After the welcoming ceremony, the host and Gen. Cuong held talks. At the meeting, the commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces expressed his honor to receive General Cuong and the Vietnamese delegation in Brunei. He highlighted the visit, stressing that it is of special significance in boosting political trust, mutual understanding, and cooperation between the two militaries, making substantive contribution to developing the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Brunei. Expressing thanks to the host for the solemn reception, General Cuong believed that the visit will help deepen the flourishing relations between the two militaries. The Vietnamese chief of the General Staff underlined the constant development in the two countries’ relationship over the past time. Especially, since Vietnam and Brunei elevated their ties to the comprehensive partnership during the Sultan of Brunei’s official visit to Vietnam in March 2019, the bilateral relationship has been closer with … [Read more...] about Comprehensive cooperation between Vietnamese, Brunei militaries promoted
Kk plastic waste management
Military art developed during Road 9 – Khe Sanh Campaign
This was a key battle taking place on February 6 and 7, 1968, in the first phase of the campaign, leaving valuable experience in military art, especially in choosing right targets and flexibly using combined-arms strength. Vay Village is 8km west of Huong Hoa district. This was a strong point in the enemy’s defensive system of Road 9 - Khe Sanh, with the aim of protecting their Ta Con base. The base was built on two heights, No.320 and No.420, about 2km from the old Vay Village base (which was destroyed in May 1967), and was occupied by a commando and spy battalion of the Saigon regime. Namely, the No.420 was the outpost managed by a scout platoon. Meanwhile, the No.320 - the main stronghold - consisted of six zones with 21 blockhouses and a number of shelters, underground bunkers, connected together by trenches, as well as barbwire fences and various minefields. The enemy’s force had four reconnaissance companies, an American platoon, and was equipped with a large amount of heavy … [Read more...] about Military art developed during Road 9 – Khe Sanh Campaign
Three undersea Internet cables to be repaired from March
Representatives of Vietnam’s Internet service providers on Tuesday said the NOC (Network Operation Center) system of international undersea cables announced that three undersea cables: the APG (Asia Pacific Gateway), the AAG (Asia, America Gateway) and the IA (Intra Asia) are expected to undergo reparation in either mid-March or early April, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The APG would see two segments being prepared, one from March 22 to March 27, and the other from April 5 to April 9. The AAG would be repaired from March 30 to April 4. The IA meanwhile is expected to be repaired in mid-March. Reparation schedule for the AAE-1 cable (Asia-Africa-Euro 1) has yet to be announced. Vietnam is currently connected with seven undersea cables: SMW3, AAG, IA, APG, AAE-1, SJC2 and ADC. The SJC2 and the ADC are yet to be officially operational, while the SMW3 cable is outdated and about to be decommissioned. It means Vietnam has five active undersea cables that connect it to the … [Read more...] about Three undersea Internet cables to be repaired from March
Committed to empowering a brighter future
ASEAN countries like Vietnam are not spared from the impact of climate change. Rapid economic development also means increasing demand for energy and power to meet the pace of growth, which leads to an increase in CO2 emissions. The journey to a cleaner future Takeshi Masuyama, Managing director, regional head of Vietnam, MUFG Bank, Ltd. The Vietnamese government has announced in various international forums its commitment to address environmental issues, and has firmed up its national net-zero target. In addition, the announcement of the Vietnam Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in last December is another milestone and will further rally the private and public sectors towards accelerating the country’s green transition. MUFG is part of the working group convened by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) supporting the JETP initiative for Vietnam. The sustainability mission Since announcing our Carbon Neutrality Declaration in 2021, MUFG … [Read more...] about Committed to empowering a brighter future
Tech lay-off wave continues to bite at Vietnam’s heels
Entering 2023, Microsoft and Google announced global lay-offs of 10,000 and 12,000 employees, respectively. IBM laid off nearly 4,000 members, while Spotify cut about 6 per cent of staff. Since November last year, Meta, Amazon, and HP have also adjusted thousands of positions. Tech lay-off wave continues to bite at Vietnam’s heels, Illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com In Southeast Asia, Shopee parent company Sea Group, Crypto.com, e-commerce platform JD.ID, and GoTo – a merger between ride-hailer Gojek and e-commerce platform Tokopedia – are among the companies that experienced a drastic staff cut in the past year. GoTo in November 2022 cut 1,300 jobs, equivalent to 12 per cent of the number of employees, while Sea Group let go of 7,000 employees in the past six months. Both companies cited a common cause being challenging macroeconomic conditions. Industry insiders in Vietnam are generally wary of the effect this laid-off wave might have on the domestic market. … [Read more...] about Tech lay-off wave continues to bite at Vietnam’s heels
Tech group lay-off wave reaches Vietnam
