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Ex-NASA astronaut to
Ex-NASA astronaut
James Reilly listens to the question of a participant after sharing his space
flight stories and experiences on May 29, 2014 at the U.S. Consulate
General's
A former NASA astronaut earlier this
week excited interest in dozens of Ho Chi Minh City students by talking about
the pursuit of his space flight career and expressing his passion for the
universe.
Ex-NASA astronaut James Reilly on May 29 delivered his
impressive speech on space flights to Vietnamese students at the U.S.
Consulate General's
Speaking of the space flights, James stated that having
a chance to travel in the universe is one of his wonderful know-how and
unforgettable memories while asserting it was the result of his relentless
pursuit of dreams.
James worked in the petroleum sector as a manager and
exploration geologist in
After being rejected many times, the ex-astronaut said
he was called for an interview at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration in 1994 at the age of 40, after spending 32 years following
his dream since he initially realized it at the age of 8.
“Don’t ever give up. Just keep dreaming and chasing
your dream,” James told a student who asked him about the qualifications to
become an astronaut, saying it would be great having a job that makes him
happy thinking of it even he has to do it every day.
"You can fly like a super hero in space. There are
so many wonderful things about being in space," he explained the reason
why the job kept exciting him despite a lot of difficulties he faced.
The 60 year-old former astronaut also talked about his
unique experiences after flying on three space shuttle missions including
STS-89 in 1998; STS-104 in 2001; and STS-117 in 2007, concluding that besides
the weightlessness, seeing the glamorous Earth under his feet was also a
miraculous and stunning feeling.
James Reilly joined NASA in 1994 where he was qualified
as a mission specialist who has logged over 853 hours in space, including
five spacewalks totaling over 30 hours.
Binh Minh, Tuoitrenews
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Thứ Bảy, 31 tháng 5, 2014
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With its dubious historic claims,
At the regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign
Ministry on Monday, spokesman Qin Gang said: "After considering the
relevant content in the press conference held by the Vietnam Ministry of
Foreign Affairs last Friday (May 23), I find it funny and ridiculous. Much of
the historical evidence indicates that the
He also said: From the second century BC, the Han
Dynasty and the Chinese conducted maritime operations in the
To clarify the fallacious arguments of Chinese, we
talked with Dr. Tran Cong Truc, former Head of the Government’s Frontier
Committee.
Dr. Truc emphasized that the Chinese side is completely
wrong. Why? "Yes, the Chinese claim that they have historical evidence
to prove that Xisha (Hoang Sa Archipelago of Vietnam) and Nansha (
He continued: “We have also done a lot of analysis and
evaluation of this issue.
He said: “To be able to clearly determine whether that
theory of
“There are islands in the
"The argument that
To assert and defend their claims, both
"
According to Dr. Truc, at the present time, to assess
in an objective and scientific manner the legal points used by the parties in
sovereignty disputes, we need to understand some of the main content of the
principles determining the acquisition of national territory in international
law.
Dr. Truc stated: “In the long history of the development
of international law, the principles and legal norms on the establishment of
sovereignty have been formed on the basis of international practice,
including methods of acquisition of territory. From the sixteenth century,
the development and growth of the countries like the
“In that context, the maritime powers found the legal
principles applicable to the acquisition of territory to the territory that
they had just discovered. That is the principle of ‘right by discovery’. This
principle gives priority of occupation of a territory to the nation that
discovered that territory first. However, in practice, the principle of ‘the
right by discovery’ has never brought sovereignty to a country that
discovered the new territories. Because it is not possible to determine what
‘discovery’ is, the legal value of the discovery, who was the first to
discover it, and what is taken to mark that behavior of discovery. Therefore,
the concept of discovery was quickly supplemented by the idea of nominal
occupation, meaning that the country discovering a new territory must leave
traces of its presence there.
“However, the principle of nominal occupation could not
fundamentally resolve complicated disputes between the powerhouses for the
‘promised lands’, especially the territories of
“Therefore, after the conference on Africa in 1885 of
13 European countries and the
Principles of "Effective
Occupation"
Article 3, Article 34 and Article 35 of The Treaty of
Berlin signed in 1885 determines the content of the principles of Effective
Occupation and the essential conditions for the Effective Occupation as
follows:
First: There must be notification of an occupation to
the nations joining this treaty.
