A Sacombank transaction office in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of Sacombank Sacombank has set aside VND10 trillion (US$434.78 million) for preferential loans to corporate customers at interest rates starting at 4 per cent for a maximum tenor of six months to help exporters and businesses overcome the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme targets enterprises ranging in size from micro to large that use the bank’s services like e-banking, salary payment, guarantee, international payment, and others. The interest rate will be 4-6.7 per cent depending on the type of business, scale of operation, loan tenor, and the use of the bank’s services. The loans will be given until December 31 or the package is exhausted. In addition to useful financial solutions, Sacombank also offers promotions to increase benefits for corporate customers. From June 1 to August 31, all corporate customers can choose account numbers for free, have their annual fees for business cards exempted and payroll service fees waived for three years and get fee waivers or reductions on a number of services, while their staff are entitled to preferential treatment when using modern, full-package banking services. New and existing corporate customers with increases in transactions or resume transactions at Sacombank and meeting certain conditions in terms of value of transactions and average balance in their current accounts will be eligible to participate in the lucky spin programme ‘ Tung bung xe sang – Trieu deal thang hang .’ It will offer one special prize of an Audi Q2 car worth VND1.8 billion ($78,283), six first prizes of combos worth VND100 million each and 12 second prizes of combos worth VND50 million each. Customers who win the first and second prizes can choose their gifts, which are combos of modern office equipment like interactive screens, projectors, laptops, printers, and tablets and office healthcare equipment like air purifiers, automatic hand …
World bank
Make yourself at home in Vietnam
Whenever I reach a new destination I seek out a favourite coffee shop as my headquarters or “HQ.” No idea how I picked up the habit – there is no logical reason for it. After all these years of roaming around I’ve just picked up a few odd habits I guess, and this is one of them. I need an HQ or I won’t feel settled in. Somewhere where people can find me in the daytime (but since I know nobody, there’s nobody to find me - yet). The criteria are rigid: First, the café must be frequented entirely by locals. Bluntly put, if I wanted to hang out with foreigners I’d have stayed in Western countries instead of coming to Southeast Asia. The gaggles of selfie-snapping tourists from the big cities aren’t my thing either. Secondly, I want a traditional local place, not some corporate, mass-produced experience, where customers queue up at a counter to be served with someone sporting a name tag who wishes them a nice day who definitely doesn’t care what kind of day I have. That’s what I was used to in Western countries and what I came to Vietnam to get away from. My favourite café in Da Lat is so laid back and homey I call it “The Living Room.” The place is tucked away on a little street in the old part of the city, just a single shop hole-in-the-wall. The Living Room has been in business for 30 years, and it definitely looks a bit worse for the wear, but it’s got character. The customers are working class, right up my alley: Tradesmen, motorbike taxi drivers, tourist guides, the odd policeman, shop workers and owners from nearby businesses, bank employees from across the street who sneak over for a quick drink, and a large contingent of giggling lady lottery vendors. I scoped it out a few times before going inside, just to confirm that neither foreigners nor tourists from the big cities are present. And indeed the coast was clear: They’re decidedly more up-market and frequent the trendy places, the safe mainstream choices. The interior layout is simple with long …
The return of the bicycle
The return of the bicycle By Nguyen An Nam Bicycles have returned during the time of Covid-19 - PHOTO: THANH HOA Bicycles now suit well the diverse demand of urbanites during the time of the pandemic, speeding up changes in lifestyles and cultural practices. Needless to say, it is impossible for the bike to replace other transport means as long as life becomes normal again. However, as far as the benefits a bike can do to physical and mental health are concerned, the return of the bike is so meaningful right at this moment. Before the outbreak of Covid-19 in Vietnam, Mr. Tan’s wife gave birth to the couple’s second child. Mr. Tan then took a driving test. He had to repeat it three times to get the driver’s license. The whole family went together to car showrooms to buy a Mazda 3. But hardly had he driven the brand-new car for only a few months while still unfamiliar with the streets in Saigon being on the wheel than the city experienced social distancing, one time after another. The car therefore had to sit in the garage. Swimming pools, gyms and yoga classes were closed. Having to be confined to his house for a while, Mr. Tan began to feel restless and frustrated. His son, too, was about to face the problem of obesity and became much more nasty because of psychological distress. So, he led the kid to a bike shop to take home two bikes at reasonable prices. The pandemic-time bicycles On the first days after they had got their new bikes, the father and his son woke up early and rode their bikes around his house. The distance was about five kilometers. Afterwards, the little boy had become used to being early to rise. The two went for longer distances to new routes. Now, on the weekend, they were able to travel up to 30 kilometers. One day, they rode their bikes to Can Gio District, some 50 kilometers from downtown HCMC. Mr. Tan noticed that both the physical and mental health of him and his kid had significantly improved since the buy of …