Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Government will facilitate conditions for Japanese enterprises to land their investment in Vietnam, making contributions to promote friendship and cooperation relations between the two countries, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The PM made the statement during his meeting in Hanoi on May 20 with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko who is in Vietnam for the 23rd Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT 23) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Lauding Japan’s role in Asia-Pacific region, the Vietnamese leader believed that Japan will make active contributions to the success of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting. Prime Minister Phuc also spoke highly of the exchange activities between the two countries, especially the first visit to Vietnam made by Japanese Emperor and Empress that marked a milestone in cooperation and friendship between the two sides. As part of activities to … [Read more...]

He made the remarks at a reception hosted by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Ha Noi on May 20. For his part, the PM assured his guest that the Vietnamese Government will create favorable conditions for the Japanese investors to launch operation in Viet Nam, this enhancing cooperative relations between the two Governments and people. He appraised the development in the two nations’ relations in all fields, expressing his hope that Japan will make active contributions to the success of the 23rd meeting of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade. He highly valued the high-level meetings of the countries’ leaders, citing the Japanese Emperor' and Empress’s first State visit to Viet Nam and PM Shinzo Abe’s official visit to Viet Nam. The PM proposed the two nations’ functional agencies actively discuss and strengthen cooperation in importing and exporting farm produce and fruits to raise the two-way trade turnover. The Japanese minister said he hopes the … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HCM CITY - The Vietnamese Government should intervene to reduce the rate of caesarean section deliveries, which has seen an upward trend globally, including in this country, an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) official has said. Professor Gerard H.A.Visser, chairman of FIGO's Committee for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health, said world-wide there has been an explosion in caesarean deliveries, ranging from 50 per cent in south-eastern Europe to 60 per cent in some Latin American countries. In Việt Nam, the rate was 33 per cent in 2008, he told an annual Việt Nam-France-Asia-Pacific Conference that ended yesterday. According to the Ministry of Health, the rate was only 12.4 per cent in 2003. Visser said the incidence of C-section has nothing to do with evidence-based medicine. "It has more to do with the doctor's salary, the lazy doctor who does not want to work at night, the doctor who has lost his/her skills to attend a vaginal … [Read more...]

The Hanoitimes - Measures to mitigate impacts of natural disasters and climate change on children were discussed at a conference jointly held by the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Hanoi on May 18. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong Participants also shared knowledge and experience in children-oriented disaster risk mitigation, while seeking ways to intensify cooperation in this field. Based on the outcomes of a national conference on children-oriented disaster risk mitigation held in the central province of Ninh Thuan in December 2016, this conference continued promoting cooperation within the framework of the Law on Disaster Prevention and Control, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Mitigation and sustainable development goals. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, head of the central steering committee, said that Vietnam annually … [Read more...]

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and Belgian Ambassador to Viet Nam Jehanne Roccas, Ha Noi May 18, 2017 – Photo: VGP/Thanh Chung The Vietnamese Government leader made the point on May 18 in Ha Noi while receiving Belgian Ambassador to Viet Nam Jehanne Roccas. According to Deputy PM Hue, the € 2.2 billion two-way trade turnover remained modest in comparison with respective aspiration. Hence, the host leader hoped that the two sides would beef up trade ties. Especially, Belgium will open its door for Viet Nam’s farm produce, while supporting the country in accessing advanced technology of Belgium and Europe. The Deputy PM also pledged to assign relevant Vietnamese agencies to consider technical parameters to ensure the quality of commodities exported to Belgium. Viet Nam, said Mr. Hue, wants to attract more Belgian investors to continue gain high FDI disbursement rate. The host leader took the occasion to urge Belgium, a founding and prestigious member of the EU, to … [Read more...]

Based on the outcomes of a national conference on children-oriented disaster risk mitigation held in the central province of Ninh Thuan in December 2016, this conference continued promoting cooperation within the framework of the Law on Disaster Prevention and Control, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Mitigation and sustainable development goals. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, head of the central steering committee, said that Vietnam annually suffers a variety of natural disasters which cause huge asset and human losses. In 2016, disasters left 264 people dead or missing, and 431 others injured, causing an economic loss of 39.7 trillion VND (1.74 billion USD). UNICEF Chief Representative Youssouf Abdel-Jelil said that climate change impacts are unavoidable, but the Sendai framework gives priority to investing in reducing the impacts on children at their early ages as this is an important period for their development. Decreasing vulnerability of … [Read more...]

Samsung Vietnam back to high export growth path Le Hoang HCMC - Samsung Vietnam’s export growth has regained some momentum as it looks to obtain US$11 billion from exports in the second quarter of 2017, said general director Han Myoung Sup. At his meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Government Office in Hanoi on Tuesday, Han briefed the Government leader on his company’s business performance, the Government news website reports. Samsung Vietnam expects to fetch total revenue of US$60 billion this year, including more than US$50 billion from exports. Samsung Display Vietnam (SDV), a subsidiary of Samsung Vietnam, is forecast to export about US$10 billion worth of products this year. With an investment of US$6.5 billion, SDV is expanding its production. According to a report by Samsung Vietnam, its revenue amounted to US$46.3 billion in 2016 though it stopped Samsung Note 7 smartphone production over issues with overheating and fires. Its exports totaled … [Read more...]