Second: Maintaining the territories in which a power
has claimed occupation is sufficient to ensure that the occupation is
respected.
According to Dr. Truc, the Declaration of the Lausanne
Institute of International Law in 1888 emphasized: "Every occupation
that wants to make nominal sovereignty ... must be true, i.e., real, not
nominal". This statement made the principle of effective occupation of
the Berlin Treaty has the common values in international law, allowing for
sovereignty disputes between countries all over the world to be considered
and resolved.
The main contents of the effective occupation principle
in international law include the following factors:
First: The establishment of territorial sovereignty must
be conducted by the state.
Second: The occupation must be conducted peacefully on
a derelict territory (Res nullius) or on a territory abandoned by a country
that had previously owned it (derelicto).
Third: The use of force to occupy the territory is unlawful.
The occupying state must enforce its sovereignty in the necessary levels, at
least appropriate with the natural conditions and population of that
territory.
Fourth: The exercise of sovereignty must be continuous
and peaceful.
Now, although the Saint Germain Convention of 1919
declared the Berlin Treaty void on the basis that the world no longer had
derelict territories, lawyers and international tribunals have continued to
apply its principles to resolve sovereignty disputes over islands.
For example, the La Haye International Tribunal in
April 1928 applied these principles to resolve disputes between
More recently, the International Court of Justice
decided in favor of
Nguyen Hoa,
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BUSINESS
IN BRIEF 1/6
S Korea-Mekong links grow
Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, Bui Thanh Son made the statement at the second
Mekong-South Korea Business Forum held in Ha Noi yesterday.
Son hailed the
participation of South Korean businesses in promoting Mekong-South Korea
economic cooperation and narrowing the development gap in ASEAN.
He stated that the
organisation of the forum has not only been an evidence for Vietnamese
government's commitments in Mekong-South Korea co-operation but also will
create favourable conditions for the effective growth of businesses.
He affirmed that
Speaking at the
forum, Cho Tae-yong, vice foreign minister of Foreign Affairs of the
He said that
He said that the
South Korean government expected to strengthen co-operation with GSM
countries and support the region in narrowing development gap with other
countries in ASEAN.
He added that
Assessing on
investment and business environment for enhanced connectivity of value-supply
chain in the Mekong Region,
He noted that in
comparison with
"In the Mekong
sub-region, the largest recipient country is
He pointed out that
the investment cooperation between
He noted that the
greatest advantage in the region was the abundant and cheap labours.
Recently,
However, he said
there was a shortage of skilled workers in all countries in the region.
"Insufficient
infrastructure in each country is an important bottleneck to connect
In addition, a
stable wage increase and encouragement of new business establishment for
supporting industry development will also contribute to enhance connectivity
of value-supply chain in the sub-region.
Oudet Souvannavong,
secretary general GMS-BF, vice president Lao National Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, stated that the countries in the region should make the GMS
economic corridors the easiest place to do business to accelerate association
and integration as well as connection in the region.
"Local
government and operators should not look at freight, cargo, shipping and
other related services as an opportunity to charge for everything," he
noted.
He recommended that
government officials especially customs officers should facilitate trade and
not police it. Road check points should also be removed or should not be
strictly monitored because they were adding up costs and reducing the time of
commodity transport. Serious effort has to be made on corruption.
Credit
growth hits 1.31%, raises doubts
Credit growth of
Head of the State
Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) ‘s Monetary Policy Department Nguyen Thi Hong
announced at the monthly press meeting on Wednesday that: "This
situation is partially due to seasonal factors. Credit demand in the first
half of the year is normally low."
Hong stated that as
the system had an abundant capital source, coupled with lower borrowing
costs, credit demand will surge in the latter part of the year.
"The entire
target of credit growth [12-14 per cent] will be probably achieved," she
added.
