|
BUSINESS
IN BRIEF 6/9
Overseas
remittances continue to increase
Overseas Vietnamese
have remitted nearly US$2.8 billion through HCM City-based banks in the first
eight months of this year, 6.2 per cent higher than in the same period last
year, according to the deputy head of the State Bank of
In August alone the
amount was worth $333 million, nearly double the July figure.
The full-year
figure is expected to be $4.8-5 billion compared with $4.7 billion last year,
the deputy head of the State Bank of
The proportion of
the remittances invested in housing is slightly higher this year at 21.5 per
cent.
Most of the
remittances were channelled into business, which accounted for 71-72 per cent
of the total amount.
The amount used to
support families in
The Viet Nam
Economic Times newspaper quoted an analyst as saying that the Government's
recent policies have created favourable conditions for Overseas Vietnamese to
remit money home.
The exchange-rates
adjustment in June and the difference in interest rates between the dong and
the US dollar have also helped attract more flows.
Minh said the
Government has liberalised policies related to inward remittances.
Recipients do not
have to pay income tax and can keep the remittances in foreign currencies and
deposit them in banks.
The stability of
the dong has also been a factor, Minh said.
Besides banks, many
newly opened companies are also providing remittance services.
The deputy general
director of a joint stock bank based in Ha Noi, who declined to be named,
said banks have focused on diversifying remittance services, expanding
distribution channels, and reducing the time to make payments, and have launched
attractive promotion campaigns.
Pepper
price seen increasing
The destruction of
pepper in the Central Highland and East Southern regions of
Tran Duc Tung,
chief of the Viet Nam Pepper Association (VPA), said diseases, climate change
and the use of fake fertilizers have destroyed around 600 hectares of farms
planted to the crop. He predicted that the market price of pepper would
likely increase in 2015.
Pepper in the
Central Highland and East Southern provinces is now worth between
VND184,000-187,000 (US$8.6) per kilo, or an increase of VND42,000 to 45,000
over its price last April.
The Viet Nam
Embassy and Commercial Affairs Office in
The information in
the book includes
More
tourists visit HCM City
The number of
foreign tourists who visited this city in August increased to 309,587, or 7
per cent more than in the same month last year. Figures from the city
government also showed that of the total number of tourists in August, those
traveling by air reached 247,108, or 6 per cent more than that of same month
last year.
In the first eight
months of 2014, the total number of tourists who visited the city was
estimated at 2.7 million, a 10 per cent increase compared with that of the
same period last year.
City revenue from
tourism totalled VND60,253 billion (US$2.8 billion), a 10 per cent increase
from that of the same period last year.
Quang Ninh
export turnover rises
The export turnover
of this
Figures from the
provincial government also showed that the province's total revenue from
tourism during the first eight months of the year was $1 billion.
Coal is the
province's main export. But in the first eight months of the year, the
province's volume of coal exports decreased by 37 per cent compared with that
of the same period last year.
According to the provincial
department of planning and investment, the import turnover of the province in
the first eight months was $1,035, a five per cent increase year-on-year or
89.6 per cent of the province's annual goal.
Housing
sector targets middle class
Property developers
have been launching a slew of apartment and residential land projects
targeting both middle- and high-income earners, sparking off a new race in
the market.
HungThinh Real
Estate Company recently began to sell its 12 View project in District 12, which
is around 80 per cent finished.
Sai Gon Tiep Thi
newspaper quoted the company's general director, Nguyen Nam Hien, as saying
the 400 apartments there cost over VND11 million (US$518) per square metre.
Buyers have to put 20 per cent down and pay the remaining amount based on
construction progress at the rate of 8 per cent per instalment.
Tanimex plans to
start selling its Tanibuilding apartments in Tan Phu District on Sunday at
VND11.9 million per square metre.
Kim Oanh Real
estate Company will begin selling 400 land lots for street houses in Di An
Dist in the neighbouring province of Binh Duong next week at VND170 million
and above for a piece.
