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Real estate bonds shackled by rules - illustration photo At last week’s conference on corporate bonds held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, experts discussed ways to develop an efficient and sustainable corporate bond market. One of the common recommendations regarded appropriate approaches to credit ratings. According to Can Van Luc, BIDV’s chief economist, there should be clear regulations on credit ratings to help investors easily determine business quality and the risk level of the issued bonds. “It is necessary to identify where a credit rating is mandatory and where a credit rating is encouraged. High-risk businesses should go through compulsory credit rating before bond issuance,” Luc said. “On the other hand, for businesses that have been audited and internationally rated with a long-standing history, a credit rating might not be necessary.” In recent years, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has steadily redirected loan flows towards industry, services … [Read more...] about Real estate bonds shackled by rules

One-third of the number of large-scale enterprises in Hanoi have invested in high-tech agriculture. Hanoi has been promoting the application of hi-tech models to farming in an effort to build up supply-production chains connecting cities and provinces nationwide. Hanoi has 22 cooperatives applying high technology. Photo: kinhtedothi.vn The capital city has developed 160 hi-tech farming models in the outskirt districts of Me Linh, Gia Lam, Thuong Tin, Dong Anh, Thanh Oai, and Dan Phuong, in which nine enterprises specializing in livestock, aquaculture, preliminary processing - consumption of agricultural products including CP, Dabaco, CJ Vietnam, Minh Long, Hanoi Cattle Breeding JSC, and others are investing in high tech agriculture in the city. Director of the Hanoi Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sub-Department Nguyen Ngoc Son told a conference on May 25 in Hanoi that the situation of livestock and poultry diseases has been complicated and unpredictable … [Read more...] about Hanoi promotes application of hi-tech farming models

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

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

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

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

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

Petrol retail prices in the country have been adjusted many times over the past few months, Photo: Le Toan In Vietnam, gasoline prices continue to increase, and after the adjustment on May 11 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Finance, each litre of E5 RON92 petrol increased by 6.5 US cents to $1.26 per litre while RON95 climbed by 6.7 US cents to $1.30 per litre. On May 17, the price of US WTI crude oil remained at a high level of over $114 per barrel while Brent oil maintained its upward momentum at $114.28 per barrel. Before the next adjustment, which was due on May 21, petrol prices in Vietnam were forecast to continue to increase to higher levels. The ministries first adjusted gasoline prices on January 11 due to a decrease in global supply, production output by Kazakhstan and Libya, and oil inventories of the United States. According to Decree No.95/2021/ND-CP, effective from January, there will be three adjustments each month to the … [Read more...] about Vietnam riding the wave of inflationary unpredictability

Kevin Coppel, Asia-Pacific managing director (left ) and Christine Li, Asia-Pacific head of research for Knight Frank in Singapore When the US-China trade tensions bubbled over in 2018, corporates found it increasingly difficult to carry out business in China due to sourcing uncertainties and rising costs. This trend only worsened in the face of the pandemic and resulting border closures. Businesses responded by pursuing opportunities to set up bases outside of China while still retaining a stake in one of the world’s strongest economies. The China+1 strategy thus emerged. It is based on diversifying its supply base into other countries in order to minimise the risk of disruptions arising from geopolitical tensions, trade wars and tariffs, as well as rising labour costs. These companies are not abandoning China but rather giving themselves options, enjoying the best of what China and other economies have to offer. In pursuit of the China+1 strategy, the spotlight is naturally … [Read more...] about Will Vietnam become a big geopolitical beneficiary?

The pandemic has pushed forward the trends of e-commerce in Vietnam 2-3 years earlier than forecast with the sector growing in size four times over last year, according to a 2021 Lazada report. “Some of the e-commerce trends we expected would happen in 2025, such as in edutech and fintech, have already happened in 2022,” noted Nguyen Huy Hoang, chief business officer at OnPoint E-commerce. “Hence, all e-commerce platform companies are investing hugely in Vietnam.” However, as shopping centres and small brick-and-mortar stores are now reopened, many investors are concerned that the boom in e-commerce was just a short-term fad and the majority of consumers could quickly shift back to offline shopping. On May 12 at the Vietnam Online Business Forum, the general consensus amongst experts was that e-commerce will continue to boost the economy after the pandemic. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2022, the industry saw more than 8 million new online consumers. A survey … [Read more...] about All to play for in e-commerce rise