In the first five
months, the total supply was an estimated 5.28 per cent higher than the end
of last year. Meanwhile, the total mobilised capital increased by 4.2 per
cent. In May, borrowing costs were trimmed by 0.5 percentage point while
deposit interest rates were lowered by 0.5-1.5 percentage points against
2013. Loans for privileged sectors enjoyed 1 per cent cut interest rate.
Responding to
questions about the possibility of a lower interest rate towards the
year-end, Hong stated that it should depend on the actual movements of the economy
and inflation. If inflation continues its downtrend, lenders may cut
additional 0.5 percentage point.
Chief Inspector of
the SBV Nguyen Huu Nghia stated that in the first five months, Viet Nam
Assets Management Company (VAMC) had bought additional VND6.3 trillion (US$
298.58 million) that raised the total purchased debts to VND45.63 trillion
($2.16 billion).
Earlier this year,
VAMC had planned to buy VND10 trillion ($474 million) in the first quarter.
Nghia pointed out that this was because of slow policymaking procedures,
allowing VAMC to issue special bonds.
To date, credit
institutions have submitted applications to sell over VND30 trillion ($1.42
billion) to VAMC. VAMC is planning to raise the total purchased debts to
VND70-100 trillion ($3.32-4.74 billion) by the year end.
The 10th Saigon
International Autotech and Accessories show (Saigon Autotech and Accessories)
opened yesterday in
Products on display
include spare parts, accessories, car interiors, oil and lubricants, luxury
cars, passenger cars, special vehicles, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, and
assembly and maintenance equipment.
The number of
companies in the support industry participating in the show this year is much
higher than last year's show, with 120 domestic enterprises and nearly 150
firms coming from other countries and territories like Japan, South Korea,
Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, the US and EU, according to the
organisers.
Some famous brands
such as Subaru, Vinamotor, VEAM and FAW Giai Phong are present at the
four-day show, showcasing many popular and favourite commercial vehicles as
well as special and family vehicles.
In addition,
visitors will have a chance to enjoy car stunt shows in the 7,000sq.m outdoor
space performed by British Guinness holder Russ Swift with breathtaking skill
as often seen in
Organised by Asia
Trade Fair and Business Promotion Holdings and
Statistics
show decline in FDI
Some 500 foreign
projects with a total registered capital of US$3.67 billion have been
licensed so far this year, a 17 per cent decline in investment year-on-year,
according to the National Statistics Office.
But Minister for
Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh said it was not a big concern since in
the first five months of 2013 the country had attracted a number of
multi-billion dollar projects.
FDI this year would
not be very low since investors have been applying for licences for a number
of "large" projects, Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet
Disbursement by FDI
projects this year have amounted to $4.6 billion, a 0.4 per cent year-on-year
rise, which indicates confidence in
He said the
confidence was based on the Government's efforts to improve the investment
environment through amendments to investment and corporate laws and policies
to support foreign firms.
The recent efforts
taken by the Government to assist companies affected by the protests against
According to the
MPI's Foreign Investment Department, exports by foreign companies (including
crude oil) in the first five months of 2014 is estimated at $39.45 billion,
an increase of 17.1 per cent and accounting for 67 per cent of total exports.
Imports by them
cost $32.55 billion, a 11.4 per cent rise and accounting for 57 per cent of
the country's total imports.
FIEs' trade surplus
during the period was worth $4.46 billion.
The Department said
40 provinces and cities have issued licenses for new FDI projects this year.
Binh Duong led with $813.6 million, or almost 15 per cent of the total FDI in
the first five months.
The Gioi Di
Dong files for public offering
HCM City Exchange
on Tuesday announced to receive the document filed for the initial public
offerings of the The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World Investment Corporation; MWI
Corp).
Accordingly, MWI
Corp will have a charter capital of VND627.23 billion or US$29.8 million and
has filed to list more than 62.723 million shares on the southern bourse.
Ban Viet Securities
is the consultant for the case.
MWI Corp was
founded in March 2004 and has since operated in trading and repairing mobile
phones, in digital devices and in e-commerce.
The corporation's
website thegioididong.com has been developed into one of the largest and
busiest e-commerce websites of
According to the
company's 2013 financial report, MWI Corp had a turnover of more than
VND9.498 trillion ($452.2 million) and more than VND258 billion ($12.2
million) in after-tax profit last year.
