Social Headlines January 25 HCM City pays $57m in unemployment benefits Last year, 109,600 laid-off workers in HCM City applied for unemployment benefits, according to the city's Job Placement Centre. Also, nearly 108,500 employees were paid unemployment insurance benefits worth VND1.2 trillion (US$57.1 million). Around 5,700 unemployed workers registered for vocational training courses in 2013. The centre posted information about jobs to more than 77,600 laid-off workers, and half of them successfully applied for these positions. Also last year, 23,000 people found jobs through employment fairs organised by the centre. The centre plans to introduce jobs to 330,000 people this year and expects to record 100,000 applications for unemployment benefits in 2014. Festive blooms stop the traffic   It seems folks in the city are all flocking to well known hotspots to choose the best flower pots to adorn their homes for Tet (Lunar New Year). Amidst the gaiety that this activity brings out into the city's streets, there are some residents, including commuters, who are not sharing the festive cheer. The reason is not difficult to discern – worsening traffic congestion. Hoang Hoa Tham Street has for long been known as the place-to-go in Ha Noi to purchase plants and flowers. The already crowded street now is now overflowing. At this flower market, which runs from the fork of Lac Long Quan and Buoi Streets to the Hoang Hoa Tham Junior Secondary School on the eponymous street, the flower pots and plants have not just encroached the pavement, but spilled on the street as well, colourfully and fragrantly blocking traffic. Elsewhere, on Au Co Street, the Quan Thanh intersection and several other places, dozens of street vendors have set up shop, drawing both admiring glances and frustrated looks with the flora they put on display. In many places, pavements and roadsides are no longer the preserve of pedestrians, they have become ad-hoc markets. At the mini flower markets on Thuy Khue Street, which are taking up large spaces in front of temple gates, customers stop right on the road to bargain and make purchases, and the congestion this causes during rush hours is particularly bad. Authorities say they are aware of the problem, but have limited intervention options. Lieutenant Phung Duc Hieu of the Traffic Police Department said congestion at the Hoang Hoa Tham – Buoi fork has become a Tet practice, because the traffic flow is always very high during this period of the year. Although traffic police officers are deployed in the area the whole day, it is almost impossible to avoid the jams caused, he said. Fines for pavement and road encroachment have not proved effective because these violations continued to happen during the Tet season. Bui Tuan Duong, Vice Chairman of Thuy Khue Ward's People's Committee, said they have asked Tay Ho District's People's Committee to relocate the business area, but no decision has been taken yet. Viet Nam sees increase in ‘vulnerable' workers Viet Nam recorded a 2.2 per cent increase in "vulnerable employment" – which is either self-employment or employing family workers – in the fourth quarter of 2013. These findings were shown in comparison to 2012 statistics, as seen in a new report issued by the International Labour Organisation. Meanwhile, overall employment grew by only 1.7 per cent. As a result, vulnerable employment in Viet Nam reached 62 per cent of total employment – well above the global figure of 47.7 per cent. At the same time, Viet Nam remained among those countries with the lowest jobless rate globally in the fourth quarter of 2013, although its unemployment rate rose to 1.9 per cent from 1.8 per cent in the same period of 2012. During this period, the country's labour force increased by close to one million people, with the majority of positions in services, industry and construction. Gov’t orders tightened measures to prevent bird flu The Prime Minister has requested ministries, agencies and localities to strengthen the fight against avian influenza by cracking down on cross-border smuggling of poultry and poultry products, in the context of the rise of a wide range of new virus strains in regional countries and territories. The PM’s urgent notice No. 133/CD-TTg issued on January 23 said there are high risks for new strains of avian flu viruses like H7N9, H10N8, H5N1, H5N2, H6N1 which are found in both humans and animals to enter Vietnam through illegal poultry and poultry products trading as well as visitors from countries with epidemics. Therefore, to minimize the risks, relevant agencies and localities must continue to keep up efforts in implementing earlier instructions on bird flu prevention and anti-smuggling fight, the notice said. The Ministry of Information and Communications is instructed to work with relevant ministries, agencies, local authorities and the mass media to raise public awareness of the fight, helping them understand the health risk of contraband poultry and products with ambiguous origin as well as the harm they pose to domestic farmers. Precautionary measures to prevent virus transmission on both humans