In the higher
segment, Phu Long Co began selling its Dragon Parc villas at a starting price
of VND5.5 billion ($260,000). Phung Chu Cuong, its general director, said 10
customers had registered to buy before sales opened.
CapitaLand Thien
Duc has sold 100 out of almost 1,200 units at its Vista Verde apartment
project in District 2, which will be completed in 2017. Prices begin at
around VND1.5 billion for a unit of less than 50sq.m.
Him Lam JSC said
that its Him Lam Cho Lon project in District 6 with 1,400 apartments would
enter the market in mid-September at prices starting at VND18 million per
square metre.
Phu My Hung is
making final preparations to sell its
According to
statistics from the Vietnam Real Estate Association, in the second quarter 11
residential projects went on sale in
German
firms to explore VN market
A 12-member
business delegation from eastern
Following
successful visits by earlier delegations in 2010 and 2011, this time the
group is headed by Benno Bunse, chairman and general director of Germany
Trade and Invest, and Ines Koerner of the Federal Ministry for Economic
Affairs and Energy.
There will be 12
businesses from sectors like renewable energy, biogas factory construction,
bio-technology, healthcare, education, tourism consultancy, and consultancy
for construction design, banking, foreign trade, business administration, and
business start-up.
There will be a
Viet Nam-Germany business forum in Ha Noi on September 16 for businesses and
investors from the two countries to introduce opportunities to them.
Bunse said: "
In the past 20
years, eastern
Since the
reunification of
With
Germany Trade &
Invest is the country's foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency.
It advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in
the German market and provides information on foreign trade to German
companies.
The delegation's
visit will be organised by Germany Trade & Invest, Delegate of German
Industry and Commerce in
Construction
starts on $575m aluminium plant
Bulldozers
yesterday began clearing the 114-ha site for the construction of the
US$575-million Dak Nong aluminium smelting plant in this
At the ground
breaking ceremony for the project, Trade and Industry Minister Vu Huy Hoang
said the plant would be the first of its kind in
Hoang added that
the plant, with a capacity of 450,000 tonnes, would also play an important
role in the comprehensive development of domestic bauxite exploitation and
aluminum production projects.
Tran Hong Quan
Trading Ltd Company is investing in the construction and development of the
plant at Nhan Co Industrial Park in Dak R'Lap District,
The Nhan Co alumina
project, which the Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding
Corporation will put into operation, will be supplying all materials for the
plant. The project is divided into three phases. In the first phase, the
plant is expected to achieve 150,000-tonne annual production capacity by
2016. In the second phase, the plant is expected to have a 300,000-tonne
annual capacity by 2017. In the last phase, it is expected to have a
450,000-tonne annual capacity by early 2019.
Figures show that
Le Dien, chairman
of the Provincial People's Committee, said this was the first aluminium
project in
Tran Hong Quan, the
company director, said the Government has accepted the new aluminium
electrolytic technology to be used in the project, and this was expected to
attract more investors in the country's aluminium industry.
Last May 30, the
Prime Minister issued Decision 822-QD-TTg, on tax exemption policies covering
the Dak Nong project. The policies include four-year total income tax exemption
from the time the plant generates taxable income; 50-per cent income tax
exemption to take effect for nine years after the four-year total tax
exemption period, and a 10 per cent tax rate to take effect for 30 years,
after the nine-year 50-per cent income tax exemption in 30 years.
Ministry
data shows factories consume less steel in August
The steel
consumption of Vietnamese factories has remained low in the first eight
months of 2014 and was mainly for buildings under construction, said the
Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Figures from the
Ministry showed that raw steel output in August was 280,500 tonnes, a
nine-per cent increase over that of the previous month, while rolled steel
output posted a 16 per cent year-on-year increase to 291,100 tonnes, and bar
steel output was 294,600 tonnes.
In the first eight
months of the year, raw steel output was estimated to be 1.9 million tonnes,
a 0.01-per cent reduction compared with that of the same period last year.
