Producer goods and consumer goods

Tran Quoc Phuong-Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment When planning for 2022, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and other ministries, agencies, and localities estimated that several projects could complete investment procedures in the first quarter, and after completing these, capital would be delivered immediately. However, due to the pandemic, many projects have not yet been approved for investment decisions by the end of the first quarter and could not allocate capital, affecting disbursement activities. Moreover, 2022 is a year with many new construction projects. When a new project was started last year, following the Law on Construction enacted in 2021, the disbursements must proceed this year. The National Assembly (NA) has approved the medium-term public investment plan (MTIP), but it can take another 6-7 months to complete the procedures for investment decisions and contractor selections. The flexible adjustment of public investment capital will … [Read more...] about Tackling slowing public investment for good of nation

Illustrative photo:SGGP/ Viet Chung The Office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade this morning informed that gasoline, an essential goods, directly affecting the production activities of enterprises as well as people’s livelihoods.  The gasoline price hugely affects the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which impacts the whole country’s macroeconomy. From the beginning of the year up to now, the local and international gasoline markets have been uncertain affecting the fuel supply and prices in the local market. Currently, the whole country has 38 wholesalers of gasoline, 329 gasoline distributors and nearly 17,000 retail gas stations. In order to strengthen state management in the field of gasoline business , prevent violations in petroleum business activities, and support the authorities in regulating the supply and demand of gasoline, it is necessary to apply information technology in updating data for petroleum trading enterprises across the country related to gasoline … [Read more...] about Vietnam puts gasoline database system into operation to avoid violations

People join traffic in Vientiane. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Lao government has instructed ministries to streamline procedures to facilitate trade and speed up freight transport and the export of goods , reported Xinhua news agency. The move aims to facilitate trade and accelerate freight transport and the export of goods such as farm products, timber and non-timber forest products, and minerals. The Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was assigned to work with relevant bodies to streamline procedures and the certification process, so that domestic transport and the export of products managed by the ministry would take place at a much faster pace, according to Lao economic daily. The Lao government advised the relevant bodies to devise clear and streamlined regulations to shorten all the related processes and cut spending, thus speeding up the movement of freight. In addition, authorities were told to formulate legislation to regulate products … [Read more...] about Lao government asks agencies to foster exports

Illustrative image. (Photo: SGGP) According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dung, Chairman of Vietnam E-commerce Association (Vecom), in 2021, despite being heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam's e-commerce still maintained a good growth momentum with an increase of about 20 percent and a scale of $16 billion. Keeping the growth momentum, Vietnam is now one of the countries with the largest e-commerce market size in the region, besides Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Vietnam's internet economy in 2021 grew by 31 percent compared to 2020 and reached a scale of $21 billion. Of which, the online retail sector enlarged by 53 percent and touched a scale of $13 billion. There are two waves that have contributed to the steady development of e-commerce in Vietnam in 2020 and 2021 and will be the driving force for the next period. The first wave took place during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and the second one from June to September 2021, during the fourth … [Read more...] about Opportunities for e-commerce in Vietnam to boom

Many retailers in phone and electronics segments focus on developing online channels to survive during the coronavirus pandemic period. To survive adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic, many Vietnamese tech retailers have quickly boosted their sales on online platforms as their physical stores nationwide have to close until April 15 to comply with the prime ministerial directive stipulating measures to combat the pandemic. Photo: MWG Significant demand on tech products Mobile World Investment JSC (MWG), the largest tech retailer in Vietnam, saw a surge in demand in online shopping since the beginning of April as more than 10% of its 2,000 phone and electronics stores, mainly in Hanoi, have to close. Dang Thanh Phong, PR manager of MWG, told Hanoitimes that its revenue from online sales accounted for 13% of the total phone and electronics revenue in March, higher than that of the previous months. Due to the closure of its stores, sales in … [Read more...] about Vietnamese tech retailers manage to survive Covid-19 pandemic

