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
Lao ministry of industry and commerce
Migration significant to Vietnam’s socio-economic development: IOM
Remittances contributed by migrants account for 5% of Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP). International migration and internal migration in Vietnam have long played a very important role in the country’s socioeconomic development and they will continue to do so. Park Mihyung, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Vietnam, shared that view with The Hanoi Times . Park Mihyung, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Vietnam. Photos: IOM Vietnam “If you look at the GDP, up to 5% of the country’s GDP comes from remittances contributed by international migration and that’s only recorded remittances, so it should be a lot more,” she said. For that reason, when the migration governance is done right and well, there’s a lot of positive development and contributions to Vietnam when they return and with their remittances, Park added. In addition, there’s also a recognition that … [Read more...] about Migration significant to Vietnam’s socio-economic development: IOM
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
Thailand, E.U. to resume FTA talks in March
Commerce Minister of Thailand Jurin Laksanawisit made the statement following a meeting in Brussels with the E.U. Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. Dombrovskis wrote on Twitter that both sides want a comprehensive, high-quality agreement, with ambitious and sustainable provisions. The E.U. is now Thailand's fifth largest trade partner, behind ASEAN, China, the U.S. and Japan. Two-way trade hit 41 billion USD last year, of which, Thailand’s exports to the E.U. totaled 22.8 billion USD, mostly computers, equipment and spare parts; gemstones and jewelries, air conditioners and components, rubber products and electronic circuit boards. Thailand currently has 14 FTAs with 18 countries, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that came into effect early last year. On December 15, 2022, the two sides signed the Thailand-E.U. Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) to promote bilateral cooperation. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Thailand, E.U. to resume FTA talks in March
Vietnam’s famous comedian apologizes to TV audiences
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Van Hoa newspaper published his apology on Friday, which said it was a personal story and not meant to offend anyone. The comedian and director of the Vietnam National Drama Theater had posted "Mother’s slap" three days earlier to seemingly take a potshot at people who criticized his TV show. In the story, a woman cooks "banh chung" (glutinous square rice cake) every year for Tet, but her son, who does not know how to make it himself, always criticizes it. It read: "This year is no exception. At 8pm on Lunar New Year’s Eve, I criticized the cake after the first bite. My mouth has two sides, one to chew on ‘banh chung’ and the other to criticize the cake. "Not really because the cake is not delicious, not necessarily because it is bad, but because it is not what I imagined, it is not what I wanted. I criticize it because I have the right to criticize, because it is my mother’s responsibility to cook cakes as I want them." In the … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s famous comedian apologizes to TV audiences
3,500 hospitalized during Tet due to fighting
The number of cases reported during the holiday, from January 20 to the morning of January 27, was down 1.5% from the same period during last year's Tet holiday. Among the injured, 11 people died, according to the ministry. Cases of hospitalization due to traffic-related injuries rose from last year's holiday, but the number of deaths dropped. Among the 30,000 cases of hospitalization due to traffic-related injuries this year, 235 people died. Following the week-long Tet holiday, over 381,200 people have been hospitalized nationwide, a 38% increase from the same period last year. Vietnam's Tet holiday this year ran from January 20 to January 26. … [Read more...] about 3,500 hospitalized during Tet due to fighting
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