Rolled steel output was estimated at 2.3 million tonnes, a 23 per cent
year-on-year increase, while bar steel output was 2.28 million.
In August, steel
imports increased by 43 per cent in terms of quantity and 39 per cent in
terms of value compared with that of the previous month. From January to August,
steel imports increased by 14 per cent in terms of quantity and seven per
cent in terms of value compared with that of the same period last year.
The Ministry
attributed the low consumption to economic difficulties and the fall in
construction demand among households during the rainy season.
It added that some
steel factories in the north had to stop production because of low
consumption and high inventories while others had to reduce their selling
prices by supporting transport fees and increasing discounts, in order to
compete with steel imports.
IFBO
Vietnam kicks off in HCM City
Over 80 leading
int’l franchisors from 14 countries assembled in
Chua Wee Phong,
Managing Director of the Bizlink Exhibition Services PTE Limited, said the
IFBO has been held in many countries around the world but this is its first
debut in
The event aims to
help investors seek new business opportunities and support international
brand names desiring to do business in
At the exhibition,
international brand names, including SUBWAY, Action COACH, Sarnies Cafe and
Sumo Salad introduced their attractive franchise and business opportunities
as well as commitments on prestige.
The event also
provided major international firms with opportunities to expand their
investment in
During the
exhibition running until September 6, a number of seminars on franchise and
legal issues when trading in
Step by
step guide for Australian exporters launched
An eBook aimed at
equipping Vietnamese enterprises with the necessary skills and knowledge to
expedite export procedures with Australian companies has recently been
launched.
The eBook, compiled
by the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnam Trade Office in
It is based on a
book "
The eBook is
designed for PC and Mac computers and is optimized for reading on handheld
devices.
Readers can
download the eBook via the link:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5541112/ebook/content.html.
Under the
ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) agreement, about 96% of
Seminar
boosts Vietnam-Cuba investment cooperation
A number of
representatives from agencies, ministries and enterprises of
The event,
co-organised by the Ministry of Construction of
Photo: VGP
At the conference,
Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment of Cuba
introduced his country’s investment law and new policies aimed at attracting
foreign investment to the country.
To achieve the
goal, the country has issued a new foreign investment law (Law 118) which
defines a clear-cut legal framework for facilitating foreign investments.
A Vietnamese
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) delegation led by its
Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam recently visited
During the visit,
Tam held a meeting with his counterpart Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry
and Fisheries Amund Dronen Ringdal.
The two deputy
ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in science and
technology to enhance capacity in fisheries product inspections, supervision
on food safety and quarantine, technology transfer in sweet water
aquaculture, offshore fishing and climate change adaptation in the fisheries
sector.
They agreed to
boost cooperation in producing veterinary medicines and vaccine for the
fisheries sector, epidemics control and training through short-term and
long-term training courses and granting scholarships for Vietnamese experts
and scientists to study in
They will promote
trade by offering the best possible conditions for businesses to seek
shipbuilding cooperation opportunities fisheries exploitation, upgrade
facilities on surveillance and offshore fishing vessels and intensify
information sharing, exchange visits, and take part in fairs, exhibitions and
forums in each country.
During their stay,
the Vietnamese delegation worked with the Foundation for Scientific and
Industrial Research (SINTEF), the
At a working
session with the
AEC offers
10% increase in employment for
The introduction of
an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by next year would spur growth in
The study, entitled
‘ASEAN Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared
prosperity’ was released in Hanoi on September 4, at the national policy
dialogue with the same theme organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids
and Social Affairs.
According to the
report, on a broader scale, economic integration could generate 14 million
additional jobs in ASEAN and improve the livelihoods of 600 million women and
men living in the region, but only if decisive action is taken to manage it
effectively.
The AEC
establishment at the end of next year will allow for a freer flow of skilled
labour, services, investment and goods among the 10 ASEAN member states.
The new report
foresees robust employment growth in sectors such as construction,
transportation, garment and food processing.
