New year new year

The exhibition features over 220 artefacts including 75 loans from institutional and private collections, including precious personal collections and treasures from top international museums. Explore the 200 years leading up to the establishment of an entrepôt in Singapore in 1819, beginning with the bustling world of trade in the East Indies that attracted the Dutch and British East India Companies from the early 17th century. The European entry into the region, for better or worse, was only part of its longer history. This exhibition is a telling of that story, and a reflection of the broader forces at play that culminated in the events of 1819. Where: National Museum of Singapore When: 21 Sep 2019 – 29 Mar 2020 Admission: S$15 Info:  https://www.nationalmuseum.sg/our-exhibitions/exhibition-list/an-old-new-world … [Read more...] about An Old New World: New exhibition at National Museum of Singapore

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivers a speech at the national conference in Nam Dinh province on October 19 (Photo:VNA) Nam Dinh (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted that there is no such thing as the end for the building new-style rural areas programme while addressing a national conference held in the northern province of Nam Dinh on October 19. In his speech, the Government leader affirmed that the programme, carried out since 2010, has made historic breakthroughs, giving a facelift to rural areas across Vietnam, raising the stature of farmers, considerably improving their lives, and continuing to restructure agriculture in a modern and sustainable manner. Over the last more than nine years, this programme has successfully capitalised on the combined strength of the political system and the people, he noted. He attributed its success largely to people’s contributions, adding that tens of thousands of kilometres of rural roads have been … [Read more...] about No end point in building new-style countryside: PM

Khmer monks in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang pray to honour ancestors before having a meal. (Photo: VNA) Soc Trang (VNA) – Many communes in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, which are home to a large number of Khmer ethnic people, are enjoying a warmer, merrier Sene Dolta festival this year as they have met new-style rural area status with poverty rate declining, according a local official for ethnic minority affairs. Sene Dolta is one of the most important religious festivals for Khmer ethnic people, along with Chol Chnam Thmay (New Year) and Ooc Oom Bok to thank the Moon for a good harvest. During the event, people gather to pay homage to their ancestors and enjoy traditional singing and dancing after a year of hard work. Sene Dolta is celebrated from the 30th of the eighth lunar month to the second of the ninth lunar month each year, falling on September 28 – 30 this year. My Xuyen district, where Khmer people account for over 33 percent of the … [Read more...] about Khmer ethnic people in Soc Trang enjoy merrier Sene Dolta festival

Companies issue $7.7b worth of bonds in nine months The nine-month value is equal to nearly 80 per cent of the total bond issuance value in 2018. The figure is also lower than the total registered value of nearly VND276.9 trillion (nearly $12 billion), which means nearly VND98 trillion bonds were unsold. In September, 28 companies made 60 issuances with total capital raised of VND19.4 trillion (excluding international bond issues). Most bonds were three-year term with total value of VND13.5 trillion. Interest rates of bonds issued in September ranged between 6 per cent and 11 per cent per annum. Banks were the main player in the bond market with total issuance value of VND14.1 trillion in September, accounting for 72.78 per cent of total market value. Real estate companies followed with VND965 billion (4.97 per cent) and securities firm with VND413 billion (2.13 per cent). Bonds issued by banks also had the lowest interest rate, averaging only 6.71 per cent per year. Some companies … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS OCTOBER 18

Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Close to 102,300 new enterprises were established in the first nine months of this year with a combined registered capital exceeding 1.29 quadrillion VND (55.47 billion USD), up 5.9 percent and 34 percent, respectively, from a year ago. The average registered capital per new firm hit a new record high, mounting to 12.6 billion VND (nearly 542,900 USD), according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Agency for Business Registration. The new firms registered to employ around 929,800 workers, up 13.4 percent year-on-year. Already-operational firms also registered to add about 1.73 quadrillion VND to their capital, bring total capital injected to the economy over the period to more than 3.02 quadrillion VND. The agency said there were 27,600 businesses returning to operations, a year-on-year increase of 20.5 percent./. VNA … [Read more...] about New firms’ registered capital up 34 percent in nine months