Tight or loose labour market

Employees of HCM City Securities Corporation (HSC). The market's uptrend in the near future may slow down and the risk of correction is increasing. — Photo HSC The market's uptrend in the near future may slow down and the risk of correction is increasing, brokerages have said. The market's gaining momentum lingered in the first session of the Year of the Cat, said Viet Dragon Securities Co. However, the uptrend somewhat slowed down before the profit-taking supply, as shown by the Shooting Star candle. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, the VN-Index gained 0.81 per cent, to close Friday at 1,117.10 points. On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index rose 0.40 per cent to close Friday at 220.76 points. “Market still remained in green at the end of the session, showing that the pressure of supply is not great. It is expected that the market will temporarily step back in the next session to find a balance after the recent rise,” said Viet Dragon Securities Co. “Therefore, … [Read more...] about Market’s uptrend may slow down in the near future

Foreign capital is expected to continue to flow into the stock market as foreign investors' confidence remains strongly. — VNA/VNS Photo From being net sellers in the first nine months of 2022, foreign investors have become the driving force supporting the Vietnamese stock market in the last few months, and the inflows are expected to continue this year. In 2022, this group net disbursed more than VND29.2 trillion (US$1.2 billion) to the market, while it has net sold nearly VND18.8 trillion and set a record net selling value of over VND62.2 trillion in 2021. In November alone, more than VN16 trillion in net disbursed cash flow from foreign investors was significantly supported by exchange-traded fund (ETF) capital inflows into the market, primarily from the Fubon ETF and the VNDiamond Index-based ETF. A study by BIDV Securities Company (BSC) analysing over $50 billion owned by foreign investors on the Vietnamese stock market showed that more than half of foreign ownership is … [Read more...] about Foreign investors remain optimistic about VN stock market

Decreasing demand for apartments in the region is also forecast to continue through at least the middle of the year. But it may begin to gradually rise by the last quarter of 2023 as legal bottlenecks and obstacles to credit are slated to be at least partially removed by the government, according to DKRA real estate consultants. DKRA Vietnam deputy R&D director Vo Hong Thang said apartment market liquidity, this year, would concentrate in affordable housing projects with prices of below VND50 million ($2,118) per square meter in HCMC and less than VND35 million per square meter in Binh Duong. Such social housing projects promise to be a ray of light in the otherwise gloomy 2023 market, he said, while adding the caveat that supply would still be limited. According to Thang, businesses are gradually supplying fewer high-priced homes and more affordable apartments and social housing units this year. He said this trend may last until 2025, with new supply focusing on the city’s … [Read more...] about Apartment market to continue slumping this year

Like so many others in Lam Dong Province and other rural areas of southern Vietnam, Toan saw the value of his agricultural land skyrocket in 2020-2021. He took it as an opportunity to start flipping properties for profit. But the market froze last year and short-term loans at high interest rates have now sunk him and many other farmers-turned-inexperienced-traders in impossible debt instead. The veteran coffee grower sold his land 7 km from the center of Di Linh District for several billions of dong in profit during a property price bubble in 2021. He then took out short-term, high-interest loans and used them plus money he made from his land sale to by several more plots he planned to resell for profit in what he thought would be at most 1-2 months. He said he thought he’d be able to sell some of the land back in even just a couple of weeks. But the properties still haven’t sold. In early 2022, Toan poured another VND15 billion ($635,600), including VND6 billion from another … [Read more...] about Debt buries farmers trying to flip property in frozen market

Remittance flows into Viet Nam approximated $19 billion in 2022. — Photo baotintuc.vn Viet Nam remains one of the 10 countries receiving the most remittances in the world, according to the recent Migration and Development Brief by the World Bank and the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD). Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s major impacts on the global economy over the last two years and growing inflation in many countries, remittance flows into Viet Nam remained relatively stable compared to previous years, the report noted. Total remittances to Viet Nam increased by nearly 5 per cent in 2022 and may go up 3.6-4.5 per cent in the following years after growing 5 per cent in 2021, according to statistics of WB and KNOMAD. Last year, the value rose about US$1 billion to approximate $19 billion, making the country one of the three biggest recipients in the Asia-Pacific and among the top 10 globally in terms of remittances. Some banks perceived that … [Read more...] about Viet Nam among world’s 10 biggest recipients of remittances