and animals will also be introduced to the public along the way. At the same time, the PM asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Public Health and localities, particularly border areas to keep close check of the situation at home and neighbouring countries, including cross-border travelling, live fowl markets and patients with flu symptoms. They were also required to get ready an urgent action plan in response to dangerous flu viruses that potentially infect humans. The World Health Organisation and regional countries reported that 147 people were infected with H7N9 virus with 47 deaths in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan last year. Meanwhile, 38 were diagnosed suffering from H5N1 virus and 24 lost their lives. On January 20, Vietnam also recorded its first death from this virus in the southern province of Binh Phuoc. Since early 2014, neighbouring China has detected 11 cases of H7N9, including four deaths. According to the World Veterinary Organisation, H5N1 outbreaks appeared in 13 countries last year. On December 21, 2013 , the highly-pathogenic H5N2 virus was found on domestic and wild birds in Hebei, China- Major dredging work underway The central coastal province of Quang Nam is undertaking the first phase of dredging work on the Cua Dai River estuary in Hoi An to enable large fishing vessels to berth. Phan Quang Them, technical officer with the Domestic Waterway Management Department, which is supervising the project, said the project was divided into two phases. In the first phase, workers will dredge 100,000 cubic metres of sediment from a 2-km long stretch of waterway to be 30 metres wide and 4 metres deep. Le Trung Dung, head of the work team, said recent heavy rain and strong waves had hindered operations. He said work was being sped up to allow fishermen to navigate the estuary after Tet. During the second phase of work, the province will ask the Ministry of Transport to continue dredging the estuary to make it navigable for even bigger vessels. Last year, a build-up of silt in the Cua Dai estuary after the eleventh major storm, Nari, hit the region. Not only did this block thousands of fishing boats, but halted most transport to the 3,000 people on the Cham Islands, 15km from the estuary. The 1km-wide estuary had a depth of only 1.2 metres at low tide and 1.8 metres at high tide. Vessels using engines of more than 30 horsepower could not navigate the shallows. The provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Transport to urgently dredge the estuary. The HCM City based-Que Huong Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company won the contract. New decree stipulates public notification before hiring The Government has recently issued a new decree regarding the process to be followed when recruiting workers. According to the decree, companies must notify the public about their seeking to hire new workers at least five days before accepting applications for jobs. In addition, within five working days after employment decisions have been completed, companies must publicly notify all applicants. Companies are also requested to return job application documents to the job-seekers, even if they fail to get hired, within five days when an applicant asks for the return of the documents. Firms fined over stale candy, sugared fruit The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai's Food Safety and Hygiene Department fined two local fruit companies on Wednesday for violating food safety and hygiene regulations. An inspection by authorities in Bao Thang District found Le Thanh Binh packing out of date candy and sugared fruit for sale. Another company was also caught using sugared fruits of unknown origin and different company labels on packaging. Owner Tran Kim Hai failed to produce legal documents to verify the origin of the goods as well as food safety and hygiene certificates. The inspectors imposed VND2 million (US$90) and VND23 million ($1,100) fines on the two establishments. Provincial authorities are also co-operating with relevant agencies to ensure food to meets safety and hygiene standards over the Tet holiday. WB helps Vietnam’s social assistance programmes The World Bank (WB) on has approved US$60 million in credit to help strengthen Vietnam’s social assistance system via management and service innovations nationwide. The January 22 announcement noted pilot programmes will be run in four provinces. Although Vietnam has achieved remarkable poverty reduction outcomes over the past two decades, ethnic minorities and other groups are disproportionately represented among the nation’s disadvantaged. Vietnam’s existing social assistance system leaves important policy and implementation gaps that risk hampering long-term poverty and economic vulnerability reduction. The fragmentation of programs and delivery systems creates considerable inefficiencies. Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Nguyen Trong Dam agreed Vietnam’s social protection programmes suffer from fragmentation and unnecessary overlaps., “We want to consolidate social assistance systems into a robust, long-term driver of sustainable poverty reduction. This project represents a breakthrough in that direction. We are confident the reforms will succeed,” he said. WB Country Director to Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa noted governments are increasingly focused on protecting their most vulnerable citizens against extreme deprivation, creating failsafes against economic shocks, and providing opportunities to the poor. The Social Assistance System Strengthening Project (SASSP) will receive the bulk of the funding,  emphasising the importance of involving poor children in their own future and providing them the agency needed to break ”hereditary” poverty cycles. The project’s strengthened social assistance system, spanning the length of the country, includes critical elements such as a national poverty database tracking poor, near-poor, and social assistance beneficiary households. The information management system supports the Government’s attempts at consolidation and public spending efficiency. In the four pilot project provinces of Ha Giang, Quang Nam, Tra Vinh and Lam Dong, a consolidated “Cơ hội thoát nghèo truyền kiếp” (Opportunity to Escape Inter-Generational Poverty) programme will replace three existing initiatives. The project is a product of a collaboration between the MoLISA, UNICEF, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and the WB. Deputy Minister Dam noted the project presents Vietnam with a great opportunity to modernise its social protection system, establishing new standards of transparency, efficiency, and universal access.   Tay Ninh to set up border gate management board The southern province of Tay Ninh will establish a board to manage its international and national border gates before February 15. According to Pham Van Son, deputy head of the Tay Ninh economic zone management board, the establishment is implemented under the Prime Minister’s decision on managing activities at land border gates. The new management board will have to coordinate with other relevant agencies in putting forth common statutes on maintaining security, order and peace with neighbouring Cambodia. Sharing over 240 kilometres of border with Cambodia, Tay Ninh province plays an important role in promoting foreign economic relations development strategies. It is a link in sub-regional cooperation programmes, as well as regional and international economic integration plans. In its socio-economic development strategy, the province has identified the border economic zones as a momentum to accelerate the growth and restructuring of its economy towards industrialisation and modernisation. Tay Ninh has Moc Bai Border Gate Economic Zone and Xa Mat Border Gate Economic Zone, which are both very dynamic, contributing to the local socio- economic development. The Moc Bai Border Gate not only acts as a trade gateway between Tay Ninh province and Cambodia, but also plays an important role in forming outward economic development as well as an international trade centre of the sub-regional cooperation plans under the economic development strategy of the south of Vietnam. The zone is among the few border economic zones allowed by the Prime Minister to implement open policies towards the "non-tariff" for the commercial and industrial areas within the border economic zones. The policies offer many investment incentives including zero-tax or reduced tax for companies and individuals, and facilitate immigration and residency at the border economic zone. Meanwhile, the Xa Mat zone is the most important international border gate of the southern region as it is located on Highway 22B, considered the backbone road connecting the Tonle Sap Lake tourist site with Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Bangkok (Thailand), and the other northern provinces of Cambodia and Laos, and onward to Myanmar and India. Friendship association corrects false allegations The Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association has made efforts to help correct the opposition’s slanderous allegations against the two countries’ traditional friendship. It was heard at the ninth conference of the association’s central executive board held in the northern province of Bac Ninh on January 23. Over the past 35 years of development, the association has set up its chapters in almost all localities across the country, with former experts and veterans being key members. In 2013, it held a wide range of activities to popularise Vietnam-Cambodia relations. The Vietnamese side sent tens of doctors to Cambodia to provide free check-ups and treatment for local people. The association also actively participated in border security protection work, border marker planting and the search for the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who died in Cambodia. On the occasion of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) celebration, the association also presented 10 gifts to poor Vietnamese veterans who fought in the Cambodian battlefields, as well as launched a fundraising campaign to help its members living in difficulty. Cambodian delegation pays pre-Tet