It also indicates
that
With increased
trade and investment flows, the pace of structural change to higher value
sectors would accelerate, and this could allow Vietnam to compete in global
markets based on higher productivity and skills, said Tomoyuki Kimura,
Country Director of ADB Vietnam.
To take full
advantage of the deep and broad economic integration, the report suggested
ASEAN member states boost productivity and job quality in agriculture and
diversify manufacturing employment into new sectors, while continuing to
support the garment industry.
Social protection
coverage needs to be extended, including the national unemployment insurance
scheme, to help cushion the effects of structural transformation and ease
workers into emerging, more productive sectors.
In addition, there is
a need to improve both the protection of migrant workers and systems for
recognising their skills, particularly in sectors dominated by low and
medium-skilled workers, such as construction.
Labor
export sets new record
In August only,
9,389 Vietnamese went to work abroad.
The number of
Vietnamese guest workers is expected to exceed 100,000 this year.
In 2013,
Authorities are
ready to solve any remaining problems that could be a hindrance to
development of the information technology sector, a key industry for the
country, the deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee said at a
meeting yesterday in the city.
"The city
wants to support enterprises but policies have not been updated and have been
unreasonable, and State offices have been slow in implementation and have
harassed enterprises," said Le Manh Ha at the meeting with IT
enterprises.
"The city has
tried to support and talk with enterprises to allow us to adjust policies so
they can be suited to reality," he added.
Representatives
from IT enterprises in the Tan Thuan Processing and Industrial Zone said
while technical and service infrastructure in the zone had met the
requirement of IT and high-tech electronics businesses, companies had not
received full tax incentives for investment in high-tech parks.
Also, the Thanh
Nhan Computer Limited Company asked local authorities to allow companies to
sell IT products at big discounts six months after being imported, because IT
products have a short-life circulation and become outdated quickly.
They also asked the
city for permission to reduce by 20 per cent prices on such products after
six months, 35 per cent after nine months, 50 per cent after 12 months, and
90 per cent after 24 months.
Representatives
from the municipal Industry and Trade Department replied that the suggestion
needs to be approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The department
will submit statements about the problems to the ministry.
At the meeting, the
Sao Thang Joint Stock Company pointed out that even though State offices were
asked to give priority to purchase IT products from local companies,
companies were not required to have a fixed number of human resources or
quality certificates such as ISO and CMMI.
Representatives
from software enterprises said they wanted to invest in many new fields like
cloud services, e-commerce and database centres, but there were no
regulations that allowed implementation.
"The Ministry
of Information and Telecommunications should regularly update new trends and
provide conditions to operate," said a representative for software
enterprises.
Speaking at the
meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hong said: "The Ministry of
Information and Telecommunications will try our best to solve all problems in
order to support enterprises. The Ministry has released many decrees and we
would like to get feedback from the business community to make such decrees
useful."
Gold
traders take aim at new jewellery regulation
Regulation of the
gold jewellery market has not improved as expected after the Government
stipulated that purity and measurement must be clearly indicated along with
gold content.
This was the
verdict of gold producers, traders, and industry executives who took part in
a seminar on jewellery quality management in
The Ministry of
Science and Technology's Circular 22 had taken effect on June 1.
It also says that
18-carat gold jewellery must be at least 75 per cent pure, while for 24-carat
jewellery it is 99.9 per cent.
Nguyen Van Dung,
chairman of the Sai Gon Jewelry Association, said that the circular is a
legal foundation for restoring order in the gold jewellery and fine arts
market and protecting the benefits of consumers.
The circular was
meant to eliminate sub-standard gold in the market and provide managing
agencies the legal wherewithal to tackle violations, according to an official
from the HCM City Department of Science and Technology.
Due to a lack of
oversight and control, most 18-karat jewellery sold in the country only has
58-68 per cent gold.
Some businesses
representatives said that gold producers sell 61 per cent pure gold to
traders but charged for 65 per cent purity, and this is then sold to
consumers as 67 per cent pure.
