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Social News 18/1
Hand, foot and mouth disease strikes Hanoi
A health official from the Hanoi Health Department says a
surging outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in ten districts in
According to the official, there have been five separate
outbreaks reported and there is an especially high risk of a widespread
outbreak in Bac Tu Liem district with six infected cases recently reported.
There is no vaccine to prevent the disease, the official said.
The disease is a contagious viral illness that commonly
affects infants and young children. Symptoms usually begin with a fever, sore
throat, painful sores in the mouth. Complications include viral meningitis,
myocarditis, and acute pneumonia, which can be fatal.
To reduce the risk of catching the virus, both children and
adults should wash their hands often with soap and water many times
throughout the day, disinfect touched surfaces such as toys and doorknobs and
timely isolate infected patients.
Volunteer year illustrates youth enthusiasm for community
activities
The 2014 Youth Volunteer Year proved to be a success, with a
series of activities held across
Voluntary activities towards the country’s seas and islands
were a highlight of the year and were warmly received by youth nationwide,
especially amidst
A programme run by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh
Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and the Naval High Command mobilised more than 2
billion VND (about 95,240 USD) in donations for residents and soldiers on the
Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
Meanwhile, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Students’
Association built eight flag poles on islands using money donated by
undergraduate students across the country. It also called upon businesses to
give lifebuoys and 900 national flags to residents in
The youth visited and encouraged residents and soldiers on the
Truong Sa archipelago as well as the families of coast guard servicemen and
fishery resource surveillance forces performing their duties at sea. A fund
to support fishermen working around Hoang Sa (Paracel) was also established.
In 2014, youth participation fuelled progress on the national
new-style rural area building programme, a Government-launched initiative to
improve and develop
During the summer volunteer campaign, youth teams were sent to
disadvantaged localities in the northwest, Central Highlands, and southwest
regions where they worked together to build infrastructure facilities
including irrigation systems, roads, hygienic toilets, cultural centres, and
playing grounds.
Volunteers advised rural residents about profitable production
models, animal and crop farming techniques, and technology transfer while
disseminating information on laws and encouraging the young to practice
healthy cultural activities.
Also in 2014, a wide range of traffic safety-themed activities
were conducted by HCYU chapters to raise awareness of traffic safety models;
the
Such efforts greatly contributed to the 4 percent decrease in
the number of fatalities and a 13.8 percent reduction in accidents in 2014.
Construction sector owes USD25m in unpaid wages
Workers in the construction sector are owed VND528bn(USD25m)
in unpaid wages, according to a review by the
Trade and labour unions from 63 provinces and cities took part
in an online meeting January 15 led by Dang Ngoc Tung, chairman of the
A highlight of the meeting was the problem of unpaid wages.
Statistics from labour unions showed the average monthly wage in 2014 was
VND5.8m per employee. But unpaid wages in 22 provinces and localities were a
major feature of the construction sector.
Do Van Quang, vice chairman of the construction trade union
speaking at the meeting.
As of December 31, 2014, 85 companies, or 17.2 percent of
listed companies, owed employees VND395.3bn in unpaid wages alone. The
construction trade union said the companies blamed a lack of cash flow for
the unpaid wages.
"In 2010, there were no unpaid wages, but this problem
has been rising since 2011. There is a VND4trn project that has been
completed with bank loans, but the customer has yet to pay and the company
doesn't have the funds to pay wages," said Do Van Quang, vice chairman
of the construction trade union.
"On the other hand, many companies had to borrow money
from banks due to difficulties, and as soon as clients transfer funds, the
money is taken by the banks. I know of a company that replaced its directors
three times in order to improve its financial situation."
Quang suggested companies make unpaid wage problem a priority
and meet employees to try to find ways of improving their businesses.
Hao Duong delays paying environmental pollution fines
Hao Duong Leather Tanning Company on January 12 asked the Ho
Chi Minh City People's Committee for an extension in the payment of VND6.3
billion ($296.000) in environmental pollution fines, according to Lao Dong
newswire.
“Hao Duong admits to the wrongdoings and commits to mitigating
the consequences and submitting the VND6.3 billion in fines,” Tang Van Duc,
chairman of Hao Duong, said, but added that paying was hard, because “Hao
Duong hasn’t been operating for the past 14 months and thus is in a difficult
financial situation. The company is paying salaries to its 300 workers who
were temporarily out of work due to the factory closure, as well as improving
its waste water treatment system, maintaining equipment and compensating
foreign customers, which cost a total VND25 billion ($1.17 million).”
