Why rooftop solar is bad

Sembcorp has made significant progress by growing its industrial property portfolio. How can its achievements be assessed? Charles Chong, head of Sembcorp Development in Vietnam Since Sembcorp started Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in 1996, we have diversified our industrial property portfolio. With VSIP, we pioneered the integrated township and industrial park concept. In 2022, Sembcorp launched a new smart and sustainable VSIP and obtained a licence for our 12th VSIP, to be developed in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Sembcorp has also completed ready-built warehouses in Haiphong city and Hai Duong province, both in the north. We are working with Vietnam in its industrialisation and urbanisation journey. We are proud that our projects have brought us closer to the Vietnamese people by generating good employment opportunities, catalysing growth in provinces, establishing communities in new places, and taking care of the disadvantaged in our communities. … [Read more...] about Sembcorp’s consistent sustainability

The keys to economic momentum. Photo: Shutterstock Michele Wee, CEO of Standard Chartered Vietnam “Maintaining macroeconomic stability” We expect the global economy to slow in 2023 as central banks around the world maintain restrictive monetary policies. We forecast modest global GDP growth of 2.5 per cent in 2023, slowing from an expected 3.4 per cent in 2022. The headwinds that have faced most economies in 2022 are likely to persist in the months ahead, however, we anticipate a recovery to take hold in the second half. Our recent global research report on Vietnam indicates that GDP growth is likely to remain strong in 2023. We still have a conviction about Vietnam’s high-growth potential over the medium term, expecting the growth rate to be 7.2 per cent in 2023 and 6.7 per cent in 2024. While macro indicators moderated somewhat in Q4/2022, they remain largely robust. Retail sales posted solid growth in the second half of 2022, implying improved … [Read more...] about The keys to economic momentum

Much remains to be done for Vietnam to reach the goal of becoming a developed country by 2045, but it is moving in the right direction. After a difficult year and on the eve of the Year of the Cat, international experts told The Hanoi Times about Vietnam's economic performance and their expectations for the country ahead. Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director to Vietnam: Vietnam’s economy bounces back well Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director to Vietnam. We all recognize that Vietnam has bounced back very well, partly driven by rising demand from domestic consumption and investment. But behind the steady growth, I would say there are some concerns. It should be noted that Vietnam’s economy is driven by global demand, so a scenario of global economic slowdown would be a huge challenge. Vietnam has a foreign trade size of an estimated 200% of GDP, so it is an open economy, and we cannot dissociate the fortunes of Vietnam from … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s economic outlook through prism of int’l experts