A showroom displays and sells products under the country’s One Commune-One Product (OCOP) programme and other products in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta’s 12 provinces and the city of Can Tho are developing more products under the country’s “One Commune-One Product” programme. Launched in 2018, the OCOP programme focuses on developing specialty products and high-quality products in rural areas to increase incomes for locals and boost the sustainability of economic development in rural areas. OCOP products are commercial products and services such as food and beverages, handicrafts and rural tourism services. They are classified as having one to five stars. Under the programme, the Cuu Long delta, which is the country’s largest rice, seafood and fruit producer, has developed more OCOP products and increased their value. Can Tho recognised 18 new OCOP products last year, including 10 three-star … [Read more...] about Mekong Delta develops more OCOP products

Dawn breaks over Da River lake.(Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) - As vaccination coverage is expanding, the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is showing signs of dying out. As a result, Vietnam’s tourism needs to quickly work out harmonious measures for the coming period of recovery. A sad economic year for the tourism sector has come to an end after many tremors caused by successive outbreaks of COVID-19 . Vietnam’s green economy in 2021 failed to recover as seen through the statistics of the yearly review, yet many experts still believe that in 2022, accelerations will be created with attention and assistance from the government. Although the pandemic is still spreading with new variants, there are grounds for us to hope the constantly expanding vaccination coverage has helped weaken the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The clock is ticking towards the day when the world can contain and roll back the pandemic, opening up chances for socio-economic recovery. That is … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s tourism in 2022: measures for recovery, acceleration

My son is doing well. He and his wife have stable incomes, they get along well, and have a son together. My daughter is not doing so well. She and her husband rent a home near ours, but they are struggling. Last year, her husband informed us that he was VND200 million ($8,533) in debt because his business was not doing well. He also owes my son VND30 million and owes my younger brother VND40 million. He sold his family’s land in the countryside to pay the debt, but could only pay VND100 million because market prices are low. He asked me to borrow money from my relatives on his behalf. I asked my daughter what kind of business her husband was doing that led to this situation. It turns out that he borrowed money online to gamble. I feel sorry for my daughter since she married a terrible husband. She does not want to divorce him because she wants her kids to have both a mom and dad. My daughter is now on maternity leave. Her husband only gives her VND2 million a month to pay for … [Read more...] about I am disappointed in my daughter-in-law

The Ministry of Finance's main office in downtown Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo The Ministry of Finance (MoF) said tax support policies and land-use fee reductions for businesses should be continued throughout 2023 despite shortfalls in state budget collection. However, the ministry's proposal did not include a value-added tax (VAT) reduction of 2 per cent, which it said has been challenging and complicated to implement. In the MoF's latest proposal to the government, businesses, household businesses and individuals were to continue to enjoy a 30 per cent cut in land-use fees in 2023, on top of an extension on their tax duties. "The ministry supports the government's policy to give businesses more time to meet their financial duties and a 30 per cent reduction in land-use fees as parts of an effort to support businesses," said Ho Duc Phoc, Ministry of Finance. Phoc said key priorities for the central government this year include speeding up the disbursement of public investment … [Read more...] about Tax and land-use fee reductions should continue in 2023: MoF

It was 42% down from January 2019, the year before the onset of Covid. South Korea continued to be Vietnam’s biggest feeder market with 258,946 arrivals followed by the U.S. (77,897) and Thailand (54,985), according to the General Statistics Office. Though China reopened its borders on January 8, the number of Chinese visitors was a modest 15,875. During the seven-day Tet break that ended last Thursday, popular travel destinations like Ha Long, Hoi An, Ninh Binh, Hanoi, and Vung Tau saw an influx of foreign visitors. The country only received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, but revenues were worth VND495 trillion (US$21 billion), or 23% above the target as a domestic tourism boom took up the slack. … [Read more...] about Tourism makes hopeful start as January visitor numbers rise by 23%