At the end of last
year, the company paid dividends at a ratio of 372 per cent, worth VND432.9
billion ($20.6 million).
MWI Corp targeted
to reach a turnover of more than VND13 trillion ($619 million) this year,
increasing by 37.1 per cent over last year. The after-tax profit this year
was expected at VND435 billion ($20.7 million), up 68.3 per cent.
Thegioididong.com
yesterday opened its second mega-store in
Established in
2004, thegioididong.com has opened more than 230 supermarkets nationwide.
More
Vietnamese products sold at
Some 40 Vietnamese
products, including popular favourites such as coffee, Pho, dragon fruit and
seafood, have been featured all FairPrice outlets in
Co-organised by the
NTUC FairPrice and the Viet Nam Embassy, the fair is running at more than 120
FairPrice outlets, including Finest and Xtra stores, from May 29 to June 11.
At the launching
ceremony, Chairman of NTUC FairPrice Ng Ser Miang said that
According to
Housing
project offers special promotion
The central city's
food joint-stock company, Danafood, began construction of its first
commercial housing project in the downtown area, with a total investment of
VND600 billion (US$28.6 million), on Tuesday.
The project, which
covers an area of 4,100 square metres, with two 25-storey building
constructions in Hai Chau District, is scheduled for completion by 2016.
The apartments will
be sold at VND13.5 million ($640) per square metre for a total of 680
apartments.
"Buyers can
gain ownership of an apartment with only VND150 million ($6,700) under the
government's VND30 trillion ($1.4 billion) package for low-cost
housing," Director of Danafood Pham Tan Cung explained at the
ground-breaking ceremony yesterday.
""We
offer sales promotion programme for buyers with a retirement pension book,
savings books," Cung added.
Vietnamese
companies receive global recognition
The World Economic
Forum has announced its selection of 20 Global Growth Companies (GGCs) in
They are AA
Corporation, The Gioi Di Dong, VNG Corporation, Thien Minh Group, and Minh
Phu Seafood Corp.
GGCs are
fast-growing companies with the clear potential to become global economic
leaders, the forum said. They are considered trailblazers, shapers and
innovators committed to improving the state of the world.
Potential GGCs are
evaluated according to their business model, annual revenue, management team
and major influence in their industry.
Some other selected
companies are Acleda Bank Plc. (
Rising
energy consumption no threat to supply
Although
electricity usage has increased more than 11 per cent in the southern region
this year, there will not be a power shortage for the rest of the year, the
Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang, has said.
Hoang was quoted as
saying in Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper on Tuesday that
the power industry was being well-managed and the country's reserve power
capacity was 20 per cent of total demand.
The minister said
he was confident that there would be no power shortage this year or the next
few years. The demand for power in the Southern region will increase between
March and June.
However, some areas
in the southern region will face a power shortage in 2017 and 2018 since most
of the country's power plants are located in northern and central regions.
The government has
also told agencies to devise solutions to deal with any imbalance of power
supply, Hoang said.
With an increase in
capacity of domestically generated power, electricity purchases from
In recent years,
Last year, the
amount of purchased electricity from the country fell to two billion kWh, the
minister told the newspaper.
According to the
national strategy of energy security until 2030,
Foreign
aquatic regulations explained
Seafood exporters
in the Mekong Delta region were brought together at a seminar to be updated
on the regulations of foreign markets in 2014, which will help them
effectively iron out any difficulties.
Chairman of the
Vietnam Fisheries Association Nguyen Viet Thang said the seafood sector has
reaped growth in both volume and value over the past two decades. In 2013, it
brought home 6.7 billion USD from selling 6 million tonnes abroad. Vietnamese
aquatic products are being sold in 150 nations and territories, he noted.
However, he cited
more technical and trade barriers, and stricter demands from foreign markets
as major challenges that require more special attention from State-run
management agencies, seafood businesses and associations.
Apart from weather
disadvantages, the industry continues to suffer from the illegal, unreported
and unregulated fishing (IUU) standards set by the European Commission and
the seafood safety barrier in the Customs Union of Russia,
The
Therefore, local
breeders and businesses need to be fully aware of these challenges and be
able to meet the regulations from foreign importers to make inroads into
these markets, Thang said.
