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Over the past 35 years of development, the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, better known as Agribank, always proves its position and role as a leading commercial bank in Vietnam. It has pioneered monetary policies, contributing to stabilizing the macro-economy, curbing inflation and supporting the country’s economic growth. The bank has cemented its key role in developing the agriculture sector and rural areas and offering credit and services to serve the country’s socio-economic development. Agribank was proud to receive the Vietnam National Brand award for the third consecutive year in 2022 and was among the top 10 Vietnamese strong banking and financial brands the same year. The lender has obtained impressive achievements in digital and green transformation and made substantial contributions to community development. Despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Agribank, with its initiative and flexibility, has employed multiple … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Agribank wins many local prestigious prizes

The energy transition in Vietnam is tied to the rapid growth of the economy, urbanisation, and industrialisation. We have seen the strong aspiration of the government to speed up the energy transition while meeting the requirements of economic development and the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. Energy transition is more seen as a potential engine for employment, and this trend will likely grow, helping to build support for renewables. John Rockhold, head of the Power and Energy Working Group under the Vietnam Business Forum Fossil energy sources are gradually being replaced by green and clean energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change, while Vietnam is one of the first countries to renew its nationally determined contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2020. The roadmap for the country’s transition process towards green and sustainable development will not only need to ensure … [Read more...] about Displaying readiness for the energy transition in Vietnam

The Nordic Embassies in Vietnam (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), have co-operated with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to share their experiences on green solutions for circular economy and waste management and policy implications for Vietnam at a seminar held on March 23 in Hanoi. The Nordic Embassies in Vietnam share their experiences on green solutions for circular economy and waste management and policy implications for Vietnam at a seminar held on March 23 in Hanoi. The event, which was held in honor of Nordic Day 2023, aims to provide insight into Nordic policies, initiatives, and innovation in green transition, which can be relevant and applicable to Vietnam in eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products, and regenerating nature. Organised for the fifth time, the event is attended by policymakers from central and local government agencies; representatives from chambers of commerce; business leaders, startups, innovators; … [Read more...] about Nordic countries share solutions for circular economy and waste management

At a meeting with the largest U.S. business delegation to ever come to Vietnam, which included the representatives of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, Hue said that the recently proposed special consumption tax has been under consideration for a long time to curve consumer shopping habits and to protect their health. The process of applying this tax, however, will be considered thoroughly, taking into account the situation of businesses post-pandemic, he said, adding that there will be no sudden application of the tax. The Ministry of Finance has recently proposed a special consumption tax on sweetened beverages as well as the same tax on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. The Ministry last made this proposal in 2014 calling for a tax 10% tax on sweetened beverages, but the proposal was not approved by many government agencies. Most businesses have said that the tax should be delayed until 2025 as they need time to recover from the Covid pandemic. They also said that sweetened … [Read more...] about Tax on sugary drinks proposed for the benefit of people’s health: NA chairman

Land law adjustments aim to protect entities as well as the real estate market, photo Le Toan In a seminar to collect opinions from enterprises and experts regarding amendments to the Law on Land held last week in Ho Chi Minh City, Seck Yee Chung, a representative of the Vietnam Business Forum’s Trade and Investment Working Group, said that Article 35.d of the draft law provided that domestic companies only have the right to mortgages with their land and properties attached to the land at credit institutions licensed to operate in Vietnam. “This means that companies in Vietnam cannot mortgage their factory or land through foreign lenders, which creates great challenges for them to access competitive financing resources outside the country,” Chung said at the seminar, which was organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE). “Foreign lenders will look for security assets of Vietnamese companies to secure their … [Read more...] about Land law points further scrutinised

At a Thursday meeting on the impacts of sweetened drinks on health, Tran Thi Trang, deputy head of the legislation department under the Ministry of Health, said the ministry is proposing to apply excise tax based on the amount of sugar contained within 100 ml of the drinks. The proposal was made as the Ministry of Finance was building a draft law on excise tax for sweetened drinks. Trang said there should be sugar thresholds to determine the amount of taxes to be applied, with a higher level of sugar resulting in more taxes. Drinks with a sugar level below a certain threshold would not need to be imposed such a tax, she suggested. However, the health ministry has yet to provide exact sugar level thresholds for this policy. The ministry said certain food products with low levels of sugar, such as milk and dairy products, would not be applied excise tax. In accordance with WHO definitions, sweetened drinks are those that contain added sugar, such as sweetened soda water, … [Read more...] about Health ministry proposes excise tax on sweetened drinks