Post brexit property market

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

It is now nearly impossible to buy a new apartment at the VND 2 billion mark. According to a report in 2022 from Rever, a Southeast Asia technology firm in real estate brokerage, for VND1.5-1.8 billion, one can buy a 30-55 square meter apartment built 6-10 years ago in Thu Duc City, on the secondary market. The average income of workers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) this year is about VND148 million a year, according to property listing platform Batdongsan.com.vn. By that calculation, it will take up to 24 years to save, with no spending on anything, just to buy an apartment. The type of apartment used in this survey costs VND3.5 billion per unit. The data also shows that Vietnam ranks first in Southeast Asia in terms of the gap between house prices and average worker incomes. From 2018 to 2021, the ratio of the difference between real estate prices and the average income of Vietnamese has continuously increased, surpassing even Singapore. On the other hand, Indonesia, Malaysia and … [Read more...] about A laborer needs to save for 25 years to buy an apartment

Logo of Vietcombank on its trading office in Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi. The bank shares soared 2.25 per cent on Monday, led the market's bullish sentiment. — VNS Photo Ly Ly Cao Benchmark indices opened the week on a positive note, buoyed by the improvement of risk appetite. The VN-Index on the southern bourse Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) ended Monday at 1,052.25 points, a gain of 5.46 points, or 0.52 per cent. It logged a long rising streak of five days with the market's breadth inclining to the uptrend. Meanwhile, liquidity increased slightly, of which over VND9.7 trillion (US$413.2 million) worth, equivalent to nearly 557 million shares, was traded on HoSE. The VN30-Index also advanced 5.03 points, or 0.48 per cent, to close the trading day at 1,056.45 points. Twenty of the 30 biggest stocks in market capitalisation of the VN30 basket jumped, of which one hit the ceiling price. Eight stocks declined while two stayed flat. On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the … [Read more...] about VN-Index extends its long winning streak

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Commercial banks that underwrite and sell corporate bonds have to buy them back if investors so demand, the central bank has said. It followed a meeting with voters (members of the public) the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) held in Ho Chi Minh City amid the ongoing bond market troubles. Besides asking for underwriting banks to take responsibility for redeeming bonds, the voters also urged the SBV to tighten inspection of credit institutions to ensure they comply with regulations while investing in bonds. The SBV recently raided 11 banks and fined a number of them for violating regulations related to bond purchases. Under current regulations, banks must have an internal credit rating system and can only buy bonds if their bad debts ratio is below 3%. For bonds sold in the domestic market, when issuers cannot pay in full and on time the bond principal and interest, they must negotiate with bondholders for extending the term … [Read more...] about Banks underwriting bonds should buy back bonds: Central bank

Many Australian firms have tapped into the Vietnamese market due to Vietnam’s strengthened political security, apart from an efficient anti-corruption crackdown, heard a seminar on Vietnam-Australia education, culture, and cuisine promotion in Hanoi on Monday. The Australian side strongly believes that Vietnam will further improve transparency and the investment climate. The event, jointly organized by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Hanoi authorities, and many enterprises, acted as a start for a series of similar seminars to be held in five cities and provinces this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia. An Austrade representative delivers a presentation on the performance of the Vietnam-Australia partnership in 2022. Photo: Duy Linh / Tuoi Tre Australia picks Vietnam as an investment destination thanks to political security Eliza Chui, a representative of Austrade, said that many … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s political security makes the country more attractive to Australian investors

Visas, service quality, and technology were all part of discussions on a better-performing tourism sector Photo: Cuong Minh May’s National Assembly session is likely to help push ahead a revamp of the country’s rules on entry and exit for foreign visitors, after the Ministry of Public Security crafts amendments to the current law. The development will be an important basis for the issuance of new regulations related to the visa policy, removing difficulties for the tourism industry, and creating conditions to attract more international visitors this year, according to most observers. Dang Tuan Viet, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Secrutity’s (MoPS) Vietnam Immigration Department, said that the proposal emphasised two major areas related to unilateral visa exemption and electronic visa policy. The MoPS also proposes to expand the number of countries that can issue e-visas from 80 countries to the maximum. The MoPS will also ask to increase the temporary stay … [Read more...] about Visa upgrade at heart of fresh approach to tourism

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Ninh Thuan (VNA) – The south central province of Ninh Thuan will hold a grape and wine festival from June 13-18 to highlight the local products and culture. The opening ceremony is slated for June 16 evening. On the occasion, the locality will also hold a ceremony receiving UNESCO’s certificate recognising the pottery making art of Cham ethnic people as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. A tourist tastes wine in a grape orchard. (Photo: VNA) Activities during the festival are designed in response to the 2023 National Tourism Year themed “Binh Thuan – Green Convergence”. Grapes were introduced to Ninh Thuan province in the 1960s. With its hot and dry climate and sandy soil, Ninh Thuan has favourable conditions for grape cultivation, making it a unique agricultural product of the region. Ninh Thuan grapes have been certified for geographical indication by the National Office of Intellectual Property. … [Read more...] about Ninh Thuan grape and wine festival 2023 to be held in June