HA NOI — Vietnamese exporters participated in an online meeting organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade yesterday to distribute information about the European export market. During the online session, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien, representatives from trade promotion agencies and embassy counsellors talked about the uncertainties facing export companies and offered advice that could help them boost exports to the market. Representatives and a number of enterprises pointed out the main difficulties faced by Vietnamese exporters, including the difficulty in making contact with importers, the European Union's (EU) strict rules, food safety regulations facing domestic seafood production and the ability of Vietnamese firms to engage in legal action when necessary. Tran Ngoc Quan, deputy head of the EU Market Department under MoIT, said contacting global supply chains and linking with Vietnamese enterprises already operating in the EU were two … [Read more...] about Ministry assists exporters in targeting EU market
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Authorities fail to collect tax from online shops
VietNamNet Bridge - The online trade now in Vietnam has special characteristics, beginning with "no": no tax, no clear origin of products and no certificate on product quality. The website's assistant worker then told him that the shop, located in Hanoi, would send the products through the post to the receiver in HCM City, while the shipping fee would be charged on the buyer. When the buyer asked if he would get VAT invoice if he buys a large quantity of products, he was told that the shop does not issue VAT invoices. The online shop on www.thegioimypham... Displays hundreds of branded cosmetic products sourced from an Asian country. The noteworthy thing is that the products have "very reasonable" selling prices. The saleswoman at the shop said that the products have been sold only via Internet and at the shop located on Truong Chinh Street in Dong Da district. The saleswoman also said the shop will not issue VAT invoices. Meanwhile, the saleswoman of an online shop introduced … [Read more...] about Authorities fail to collect tax from online shops
Apple cements tablet market lead with new iPad
Apple Inc's newest iPad looked like another hot seller on Friday as hundreds lined up at stores around the world to get their hands on the tablet, though the crowds and waiting times in some cities were less than in previous years. The third-generation iPad has only a few new features including faster wireless connectivity and a crisper display, but analysts nonetheless expect Apple to dominate the tablet market well into next year. "I just got hyped into it, I guess," said David Tarasenko, a 34-year-old construction manager who was the first to pick one up from a Telstra wireless store at midnight in Sydney. The buzz helped propel Apple shares to touch a record high of $600 on the Nasdaq on Thursday, though they later erased gains and were trading at around $585 on Friday afternoon. In New York, the queues were nothing compared with previous years. "I came by at midnight and nobody was here," said Peter Brown, 51, who owns a marketing and communications company in London and was … [Read more...] about Apple cements tablet market lead with new iPad
Digital content firms complain about unfair treatment
Vietnamese content service providers have expressed their resentment against the current laws with which they cannot play in a leveling playing field with foreigners. The wave of anger has been raised after local newspapers reported that loopholes exist in the legal framework because of which Google and Facebook, the foreign firms which provide services in Vietnam and earn money in Vietnam, but they do not have to pay tax. Vietnamese firms put in disadvantages on home market In the era of the “flat world”, which witnesses the boom of new business modes through Internet, the legal regulations under the traditional viewpoints could get out of date quickly. One of the typical examples is the regulation on the digital content management. Yahoo! established a company and has been providing services in Vietnam for the last many years. In 2010, the year of World Cup, Yahoo! opened Yahoo!The Thao (sports) page in Vietnamese language. Later, due to the bad administration, a lot … [Read more...] about Digital content firms complain about unfair treatment
Foreign players rush to Vietnam’s lucrative solar market
Which obstacles are currently keeping investors from developing solar projects in Vietnam?In my view, there are two major bottlenecks that make the implementation of solar power projects in Vietnam difficult, namely the mechanisms established in national policy and the technical capabilities of local businesses.Firstly, under Circular No. 16/2017/TT-BCT on solar power project development and standardised power purchase agreements for solar power projects, a firm only has 20 months for location surveying, licensing progress, and site clearance.Additionally, the provided tariffs apply only to solar power plants that reach their commercial operation dates (COD) before June 30, 2019, and their application will be limited to a period of 20 years from the COD.Secondly, local businesses have not been able to keep up with the level of implementation for large-scale solar projects, which raises concerns about the risks of operations. Thus, it takes some time for foreign investors to engage in … [Read more...] about Foreign players rush to Vietnam’s lucrative solar market