Duc said he hoped the people’s committee would allow the firm
to pay in multiple installments, “to help reduce the financial pressure, so
that the firm can continue operating and finish paying the VND6.3 billlion
fine”.
He also asked if Hao Duong could be allowed to re-open the
factory on a trial basis this month. If Hao Duong does not meet the standards
set by authorities, it will close and admit all responsibilities. The request
is still being considered by the local authorities.
Hao Duong, located in the
The VND6.3 billion fine Hao Duong was subject to pay was said
to be the highest-ever level levied on an corporate environmental polluter in
As many as 3,000 part time jobs awaiting students during Tet
The Student Supporting Center in Ho Chi Minh City is carrying
out the annual program to support poor students on the occasion of the Lunar
New Year (Tet holiday) that peaks on February 19 this year, said Le Xuan
Dung, deputy head of the center.
This year, the program will give bus tickets to 3,000 needy
students who can not afford the ticket to return their homeland on Tet
holiday. Students can register until February 10.
Along with this program, the center will sell cheap tickets
with the discount of 30-50 percent to disadvantaged students. The program
begins from January 17 to February 10.
In addition to the ticket supporting program, the center also
organizes a get-together for students who stay in the city. As usual, the
center will give 1,500 gifts to them. The program will mobilize local enterprises
to offer around 4,000 part-time jobs to students who stay in the city to earn
money during Tet holiday.
The center said, there are about 3,000 part-time jobs for
students including shop-keepers in supermarkets, safeguard for the flower
street. This year, the
The school management will send wishes to all students, give
them lucky money and traditional foods for Tet. Moreover, musical performance
and folk games are hoped to bring happiness to students.
Similarly,
Chemical traders ignore dangers: HCMC
Several chemical traders have operated without business
license and not complied with related safety regulations in
Kim Bien Market is well-known for chemical trading in
These chemicals are contained in plastic bottles and bags
without origin, instructions for use and expiry date.
A chemical deliverer in the market named Le Thanh Tai said
that besides chemicals that are permitted for sale, other banned types are
also available. The banned are not displayed at shops but put in other places
to avoid inspectors.
Similar condition is also occurring at another chemical
trading area in To Hien Thanh Street, District 10.
Stalls in Kim Bien Market and To
In addition HCMC has hundreds of establishments producing and
trading chemicals without licenses. They have poured industrial chemicals
from big cans into bottles and arranged them in confusion with unsafe
electricity system which easily triggers fires and explosions.
The HCMC Fire Fighting and Prevention Police Department has
implemented an instruction by the city People’s Committee to strengthen
inspection over chemical businesses in the city to prevent fires and
explosions.
According to Commander Nguyen Duc Vinh from the department,
they have inspected trading establishments and uncovered a lot of issues
especially from the management of authorized agencies with overlapped and
asynchronous regulations.
For instance traders must get business licenses not only from
the city Department of Planning and Investment but also the Department of
Industry and Trade.
Last year HCMC saw five chemical-related fires and explosions
killing eight, injuring six people and causing a financial damage of VND40
billion (US$1.9 million). Safety regulations were not ensured in the process
of transportation, preservation, blending, and usage of chemicals permitting
the substances to leak out and react with water and oxygen.
At a meeting on social and health insurance held yesterday in
the city, Sang said 68.25 per cent of the population was covered in 2014.
More than 5.4 million people bought health insurance, an
increase of 8.35 per cent compared to 2013. At least 909,970 people
voluntarily bought health insurance.
With the increase in the number of contracts signed between
the social insurance agency and local hospitals and clinics, the total number
of insured patients treated at local hospitals rose, Sang said.
These health establishments have also improved treatment
quality to ensure the trust of insured patients, he added.
The city's health insurance fund paid VND70 billion (US$3.3
million) to insured patients who were treated at hospitals last year, Sang
said.
However, despite successes last year, Sang said the agency was
short of qualified staff with sufficient medical knowledge who could uncover
cases of abuse of insurance funds by doctors and healthcare staff. These
staff are in charge of examining patients' health records.
The agency's report showed that nearly 1.9 million employees
joined the social-insurance scheme last year, an increase of 75,969 compared
to 2013.
