Several e-commerce platforms in Vietnam reported a decrease in the value of sales despite having launched many promotions. Consumers on e-commerce platforms used to prefer high-end, luxury items. The trend has changed, however, as buyers now focus on healthcare products, sportswear, and fitness products. The reason for this change is the impact of economic difficulties and inflation, many vendors on e-commerce platforms believed. They added that buyers now tend to seek healthcare products with reasonable prices and prefer direct discounts. Hung, whose online store specializes in selling phone accessories and electronic goods, said that the revenue of this group of products decreased by nearly 40 percent compared to the same period last year. Online shoppers only focus on beauty or healthcare products and tend to cut unnecessary spending, Hung added. Lazada’s report on February 3 showed that consumers want to receive more value from the products they buy, aside from … [Read more...] about E-commerce in Vietnam faces decreasing purchasing power
Mobile phones and accessories
Hanoi to allow advertising rights in exchange for 600 bus stop shelters
Some 600 new European standard shelters will be built at public bus stops in Hanoi city. Hanoi will allow investors to build advertising boards in exchange for 600 modern bus stop shelters and shelter displays worth VND1 trillion (US$43 million) in 12 urban districts, Kinhtedothi.vn reported. The move is part of efforts to encourage Hanoi’s residents to turn to public transportation for mobility, thus easing the number of cars on road and improving air quality. Hanoi to have 600 new bus stop shelters Currently, there are 1,078 bus stops in Hanoi's downtown, but only 365 of them have shelters. The shelters are built by different investors, which make them apprear ununiform. According to the municipal People's Committee, 600 new European standard shelters will be built at public bus stops in the city under the PPP funding mechanism. Among them, 270 shelters will be newly installed and the other 330 will be replaced. In exchange, 1,200 advertising boards … [Read more...] about Hanoi to allow advertising rights in exchange for 600 bus stop shelters
Floating styrofoam buoys in Ha Long bay collected
The campaign, taking place from March 24-26, mobilizes 20 vessels and 100 people who gather and bring the styrofoam buoys out of the area for treatment. The styrofoam buoys, which have different sizes, were left by the illegal fish farms that were forced to be removed from the site. They have seriously affected the movements of vessels and the environment around the popular tourist site. A large number of styrofoam buoys, along with other types of waste, have been cleared from the bay on May 24 and 25. Located in the northeast of Vietnam, the bay has attracted visitors from far and wide as it is home to over 1,600 limestone towers and islets covered in tropical trees. Most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by humans. It was named one of the most beautiful places in the world to add to any traveller’s bucket list in 2022, according to Canadian travel publication The Travel. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Floating styrofoam buoys in Ha Long bay collected
Enterprises’ social responsibility in biodiversity conservation highlighted
At the event, experts and delegates proposed ideas for enterprises to carry out their social responsibility for environmental protection, and underlined the benefits that it brings. Nguyen Dinh Phuc, Vice Chairman of the municipal Union of Science and Technology Associations, said more enterprises are willing to use their corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund to finance environmental projects carried out by social organizations. However, the coordination between the two sides still faces certain issues, he said, adding that events like this program will help the sides find shared values and enhance their cooperation in the future. The activity was part of a project on pooling financial resources for sustainable biodiversity conservation and environmental protection in Da Nang city, or known as Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Fund project, which is funded by the European Union Delegation to Vietnam. The project aims to establish a fund for the conservation of wild flora and … [Read more...] about Enterprises’ social responsibility in biodiversity conservation highlighted
High-tech talent pool to aid transformation
Proposals relating to cooperation and encouraging foreign investors to join Vietnam’s innovation journey were addressed at some forums, including one at VIR’s headquarters and the annual Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) organised in Hanoi over a week back. Working groups of the Vietnam Business Forum touched on a variety of topics and recommendations for greater progress Photo: Dung Minh One particular area of discussion focused on the digital economy and tech such as blockchain. Do Tien Thinh, deputy director of the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC) said at VIR’s forum on digital transformation on March 21 that the NIC is working with many big foreign technology groups to connect them with domestic enterprises to implement training courses and technical supporting programmes. Thinh said Google has implemented digital skill training courses for businesses, especially startups. In mid-2022, Google launched a certification initiative and Startup Academy Vietnam, … [Read more...] about High-tech talent pool to aid transformation
5G commercialisation – a must to drive the digital vision of Vietnam
Denis Brunetti, president of Ericsson in Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos Vietnam is piloting 5G with the support of Ericsson. Is the country still slow in 5G rollout, or keeping up with regional countries? Today, various countries are in different stages of 5G rollout. Every country and market has its own path, and Vietnam is very well-placed as one of the most dynamic and attractive investment destinations in the world, with a fast-growing digital economy and strategic focus on nationwide digital transformation and Industry 4.0, enabled by 5G as a critical national infrastructure. Ericsson fully supports and endorses this vision, and we are committed to helping Vietnam achieve this important and strategic ambition. Today there are 235 5G networks in the world in commercial service, with 5G having over 30 per cent population coverage globally. Vietnam is well poised to commercially expand 5G later this year and derive the benefits of the latest, most advanced 5G products … [Read more...] about 5G commercialisation – a must to drive the digital vision of Vietnam
Vietnam’s retail market proves attractive for foreign investors
People shop at a supermarket in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam is becoming an attractive retail market for companies all over the world with many regional and global FDI investors recently announcing plans to increase capital and expand distribution networks here. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese retail market is worth 142 billion USD and is expected to increase nearly 2.5 times to 350 billion USD by 2025. In January, total retail sales of consumer goods and services decreased by 6% on-month to more than 481.8 trillion VND (20.4 billion USD) due to weaker demand as many commodities were purchased ahead of the Lunar New Year. People spent more on festival activities post Tet, said the General Statistics Office. However, it still rose 13% year-on-year. For the first two months of the year, the country’s total retail sales of consumer goods and services advanced 13% over the same period of 2022 to over 994.1 trillion VND. … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s retail market proves attractive for foreign investors
Supporting policies needed to fast-track 5G commercialisation
How has 5G been piloted in Vietnam so far, and is the nation ready for commercialisation in 2023? Up to now, 5G in Vietnam is still in a trial process by Viettel, VNPT, and Mobifone in more than 40 cities and provinces. They are testing different frequency bands from low to mid-band and mmWave band. From the user side, the first experience of mobile broadband speed, is not too impressive for users because the current 4G speed is meeting the current needs of users in watching movies and television and so on, so the speeds of a few hundred Mb/s or even Gb/s that 5G brings is not a mass market requirement. Nguyen Phong Nha, deputy general director of the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Authority of Telecommunications For high-density or low-latency user cases, there have been no tests with impressive results and no clear demand from users. This is a reality not only in Vietnam but also in other countries when deploying 5G. The ability to provide … [Read more...] about Supporting policies needed to fast-track 5G commercialisation