visit to Binh Phuoc A delegation of senior officials from the five Cambodian provinces of Kampongthom, Mudulkiri, Kampongcham, Kratie and Stungtreng visited the southern province of Binh Phuoc on January 23 on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival. Bidding New Year greetings to the local leaders and people, Kratie province’s Governor Sor Chom Rong thanked Vietnam and Binh Phuoc province in particular for the support given to Cambodia over the past time, especially the five localities. He voiced his hope that the close friendship, cooperation and solidarity between the two countries and peoples will stay unshakable forever. In reply, Chairman of the Binh Phuoc People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tram briefed his guests on the province’s socio-economic situation and expressed his thanks to Cambodia for its support in searching for and repatriating Vietnamese volunteer soldiers who died in the country. Workforce lags behind region The failure to encourage students to enroll in vocational streams has led to the low quality of human resources in the country, experts told a conference yesterday. Dr Nguyen Dac Hung, head of the Central Committee for Propaganda and Education's Department for Vocational Training, said the qualifications and skills of the country's workforce are too low. If things do not change, its human resources cannot compete with those from other countries when Viet Nam joins the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, he warned. Counselling students to enroll in vocational streams could help improve human resource quality, he said. Associate Professor Dr Mac Van Tien, head of the National Institute for Vocational Training, said there has been a failure to guide children to join vocational schools for the last 20 years. Therefore, most secondary school graduates automatically enroll in high schools, and high school graduates in universities, he said, and only a small number join technical and vocational training schools. One fallout is that unemployment among people with university degrees is much higher than those with vocational training, he said. The country lacks professional secondary and high school staff to guide students to enter vocational streams, he said. He called for improving dissemination of information about vocational schools, incentives for students choosing vocational streams, and the need for human resources graduating from vocational schools. The Government should review its incentives for students choosing vocational schools and businesses working with schools to provide vocational guidance, he said. Offering incentives would be one way to attract students to vocational schools, he added. Pham Ngoc Thanh, deputy head of the HCM City Department of Education and Training, spoke about the city's success in persuading students to choose vocational studies. The People's Committee interest in the matter has contributed to the success, he said. His department works with businesses to expose students to vocational skills and encourage them to enter such schools, he said. It also co-operates with district authorities to offer encouragement at the family level too, he added. Illegal miners kept on the run in Hung Yen Illegal sand miners in northern Hung Yen Province have been on the run for a month since local authorities launched a major crackdown on their activities. Specifically, it is claimed that dozens of river dredges have ceased operations in Phu Thinh Commune in Kim Dong District and in Tan Hung Commune in Hung Yen City. Similar clampdowns have been reported in Kim Dong, Khoai Chau, and Tien Lu districts, according to Le Quang Vinh, head of the Natural Resources and Minerals sub-department under the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Police are using a variety of measures to stop mining along the Hong and Luoc rivers, Vinh added. They are co-operating with authorities to inspect the theft of sand from many sites. The province has also run social media campaigns to raise people's awareness about the need to protect the environment. They have also ordered local authorities to honour their responsibilities. Hung Yen officials have also called on authorities in neighbouring provinces, such as Ha Noi, Ha Nam and Thai Binh, to join in the clampdown. Kim Dong District police last month arrested the operators of three dredges for scooping sand illegally from the Hong River in Mai Dong Commune's Hanh Lam Hamlet. Meanwhile, Khoai Chau District police have prosecuted six illegal miners. They were fined a total of VND135 million (more than US$6,000). According to Khoai Chau and Tien Lu residents, illegal miners began moving in a big way at the start of 2011.They were alleged to be stealing from a thousand to millions of cubic metres of sand a day. This not only weakened the banks, threatening houses, but also affected the quality of water being supplied to towns and paddy fields. In Kim Dong District and Hung Yen City, illegal exploitation of alluvial soil also led to the collapse of a large area of land into the Hong River and threatening dykes. Mineral quarries