The city's total collection of social and health insurance
funds last year increased to VND33.5 trillion (US$1.5 billion), a rise of
21.28 per cent compared to 2013.
The agency inspected 3,668 enterprises and organisations that
bought health and social insurance.
It sued 1,717 enterprises that failed to pay social insurance
for their employees within six months, which is required by law. The agency
later recovered VND129.9 billion ($6.2 million).
Sang said that lawsuits were one of several ways that the city
could force enterprises to pay social insurance to their employees.
Health sector works to improve services
The Ministry of Health has strengthened efforts to improve
healthcare services by working on key issues, including IT, medical equipment
management and transparency.
Deputy director of the ministry's Information Technology
Department, Nguyen Hoang Phuong, said at a conference on IT application in
the healthcare sector yesterday that IT was key to improving healthcare
services and simplifying related administrative procedures.
The ministry had applied IT to organise online conferences,
diagnosis, treatment and consultation, he said.
He reported that all national hospitals had employed the use
of IT, but provincial and district hospitals trailed behind.
Information connections between hospitals using IT remained
limited.
Addressing the conference, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam said IT in the
healthcare system was important but its application remained low.
"The reason is that only a few specialised enterprises
work in the field of medical IT, leaving many hospitals on their own,"
he said.
"This is a market that has a lot of potential and can be
sustainable; enterprises should make their move," he added.
He called on IT businesses to work more in the field of
healthcare and the ministries of Health and Information and Communications to
promote IT application in the healthcare sector.
Deputy PM Dam earlier called on the ministry to tighten the
management of medical equipment, particularly in the bidding process and the
assessment of equipment quality.
"Transparency in all stages including licensing, bidding
and quality assessment is the strongest and most effective method to improve
the quality of medical equipment," Dam said at the conference on
Wednesday.
He asked all hospitals and local health departments to
publicise their bidding on new equipment and quality assessments on the
ministry's official website and on the Ministry of Planning and Investment's
(MoPI) State bidding network.
The Ministry of Health has also worked closely with other
ministries to support domestic companies that produce medical equipment.
A large number of domestically produced medical products like
beds, gloves and infusion lines were often purchased by state hospitals, said
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.
However, domestic companies failed to provide advanced medical
equipment, leaving hospitals with no choice but to import equipment, she
said.
Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dang Huy Dong said
that an independent specialist board had been jointly established by the
ministry and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The board assessed all
medical equipment to be purchased with the State budget, whether it was
imported or produced by a domestic company.
"All products will be assessed based on the same criteria
of technological sophistication and cost, therefore it will make competition
for domestic companies fairer," Dong said.
The board members include representatives from domestic
companies, import companies, foreign manufacturers and specialised management
agencies.
Commune-level clinics need more staff
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said at a
conference held in Ha Noi yesterday that about 50 per cent of the
commune-level clinics nationwide need to be upgraded.
He added that their staff was inadequate in terms of numbers
and capability, especially in the remote and mountainous areas, despite both
central and local investments being made in recent years.
The Ha Noi conference was held to hear reports on the
performance of the commune-level clinics.
The country currently has about 10,000 such clinics, employing
about 68,000 health workers and providing more than 100 healthcare services,
said Long. However, many services reportedly do not meet the people's
healthcare demands due to lack of appropriate facilities and limited
workforce.
CDS project aims to create city-development strategies
The CDS project aims to create city-development strategies
that involve all stakeholders, using the cities themselves as the driving
force behind development.
"Cities contributed up to 75 percent of the country's GDP
and created millions of jobs, serving as economic hubs to boost
development," said Do Viet Chien, Director of the Ministry of
Construction's Urban Development Agency.
However, Chien added that
City development, even when planned, could still backfire if
un-coordinated and lacking strategic vision, said Dinh Thanh Tam, Director of
the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Department of Planning Management.
"The country's development plans are often poorly
constructed and lack community support," Tam said.
In addition, these plans complicated the development process
instead of helping it and caused substantial damage to the environment in the
process, according to the director general.
"With one-third of the population and major economic and
social activities taking place every day, the country needs a model to guide
the development of its cities now more than ever," said Nguyen Quang,
UN-Habitat Programme Manager in Vietnam.
Quang said that CDS, a tried and tested model for city
development, would be a useful tool for policy-makers and businesses in
dealing with the emerging issues faced by fast-growing cities across the
country, such as climate change, energy preservation and the development of
competitive advantages.
