Viet Nam News By Dr. Mathieu Nalpas* Everyone who's been to Việt Nam even once will know that coffee is a big deal here. Since the introduction of the first plantations in the 19th century, Việt Nam has become the second largest producer and exporter of coffee in the world behind Brazil. Coffee business brings in US$3 billion a year and represents a livelihood for nearly 2.6 million people. Walking through city streets, we realize that there are likely more coffee shops in Việt Nam than bakeries and bistros in France. So yes, this plant producing stimulating effect, initially coming from Ethiopia, is a way of life in Việt Nam. Good for health? Caffeine is a psychoactive substance found in coffee. It is also found in tea, sodas, cocoa and chocolate. Caffeine promotes the release of exciter neurotransmitters in the brain, which explains its stimulating effect. A lot of scientific studies have been carried out over the last 10 years and most of them seem to confirm the beneficial … [Read more...] about Coffee’s good for you in small doses
What senna leaves good for
Competition is good for the market
Competition is good for the market There's increasing worry about Vietnamese retailers in fierce competition with their foreign rivals now that Vietnam has opened the door wider to foreign players since January. Steven H L Goh, chief executive officer of the Business Company and executive chairman of Retail Asia Publishing Pte Ltd., which holds the Retail Asia Pacific Top 500 Awards, told the Daily during his business trip to Vietnam last week that it will not happen soon as thought by some experts. Excerpts: - Steven H L Goh: I do not think there will be a major war between local and foreign retailers like what people think. There are always different market niches. Vietnam has opened its retail market wider to foreign investors since January this year and China did the same in December 2007 because of WTO commitments. When China opened its door, there was no rush of many foreigners going to set up stores there. In other words, there was no floodgate… and there is no big rush for … [Read more...] about Competition is good for the market
Conditional release of prisoners: good for the budget, good for society
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Ngọc Bằng, director general of the Department of Criminal Verdict Implementation and Legal Aid, spoke to the newspaper Tuổi trẻ (Youth) about a proposal to allow reformed prisoners to re-unite with their families while serving their sentence. Would you explain the Government's conditioned policy of releasing criminal prisoners to re-unite with their families before they end their jail term? The proposal to give conditional amnesty to criminal prison inmates who have reformed themselves while serving their sentences is new to Việt Nam, but not new in a few other countries. Some people might interpret this as a Government amnesty to these inmates. That's a wrong interpretation. Under the new policy, those who are allowed to re-unite with their families under certain conditions will still be serving their prison terms in their residential community. After returning to their communities, these inmates will have to report to local authorities and are not … [Read more...] about Conditional release of prisoners: good for the budget, good for society
Is what’s good for China also good for Southeast Asia?
China may be at odds with several Southeast Asian nations over territorial claims in the South China Sea, yet when it comes to economic policy, what’s good for China is also good for its neighbors. Here’s how China’s intensifying efforts to stimulate Asia’s No. 1 economy could help Southeast Asian exports, currencies and tourism. 1. Exporting nations China was the largest single trading partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2013, according to the latest data available. Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam stand out as the three economies with the highest direct trade exposure to China, while that of the Philippines and Indonesia is more marginal, said Glenn Maguire, a Singapore-based economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. "We continue to focus on the likelihood of China stimulus aligning with a return of the U.S. consumer, a potent combination for the open trading economies of Southeast Asia that should see exports and … [Read more...] about Is what’s good for China also good for Southeast Asia?
High inflation rate not good for economy: expert
Dr. Vo Tri Thanh, a leading economics from the Central Institute for Economic Management talks with about the challenges facing Vietnam's economy. Thanh Nien: What were the positive aspects of Vietnam's economy in 2007? The positives include the optimism of local people, businesses, policymakers, and the government's leaders, stemming from the highly anticipated accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) from the end of 2006 to early 2007. Becoming a WTO member is not the beginning or the end of the country's reform and integration. It merely demonstrates the trust of foreign investors in Vietnam's progress to date. It wasn't by chance that a large amount of foreign direct investment and foreign aid (ODA) poured into Vietnam in 2007. But by the end of 2007, when reviewing what we had done, we found there remained a lot of things that we need to do to develop the country. Do you want to say anything about the double-digit inflation rate? The economy is exposing its … [Read more...] about High inflation rate not good for economy: expert