closed in Tay Ninh Authorities in southern Tay Ninh Province have closed five quarries in a bid to protect unexploited mineral resources and restore the area's natural landscape in the Ba Den Mountain region. The total area of the five closed quarries is 16 hectares, according to officials. Previously, five other quarries were closed in 2005. There is currently no company allowed to excavate rocks at Ba Den Mountain. Road traffic sees a year of positive outcomes More than 5.5 million traffic violations nationwide resulted in 2.9 billion VND (138,000 USD) in fines last year, according to the Department of Road and Railway Traffic Police. With the harmonious collaboration of relevant sectors along with timely solutions, 2013 saw 29,385 road accidents, a decline of 1,610 cases over 2012. The death toll also decreased by 55 from 9,424 cases. Such violations as overloading, drink driving or riding without a helmet were provided with proper punishment. Over the year, the police made reforms in the process of transferring vehicle ownership and taking invalid registrations back. Additionally, the department put into operation an online system of vehicle management and registration to make it easier for road users.- Major hospitals in Hanoi, HCM City to be expanded The Prime Minister has approved the extension of five large hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the Saigon Giai Phong daily’s English edition reported on January 23. These projects aim to provide relief for existing overcrowded hospitals. Development in Hanoi will include Bach Mai and Viet-Duc hospitals while that in Ho Chi Minh City, the Children Hospital, Tumor Hospital and Hospital 175. The Ministry of Defense will coordinate the expansion of Hospital 175 and the Ministry of health, the rest. All expansion will start this year and is expected to finish in 2016, by which e ach hospital in Hanoi will have 1,000 beds.- Activities held nationwide to bring happy Tet to all Government agencies have come together in an effort to bring a happy lunar New Year (Tet) to disadvantaged people across the country ahead of the holidays. Official representatives from the central province of Thanh Hoa on January 22 sent 105,000 Tet gifts from the state president to people who have rendered services to the nation. More than 45,000 gifts were also presented to poor families. In the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang , the Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) handed over 200 houses worth 6 billion VND to poor families. According to Nguyen Van Du, Vice Director General of Vietinbank, since 2010, the bank has offered over 50 billion VND to help ease difficulties for locals with more than 2,000 houses. Meanwhile, leaders of the southern province of Ninh Thuan presented 55,260 Tet gifts to beneficiaries and poor people, as well as more than 19,000 gifts valued at 200,000 VND each to street children and those living in shelters. In the the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, 450 Tet presents were given by local authorities to workers facing difficulties, while the provincial Federation of Labour also presented more than 1,000 gifts to struggling workers. On January 22, Honourary Consul of the South African in Ho Chi Minh City , Do Thi Kim Lien, South African Ambassador to Vietnam Kgomotso Ruth Magau and representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Police newspaper, handed over a new cultural house to local people at Phuc Thang ward, Vinh Yen city in northern Vinh Phuc province. On the occasion, Lien also presented 20 Tet gifts to the elderly and war veterans in the locality. Transport companies increase services for Tet Transport companies, including Vietnam Airlines and Vietnam Railways, have announced that they will increase their schedules of flights and trains to meet demand and reduce overload during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported on January 23. Vietnam Airlines has increased the number of flights on two routes, including Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi between January 24-26 and Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang between January 24-28. Furthermore, the national flag carrier will offer a 20 percent discount on prices if passengers purchase tickets online from January 31 to February 3 for flights departing from February 11 to March 31 on domestic and Southeast Asian routes. Sai Gon Railways announced on January 22 two extra trains for the Ho Chi Minh City – Phan Thiet route from February 1-3. Officials of the Hanoi Train Station said they will increase twofold the number of trains for routes of Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi - Vinh in Nghe An province between January 27-28. Additionally, trains on Hanoi - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Hai Phong routes are expected to add more cars. Ministry looks for ways to boost FDI attraction The FDI sector attracted nearly 22 billion USD and achieved a trade surplus of nearly 13.9 billion USD, significantly contributing to the development of Vietnam’s economy in 2013. However, it would