D. Ajay Suri, Regional Adviser of the Cities Alliance, said
the CDS project was different from other models as it focused on ways to get
the community involved, not just during the planning stage but also during
the implementation process.
The workshop included a presentation on
The project will cover five more cities over two years (Hai
Duong, Hung Yen, Viet Tri, Ha Tinh and Ben Tre) with sponsorship from the
UN-Habitat and Cities Alliance, a global partnership for urban poverty
reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development.
River dykes to be upgraded comprehensively
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked for
accelerating the reinforcement of river dykes as a proactive measure against
flood.
The programme upgrading river dyke systems to 2020 was
approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 2068/QD-TTg released on December 9,
2009.
Between 2010 and 2013, localities approved 277 projects on
strengthening 2,169 km of river dykes worth over 42.9 trillion VND (2.04
billion USD), with 166 projects accomplished and 1,164 km of dykes fortified
and 332 km of embankments built.
The Deputy PM requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MARD) instruct target localities to guarantee technical and
safety standards after assessing thoroughly the state of their river dykes.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Planning and Investment was
assigned to ensure allocated funding reaches the MARD and localities for the
implementation.
The People’s Committees of target provinces were required to
build medium-term and annual projects related in accordance with their budget
balance.
63 billion VND allocated to preserve mangrove forest ecology
A 63 billion VND (3 million USD) project has been launched in
the southern
The project aims to preserve and foster the reproduction of
the fauna and flora ecosystem diversification in the Long Khanh commune in
order to serve the research and development of an eco-tourism site in the
area.
The majority of the funds, 54 billion VND (2.6 billion USD),
will be dedicated to planting 73 hectares of forest, reproducing monkeys,
crocodiles, iguanas and other wild animals, building stations and grids, and
purchasing machines and equipment to protect the forest.
Primeval Long Khanh mangrove forest has been under State
protection since 2006, including mangrove, date, and African mahogany flora
and squirrel, weasel and bird fauna preserved within the conservation area.
The southern
It has set to tackle all polluted produc tion facilities and
ensure all residential zones have standardized waste treatment systems.
Solid wastes and wastes discharged by hospitals will be
collected and treated to standard environmental levels and up to 96 percent
of rural people access clean water.
Among 27 environment protection projects and programmes
intended for the work, Tay Ninh will firstly focus on addressing pollution o
the
Besides, it will prioritise building concentrated wastewater
treatment facilities for Tay Ninh urban city and Duong Minh Chau town and
improving solid waste and wastewater treatment systems at nine district and
municipal hospitals and healthcare centres.
In 2014, all industrial and export processing zones in the
province have built their own wastewater treatment systems and 95 percent
solid, hazardous and hospital wastes were collected and treated. Up to 94
percent of private production workshops installed equipment to treat their
wastewater.
Efforts to expand health insurance coverage to HIV patients
These measures are part of efforts to gradually shift the
payment of treatment fees from foreign-funded project and programme resources
to the country’s health insurance fund.
The health sector is encouraging people living with HIV to go
to local medical facilities where health insurance cards cover all of their
treatment costs, instead of outpatient clinics.
Unfortunately, many patients are still avoiding visiting
medical facilities near their homes over concerns that relatives, friends and
neighbours will become aware of their HIV status and stigmatise them, posing
a significant barrier to covered health insurance treatments.
To widen the health insurance coverage, experts propose
applying health insurance card payments in outpatient clinics and HIV test
centres under the Health Ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department, the
preferred access sites for people living with HIV.
According to the Director of the general
Currently, 415 out of the 542 known HIV/AIDS patients in the
district have insurance cards, or an impressive 76.5 percent. Health
insurance has also helped Tinh Bien reduce international project spending by
roughly 60 million VND (2,820 USD) on check-ups and treatment.
Looking forward, the health sector plans to mobilise resources
from the State budget to simplify access to insurance for people living with
HIV, including subsidising part or all of the insurance card fees for those
living near or below the poverty line.
Homeland Spring 2015 set for TET holidays
It has emerged that this year’s annual Xuan Que Huong
(Homeland Spring 2015) programme to welcome Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) is set
for February in
The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA),
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee
jointly made the announcement the event will be held
OVs choosing to participate will visit and enjoy a feast in a
Red River Delta ancient village, greet and wish Happy New Year to leaders of
the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front and attend a banquet organized
by the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee.