This causes big
losses to consumers, they said.
"Because of
this, Circular 22 was issued to ensure that all jewellery items available in
the market must meet measurement and quality requirements to protect the
interests of customers," Nguyen Hoang Linh, head of the Directorate for
Standards, Metrology and Quality's Conformity Assessment Department, said.
However, three
months after it took effect, many gold traders in
Dung admitted this,
saying of the 3,000 businesses involved in the production and trading of
jewellery, only around 20 per cent have full understanding of the circular
and made necessary preparations to meet its requirements.
More than 22,000
jewellers told a poll that they had heard about the circular but did not know
clearly about it.
A majority of small
jewellers have done nothing to comply with its provisions, Dung said.
"This seminar
is organised to help gold businesses resolve the difficulties they face in
implementing regulations included in the new circular."
Gold producers and
traders told the meeting that the biggest problem was to remake jewellery to
fulfill the new regulations, a very costly affair that could ruin them.
Besides, some of
the regulations are impractical or hard to comply with, they said.
For instance, the
hallmark on gold jewellery must be placed directly on the metal through
mechanical engraving, laser engraving, embossing, or other methods, or on
documents enclosed with the products, something that requires huge investment
in equipment, they said.
Dung pointed out
that the circular lists jewellery with 18 levels of purity — from 33.9 per
cent to 99.9 per cent — thus creating a bewildering array of products in the
market.
"This will
make all producers, sellers, buyers, and even Government officials
confused."
He suggested having
just four categories instead: 24, 18, 16, and 8 carats.
Tran Van Vinh,
deputy director of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, said
the regulations on gold content in Circular 22 are similar to those applied
in many countries, especially those stipulating that jewellery purity must
not be lower than indicated to buyers.
Quality directorate
head, Linh said customers have the right to choose from among various gold
contents and prices and not be shortchanged.
"However,
managing gold products, particularly jewellery and objects of fine arts, has
always been a difficult task for authorised agencies especially with the
operations of many gold businesses remaining opaque and fraudulent practices
in the gold market being widespread.
"The
department will closely co-operate with relevant agencies and branches to
help gold businesses overcome obstacles to implement Circular 22 in order to
make it effective."
Dong Nai
continues to attract record levels of FDI
Southern Dong Nai
province has issued investment certificates for 103 Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) projects, valued at over US$922 million during the first eight months
of the year.
The provincial
Department of Planning and Investment reported the total consists of US$391
million for 52 new projects and US$531 million in supplementary investment
for 51 projects.
The province also
revoked the investment licences for 8 FDI projects with registered investment
capital of US$86 million, comprised of 3 projects located outside and five
within industrial zones (IZ).
Roughly 1,442
projects capitalized at US$25.25 billion have been licensed to operate in IZs
to date, of which 1,117 valid projects has a combined capitalization of US$20.80
billion.
According to the
IZs managing board, in the first eight months of this year, FDI businesses in
IZs reported US$10.37 billion in revenue, including US$5.6 billion from
exports. They contributed more than US$374.2 million to State budget, up nearly
8.5% on-year.
Thirty-one IZs have
leased out more than 120ha since early this year, reaching 120% of this
year’s plan, bringing the cumulative leased areas to 6,350ha, accounting for
nearly 67% of total space available in IZs.
Shipping
industry to be developed by 2020
Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung recently approved a development plan for
According to the
plan, the majority of imports and exports are to be transported by sea,
embedding
By 2020, the
industry is expected to meet nearly all domestic shipping needs, and provide
high quality services and competitive fees.
The objective is to
ship 140-152 million tonnes of goods, including 40-46 million tonnes
internationally, and have a shipping fleet with a total carrying capacity of
6.84-7.52 million Deadweight Tonnes (DWT).
In the meantime,
the industry will run refresher courses for 27,000 officers and crew members
and will train 15,000 new recruits.
The development
plan will require the investment of VND20-30 trillion (US$1-1.5 billion) by
2020, with the majority of funds being mobilised by businesses themselves.