Speakers at the Viet Nam–UK Business Forum, which took place in London on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam wants to see more investment from the United Kingdom (UK) in hi-tech agriculture, in cultivation, processing, preservation and distribution of farm produce and foods, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien. He made the statement at the Viet Nam–UK Business Forum held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration of the UK Department of International Trade (DIT) in London on Wednesday. The forum discussed prospects for trade and investment between the two countries’ enterprises in agriculture, education, renewable energy and others. It also provided a platform for Viet Nam to introduce its market potential to British investors and for firms from both sides to share information and seek partnerships to make the most of the UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVTFA). The UK … [Read more...] about Viet Nam, UK strive to lift trade and investment relations

The two-day event featured over 40 Vietnamese and Korean producers. — Photo courtesy of KOCCA Vietnam The Korea Creative Content Agency Vietnam Office (KOCCA Vietnam) has launched an online business matching forum to help South Korean content producers enter Viet Nam and deliver their products in the country more effectively. The two-day event, which ended on Thursday, saw the participation of over 40 Vietnamese and Korean producers in the fields of television, fictional characters, AR/VR, games and cartoons. Kim Tae Hyeong, CEO of Korean T2N Media, described the event as a good opportunity for his company to meet with Vietnamese businesses in over-the-top media services and enhance its understanding of the Vietnamese market. Director of KOCCA Vietnam Hong Jeong Yong said his agency would help Korean content companies access Viet Nam after the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring its network with domestic enterprises, connecting content producers from the two countries in the … [Read more...] about KOCCA Vietnam hosts online business matching forum

Car sales in the world's largest auto market have slowed dramatically, gamers are buying fewer consoles, and people are unwilling to replace their existing smartphones, laptops and TVs, as prolonged Covid curbs crimp spending power and put more people out of jobs. "The current China lockdowns ... has implications to both supply and demand," said Colette Kress, chief financial officer at U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, which forecast on Thursday a $400 million hit to gaming sales from China's stringent coronavirus restrictions. "You have very large cities that are in full lockdown, focusing really on other important things for the citizens there. So it's impacting our demand. At least 14 analysts have cut their price targets on Nvidia following its latest earnings report, with the median price target now standing at $300, according to Refinitiv data. In line with China's zero-Covid approach, Beijing, with its 22 million population, has clamped down on workplace attendance. Shanghai, the … [Read more...] about Global firms warn of sluggish China demand due to lengthy Covid curbs

Global food prices are expected to keep on rising this year due to the Ukraine conflict and other factors, Photo: Thanh Tung China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on May 11 that the consumer price index (CPI), the main measure of inflation and retail sales, increased by 2.1 per cent on-year in 2021 due to the impact of the recession and skyrocketing energy costs and food prices. Data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on April 13 recorded a decrease in China’s imports for the first time since August 2020. In March, China’s imports fell 0.1 per cent on-year. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Sy Cuong from the Academy of Finance warned last week, “Along with the conflict in Ukraine, China’s economic difficulties could exacerbate inflationary pressures in Vietnam.” China’s slowing growth is clearly felt by many manufacturing and export industries of Vietnam. Pham Van Viet, president of garment firm VitaJean Co., Ltd., said, “Restrictions on raw materials … [Read more...] about Global effects mar control of inflation

Vietnam expecting to spend even more on imports - illustration photo Southeast Asia is facing rising inflation, a problem that is exacerbated by the failure of energy and food prices to fall. Last month, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) tightened monetary policy for the third time since October to deal with inflation that is expected to heat up. According to analysts, the MAS has redefined the midpoint of the popular exchange rate policy band and slightly increased the slope of currency appreciation to help the Singapore dollar strengthen against the currencies of other countries. However, the MAS did not change the width of its policy band – a move the institution usually would take when markets are volatile. As a result, the Singapore dollar rose about 0.5 per cent to $1.35 after the MAS’ move. The agency considered the possibility that core inflation would pick up sharply in the coming months, before being revised later this year, due to the sharp increase in … [Read more...] about Vietnam expecting to spend even more on imports