They will also get a chance to participate in a programme in
which the State President will send Happy New Year wishes to all Vietnamese
people and enjoy an art exchange in the Culture Village of Vietnamese Ethnic
Minority Groups.
In addition, the programme will organize a visit to tea
cultural atmosphere, ecological ethnic village and attend an art exchange in
Thai Nguyen province.
The event is expected to bring a warm and happy atmosphere to
usher in the new spring 2015 for OVs returning to homeland to welcome the
Lunar New Year.
OVs desiring to participate should register with the State
Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) at
More women in management is good for business
New ILO study shows that
While women are still under-represented in top management, the
number of women in senior and middle management positions has increased over
the last 20 years, a new study by the International Labour Organization
finds.
According to Women in Business and Management: Gaining
Momentum, women’s %age share of all managers ranges from 2.1 % in the
lowest-ranked country of
In Asia, the highest ranking country is the
As the proportion of women managers has increased over the past
years in most of the countries where the ILO has available data,
“Our research is showing that women’s ever increasing
participation in the labour market has been the biggest engine of global
growth and competitiveness,” says Deborah France-Massin, Director of the ILO
Bureau for Employers’ Activities.
“An increasing number of studies are also demonstrating
positive links between women’s participation in top decision making teams and
structures and business performance. But there is a long way to go before we
achieve true gender equality in the workplace, especially when it comes to
top management positions.”
Only 5 % or less of the CEOs of the world’s largest
corporations are women, the ILO report shows. The larger the company, the
less likely the head will be a woman.
In
“It is critical for more women to reach senior management
positions in strategic areas to build a pool of potential candidates for top
jobs such as CEO or company presidents,” explained France-Massin. “However,
‘glass walls’ still exist with the concentration of women in certain types of
management functions like HR, communications and administration”, she added.
Today, women own and manage over 30 % of all businesses
globally (29.5 % of employers in
The authors underline that women and girls receive
almost half of all educational resources, thus representing a significant
proportion of the available talent pool. The case of
UNESCO data indicate that among those with tertiary education,
women always outnumbered men in the period between 2007 and 2011.
There is also evidence of the benefits to business of
tapping into the talent pool that women represent – including being in tune
with a consumer market increasingly driven by women. As women often control
household budgets and financial decisions and their purchasing power has
increased, they are significant consumers and clients of products and
services. Therefore, decision-making roles in enterprises should be
represented by both women and men.
“Supporting women to advance in their career is not only
an issue of gender equality but also makes good business sense,” said ILO
Vietnam Director Gyorgy Sziraczki.
“Promoting the diversity in management by having more women in
top positions is key to increase companies’ productivity and competitiveness,
thereby seizing the economic and social benefits of the country’s deepening
integration”, he said.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Chairman of Phong Dien District People's Committee Nguyen
Hoang Ba said that all households in the district had handed over their land.
However, telecommunications and electricity infrastructure had not been
removed. He insisted that responsible organisations remove that
infrastructure so that construction could start.
The VND536 billion ($25.5 million) first phase of the
irrigation project was carried out from 2005 to 2012. It involved building
115km of dyke roads, 121km of 15 second-degree canals and 72 first- and
second-degree drains.
The first phase also helped Hau Giang province supply cleaner
water for local residents. By the end of 2012, seven local communes and
towns, including Tra Long town, Phuong Binh and Vi Thanh commune, built six
water plants with an investment of VND21 billion ($1 million) to provide
8,200 cubic metres of clean water each night, an increase of 26 per cent
compared to the time before 2012.
Experts forecast garment, textile export target accessible
this year
Negotiations of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other free
trade agreements (FTA) have been done and they are going to be signed this
year, which experts say are an opportunity for the garment and textile
industry to maintain its export growth momentum last year and obtain a
turnover target of US$28-28.5 billion this year.
Last year the garment and textile export turnover reached
nearly US$24.5 billion, an increase of 16 percent over 2013. Garment items
brought US$21 billion up 17 percent while fibre products yielded US$3 billion.
The export turnover grew 12.5 percent to U.S. market, 17 percent to the EU and remained
unchanged at 9 percent to Japan
These achievements were partly due to influences from free
trade agreements.