The Government has pledged to take stronger measures to create a level playing field for businesses and to improve the competitiveness of local enterprises. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the commitment after hearing recommendations from entrepreneurs and associations at a conference in Ha Noi yesterday. The conference themed “Siding with Business”, the second of its kind since Phuc took office as Prime Minister, aimed to build breakthrough policies to better serve business development. Over the past year since Resolution 35 on supporting and developing businesses was issued, Viet Nam has gained some achievements, such as a record 110,000 new enterprises being established and many foreign businesses planning to expand operations in the country. However, the Government still received many complaints about complicated administration procedures, high taxes and fees, “unofficial costs” and difficulties in accessing credit. According to a Viet Nam Chamber … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - The Government has pledged to take stronger measures to create a level playing field for businesses and to improve the competitiveness of local enterprises. Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc made the commitment after hearing recommendations from entrepreneurs and associations at a conference in Hà Nội yesterday. The conference themed "Siding with Business", the second of its kind since Phúc took office as Prime Minister, aimed to build breakthrough policies to better serve business development. Over the past year since Resolution 35 on supporting and developing businesses was issued, Việt Nam has gained some achievements, such as a record 110,000 new enterprises being established and many foreign businesses planning to expand operations in the country. However, the Government still received many complaints about complicated administration procedures, high taxes and fees, "unofficial costs" and difficulties in accessing credit. According to a Việt Nam Chamber … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI - China Eximbank has disbursed US$18.25 million for Hà Nội's Cát Linh-Hà Đông Railway Project, said Vũ Hồng Phương, Deputy Director General of the Railway Project Management Unit under the Ministry of Transport, on Tuesday. The amount, part of a delayed $22.75 million, has been transferred to the Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) contractor, to be paid to sub-contractors. The project has completed 90 per cent of construction work. Equipment installation is underway, Phương said. However, the delay in capital disbursement has hindered the project's progress. The Railway Project Management Unit and relevant bodies will supervise the payment process for sub-contractors to ensure they have finances for construction. It will also push the EPC contractor and sub-contractors to speed up construction to make up for the delay. The project is scheduled to begin trial runs in October and be officially operational in the second quarter of 2018. … [Read more...]

Here are the opinions of business leaders on what the fourth industrial revolution has in store for Vietnam. In this current stage of the manufacturing sector, Vietnam is still behind Malaysia and Singapore, which are almost at the robotics or semi-automation level. Given the high cost, there is also a lack of awareness and understanding among Vietnamese companies in regard to the benefits that automation can bring. This is not a big problem, however, but rather an opportunity for companies like Hitachi Systems. I believe that once Vietnamese companies see the benefits over a long-term basis, they will be quick to adapt to the trend. I understand the Vietnamese Government is now looking at Industry 4.0 as a way to sustain the country’s competitiveness. However, the road for Vietnam to enter Industry 4.0 will differ from other countries. Many foreign companies still see Vietnam within the “China plus one” model, with many companies in China diversifying their … [Read more...]

AIP holds event on road safety Van Ly The Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) in collaboration with the National Committee of Transportation Safety and the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Traffic Safety Department on Monday organized a community event themed “Get home safe” in the province. As part of the project to raise people’s awareness on road traffic safety, the event attracted more than 3,000 participants in response to the fourth global road traffic safety week lasting from May 8 to 14. The project, a cooperation program between Denmark’s APM Terminals, AIP and the Vietnamese Government, is aimed at enhancing safe driving skills for truck drivers and staff in the Cai Mep International Terminal as well as contributing to creating a safe traffic environment for the community. During the event, truck drivers, representatives of competent agencies and experts shared safe driving skills with participants. In addition, students and local residents … [Read more...]

The Global Industry 4.0 Survey, the largest research of its kind and conducted last year by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on over 2,000 companies in nine major industrial sectors from 26 leading countries, revealed that companies expect Industry 4.0 to reduce operational costs by 3.6 per cent per year while increasing efficiency by 4.1 per cent annually. The country’s major corporations have been looking at applying advanced technologies and replacing their human workforce with machinery and robots in certain industries, to raise productivity, reduce production time, and optimize labor costs. Mr. Isara Burintramart, Managing Director of Reed Tradex, ASEAN’s leading exhibition organizer, underlined the increasing dynamism of Vietnam’s industry. “Vietnam’s manufacturing has been moving away from the traditional portfolio into higher value-added products,” he said. “We have seen growth and changes in industries we serve throughout the past … [Read more...]

New policies will soon be announced by the Vietnamese government to provide more support for domestic and foreign businesses in Vietnam. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's meeting with the business community to help solve their prevailing problems, thus creating a more conducive business climate, said Le Manh Ha, Deputy Chairman of the Government Office at last week’s press briefing. Themed “Walking in step with businesses”, the meeting attracted around 2,000 direct participants, quadrupling that of the 2016 event, including 1,500 private enterprises, 200 representatives from foreign investors, diplomatic organisations and influential financial institutions and 100 state-owned enterprises, he added. Additionally, the event was broadcast live to enable leaders of 63 cities and provinces nationwide, as well as businesses, to join in. The meeting focused on assessment of the performance of Resolution 35 issued in May 2016 after the first meeting between the government … [Read more...]

