Vietnam has to deal with one major external challenge and two internal ones, Dr Pham Sy Thanh, Director of the Chinese Economic Studies Program under the Vietnam Institute for Economics and Policy Research, told the Vietnam News Agency. The external challenge is a strong decline in demand for Vietnamese exports. Many export sectors with revenue of over 1 billion USD like wood and apparel recorded their earnings in October and November 2022 falling 30 - 40% year on year and month on month. This indicates that foreign markets are no longer open or attractive enough for exports in 2023. Export contraction will have a huge impact on many social issues, especially lay-offs, job shortages, and unemployment in industrial parks, he pointed out. Among internal challenges, the first is that the handling of wrongdoings in the bond market and the banking system has caused serious disruptions and congestion of the capital flow. Meanwhile, the cost of capital is one of tough barriers to … [Read more...] about Intertwined opportunities, challenges for Vietnam’s economy in 2023
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Vietnam spends US$9 billion on oil imports in 2022
South Korea was the largest petroleum supplier of Vietnam, with 3.22 million tons, up 96% year on year. Vietnam imported nearly 8.9 million tons of oil and petroleum products in 2022 worth $9 billion, nearly double that of the previous year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC). Locals buying petrol products at a gas station in Hanoi. File photo In December 2022, the country imported nearly 950,000 tons of oil and petrol products worth $823 million, up 22% in quantity and 11% in value against November. Diesel made up a lion’s share of the imported volume with 4.74 million tons, accounting for 54% of the country's imported petroleum in 2022. In 2022, the country consumed 1.7 million tons of gasoline, 2.3 times more than in 2021; and 1.46 million tons of jet fuel, representing 2.2 times on-year, and 16% of imported oil. South Korea was the largest petroleum supplier of Vietnam, with 3.22 million tons, up more than 96% year on year; … [Read more...] about Vietnam spends US$9 billion on oil imports in 2022
Prime Minister examines Mai Son – National Highway 45 project
The first phase of the 652.86km North-South Expressway has 11 component projects, three of which are invested in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) and the rest, including the Mai Son-National Highway 45 project, are funded with public investment. The Mai Son - National Highway 45 section has a total length of 63.37km and an investment of 12.11 trillion VND (561.03 million USD). Its construction started in September 2020, and is scheduled to complete on April 30, 2023. So far, 83.7% of all workload has been finished. PM Pham Minh Chinh took the occasion to pay New Year visits to workers in some construction sites along the route and relocated residents at the resettlement area in Dong Minh commune, Dong Son district of Thanh Hoa. He later moved on to examine the Dien Chau - Bai Vot project, another component of the North-South Expressway, which connects Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. The PM also had a working session with relevant ministries, sectors and localities on … [Read more...] about Prime Minister examines Mai Son – National Highway 45 project
Salaries of mid- and senior-level employees to rise by 5-25%
According to the results of a recent salary survey conducted by Navigos, nearly 27% of respondents said salaries of middle- and senior-level employees will rise by from 5% to less than 10%, more than 23% said salaries will remain unchanged, more than 15% said salaries will increase by less than 5%, and nearly 12% said they will rise by 10% to 15%. Global Salary Survey 2023 conducted by Robert Walters in 31 countries, including Vietnam, said 88% of companies are willing to increase salaries by 15-25% this year. For employees in some sectors like the digital industry, salary hikes could be as high as 35% during the year. According to Navigos, many businesses are still in the post-pandemic recovery phase, and so have not been able to sharply increase salaries for their employees. However, over 50% of the surveyed firms said they will improve policies on salary, bonuses, allowances, and other benefits such as flexible working hours, educational opportunities, promotions, and … [Read more...] about Salaries of mid- and senior-level employees to rise by 5-25%
PM examines Mai Son – National Highway 45 project
PM Pham Minh Chinh inspects construction of the Mai Son-National Highway 45 project (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 28 inspected the Mai Son (Ninh Binh province)-National Highway 45 project, a section of the North-South Expressway. The first phase of the 652.86km North-South Expressway has 11 component projects, three of which are invested in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) and the rest, including the Mai Son-National Highway 45 project, are funded with public investment. The Mai Son-National Highway 45 section has a total length of 63.37km and an investment of 12.11 trillion VND (561.03 million USD). Its construction started in September 2020, and is scheduled to complete on April 30, 2023. So far, 83.7% of all workload has been finished. PM Chinh took the occasion to pay New Year visits to workers in some construction sites along the route and relocated residents at the resettlement area in Dong Minh commune, … [Read more...] about PM examines Mai Son – National Highway 45 project
E.U. to focus on deepening economic ties with ASEAN: diplomat
The diplomat said that the signing of the E.U.-ASEAN comprehensive air transport agreement, the first ever region-to-region aviation agreement in 2022, will provide quite a boost to air connectivity between the 37 countries involved. The E.U. wants to invest more in the region, he said, adding that leaders of the union have announced 10 billion EUR (10.88 billion USD) in investment in Southeast Asia in the next couple of years through the “Global Gateway” sustainable investments in the region at a hope to address some of ASEAN's big connectivity needs and build on some of the successes in that respect of our previous cooperation. He noted that the E.U. has already signed free trade agreements (FTA) with Singapore and Vietnam. The union will open negotiations for FTAs with other ASEAN countries, while resuming FTA negotiations with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Driesmans said that the E.U.’s second priority is to develop a joint green and sustainable agenda … [Read more...] about E.U. to focus on deepening economic ties with ASEAN: diplomat