have contributed more if shortcomings in FDI attraction and disbursement had been improved. Report by the Vietnam Economic News on January 23. According to the Foreign Investment Agency (the Ministry of Planning and Investment), in 2013, Vietnam attracted more than 12,000 new FDI projects and nearly 500 projects added its capital with total newly registered and added capital of nearly 22 billion USD, an increase of 69 percent compared to 13.013 billion USD in 2012. This mark an increase of 57 percent over the target of 13-14 billion USD set out by the agency. General Statistics Office Director Nguyen Bich Lam said a strong increase in FDI helped total social investment capital in 2013 reach about 30.44 percent of the GDP, an increase of 7 percent compared to 2012. Together with FDI attraction, disbursement in 2013 reached 11.5 billion USD, an increase of 9.9 percent compared to 2012, higher than an increase of 7.3 percent and 5.6 percent in the state and non-state sectors respectively. Not only significantly contributing to the economy through attraction and disbursement, the FDI sector also contributed to Vietnam’s economy in 2013 through export-import activities. Lam said that Vietnam’s export growth in 2013 greatly depended on the FDI sector. Minister Bui Quang Vinh said that in the context of the global economic crisis and domestic difficulties, the FDI sector significantly contributed to an increase in total social investment capital and import-export activities. This was a success of Vietnam. However, the sector would have been able to contribute more if shortcomings in FDI attraction and disbursement had been improved, reflecting through the weakness of the infrastructure system, poor quality human resources, undeveloped support industries, unimproved institutional issues, inconsistent policies and complicated administrative procedures. These shortcomings were confirmed by Vinh. The ministry has launched five solution groups to do away with those shortcomings, including perfecting the legal system related to FDI attraction towards consistency, openness, transparency, predictability; adjusting some principles in investment; completing criteria for granting investment licenses; renewing investment promotion activities; and strengthening inspection and supervision of investment activities. It has also sought ways to create favourable conditions for foreign-invested enterprises in order to resolve difficulties on a timely basis.- Can Tho actively deals with environmental pollution The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has encouraged its industrial establishments to use environmentally friendly equipment and build waste treatment systems in an effort to reduce pollution. The city has also targeted the use of clean technology in all new production facilities and concentrated waste water treatment systems in new industrial zones. It will link with neighbouring localities in supervising the protection of the environment, especially its water resources. Waste water treatment stations have been built in all towns, while industrial and hospital waste water has been treated before it is discharged into rivers. Can Tho has also built a 200 hectare inner-city solid water treatment area in its O Mon district and another covering 50 hectares in Thot Not district to handle waste for outlying areas. It has started the first phase of the Thot Not industrial waste water treatment plant with a capacity of processing 2,500 cu.m per day. The plant is expected to double its capacity by late 2014 when the second phase is completed. In addition, a waste water treatment plant is being constructed at the Tra Not Industrial Park with a daily capacity of 12,000 cu.m. According to the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, all industrial zones in Can Tho discharge about 30,000 cu.m of waste water per day plus 70,000 cu.m per day from local residents. However, the lack of treatment systems has resulted in serious pollution in the Hau River and surrounding canals.- Special Tet tours designed to meet incresing demand Travel agencies have said that the number of foreign visitors and overseas Vietnamese wishing to experience the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival in Vietnam has increased significantly this year. Therefore, many agencies have launched specialised and private tours to meet their growing demand, according to the People’s Army online newspaper. The most popular tour is “Enjoy southern spring, take Tet home” of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, in which visitors will be taken to flower villages and a southern spring flower fair, or enjoy a homestay to learn how to make cylindrical glutinous rice cakes, and purchase traditional Tet gifts in localities. All Tet tours are expected to grow over 30 percent on the occasion of the longest and most important annual festival. In 2013, Vietnam received 7,572,352 foreign tourists, a 10.6 percent rise over 2012. Vietnam’s tourism sector plans to receive 8 million foreign visitors and serve 37.5 million domestic holidaymakers this year. VNA/VNS/VOV/Nhandan/VGP/SGGP