The China Eximbank has disbursed 18.25 million USD for the Cat Linh – Ha Dong Railway Project, said Vu Hong Phuong, Deputy Director General of the Railway Project Management Unit under the Ministry of Transport, on May 16. The amount, part of the delayed 22.75 million USD, has been transferred to the Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) contractor, to be paid to sub-contractors. The project has completed 90 percent of the construction work. Equipment installation is underway, Phuong said. However, the delay in capital disbursement has hindered the progress of the project. The Railway Project Management Unit and relevant bodies will supervise the payment process for sub-contractors to ensure they have financial sources for construction. It will also push the EPC contractor and sub-contractors to speed up the construction to make up for the delay. The project is scheduled to begin trial run in October and be put into official operation in the second quarter of 2018. … [Read more...]

The Hanoitimes - Foreign-invested enterprises, including Samsung Complex Vietnam (Samsung Vietnam) of the Republic of Korea (RoK), are an important component of Vietnam’s economy, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told Han Myoung-Sup, General Director of Samsung Vietnam at a meeting in Hanoi on May 16. PM Phuc highlighted Samsung’s significant contributions to Vietnam’s export turnover and job generation. Applauding Samsung’s investment expansion in the country, the leader suggested the group support Vietnam in training and technology transfer, thus enabling local support industry firms, especially small and medium-sized ones, to enhance links and join the supply of materials and components, tourism service and other services for Samsung. He asked the group to accelerate the implementation of the Samsung Research and Development (R&D) centre in line with pledged progress so to help promote R&D activities in electricity and electronics in Vietnam. … [Read more...]

HÀ NỘI - Foreign-invested enterprises, including Samsung Complex Vietnam (Samsung Vietnam) of the Republic of Korea (RoK), are an important component of Việt Nam's economy, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc told Han Myoung-Sup, General Director of Samsung Vietnam at a meeting in Hà Nội yesterday. PM Phúc highlighted Samsung's significant contributions to Việt Nam's export turnover and job generation. Applauding Samsung's investment expansion in the country, the leader suggested the group support Việt Nam in training and technology transfer, thus enabling local support industry firms--especially small and medium-sized ones--to enhance links and join the supply of materials and components, tourism service and other services for Samsung. He asked the group to accelerate the implementation of the Samsung Research and Development (R&D) centre in line with pledged progress in order to help promote R&D activities in electricity and electronics in Việt Nam. Việt Nam would continue supporting … [Read more...]

The project has completed 90 percent of the construction work. Equipment installation is underway, Phuong said. However, the delay in capital disbursement has hindered the progress of the project. The Railway Project Management Unit and relevant bodies will supervise the payment process for sub-contractors to ensure they have financial sources for construction. It will also push the EPC contractor and sub-contractors to speed up the construction to make up for the delay. The project is scheduled to begin trial run in October and be put into official operation in the second quarter of 2018. Originally slated to be finished two years ago, capital issues have hindered the progress of the capital’s first metro line, threatening to derail the project.The Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway will have 12 stations and one depot area. Out of the initially projected investment of US$552 million, US$419 million (76 percent) were loans from China and the rest matching funds by the Vietnamese … [Read more...]

Viet Nam News WASHINGTON - The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved today US$155 million in financing to strengthen the research, teaching, and institutional capacity of three universities and improve the management of Việt Nam's higher education system. More than 150,000 students and 3,900 members of faculty will benefit from the investments for Việt Nam's National University of Agriculture, the University of Science and Technology in Hà Nội, and the Industry University of Hồ Chí Minh City. Some 600,000 students and 27,000 lecturers from other higher education institutions will also gain access to a digital library at the National Economics University. "Việt Nam's gains in higher education are evident in the numbers: 17 times more students enrolled since 1991," says Ousmane Dione, the World Bank Country Director for Việt Nam. "But Việt Nam needs stronger growth in labour productivity and further significant shifts of the workforce to more productive sectors. … [Read more...]

New policies will soon be announced by the Vietnamese government to provide more support for domestic and foreign businesses in Vietnam. Come mid-week, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will chair a meeting with the business community to help solve their prevailing problems, thus creating a more conducive business climate, said Le Manh Ha, Deputy Chairman of the Government Office at last week’s press briefing. Themed “Walking in step with businesses”, the meeting will attract around 2,000 direct participants, quadrupling that of the 2016 event, including 1,500 private enterprises, 200 representatives from foreign investors, diplomatic organisations and influential financial institutions and 100 state-owned enterprises, he added. Additionally, the event will be broadcast live to enable leaders of 63 cities and provinces nationwide, as well as businesses, to join in. The meeting will focus on assessment of the performance of Resolution 35 issued in May 2016 after the … [Read more...]