Experts believed that these agreements will make the garment
and textile industry’s export target accessible this year because they are
directly related to the main export markets of Vietnam ,
for instance TPP with the U.S.
and Japan and FTAs with
the EU, South Korea , and
the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus
and Kazakhstan
When the Vietnam-EU FTA is signed, the tariff rate will fall
from 12 percent to 0 percent. Similarly, the TPP agreement will abolish U.S.
Despite of the above advantages, experts have said that Vietnam
Ms. Raffaella Carabelli, chairwoman of the Association of
Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, said that besides diversifying the
export markets businesses should reduce the reliance on import material
sources for successful integration.
Sharing the same view deputy chairman of the Vietnam
Association of Garment and Textile Le Tien Truong said that localization rate
increase is one of factors helping businesses improve their competitiveness
and products’ added value.
From now until the agreements are signed and take effect,
businesses should invest in material production, link fibre production with
cloth production and garment making to improve the supply chain, he added.
They should quickly change from processing with high material
import ratio into all-in production to meet customers’ demand and increase
the added value of their products, he said.
HCM City enterprises expand business market in Mekong Delta
The investment not only helped city’s enterprises to develop
their good distribution systems but also sell their products in Mekong
Delta’s provinces.
Moreover, the projects were expected to contribute to job
creation in the delta and became a link between the region with Ho Chi Minh City
In addition to expand trade market, Mekong Delta’s
provinces also created best favorable conditions to support enterprises
in good source investment, exploitation and development.
Long An border gate zone approved as Mekong
Delta’s economic hub
The Prime Minister has approved a broad plan for developing
the Long An border gate economic zone to 2030, with the hopes of making it
one of the Mekong Delta region’s industrial, commercial and service hubs.
The zone, located in the Mekong Delta province of Long
An and bordering the Cambodian province of Svay Rieng, will extend across
13,080 hectares of land and include an international border gate, Binh Hiep,
and a secondary border gate, Long Khot.
According to Decision No 07/2010/QD-TTg, established on
January 25, 2010, the zone will cover seven communes and one town.
By 2020, the zone is intended to have a population of 58,000
people, with 30,200 living in urban areas (52%). This is expected to increase
to 105,000 in total and 70,000 living in urban areas by 2030.
The zone will have 425 hectares set aside for industrial
parks, 146 hectares for small-scale industrial parks, and another 54 hectares
for mini industrial areas.
Telecom, television get more complaints
The Vietnam Competition Authority said that there were more
complaints about telecommunications and television services than other fields
complained about by consumers last year.
Last year, the authority under the Ministry of Industry and
Trade handled more than 1,000 complaints, 4.6 times higher than the number of
the previous year.
Of the total, services under the management of the Ministry of
Information and Communications accounted for 57.5% and complaints about telecom-television
services took 50% of this proportion and Internet 7.42%.
The authority explained there were more complaints about
telecom-television services than other fields because the sector had grown
fast and many complicated cases had emerged. There existed disputes worth
tens of billions of dong in this sector last year.
Following telecom-television were the property sector,
accounting for 8.13% of the total complaints, consumer goods with 7.36%,
electronics with 6.17%, transportation with 6.12%, beauty and healthcare
services with 4.54%, and finance-banking-insurance sector with 3.6%.
The authority has recently launched a free call service at
1800 6838 to receive complaints from consumers with an aim to better protect
consumers’ legitimate interests. Consumers can also lodge complaints to the
authority via www.bvntd.vca.gov.vn or by mail.
Ministry told to adjust tariffs on E5 bio-fuel imports
The Government has told the Ministry of Finance to review and
adjust tariffs on E5 bio-fuel imports to support domestic production of this
product as its import duty now stands at as low as 5% compared to 35% on
RON92 gasoline imports.
The finance ministry has been assigned to recalculate fuel
import tariffs in a view that the retail price of E5 petrol should be lower
than that of RON92 gasoline to encourage consumption of the bio-fuel, a
mixture of 95% RON92 petrol and 5% ethanol, in the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has urged the ministries
of industry-trade and finance to work out plans to adjust import tariffs and
appropriate measures to create the price difference between E5 and RON92
gasoline products.
As the duty on E5 petrol imports is too low at the present,
locally-produced E5 petrol cannot compete with imports. Therefore, the
finance ministry should monitor E5 petrol imports, increase tariffs and
collect an environmental protection fee to narrow the difference between the
prices of E5 petrol and RON92 gasoline.
The ministries should report specific solutions to the
Government before January 15.
