Trade envoys

Participants at the first meeting of the Vietnam - Colombia Joint Economic Committee (Photo: VNA) Mexico City (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai and Colombian Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Soraya Caro Vargas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on trade, investment, and industrial cooperation, and co-chaired the first meeting of the Joint Economic Committee of the two countries on September 27 in Bogota. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai (L) and Colombian Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Soraya Caro Vargas (Photo: VNA) The positive growth of two-way trade turnover is clear evidence that bilateral trade relations are increasingly strengthened, she said. bilateral economic relations as well as cooperation within multilateral frameworks. Vietnam – Colombia Joint Economic Committee are a significant step in bilateral economic cooperation, demonstrating the commitment and … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Colombia ink MoU on trade, investment, industrial cooperation

Illustrative image (Photo: nongnghiep.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Amidst the increasing demand for raw materials in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries, and Vietnam’s participation in various free trade agreements, the country’s herbal products, particularly cinnamon and star anise, are well-positioned to capitalise on the opportunity for development, heard a conference in Hanoi on September 28. Addressing the event, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade stressed that with a diverse and abundant source of medicinal herbs, Vietnam boasts great potential and advantages to develop this field into an economic industry. | The cinnamon cultivation area in Vietnam stands at about 150,000 ha, accounting for 17% of the global cinnamon area. Vietnam is the third largest producer and exporter of cinnamon in the world in terms of output, after Indonesia and China. Meanwhile, very few countries have star anise – the plant … [Read more...] about Conference looks for ways to boost exports of herbal products

Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Arsjad Rasjid (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Southeast Asian companies are evaluating potential investments in African market s so as to support growth and seek new opportunities amidst China’s economic slowdown, said Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Arsjad Rasjid. China’s economic recession definitely impacts the Southeast Asian region, which has strong trade ties with the world’s second largest economy, he said. "What is important to see is that we are now looking at other nontraditional markets," Rasjid told Nikkei Assia, adding, "We've talked about Africa." With a population of over 1 billion, Africa is seen as filled with potential future markets by companies from the rest of the world. In late August, Indonesian President Joko Widodo made his first trip to Africa as leader of Southeast Asia's biggest economy. His tour to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa marked a turn … [Read more...] about ASEAN businesses seek investment opportunities in Africa

The festival is expected to attract numerous visitors. The Vietnam Craft Village Festival 2023 will be held from November 9 to 12 in Hanoi to promote craft village products and tourism. Foreign visitors at the Hanoi Gift Show 2022 in October last year. Photo: The Hanoi Times The festival's program includes a ceremony to honor artisans and craftsmen, the opening ceremony, and an international exhibition of craft village products and One Commune One Product (OCOP) goods at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen, deputy head of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development, told a press conference on September 26 that six events will be held in response to the Vietnam Craft Village Festival 2023, including an art show of traditional cultural craft villages, an international workshop on craft villages with about 250 foreign and domestic delegates, a Vietnam-San Marino trade networking workshop with about 100 participants, … [Read more...] about Hanoi to host Vietnam Craft Village Festival 2023

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 72 countries recognize Vietnam as a market economy, including Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. The UK did so recently with an official letter to the effect. Speaking to VnExpress , a Trade Remedies Authority Department official said since its first anti-dumping investigation case against Vietnam in 2002 the U.S. had been considering the country a non-market economy. In a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in Washington last Tuesday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed the U.S. to soon recognize Vietnam’s market economy status . The need for recognition of Vietnam's market economy status was also in the joint statement between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joe Biden on upgrading the two countries' relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The EU also sees Vietnam as a non-market economy. In 2015, while free-trade agreement negotiations were underway, the EU … [Read more...] about Significance of Vietnam being a market economy

The index closed 1.4 points lower after gaining 15.9 points Wednesday. Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, dropped 12.6% to VND15.9 trillion ($651.77 million). The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 18 tickers fell. SSB of Southeast Asia Commercial Bank (SeABank) dropped 4.8% and STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank fell 3.3%. VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail closed 2.5% lower and SAB of brewer Sabeco declined by 2.3%. Ten blue chips gained, led by PLX of fuel distributor Petrolimex with a 3.3% increase. Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND509 billion, mainly selling STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank and GMD of logistics company Gemadept Corp. The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, fell 0.57% while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market dropped 0.33%. … [Read more...] about Stock market stable after strong changes

Two weeks ago, the government held a forum to help make the first steps to shape the market of high-efficiency energy-consuming equipment by 2030. The move is made amid the rising pressure to alleviate power outages and achieve the net-zero goal by 2050. More options looked at for energy-efficiency goals, photo VNA The event, on developing the high-efficiency energy-consuming market from policy to implementation, was organised by the Office of the Steering Committee for Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). One measure discussed was promoting the use of high-efficiency energy-consuming equipment and gradually eliminating outdated technological products. Meanwhile, low-efficiency energy-consuming equipment such as storage water heaters and infrared hobs is prohibited to import, produce, and sell in Vietnam, according to a decision made in May. Dang Hai Dung, deputy chief of the Office of Sustainable Production and Consumption under the … [Read more...] about More options looked at for energy-efficiency goals

The latest draft plan for implementation of Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), submitted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on August 31, pointed out the vast challenges remaining despite the approval of the plan in May. Detailed implementation will direct success of PDP8, Source: Vietnam+ “For solar power projects that have been approved and assigned to an investor, the specific progress will be considered in the implementation plan PDP8. However, this request cannot yet be carried out according to the MoIT’s Institute of Energy,” noted the latest draft plan. The Institute of Energy, the unit responsible for developing plans to implement PDP8, explained that there are currently 23 solar power projects approved and assigned to investors with a total capacity of about 2,360MW. This is a much higher capacity than the 1,500MW limit currently set in the PDP8. Meanwhile, the MoIT reported that there are more than 2,000 proposed wind, solar, and small … [Read more...] about Detailed implementation will direct success of PDP8

Honoured categories consist of Individual Investors Best Choice and Financial Institutions Best Assessment for the top three of large cap, mid cap, and small-micro cap firms. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Winners of the 2023 Investor Relations Best Practice Awards (or IR Awards ) were honoured at a ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 28. Co-organised by Tai Viet Joint Stock Company (Vietstock), Vietnam Association of Financial Executives (VAFE), and Finance and Life E-magazine (FiLi), the annual event recognised listed companies with the best IR practices of the year through quantitative screening, voting, and professional assessment. FiLi Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Nhu Hung said that the awards promote the business community's awareness of the role and importance of IR activities, improve information transparency and disclosure quality, and strengthen investor confidence in the Vietnamese stock market. This year, it saw the participation of 731 firms … [Read more...] about Winners of Investor Relations Best Practice Awards honoured

The People’s Committee of Binh Duong Province in southern Vietnam and the Vietnam Railways on Wednesday debuted an international multimodal train transporting cargo from Song Than Station to China. The train with 19 carriages carried nearly 500 metric tons of tapioca starch. The train departed from Song Than Station the same day, and is set to arrive in Putian, Zhengzhou in China’s Henan on October 5. Attending the inauguration ceremony, Le Manh Ha, CEO at T&T Trade and Service Company, said that the demand for freight transport to China is high. Firms can now conduct export procedures at Song Than Station, instead of any border station. The launch of the international multimodal transport train services has smoothed the path for local importers, exporters, and logistic service providers. Dang Sy Manh, chairman of the Vietnam Railways, said that Song Than Station is capable of handling 1.6 million metric tons of cargo, mainly consumer goods, garments and textiles, … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Binh Duong launches int’l multimodal freight train to China