To ensure a smooth
implementation process,
The plan also
requires the restructuring of the Vietnam National Shipping Lines and the
Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation to be sped up, and an extensive
maritime service network to be established to improve the competitiveness of
the country’s shipping industry.
Entrepreneurs
aim for vanguard role in integration
The Vietnam Young
Entrepreneurs Association (VYEA) set new tasks at their fifth national
congress in
Nearly 1,000
delegates dilated on measures to help VYEA members overcome challenges and
difficulties to achieve sustainable growth.
They also discussed
the need to foster an entrepreneurial culture within their businesses,
striving for increased competitiveness with a skill and mindset characterized
by creativity, calculated risk-taking and empowering staff to thrive and be
successful.
Deputy Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted the achievements of the association in
the past tenure and affirmed the important role it plays in the country’s
socio-economic development and international integration.
He asked young
Vietnamese entrepreneurs to strengthen their connectivity, cooperate with
foreign partners, and outline their strategic visions, apply advanced
technology, renew growth models and sharpen their competitiveness.
He said they should
diversify their operations and timely seize investment opportunities, to
contribute as much as possible to national development.
The Deputy PM
pledged to create the best possible conditions for the VYEA, which currently
has 66 chapters and nearly 9,000 members nationwide, to operate efficiently.
Delegates at the
two-day congress elected Bui Van Quan, CEO of Anh Quan Group, as Chairman of
the VYEA for the 2014-2017 term.
Vietnam
posts record trade surplus with Australia
Vietnamese exports
to
The Vietnam Trade
Office in
Crude oil topped
the list of export items tallying in at US$1.29 billion, representing a 73.3%
year-on-year increase. It was followed by telephones and components
(US$215.81 million) and aquatic products (US$123.07 million).
Notably, gross
exports from iron and steel to
Other items
maintaining steady growth were electric cables, metals, confectionery,
cereals, handbags, wallets, suitcases, hats, and umbrellas. Some export items
such as transport vehicles and spare parts which faced an 8.9% decline in the
previous year, achieved a rather high growth rate of 41% in the reviewed
period.
Meanwhile,
Vietnamese major imports from
Dong Nai
lures over 920 million USD in FDI
The southern
According to the
provincial Department of Planning and Investment, of the total, 391 million
USD was poured into 52 new projects, while the remaining was added for 51
existing ones. Most of the projects are carried out in industrial zones.
In the reviewed
period, the province revoked investment licenses of eight projects with a
combined capital of over 86 million USD.
Therefore, there
are now 1,117 valid projects totaling 20.8 billion USD in the locality.
In the first eight
months of 2014, total revenue of FDI businesses operating in local industrial
zones reached 10.37 billion USD, of which 5.6 billion USD came from exports.
They contributed
more than 374 million USD to the State budget, a year-on-year rise of 8.5
percent.
Farmers
brew sweet success from rare tea
Sweetness
supersedes and quickly removes any bitterness from the tea, a specialty from
the mountainous
"It's
completely perfect as a refreshing treat on a summer morning," the
middle-aged woman said, as she fastened her eyes on little dried, curled buds
coated in a thin whitish cover which seemed to sparkle under the early sun.
Hai expressed much
delight over the "Thanh you" gift she has received from a friend –
a crystalline glass jar containing around 100g of shantuyet tea marked ‘a
Suoi Giang – Yen Bai specialty'.
Located around
1,200 to 2,200m above sea level, Suoi Giang commune in Van Chan district
enjoys a cool climate all year round. The favourable geography, terrain and
weather conditions have been the key to the development of tea trees which
produce the well-known shantuyet variety.
The latest figures
show that Suoi Giang is home to 393 hectares of land planted to tea, three-fourths
of them with ancient roots.
In the 1960s, Dr M.
Djemmukhatze of the Soviet Union Academy of Sciences visited Suoi Giang and
concluded that its tea had the most unique flavor. At that time, the commune
had nearly 40,000 ancient tea trees aged from 200 to 300 years.