Earlier, a number of local fuel enterprises proposed revising
up import tariffs on E5 petrol imports, and Binh Son Refining and
Petrochemical Company (BRS) is one of them.
The company calculated with the import duties of 5% on E5 and
35% on A92 gasoline, the price of the bio-fuel produced in Vietnam
Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) is another big
producer and supplier of E5 bio-fuel in the country.
Private firms contribute more to HCMC's economy
The contribution of local State-owned enterprises (SOEs) to
HCMC’s gross domestic product (GDP) has shrunk while the share of private
firms, especially foreign-invested enterprises, has edged higher over the
years, according to the city’s Department of Planning and Investment.
The department reported at a meeting with the leaders of HCMC
on Wednesday that the State economic sector accounted for 17% of the city’s GDP
last year and the proportion is forecast to fall to 16.8% of GDP this year,
well below the 26.6% recorded in the 2006-2010 period.
Meanwhile, the private economic sector has contributed more
the city’s GDP, from 50.6% in the 2006-2010 period to 58% last year and
possibly 58.2% this year. Last year, foreign-invested firms’ contribution was
25%, according to the report on economic restructuring in 2011-2015.
The city government has restructured 15 State-owned
corporations and holding companies by dissolving and selling loss-making
enterprises and letting those unable to resume operations go bust. In
addition, the city will pull State capital out of joint stock companies and
urge local State-owned enterprises to boost divestments from non-core
operations.
In the 2014-2015 period, 14 SOEs plan to divest a total of
more than VND4.73 trillion (US$220.8 million) from non-core business
operations, according to a recent report of the city government on the
restructuring of public investment, state-owned enterprises and the banking
system in the city.
The city will speed up State capital divestments from non-core
businesses this year and next, particularly in the banking, securities,
insurance and real estate sectors and investment funds.
The HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority
(Hepza) said foreign-invested firms have continued increasing investments and
faring well in 2011-2015. The sector is responsible for US$2.7 billion out of
US$4 billion investment pledges for projects in industrial parks and export
processing zones in the city.
Services have taken a bigger percentage of the city’s GDP in
the 2011-2015 period and the share of manufacturing and construction sectors
has been in decline. The service sector accounted for 53.6% of the city GDP
in 2010 and is expected to make up 59.9% this year.
Contributions of the manufacturing and construction sectors
are projected to drop to around 39% in 2015 from 45.4% in 2010, while the
proportion of the agriculture sector has been only 1% in the past years.
Experts warn of frangible state of economy
Economic and financial experts have pointed out a score of
macro-economic challenges and warned that the local economy is now in a
frangible state though it has shown signs of recovery.
Tran Dinh Thien, head of the Vietnam Institute of Economics,
said economic restructuring since 2011 has brought about limited results and
the economy is now in the most vulnerable state in 30 years.
Speaking at a seminar in HCMC on January 8 on economic development
risks, Thien said higher gross domestic product (GDP) growth does not reflect
the actual nature of Vietnam’s economy as recovery means the economy’s health
is just a bit better but all woes have not been resolved.
Optimistic statements may create illusions about the actual
state of the economy, Thien warned.
Thien described the transition of Vietnam
“In the current situation, new policies should be issued with
great caution and it is important to forecast and identify risks rather than
make rosy statements about the economy.”
Thien stressed that having experienced a host of troubles in
the past seven years Vietnam
According to Thien, exports hit a record high of US$150
billion last year with a trade surplus of nearly US$2 billion but trade
deficit with China Vietnam
enjoys a trade surplus with the world but grapples with an increasing trade
deficit with China
Vo Dai Luoc from the Vietnam
Asia-Pacific Economic
Center said economic restructuring
in Vietnam
The private economic sector always serves as the backbone and
main growth driver of modern market economies. Therefore, according to Luoc,
to strengthen the driving force for Vietnam’s economy, it is necessary to
foster development of private enterprises.
Regarding Vietnam’s growth model and economic structure,
banking-financial expert Nguyen Dai Lai questioned whether outsourcing, use
of cheap labor to attract foreign manufacturers of export goods, slow
transfer of modern technologies and insufficient investment in domestic market
development are the problems of Vietnam’s economy. He noted outsourcing would
make Vietnam dependent more on the global economy.
Lai said Vietnam needs to make full use of its comparative
advantages as well as avoid becoming a supplier of low-cost natural resources
and cheap labor for the world.
