other countries. However, the MAS did not change the width of its policy band – a move the institution usually would take when markets are volatile. As a result, the Singapore dollar rose about 0.5 per cent to $1.35 after the MAS’ move. The agency considered the possibility that core inflation would pick up sharply in the coming months, before being revised later this year, due to the sharp increase in … [Read more...] about Vietnam expecting to spend even more on imports
Global firms warn of sluggish China demand due to lengthy Covid curbs
Car sales in the world's largest auto market have slowed dramatically, gamers are buying fewer consoles, and people are unwilling to replace their existing smartphones, laptops and TVs, as prolonged Covid curbs crimp spending power and put more people out of jobs. "The current China lockdowns ... has implications to both supply and demand," said Colette Kress, chief financial officer at U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, which forecast on Thursday a $400 million hit to gaming sales from China's stringent coronavirus restrictions. "You have very large cities that are in full lockdown, focusing really on other important things for the citizens there. So it's impacting our demand. At least 14 analysts have cut their price targets on Nvidia following its latest earnings report, with the median price target now standing at $300, according to Refinitiv data. In line with China's zero-Covid approach, Beijing, with its 22 million population, has clamped down on workplace attendance. Shanghai, the … [Read more...] about Global firms warn of sluggish China demand due to lengthy Covid curbs
Global effects mar control of inflation
Global food prices are expected to keep on rising this year due to the Ukraine conflict and other factors, Photo: Thanh Tung China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on May 11 that the consumer price index (CPI), the main measure of inflation and retail sales, increased by 2.1 per cent on-year in 2021 due to the impact of the recession and skyrocketing energy costs and food prices. Data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on April 13 recorded a decrease in China’s imports for the first time since August 2020. In March, China’s imports fell 0.1 per cent on-year. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Sy Cuong from the Academy of Finance warned last week, “Along with the conflict in Ukraine, China’s economic difficulties could exacerbate inflationary pressures in Vietnam.” China’s slowing growth is clearly felt by many manufacturing and export industries of Vietnam. Pham Van Viet, president of garment firm VitaJean Co., Ltd., said, “Restrictions on raw materials … [Read more...] about Global effects mar control of inflation
Huge haul in new markets for Vietnam’s tra fish exports
Tra fish exports are projected to surge a whopping 97 percent year-on-year in the first five months of 2022, reaching 1.1 billion USD. Besides exporting to traditional markets such as the U.S. and Europe, seafood exporters have expanded markets to take advantage of the new demand. Specifically, Vietnam has trolled new fish markets in Mexico, Egypt and Thailand. VASEP expert Ta Ha said that the Mexico market has the largest export value in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade bloc. Tra fish sales to Mexico topped 50 million USD in the first five months of this year, an increase of 70 percent against last year’s figure. Shipments to Thailand hit nearly 50 million USD during the period, a year-on-year spike of 80 percent. Vietnam exported over 15 million USD worth of tra fish to Egypt, up 85 percent year-on-year. These are positive signs that tra fish is a favored seafood product in these fresh new markets. VASEP reports that … [Read more...] about Huge haul in new markets for Vietnam’s tra fish exports
Vietnam riding the wave of inflationary unpredictability
Petrol retail prices in the country have been adjusted many times over the past few months, Photo: Le Toan In Vietnam, gasoline prices continue to increase, and after the adjustment on May 11 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Finance, each litre of E5 RON92 petrol increased by 6.5 US cents to $1.26 per litre while RON95 climbed by 6.7 US cents to $1.30 per litre. On May 17, the price of US WTI crude oil remained at a high level of over $114 per barrel while Brent oil maintained its upward momentum at $114.28 per barrel. Before the next adjustment, which was due on May 21, petrol prices in Vietnam were forecast to continue to increase to higher levels. The ministries first adjusted gasoline prices on January 11 due to a decrease in global supply, production output by Kazakhstan and Libya, and oil inventories of the United States. According to Decree No.95/2021/ND-CP, effective from January, there will be three adjustments each month to the … [Read more...] about Vietnam riding the wave of inflationary unpredictability