"I've been to
120 countries which grow tea in the world but found no other places that have
perennial plants like those in Suoi Giang. The tea here is unique. All the 18
flavours of the global tea varieties can be found in a single bowl of green
tea," he wrote in a notebook kept at the local People's Committee.
According to local
people, mostly from the H'Mong ethnic group, the fresh buds still retain
their natural scent, plumpness, sheen and an outer layer of whitish fuzz
after these are manually processed, so they are called shantuyet.
For ages, they have
viewed the ancient tea as a rare, valuable, and healthy herb, with a liquid
as yellow as forest honey instead of green, like other tea brands. The smooth
blend of all of its elements makes the brew one of the finest natural drinks
in the country.
The late poet Xuan
Dieu even composed poems describing the lingering sweetness of Suoi Giang tea
on the tip of one's tongue as a long-lasting love between a man and a woman.
According to Nguyen
Dinh, a researcher of tea culture, Suoi Giang still holds a tea-worshipping
ceremony at the outset of the first tea crop of the year.
"Only the
H'Mong people in Suoi Giang possess such a unique cultural trait in
"Local people
prepare a cock, two bottles of homemade rice wine and some bamboo and paper
stuff and place them on an altar set up under the foot of the oldest tea
tree, aged more than 300 years," Dinh recalled. "A wizard, normally
a prestigious person in the community, is placed in charge of the worshipping
rituals."
"The practice
serves as a perfect connection between generations of people in Suoi Giang
who have lived on the tea. It is also a fine cultural beauty, likely
demonstrating that reaching areas of century-old tea trees is needed to
understand a whole cultural region," Dinh added.
"People drink
the tea, not just because of its fine buds, as white as snow, with its
yellowish brew and fragrant and sweet taste, but because of the quintessence
of the northern sky and earth, as well as cultural features of the H'Mong
people," said Pham Vu Khanh who has been in the business for years.
"Each kilo of
shantuyet costs about 10 times more than the popular Thai Nguyen tea
varieties, but the number of customers remains high," Khanh said.
"On the
average, an ancient tea tree produces between seven to eight kilos of
freshly-picked tea per year while a kilo of dried tea requires five kilos of
freshly-picked tea. That's why shantuyet tea is a precious treasure," he
added.
Nguyen Huu Phuong
who has returned from a community-based tour to experience the daily tea
processing work of the H'Mong people in Suoi Giang, said: "When I first
heard that a kilo of the shantuyet tea cost as much as 3.5 millionVND (170
USD), I thought it was unbelievable."
"Now I think
differently after witnessing and becoming directly involved in the
tea-processing work. The price is nothing compared with the efforts the
locals make to produce the specialty tea," the Hanoian added. "The
more the cultural features in the tea are exploited, the higher is its
value."
"The Chinese
and Japanese drink as much tea as the Vietnamese," said Dinh. "They
have developed this habit and turned it into a cultural trait, like that of
the tea ceremony in
Figures show that
SOEs
maintain stable operations
For the last three
years, most State-owned enterprises (SOEs) have had stable operations with
acceptable profits, but capital withdrawal from their non-core businesses
contiues to be sluggish.
The Ho Chi Minh
City People's Committee reported that the city has 108 enterprises which are
fully owned by the State.
During the 2011-13
period, SOEs had an annual total turnover of 121.5 trillion VND (6 billion
USD) and annual profits totalled 2 trillion VND (98 million USD).
"State-owned
enterprises have reformed their technologies; improved their models and
quality; increased skills and capacity for human resources; and saved
expenditures for meetings, working abroad, guests' welcome parties; and usage
of electricity, water and telephone," Le Thi Huynh Mai, Deputy Director
of the municipal Planning and Investment Department, was quoted as saying in
the Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times).
State-owned
enterprises were recognised as effectively using capital and assets,
especially for enterprises in transport, trade, tourism, services, gold and
precious stones.