Y �%g : P �� ine-height: 12.0pt;background:white'>Viettel, the country's largest mobile carrier in terms of number of subscribers, said its mobile users are unlikely to face congestion issues, as a large number of 2G network users had shifted to the 3G network, reducing the overload on the 2G network.

"In fact, over the past two years, the demand for sending mobile texts during the Lunar New Year has reduced following a boom in 3G usage, which prompted us to upgrade our 3G capacity," said the head of Viettel's network department, Tao Duc Thang.

He said the company has focused on upgrading its transmission capacity by installing more BTSs (base transmission stations) in locations where large crowds are expected to congregate to celebrate the New Year.

"We will also use mobile BTSs installed in cars during New Year's eve," Thang added.

The carrier said that its network allows download and upload speeds of up to 21.6 and 5.76 megabits per second, respectively, which will reduce the likelihood of congestion.

MobiFone's deputy general director Nguyen Dang Nguyen said this year, more people will use high-speed data services to share their photos and videos of New Year celebrations, thanks to the popularity of smartphones.

The country's oldest carrier has installed a large number of additional 3G data transmission stations and mobile stations for the busiest time of the year.

New mobile subscriptions in Viet Nam have skyrocketed in recent years, climbing from 19 million in 2006 to 25 million in 2007, 74 million in 2008, 98 million in 2009 and 134 million by the end of 2013.

The country has five mobile network operators: Vinaphone, MobiFone, Viettel, Vietnamobile and Gtel.

Vegetable oil exports set to increase

The domestic production of refined vegetable oil this year is estimated at about 774,000 tonnes, up 7.8 per cent from last year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has said.

The Ministry also forecast 2015's output at around 850,000 tonnes, 9.8 per cent higher from this year's estimated output.

However, the ministry pointed out that local vegetable oil producers will continue to face hardships due to their heavy dependence on raw material imports.

The industry imports up to 90 per cent of its raw material requirements, and their prices often tend to be volatile.

Local producers have also faced intensifying competition from vegetable oil imports, the ministry added.

During 2011-13, refined vegetable oil production in the country rose 8.3 per cent annually, which is a lower pace compared with previous years, as a result of increasing competition from vegetable oil imports from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, which enjoy zero import tax.

As a result, in September last year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade decided to impose a 5 per cent import tax on refined soybean oil and palm oil, noting that the surge in imports is harming the domestic industry. The tariff is expected to gradually ease to 2 per cent by 2017.

The ministry introduced the tax after an eight-month investigation, which showed that the market share of local vegetable oil producers had declined from 52 per cent in 2009 to 27 per cent in 2012, even as demand increased from 100 tonnes to 137.94 tonnes during the same period.

The investigation was initiated in December following an application by the National Company for Vegetable Oils, Aromas and Cosmetics of Viet Nam and seven other producers.

It is the first time the Government has invoked an ordinance on safeguard measures against imports, which it passed in 2002.

Highway 1 to receive $141m

The Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) will provide nearly VND3 trillion (US$141 million) in loans to expand a 70-km section of National Highway 1.

The loan will help upgrade the 29-km section of National Highway 1 that runs through the central province of Binh Dinh and another 40-km section connecting Binh Dinh Province's Tuy Phuoc District to central Phu Yen Province's Song Cau District.

For the 29-km expansion, BIDV committed to supply nearly VND1.4 trillion ($65 million) to the Binh Dinh BOT Joint Stock Company. The project will start from the province's Hoai Nhon District in the 2014-16 period. The loan term will be 19 years and three months.

The 40-km project, worth VND2 trillion ($94 million), would be implemented from now until 2015 with a loan term of 14 years and six months.

This is part of a VND30 trillion ($1.4 billion) credit package the bank signed early last year with the Ministry of Transport to fund the Build-Operate-Transfer project to enlarge the highway.

National Highway 1A, which is of significant importance for the country's socio-economic development and national defence, has seriously deteriorated in recent years, leading to congestion and accidents.

Tet holiday sweetens demand for locally made confectionary

Locally-produced products are gradually gaining a firm foothold in the domestic confectionery market as consumers switch their preferences from foreign to domestic items for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Domestically-produced items, reportedly, account for 90 per cent of the domestic confectionery market, even though foreign companies have accelerated their market penetration.

The rise of imported confectionery with high quality, beautiful packaging in the domestic market has forced local companies to innovate, seek new technologies and improve productivity and product quality to meet the demands of local consumers.

In particular, Vietnamese businesses have sought to understand local consumer sentiment as they carry out research and develop new flavours to attract customers.

Currently, some of the well-known domestic confectionery producers are witnessing a boom in demand for their products in the run-up to the Tet holiday.

In recent years, the market for festival gift baskets has been increasingly dominated by brands such as Trang An, Kinh Do, Bibica, Hai Ha and Pham Nguyen.

Nguyen Xuan Luan, deputy general director of the Kinh Do Corporation, said that, as of January 6, his company had reached its sales target of 4,500 tonnes for the Tet festival.

These days, Kinh Do is operating at full capacity as the orders from supermarkets have increased in anticipation of higher demand before the New Year festival.