The association
presented in brief the non-tariff barriers and solutions in the field and
highlighted the need to increase added value in the tra fish supply chain. It
also called for more technology investment, the strengthening of traditional
markets and expansion to new ones.
Restructuring the
tra (pangasius) fish industry in Mekong Delta provinces has been defined as a
long-term process that requires regional cooperation, especially close
coordination between farmers, businesses and banks.
While
A reduction in
breeding area and output, the imbalance between supply and demand and
fluctuating market prices have all posed challenges, the Steering Committee
for the South-West region reported at a May 29 working session in Can Tho
city. Also present at the talks were a delegation from the Central Economics
Committee.
The restructuring
should, therefore, focus on financial issues and the management capacity of
local breeders and businesses.
Deputy Head of the
Central Economics Committee, Le Vinh Tan, said the restructuring must improve
the quality of products, reinforce trust from customers, and increase
benefits for those involved.
It also aims to
ensure links between the production and distribution stages as well as
between farmers and businesses, Tan said.
In the first four
months of this year, the Mekong Delta region harvested 253,000 tonnes of tra
fish in a farming area of 2,814 ha.
The provinces of An
Giang, Dong Thap and Ben Tre and Can Tho city remain the largest producers,
accounting for 85 percent of the total area and output of the whole region.-
The pledge, part of
the 2013
The ministers said
that both nations are expecting mutually beneficial cooperation on almost
fronts, particularly trade, investment, tourism and science-technology.
Cho said the Korean
business community lauds the Vietnamese Government for its timely
interference in anti-China riots in Binh Duong and Ha Tinh, saying that he
has strong faith in the stable investment climate in the country.
On the national
defence and security front, both sides vowed to maintain existing dialogue
and policy exchange channels, while working more closely in personnel
training, defence industry, experience sharing and undertaking United Nations
peacekeeping missions.
They also agreed to
liaise better at regional and global forums, such as the United Nations, the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, ASEAN+ and the East Asia Summit.
Informed about the
recent developments in the East Sea, with China illegal stationing its oil
rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive
economic zone, Cho called for the parties concerned to settle the dispute
through peaceful means in line with international law, especially the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.
In regards to the
situation in the
On the occasion,
Cho also paid courtesy calls to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Pham Binh Minh and Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission
for External Relations, Nguyen Huy Tang.
Land
readjustment deemed effective management tool
Experts of the
World Bank and various experienced planners from abroad stated that land
readjustment is one of the solutions to help
By last December,
the country had reached an urbanisation rate of 33.47 percent with 770 urban
areas, the official noted.
The annual
contribution made by urban areas is very important to the country’s GDP
growth, adding momentum to the national economic development.
Participants agreed
that there has not been much investment poured into expanding urban areas in
Vietnam because most of the funding comes from the State budget and official
development assistance (ODA), adding that the community’s involvement in
discussing urban development measures is still low.
Meanwhile, many
countries around the world have successfully implemented public-private
partnerships (PPP) in urban development, they added.
Foreign experts
suggested initiatives to help
Credit
growth hits 1.31 percent in five months
Credit growth of
"This
situation is partially due to seasonal factors. Credit demand in the first
half of the year is normally low," Head of the Monetary Policy
Department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Thi Hong announced at
the monthly press meeting on May.
Hong stated that as
the system had an abundant capital source, coupled with lower borrowing
costs, credit demand will surge in the latter part of the year.
"The entire
target of credit growth [12-14 percent] will be probably achieved," she
added.
In the first five
months, the total supply was an estimated 5.28 percent higher than the end of
last year. Meanwhile, the total mobilised capital increased by 4.2 percent.
In May, borrowing
costs were trimmed by 0.5 percentage point while deposit interest rates were
lowered by 0.5-1.5 percentage points against 2013. Loans for privileged
sectors enjoyed 1 percent cut interest rate.
Responding to
questions about the possibility of a lower interest rate towards the
year-end, Hong stated that it should depend on the actual movements of the
economy and inflation. If inflation continues its downtrend, lenders may cut
additional 0.5 percentage point.
