Greenhouse gas

After a year of not raising tuition fees due to the impacts of Covid-19, the Hanoi people's council passed a resolution on May 20 to hike public preschool and high school tuition fees for the 2022-23 academic year. The fees would double at first and subsequently increase by 20-40 percent every year. Sen, 43, lives in Hanoi’s Ha Dong District with her husband and two daughters, the other in 10th grade. She cleans houses for hourly wages while her husband is a laborer. They pay the highest tuition rate since their household registration is in Region 1, which comprises the capital’s inner districts. In addition, she may be required to pay VND300,000 ($12.93) per child per month for the following academic year, which is 1.4-2 times the current fee. Tuition fees for middle and high schools in Region 1 will gradually rise over the next three years to VND410,000, VND530,000, and VND650,000, respectively. Meanwhile, Sen and her husband's incomes fluctuate every month: Sometimes … [Read more...] about Hanoi parents brace for tuition hikes

G7 nations vow to stop fossil-fuel financing abroad by end 2022, illustration photo source: freepik.com "We commit to end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022," G7 energy and climate ministers said in a joint statement following talks in Berlin. The term "unabated" refers to projects that do not employ techniques to offset some of the pollution caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Ending subsidies for the international fossil fuel energy sector was already part of a series of commitments agreed to by around 20 countries at last year's COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Six of the G7 club of rich nations were among the signatories at the time -- Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and the United States -- but Japan had resisted until now. "It is good that Japan, the world's largest financier of fossil fuels, has now joined the other G7 countries in making a shared commitment to end overseas fossil fuel … [Read more...] about G7 nations vow to stop fossil-fuel financing abroad by end 2022

People in Laos line up to buy petrol (Photo: AFP) Vientiane (VNA) – The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Lao Fuel and Gas Association are urging people to be frugal in their use of fuel and not to travel unnecessarily. The call is to ensure that enough reserves of petrol are available for use for farming and other essential activities. Some farmers have complained that they are unable to cultivate their crops because of the petrol shortage and called on the relevant parties to take speedy action to tackle the crisis. Khammuan is one of the many provinces suffering from a lack of fuel, and pumps at some petrol stations have run dry, meaning that many motorists are unable to use their vehicles. The National Assembly of Laos has passed a resolution to reduce the excise tax on fuel s in order to attempt to avert a fuel crisis in the country, reports Laotian Times. Excise tax on diesel fuels will be reduced from 21 percent to 11 percent, while … [Read more...] about Lao government urges against unnecessary travel to save fuel

A PNJ store in HCM City. The company's shares soared by 7 per cent yesterday. — Photo courtesy of PNJ HÀ NỘI — Shares advanced for a fourth day this week on the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange, driven by the strong growth of blue chips. On the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange, the VN-Index gained 1.33 per cent to close Friday at 1,285.45 points. The southern bourse’s index has expanded 5.4 per cent this week. Information relating to the restructuring of the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) boosted trading in large caps. Twenty-nine out of the top 30 largest shares by market value and liquidity (VN30) gained value while only Sacombank (STB) fell 0.7 per cent. On Friday, the stocks in which the foreign ownership nearly touch the ceiling limit attracted investment. Phú Nhuận Jewelry JSC (PNJ) and Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corp (REE) hit the ceiling growth of 7 per cent to VNĐ122,300 (US$5.32) for a PNJ share and VNĐ89,600 for a REE share. Among blue chips, … [Read more...] about VN-Index rallies for a forth day on strong growth of blue chips

The Economic Committee of the National Assembly (NA) has recently proposed developing nuclear power over the next decades to ensure national energy security and meet the ‘net zero’ goal Vietnam set at the 26th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP26). Vietnam is likely to develop nuclear power in the coming decades to ensure national energy security and meet COP26 commitments. (Illustrative photo by AFP). Nuclear power proposal Vietnam put the Ninh Thuan 1 & 2 nuclear power plant projects on hold under a NA resolution in 2016 for safety reasons and in order to mobilise resources for other key projects. In a report overseeing the implementation of the resolution, the Economic Committee of the National Assembly suggested that Vietnam consider developing nuclear power over the coming decades, and the Ninh Thuan projects should be reactivated at an appropriate time. It reasoned that nuclear power is a low-carbon source of electricity that will make an … [Read more...] about Vietnam likely to consider nuclear power development

An LNG power plant in the southern province of Ca Mau. — Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Too many variables and over-reliance on imports have been hindering Viet Nam's plan to build power plants running on liquefied natural gas (LNG), industry experts have said. A key issue for investors was a lack of guarantee for future output once the plants become operational, or at least a penalty clause in the event Electricity Vietnam (EVN) - the country's largest power distributor - failed to purchase the said output. EVN, however, said such a policy was not possible under the country's current regulations, which has resulted in a number of projects being unable to proceed. A source from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it would likely take a long time to overcome such legal hurdles and conclude negotiations with investors, especially foreign ones. Another issue was the difficulty in calculating energy prices based on LNG. As global demand rises and … [Read more...] about High costs and legal impasses hinder LNG energy development

Increased fuel prices are wreaking havoc across the transportation industry in Vietnam as costs of once wallet-friendly alternatives, such as e-bikes, ride-hailing services, and budget airlines all steadily rise as a result. To combat the problem, the government is considering proposals to cut taxes on gasoline and oil, according to the National Assembly (NA). Ripple effect Nguyen Tri, sales manager for electric bike brand PG, explained that the increased price of e-bikes and e-scooters is due to the rising costs associated with transporting the bikes to sales outlets and distributors. According to Tri, PG had resisted raising rates at the beginning of the year despite spare part shortages and rising transport costs, but once fuel in Vietnam surpassed VND30,000 (US$1.28) per liter and transport operators hiked fees by 10 percent in March, the firm was left with no choice. “The increased prices of input materials, such as aluminum, steel, and electric wires have forced the … [Read more...] about E-bike buyers face serious sticker shock amid rising gasoline prices