After Meta, Amazon, Twitter, and Tesla, Xiaomi has become the next name to join the list of leading tech companies forced to cut staff. In a December 20 announcement, a Xiaomi representative confirmed that about 10 per cent of the total workforce will be affected by the reduction policy implemented by the company to “optimise full-time and organisational rationalisation”. Tech group lay-off wave reaches Vietnam, illustration photo/ source freepik.com Xiaomi had over 35,300 employees as of the end of September, according to its third-quarter earnings report. It is expected that about 5,000 Xiaomi employees will ultimately be affected in the near future, mainly those working in the smartphone and internet service business units. The decision by the fifth-largest smartphone vendor in the Chinese market comes after seeing a 9.7 per cent drop in Q3 results on-year. Xiaomi is not the only tech company in Asia to start laying off staff. A week earlier, online commerce … [Read more...] about Tech group lay-off wave reaches Vietnam
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines posts highest flight delay rates
The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines had the biggest number of delayed flights in 2022 with 11,486 flights or nearly 12.50 percent. According to a report announced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on February 6, six local airlines conducted a total of 312,841 flights in 2022, with 89.70 percent on time, a decrease of 5 percent compared to 2021. Of the six airlines, last year Vietnam Airlines operated the highest number of flights with 115,987 flights, followed by Vietjet with 115,349, Bamboo Airways with 51,959. Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Vietravel Airlines conducted 16,567, 8,084, and 4,895 flights, respectively. The national flag carrier also posted the highest delay rate with 14,486 delayed flights or nearly 12.50 percent. It was followed by Vietjet with 11.50 percent. CAAV said late-arriving aircraft was the main cause of delays (accounting for 67.60 percent) in addition to other excuses, such as poor management and bad weather. There were … [Read more...] about National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines posts highest flight delay rates
Earthquake kills more than 5,000 in Turkey, Syria
Rescuers in Turkey and Syria braved frigid weather, aftershocks and collapsing buildings Tuesday, as they dug for survivors buried by an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people. Disaster agencies said several thousand buildings were flattened in cities across a vast border region -- pouring misery on an area already plagued by war, insurgency, refugee crises and a recent cholera outbreak. Through the night, survivors used their bare hands to pick over the twisted ruins of multi-storey apartment blocks -- trying to save family, friends and anyone else sleeping inside when the first massive 7.8-magnitude quake struck early Monday. "Where is my mum?" asked a distraught seven-year-old girl who was pulled -- her face, hair and pyjamas covered in dust -- from a collapsed building in Hatay, on the Turkish side of the border. Police officer Zekeriya Yildiz hugs his daughter after they saved her from the rubble in Hatay, southwest Turkey on February 6, 2023. Photo: … [Read more...] about Earthquake kills more than 5,000 in Turkey, Syria
IFC invests another $100m in SeABank to boost access to housing loans
Through IFC's new investment, SeABank expects to at least double the number of lower and mid-end housing loans by 2026. — Photo courtesy of the bank IFC on Tuesday announced it has invested US$100 million in Southeast Asia Commercial Joint-Stock Bank (SeABank) which aims to boost access to housing loans. With a rapid annual urbanisation rate of 3 per cent, half of the Vietnamese population – about 50 million people – is expected to live in urban areas by 2040. This creates the need for an estimated 374,000 additional housing units every year. However, the limited availability of long-term funding has restricted access to housing finance, especially challenging for lower and middle-income homebuyers, who need longer-term funding due to low levels of income. Through the investment, SeABank expects to at least double the number of lower and mid-end housing loans by 2026. In addition, the project is expected to create thousands of new jobs in construction and other related sectors. … [Read more...] about IFC invests another $100m in SeABank to boost access to housing loans
HDBank profits top $436m in 2022, 105 per cent of target
HDBank has achieved 105 per cent of the 2022 targets approved by shareholders. The bank hopes to maintain its high growth momentum with an average rate of more than 25 per cent in the next five years. — Photo courtesy of the bank The Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank has announced its results for 2022, which show it exceeded all its targets and achieved high growth. Its profit before tax was VND10.27 trillion (US$435.8 million), up 27.2 per cent from 2021 and 105 per cent of the target approved by sharehoders. Its net fee income grew dramatically, while its prudential and profitability ratios were among the best in the industry. The total operating income topped VND5.87 trillion ($249.1 million) for the fourth quarter and VND21.97 trillion ($933 million) for the entire year, a year-on-year increase of 26.8 per cent and 31.1 per cent. The net interest income grew by 29.7 per cent and the net fee income by 53.4 per cent. Operating expenses and credit … [Read more...] about HDBank profits top $436m in 2022, 105 per cent of target