MoIT rolls out plans to boost rice exports
Amid fierce competition, low demand and overproduction, the
Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) recently announced that it will
intensify measures in 2015 to expand the nation’s rice exports.
Specifically the MoIT has set its sights on the African, West
Asian and South Asian markets citing them as high demand markets where it can
be price competitive with the other major players in the industry.
Currently the primary suppliers of rice to Africa are
Thailand, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the US. Thailand tops the list,
accounting for 50% of market share, and the MoIT believes there arehighly
favourable prospects to make substantive headway into the market in 2015.
For West Asia, Iran and Iraq are two largest rice importers
that collectively purchase in excess of 1.2 million tonnes of rice annually,
making it a highly lucrative target market for Vietnam with ample opportunity
to pick up market share in the coming year.
In South Asia, Bangladesh is the dominant rice importer and
the MoIT believes it can capitalise in the market on the back of a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) between the two governments that went into effect in
early 2014.
The US Department of Agriculture has also forecast that rice
exports will surge in South Asia for 2015 so the MoIT is confident this
market is a solid target for exports. Other markets the MoIT have under its
microscope with plans to negotiate deals are the Ivory Coast, Congo, Kenya, Angola,
Mozambique and Madagascar.
In order to augment rice exports to these markets, the MoIT
aims to strengthen marketing and promotion efforts and improve coordination
with other governmental agencies involved in agro-forestry-fisheries exports.
The MoIT will also establish bonded warehouses in key markets
such as Cameroon, Angola, and Mozambique to facilitate Vietnamese exporters
and improve market accessibility the MoIT concluded.
Handicraft export orders rise
In 2014, the export value of Vietnamese handicrafts jumped 8%
on-year to US$1.6 billion, accounting for one-fifth of world market share.
However, Vietnam’s handicraft exports have just targeted the low-end markets
and have not matched their full potential.
This was recently announced by the Department of Processing
and Trade for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The MARD had approved a plan to export handicraft products for
the period 2010-2015, which set an export target of US$1.6 billion however,
the sector fulfilled the target a year ahead of schedule, the Ministry
reported.
Last year, Vietnam’s bamboo and rattan exports grossed US$530
million while the turnover for ceramic, weaving, wood sculpture and household
products was US$480 million, US$270 million, and US$130 million,
respectively.
Other ancillary products in the handicraft industry fetched an
export turnover of some US$190 million.
The US, Europe and Japan have historically been the
traditional markets for Vietnam’s handicrafts, making up a huge proportion of
the sector’s total exports. However, handicraft exporters have shifted their
focus to new markets within BRICS including Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa.
Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association (Vietcraft) General
Secretary Le Ba Ngoc said last year, an inflow of handicraft orders from
Japan and China dramatically improved the market in Vietnam. The move was
primarily attributable to policy changes in China that increased minimum wage
for workers and in turn led to higher production costs.
Moreover, Chinese manufacturers started setting minimum order
requirements making it more costly for consumers to purchase Chinese
products. In addition to Vietnam’s price competitiveness the huge number of
orders has also been attributed to increased trust consumers place in the
quality of Vietnam’s handicrafts.
However, Vietnam’s handicraft exports are still far from
matching potential, according to Vietcraft. At present, the world market
consumes handicraft products estimated at US$100 billion each year while
Vietnam has just 1.5% of market share.
Vietnam’s export volume of just US$1.6 billion has been much
too low compared against the increasing number of craft villages of 2,790 and
hundreds of labourers.
Vietcraft Vice President Do Van Khoi said due to lack of
investment in production technologies and product design, several craft
villages and businesses have opted to make low-cost products instead of
higher added value items.
At present, some 90% of Vietnam Thailand , Indonesia
and the Philippines
Ba Ngoc warned that to promote advantages and increase
export turnover, Vietnamese enterprises should focus on mid-end markets in
line with their production capacity, material source and working skills and
put off targeting higher end markets until later years. Especially, they
should also apply for trademark protection.
The MARD has also devised concrete solutions to accelerate the
development of craft villages and boost exports. At the same time, the
ministry should take measures to build sustainable material zones with a
priority given to specialised cultivation areas.
In addition, the Ministry urged enterprises to develop
traditional handicrafts with lower investment capital , high job creation and
focus on training human resources to speed up the export of highly added
value and creative handicrafts and seek highly lucrative markets.
Source :
VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR
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