Chief Inspector of
the SBV Nguyen Huu Nghia stated that in the first five months, Vietnam Assets
Management Company (VAMC) had bought additional 6.3 trillion VND (298.58
million USD) that raised the total purchased debts to 45.63 trillion VND
(2.16 billion USD).
Earlier this year,
VAMC had planned to buy 10 trillion VND (474 million USD) in the first
quarter. Nghia pointed out that this was because of slow policymaking
procedures, allowing VAMC to issue special bonds.
To date, credit
institutions have submitted applications to sell over 30 trillion VND (1.42
billion USD) to VAMC. VAMC is planning to raise the total purchased debts to
70-100 trillion VND (3.32-4.74 billion USD) by the year end.
Dong Nai
firms to receive State support
The authorities of
southern Dong Nai province will meet owners of businesses which suffered
damage from recent disturbances to inform them of the State’s support
policies.
According to the
provincial Labour Federation, the dialogues will take place at the Nhon
Trach, Bien Hoa, Tam Phuoc Industrial Zones and others in Trang Bom and Long
Thanh districts between May 30 and June 10.
Through the events,
the authorised agencies will study the damage incurred by businesses and
listen to their feelings and aspirations while helping grassroots-level trade
union organisations understand the importance of improving the quality of the
investment environment.
Employees will be
made better aware of the need to protect businesses and production facilities
in order to maintain the stable and sustainable socio-economic development.
Since spontaneous
anti-China parades earlier this month, the federation has organised 16 talks
to provide information on the sea and island situation and disseminate the
laws for more than 55,000 workers, said its Vice Chairman, Tang Quoc Lap.
To prevent similar
social disorder from reoccurring, he said his organisation has worked with
business leaders to build a core workforce, including workers with high
skills and firm political knowledge. They are expected to greatly contribute
to encouraging workers to abide by the policies of the Party and the law of
the State.
Workers will be
encouraged to promote their national pride by ignoring the plots of hostile
forces, allowing
The disturbances
erupted during workers’ rallies in protest of
Some extremists
incited others to destroy property of foreign firms as well as of the State,
businesses and individuals, and acted against law enforcement officials,
disrupting social order and business activities.
Thanks to the
government’s timely interference, most affected companies have resumed
operations and social order and security has been restored.
Dong Nai authorities
have so far commenced legal proceedings against 241 arrestees involved in 22
criminal cases of “causing social disturbance”, “destroying property,”
“stealing property,” “openly appropriating property,” and “resisting against
on-duty officials”.
The minister made
the comment at a working session with Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh
City Party Committee, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, and Vice Chairwoman of the municipal
People’s Committee, Nguyen Thi Hong, on May 29.
Lim, who is also
Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), praised the
connection between the Vietnam Embassy in
He expressed his
hope that the fair will become an annual event introducing new
made-in-Vietnam products to Singaporean consumers.
For her part, Ha
said the fair is part of the activities to further promote trade ties between
the two sides’ businesses, and stressed that the Vietnamese city will
facilitate foreign enterprises’ investment and business activities in the
locality.
Around 40
Vietnamese products of all kinds, especially coffee, dragon fruit and
seafood, will be displayed at NTUC FairPrice’s supermarkets during the fair.
Last year, the
number of Vietnamese exports to
VEPR
revises down economic growth forecast
The
Two scenarios are
envisioned in the report for the country’s economic growth this year. The
less optimistic scenario puts economic growth at 4.15% while the other
projects it at 4.88%. The forecasts are much lower than the target of 5.8%
approved by the National Assembly.
In April, the World
Bank and the Asia Development Bank (ADB) also predicted the country’s gross
domestic product (GDP) growth at 5.5%-5.6% this year.
Speaking at the
conference, VEPR director Nguyen Duc Thanh said the GDP contraction was
partially attributable to the ongoing political and economic tensions with
Thanh said that
VEPR had used models to measure direct adverse impacts from
The General
Statistics Office reported that the nation’s GDP in the first quarter of this
year increased 4.96% over the same period of 2013. The economy has been on
track to recovery.
Thanh explained
VEPR had seen signs of economic recovery before tensions with
Vu Viet Ngoan,
chairman of the National Financial Supervisory Commission, cast doubt on
those scenarios.
Ngoan said the
scenarios had yet to present analysis foundations and he himself was not as
pessimistic as VEPR’s economists who took part in the report.
Economist Le Dang
Doanh said it was necessary to clarify
Danish
firms keen on oil and gas sector
At least there
Danish companies have shown their keen interest in
Nielsen told the
Daily Wednesday after a signing ceremony of the Vietnam-Denmark action plan
for 2014-2015 that Semco, a provider of oilrig building and maintenance services,
was one of the Danish enterprises.
Nielsen said
tensions in the
In the middle of
this month, workers at some industrial parks in Ha Tinh and Binh Duong took
the streets in protest against
However, the
ambassador appreciated the Government’s swift actions to put the situation
under control and its strong pledges for tax reduction and damage
compensation for the affected enterprises.
Nielsen confirmed
the tensions in the
In addition to oil
and gas, and green growth, Danish enterprises will also explore opportunities
in apparel, information technology and education in the years to come.
Two-way trade
between
Nielsen said
Ministries
say no to fuel price spike
The ministries of
industry-trade and finance have issued a joint statement ordering local fuel
wholesale companies to keep their fuel prices unchanged and allowing them to
use the nation’s fuel price stabilization fund to cover their losses.
According to
Document 7005/BTC-QLG, the current retail prices of RON 92 petrol, diesel oil
0.05S, kerosene and heavy fuel oil on the domestic market are VND228, VND87,
VND52 and VND162 respectively lower than the 30-day average levels set by the
Ministry of Finance from April 28 to May 27.
However, after
discussion with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Finance
has ordered all local fuel trading enterprises to maintain their exisiting
retail prices and in return, they are covered with VND200 for each liter of
gasoline from the fuel price stabilization fund.
The enterprises are
allowed to get VND160 for each liter of heavy fuel oil instead of VND0 as
before and VND60 for diesel oil and VND90 for kerosene, down VND100 and VND80
per liter.
HCMC Vice Chairman
Le Manh Ha has told relevant departments to streamline licensing procedures
for foreign investors and consider lowering land rent at industrial parks to
woo more foreign firms to come for business.
Ha told a meeting
on measures to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) in HCMC on Wednesday
that investors had complained much about the time-consuming licensing
procedures and that some investors had had to even wait more than one year
for an investment certificate while the regulations cap the approval time at
30-45 working days.
In some cases,
investors are required to complete additional administrative procedures in
the fields of environment, construction and labor.
The HCMC Department
of Planning and Investment attributed delays in investment licensing to slow
responses and comments from relevant ministries and departments. Some
agencies provide vague responses or even avoid responsibilities by asking
investors to consult other departments, thus lengthening the time of issuing
an investment certificate for foreign investors.
The time-consuming
investment approval process has remained for years. The authorities of HCMC
and other localities have requested central-level ministries and agencies to
find a way out but the problem has been unsolved so far.
However, Ha still
insisted local departments make greater efforts in their capacity to simplify
administrative procedures to support investment promotion programs of the
city.
“Departments should
not set new regulatory requirements but should focus on streamlining the
licensing process to attract more investors,” Ha said.
Ha added the city
would hold more dialogues with investors and representatives of business
associations to look into their difficulties and help find solutions to them.
As usual, the
investors of property and commerce projects have to wait more time to get
licenses as the city needs to consult ministries and central-level agencies.
The HCMC government is working out a number of solutions to this.
HCMC leaders had
told the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (Hepza) to
reduce land rent in industrial parks in the city to attract more investments.
The city has
licensed 120 new projects with total registered capital of more than US$724
million in the year to date, down by 7.7% in number but up over 356% in
capital compared to the same period last year. The city now has nearly 5,030
valid FDI projects with combined capital of more than US$34 billion.
Samsung
looks to airport, petrochemical projects
Samsung wants to
expand its investment operations in
At a meeting with
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai in Hanoi on Tuesday, Samsung’s Global
Strategy Office CEO Shin Kim expressed keen interest in big-ticket projects
like Long Thanh airport in Dong Nai Province, Long Son petrochemical plant in
Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vung Ang 3 thermal power plant in Ha Tinh Province,
a shipbuilding project in Khanh Hoa Province and other civil construction
projects, Chinhphu.vn reports.
Deputy Prime
Minister Hai hailed Samsung’s plans to boost investments in
Among these
projects, Long Thanh airport listed as one of the projects entitled to
foreign investment towards 2020 has captured the attention of many investors.
The first phase of this project will require US$5.62 billion and be
implemented under PPP or BOT formats.
Regarding Vung Ang
3 thermal power plant, Samsung has followed the project for a long time. Late
last year, a representative of Ha Tinh Province said Samsung was planning to
invest in Vung Ang 3.1 and Vung Ang 3.2 power centers with a total capacity
of 2,400 MW.
The source added
Samsung had surveyed six locations around
According to
Samsung has
fastened its moves for the projects since Samsung Construction & Trading
(Samsung C&T) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of
Planning and Investment to cooperate on infrastructure development in
The MOU opened up
opportunities for Samsung to invest in many more sectors in
Samsung’s two
electronic device and cell phone complexes in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen have
generated jobs for nearly 60,000 workers and tens of billions of U.S. dollars
in export revenue for the country every year. Around 35% of Samsung’s mobile
phones for global markets are assembled in
Scientists
urge rice farming reduction to preserve biodiversity
Scientists and
experts have emphasized the importance of rice production reduction in the
Mekong Delta as one of the measures to preserve biodiversity and better deal
with climate change in the region.
Professor Vo Tong
Xuan, principal of Nam Can Tho University, told a conference on biodiversity
in Can Tho City on Tuesday that rice farming caused negative impacts on the
environment and lives of farmers.
Nguyen Van Sanh,
director of Mekong Delta Development Research Institute (MDI) under Can Tho
University, warned that the current model of growing three paddy crops a year
had made inroads into the goals for the Mekong Delta’s economy, society and
environment.
Scientists pointed
out that extensive rice farming did not give land time to recover.
Jake Brunner,
coordinator of Mekong Program of International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), raised an alarm bell that paddy was cultivated for three crops
in many areas reserved for dikes, causing more flooding and saltwater
intrusion. This has affected the life of locals while the impact of climate
change has become unpredictable.
Brunner said that
the Plain of Reeds and Long Xuyen Quadrangular were the two biggest natural
reservoirs in the Mekong Delta to contain water in rainy season and supply
fresh water to residents of the region in dry season, but these reservoirs
had lost their natural water regulation functions due to intensive paddy
cultivation.
Five years ago, the
World Bank conducted a study on blood samples taken from farmers who grew
paddy and found a high rate of being infected by pesticide in their blood,
Brunner said.
Nguyen Minh Nhi,
former chairman of An Giang Province, described intensive paddy farming as a
pesticide that farmers were sipping each day.
The conference was
part of a project to evaluate the use of land to find options for effective
land use and ways to improve the resistant capacity of the Mekong Delta and
restore the flood storage and control of the Plain of Reeds and Long Xuyen
Quadrangular as well as the ecosystem of coastal areas.
The project is
co-conducted by
In
Le Anh Tuan, deputy
rector of the Research Institute for Climate Change of Can Tho University,
said the project was to make reviews of the Mekong Delta and map out plans to
make full use of natural land and water resources in the region.
Foodpanda
joins forces with Pizza Hut
Foodpanda and Pizza
Hut have announced their strategic partnership for service diversification
and business expansion of the two big names in the catering sector in the
Vietnamese market.
The cooperation
allows customers to order pizzas directly via the website
pizzahut.foodpanda.vn or via the Foodpanda’s application for mobile devices
anywhere and anytime.
Archibald Keswick,
general director of Pizza Hut
Tauriq Brown,
managing director of Foodpanda
Foodpanda entered
the Vietnamese market in mid-2012 and has since expanded in HCMC,
Pizza Hut currently
has 36 eateries and six stores in
Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR
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