In addition, these
enterprises had significantly contributed to the State budget; implemented
investment for important projects; served the city's long-term socio-economic
strategies; and contributed to the city's shift to biotechnology, high-tech
agriculture, food processing, manufacturing and engineering.
To implement the
State-owned enterprise re-structuring project, with focus on State
corporations and groups during the 2011-15 period, 17 corporations and groups
have set up re-structuring projects and 14 of them have been approved.
Another 29
State-owned enterprises will be equitised this year and in 2015, and
equitisation plans for three of them were approved.
"The slow
process of equitisation was due to resolving current problems on finances,
land, workshops and other assets," Mai added.
Furthermore, time
for restructuring has been short, and enterprises must spend their resources
for the time ahead.
At the same time,
corporations and groups have listed their investments in non-core businesses
and their plans to withdraw capital from those businesses.
However, progress
of capital withdrawal from non-core businesses has been very slow.
During the 2011-13
period, 14 corporations and groups have withdrawn 30.2 billion VND (1.5
million USD) from non-core businesses.
In 2014, it is
expected around 1.5 trillion VND (70 million USD) will be withdrawn.
The problem is the
difficulty in finding buyers, especially in a time of continuing economic
downturn.
"The
enterprises which haven't listed on the stock exchange will face more
difficulties in seeking partners to transfer their shares," Mai added.
Binh Duong
earns over 1 billion USD from electronic exports
More than 154
electronic businesses in the southern
Notably, phones and
spare parts fetched 700 million USD, up 40 percent against the same period
last year, while the computers and other electronic products earned 400
million USD, up 4 percent.
According to the
provincial Department of Planning and Investment, the province has so far
licensed 154 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects operating in the
electronic industry, providing jobs for nearly 50,000 people. Most of the
projects are invested by
The
At present, Binh
Duong is calling for investment in hi-tech areas such as electricity and
electronics, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and support industry.
Cement-clinker
export reaches nearly 10 million tonnes
The cement and
clinker export has reached 9.68 million tonnes for the first eight months of
this year, according to the Ministry of Construction (MoC).
The figure
represents an increase of 9 percent compared to the same period of 2013.
Exports in August
have seen a remarkable surge of 12 percent compared to July, hitting 1.1
million tonnes.
The domestic market
consumed 42.5 million tonnes in the 8-month period, equivalent to 68.6
percent of the sector’s yearly target. Cement sales are expected to rise
toward the end of the year, as the construction season has begun following
the end of the rainy season. Positive signs on the real estate market will
also help boost consumption of construction materials.
The Ministry of
Construction estimates cement consumption will reach 62 - 63 million tonnes
this year, a mere 1.5-3 percent increase compared to 2013. It announced an
export goal of 14 million tonnes, the same export volume of last year.
Da Lat
certifies flower to increase values
The Central
Highlands
The certification
is among steps to improve the standing of the Da Lat Flower in the current
competitive market and economic integration, whilst boosting the entire
industry in the city in terms of market expansion and export growth.
In order to obtain
the certificate, each flower variety must meet strict standards on quality,
shape, size, and scent. Details on farm, origin, and time of harvest are also
considered during the certification process.
Since the first
flower, Cymbidium, was granted the “Da Lat Flower” certificate, a total of 11
varieties have been certified, including rose, daisy, carnation, gladiolus,
and gerbera. All of which are considered Da Lat flower specialties.
At present, Lam
Dong province has over 7,000 ha of flower farming land, making it the nation’s
biggest flower producer. Of which, Da Lat owns over 4,400 ha.
In 2013, the
province produced 2.13 billion flowers, including 1.44 billion in Da Lat.
The same year,
about 190 million Da Lat flowers were shipped to foreign markets, including
In the first seven
months of this year, the province earned 16 million USD from exporting more
than 100 million flowers, accounting for 5.9 percent of its total export
revenue.
Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR
|
Thứ Sáu, 5 tháng 9, 2014
Đăng ký:
Đăng Nhận xét (Atom)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét