The fall of the labor share and the rise of superstar firms

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications, at a working session on Wednesday with the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and representatives from many U.S. enterprises, called on U.S enterprises to support Vietnamese enterprises, especially SMEs, in digital transformation. Following a working session with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the USABC and U.S. enterprises, who are in Vietnam to seek cooperation, investment, and business opportunities, held a meeting with the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications. A view of the working session between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council. Photo: Duong Giang / Tuoi Tre USABC President and CEO Ted Osius took time from the meeting to share his appreciation for the potential of Vietnam’s digital economy. According to Osius, U.S. enterprises are paying attention to the Southeast Asian country’s policies aimed at boosting the digital economy, … [Read more...] about Vietnam calls for U.S. support in digital transformation

The number of Cambodian travelers entering Vietnam is on the high rise, with the primary purpose of these visits quickly shifting from medical tourism to vacation tourism. Vietnam currently welcomes over one million Cambodian tourists each year – a figure which has surged since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, many local travel firms claim the number of Vietnamese companies offering tourism geared toward Cambodian tourists remains limited. Extended stays According to Pham Ngoc Ha, deputy general director of Saco Travel Company, her firm has been facilitating travel for scores of weekend travelers from the Cambodian provinces which border Tay Ninh Province in southern Vietnam. Popular tourism attractions for these visitors were local pagodas and Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these tours lasted just one day. Now more and more Cambodian tourists are opting for four-day, three-night tours to Ho Chi Minh City and other major … [Read more...] about Vietnam a major destination for Cambodian tourists

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, but indicated it was on the verge of pausing further increases in borrowing costs after the recent collapse of two U.S. banks. Fed Chair Jerome Powell sought to reassure investors about the soundness of the banking system, saying that the management of Silicon Valley Bank "failed badly," but that the bank's collapse did not indicate wider weaknesses in the banking system. "These are not weaknesses that are running broadly through the banking system," he said, adding that the takeover of Credit Suisse seemed to have been a positive outcome. The Federal Open Market Committee policy statement also said the U.S. banking system is "sound and resilient." Even so, Wall Street ended sharply lower after Powell told a news conference that officials were still intent on fighting inflation while also eying the extent to which recent bank failures had cooled demand and slowed lending. The … [Read more...] about U.S. Fed delivers small rate hike amid global banking turmoil

At the meeting on March 21, the RoK N.A. speaker noted that the relations between Vietnam and the RoK have been developing strongly, highlighting the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2022. He stressed that during his meetings with key leaders of the Vietnamese Party, Government and National Assembly during his visit to Vietnam last January, he noticed that both sides have been aware of the great potential of bilateral cooperation. Kim extended an invitation to N.A. Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and legislators of Vietnam to attend a forum for ASEAN and Korean leaders, slated for June in the RoK’s Jeju Island. For his part, Hai affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the relations with the RoK and suggested the two sides maintain all-level delegation exchanges and meetings, saying coordination and sharing of views on the bilateral cooperation as well as the regional and international situation would help deepen relations between their … [Read more...] about N.A. Vice Chairman visits RoK, meets host leaders

Some branches are taking care of the registration fee for car buyers, but sales are still not being boosted, photo Le Toan In a document sent to the prime minister last week, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) along with other associations asked the government to extend the payment of special consumption tax and reduce the registration fee of domestically manufactured and assembled cars by a half this year, in order to stimulate demand. A VAMA representative said that the domestic car sales market is in a gloomy situation, and has been struggling like many other industries since 2020. “In order to stimulate market demand, we need strong enough policies like extending the payment of excise tax in 2023 and taking 50 per cent off the registration fee. These should be applied as soon as possible,” emphasised the representative. To combat the effects of the pandemic, the government chopped the registration fee in half for domestically manufactured and assembled … [Read more...] about Auto makers project bumpy years ahead