Along with large-scale investments for upgrading the quality and design of its products, Kinh Do Corporation has focused on taking advantage of its distribution channels throughout the country to extend the reach of its direct sales activities, as well as distribute products to rural areas to meet consumer demand for the Lunar New Year, reports online newspaper Dien dan doanh nghiep (Business Forum).

One representative of a famous confectionery producer in HCM City predicted that confectionery consumption would increase strongly as the Tet holiday approaches, adding that his company had raised production capacity by an additional 50 per cent from the previous target.

Tran Thuy Hoa, head of the technology department of the Ha Noi Confectionery Company, noted that this year, the total production of cakes and various kinds of dried and candied fruits was expected to go up to 500 tonnes, 6-8 per cent higher from the same period last year.

She said the figure strongly reflected consumer trends seen earlier this year.

Nguyen Quoc Hoang, deputy general director of Bien Hoa Confectionery Corporation (Bibica), added that nearly 1,300 tonnes of different varieties of cakes, candies and candied fruits, priced at various ranges, are being offered to local consumers since late 2013.

This year, the company's production capacity rose by 10 per cent.

According to several experts in the retail industry, this year, a struggling economy has led to a significant decline in the purchasing power of consumers.

However, professional manufacturers and reputable brands are still the top choices of consumers.

Seaport system set for major upgrade

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has asked concerned agencies to expedite work on a major project to improve operational efficiency of the No 5 Seaport System to make it a regional entrepot in the near future.

The No 5 seaport system covers all the ports in HCM City and the neighbouring provinces of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai.

The project, which has already been approved by the Government, includes upgrading of the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau

The aim of the project is to reduce and eventually stop the dependence on regional entrepot ports like Singapore and Hong Kong to ship Vietnamese commodities to overseas markets, Thang said.

He noted that although several smaller ports under the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port are operational, commodities were still being transported to old seaports in downtown HCM City.

This was happening because no department or oganisation is directly responsible for managing and operating the shipment process, he added.

The original plan for the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port was to reduce the use of seaports in downtown HCM City.

To deal with the current situation, the Transport Ministry has suggested several measures including a moratorium, until 2015, on issuing licenses for new container ports for the entire No 5 system, including the Cai Mep – Thi Vai port.

New solutions will be proposed later for the 2015-2018 period.

In making its decision on the entire No. 5 system, the ministry has said it would also takeover decisions regarding the establishment and expansion of ports nationwide. In making its decisions, it will take into account the actual need for seaports, the investment required as well as their suitability with land-use plans, the minister said.

At present, provinces and cities nationwide are allowed to decide on the construction of infrastructure projects in their respective localities.

Thang said his ministry will also try to increase the volume of imported products coming through the No. 5 seaport system, especially through the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port, while limiting the number of foreign companies that can transport domestic goods to the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port.

The ministry has, along with the Japan International Co-operation, proposed the revamping of the national seaport authority, giving it new responsibilities and functions.

One major change would be to give the authority an investment management function, based on real market demand as well as the operational capacities of seaports.

The authority will be allowed to collect import and export taxes due on cargo shipments, saving companies a lot of time.

JICA, which has acted as a consultant for the No. 5 seaport system, has suggested the use of smaller ships or boats to transport goods from HCM City to Cai Mep – Thi Vai in a short time to increase the volume of goods that the system handles.

Over the long term, road connections between HCM City and Cai Mep – Thi Vai hve to be improved and all port construction in HCM City stopped, it has advised.

Attracting more industrial investment into Ba Ria – Vung Tau, where the Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port s located, should be another, it has said.

It has also proposed the establishment of a port authority at the soonest.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port should work closely with cargo shipment companies, and take measures to cut costs and increase shipments, JICA has said.

It has said that the authority collaborates with other agencies on the construction of inter-port roads, development of logistics centres, and building more wharves in Mekong Delta provinces to attract more goods for to the nation's port styem.

JICA even suggested that the authority pays to have boats transport goods from neighbouring provinces to the port.

The No. 5 seaport system includes the Sai Gon, Nha Be, Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc ports in HCM City, including; the Go Dau C, Phu My, Cai Mep, Vung Tau and Song Dinh ports in Ba Ria – Vung Tau; and the Phu Huu, Ong Keo, Go Dau A, B and Phuoc An ports in Dong Nai.

Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR