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BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/12
Measures sought to increase added
value of coffee
Measures were sought to promote coffee processing to
enhance coffee export value to 6 billion USD by 2030 at a workshop in Da Lat
city, the Central Highlands
The event was organised by the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa
Association (VICOFA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD).
Addressing the event, MARD Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong
underlined the development of the coffee sector.
The sector earned 3.4 billion USD in export value and
provided jobs for some 600,000 people in the year.
Coffee plants have made significant contribution to the
nation’s development and the wellbeing of Vietnamese farmers, Cuong said.
By 2030,
He also noted the potential for
With a population of nearly 100 million people, 65
percent of them young and with a fast urbanisation rate, the domestic market
also offers huge potential for the sector, he added.
At the event, participants suggested old coffee trees
be replaced with high-yield ones to raise productivity while investing more
in coffee processing.
The event forms part of activities during the Vietnam
Coffee Day, the first of its kind, taking place in Da Lat city from December
9-11.
Dong Thap to host investment meet
The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta
These projects involve hi-tech agriculture, processing
industry, urban development, industrial park infrastructure and
manufacturing, in addition to tourism, trade and services.
Speaking at a press conference held on Saturday in
“Dong Thap will continue to create the most favourable
conditions for investors with a focus on bettering its investment and
business climate, perfecting infrastructure construction, reducing
administrative procedures and improving personnel resources,” he said.
Dong Thap is among the most dynamic economic provinces
in the Mekong Delta with great advantages in natural resources and
geographical position, he added.
It contributes to the nation’s rice production and
produces many other agro-forestry-fishery products for export every year, he
said. “The business environment in the province has also improved recently.”
According to Hung, the province’s economy will continue
to achieve a high growth rate in the future, fuelled by the rapid improvement
of transport, electronics, low labour costs and abundant food sources.
In order to attract more foreign investment, experts
suggested that the province should continue to invest in infrastructure
development and reduce logistics fees.
Truong Hoa Chau, director of the province’s Department
of Planning and Investment, said 21 projects would be granted investment
certificates and 16 Memorandum of Understandings worth VND23.9 trillion
(US$1.05 billion) will be signed during the conference.
“The conference aims to promote the potential and
opportunities for local and foreign investment in hi-tech agriculture,
processing industry, trading, services and tourism,” he said.
The conference will also promote exchanges between
investors and international organisations and promote co-operation among
local and foreign enterprises, he said.
Many businesses said the traffic between
Nguyen Van Tien, the director of Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development, said most enterprises were interested in
the potential and advantages of
“We are optimistic that investors in Dong Thap’s
agriculture sector will take the lead in restructuring the sector, making it
a prosperous province,” he said.
In addition to the investment promotion conference, a
forum on developing international markets for
The forum aims to promote the potential of the fruit
and vegetable sector in
Dong Thap in Mekong Delta is about 160km southwest of
With its mild climate, widespread irrigation systems
and abundant fresh water and fertile sediment, the province owns an abundant
agriculture resource. It conserves diverse ecosystems of many precious
species of fauna and flora.
Having a number of historical sites, ancient
architecture monuments and traditional craft villages, the province has great
potential to become a popular tourist destination in the region.
Forum connects Vietnamese startups
in US and VN
A forum connecting Vietnamese startups in the
Speaking at the event, vice chairman of the State
Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) Luong Thanh Nghi stressed that
innovative startup is a growing trend, and many Vietnamese-invested
enterprises in the
However, to reap more benefits, these enterprises need
closer connectivity and coordination, Nghi suggested.
The SCOV wants to build a network of Vietnamese
startups in the
Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien
Nhan said the forum is a valuable opportunity for enterprises from the city
and the
Nhan told participants that the municipal authorities
recently announced a project to turn
Therefore, there are more investment opportunities in
the city for foreign businesses, including those invested by Vietnamese in
the
At the forum, representatives from successful
Vietnamese startups in the
Vietnamese goods enjoy promotion
gains
A programme launched by
The “Supply-demand connection programme” has been
implemented by the
According to the HCM City Department of Industry and
Trade, the programme has proved a practical policy with a total of 1,761
contracts signed so far.
In 2016 alone, the programme helped the consumption of
80,000 tonnes of lychee in the southern region and 10,000 pigs in
Speaking at a conference on December 9, Deputy Minister
of industry and trade Hoang Quoc Vuong said that the ministry encourages
local authorities to organise activities that promote domestic trade and
enhance the consumption of domestic-made products so that local businesses,
households and localities are able to access the market.
“One hundred percent of products that have been
exchanged through the programme are Vietnamese,” Vuong said.
“This is truly an effective promotional channel that
can help Vietnamese products access both domestic and foreign markets and
complies with the campaign ‘Vietnamese use Vietnamese products’,” he said.
“We have paid more attention to the quality and safety
standards of the products so that they are least harmful for consumers’
health amid the mass use of toxic and chemical substances in agricultural and
fishery production.”
The programme has created a supply chain that provides
safe agricultural and fishery products for Vietnamese people and protects
producers that meet the global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and
“The ministry is fully supportive and willing to work
with local authorities and businesses to promote products in the country and
prepare for the coming Tet holidays in
The deputy minister also asked the HCM City Department
of Industry and Trade and local businesses to prepare sufficient supply of
products at reasonable price levels for the Tet holidays. In addition, the
city needs to combine the programme with other trade promotion campaigns to
expand the market and further develop local brands.
He also stressed that the local authorities must
further inspect, monitor and supervise the market regarding the quality of
goods and services, food safety and prices for the year-end and Tet periods.
In response, Director of the HCM City Department of
Industry and Trade Pham Thanh Kien said the city will further develop safe
food supply chains, track down product origins (from production to
distribution) and help localities develop their own brands and reputations so
that their products are widely recognised in both domestic and overseas
markets.
USG Boral increases investment in
Vietnam
USG Boral, a Malaysia-based plasterboards manufacturer,
has announced its 20-million USD investment in a plant at Hiep Phuoc
Industrial Zone in
The plant will support USG Boral’s commitment to
meeting the Vietnamese market’s growing demand for high-quality
plasterboards.
The company’s production capacity for plasterboard is
currently at 30 million sq.m. The new facility is set to increase production
capacity by 17 million sq.m and is targeted to reach a total capacity of 47
million sq.m when it commences operations in September 2019.
“We have witnessed a strong growth from this region, so
our decision to invest in the plant is a strategic one. This expansion will
see USG Boral utilising our latest Sheetrock technology to provide
superior-building solutions for
USG Boral began operations in
Located in the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone, USG Boral’s
factory supplies an extensive selection of gypsum board ceiling and wall solutions
for modern interior applications in
33 percent of farming cooperatives
efficiently operate: Ministry
About 33 percent of agricultural cooperatives in
The effective cooperatives have developed on a scale
suitable to their specialities and engaged in safe and high-tech farming
production. They have also created links with other agribusinesses and
organisations to expand production and distribution channels.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has
developed high-tech farming cooperatives and linked them with agribusiness in
tea, coffee, pepper, rice and shrimp in each of
The ministry has also selected 156 cooperatives and 19
cooperative groups to take part in a Government programme to pilot and
multiply new-style cooperative models in the Mekong Delta from 2016-2020.
It is also formulating a new scheme to develop 15,000
effective cooperatives and cooperative unions by 2020.
By the end of 2016, the country had 21 agricultural
cooperative unions and more than 10,700 farming cooperatives with nearly 4
million members. Each cooperative has 367 members in average.
E-tax payment service to be expanded
The General Department of Taxation has announced it has
finished refining the pilot online-based tax payment service (E-Tax) for
enterprises.
The service will be made available in the
Large-scale businesses will be able to open accounts
for other positions such as directors and chief accountants apart from main
accounts to flexibly monitor their responsibilities.
Users will be able to search their tax payment history,
tax obligations and notifications about taxation status.
Once the E-tax portal is put into use, firms are being
advised to stop using the old tax filing and payment system.
The department also sent guidelines about the new
system to tax payers.
The Global HR Forum 2017, initiated by
The two-day event is expected to attract Vietnamese
government officials, South Korean government officials, businesses,
startups, and university representatives. It will focus on human resource
exchanges and training between
Around 30 opinion leaders, including experts and
scholars, will participate in the “Miracle on the Han River to Miracle on the
The forum has the goal of spreading global prosperity
through collective human intelligence and human resource development. It is a
good opportunity for
With the Global HR Forum in Vietnam 2017, both nations
will have a new educational platform that enables in-depth discussion of
policy development for cultivating human resources and exchanges.
Jointly organised by
According to The Economist, if
With a young population, political stability, vast
untapped potential, a rising middle class, and a favourable location,
However, amid deep global integration, as a number of
free trade agreements are signed and take effect, the country needs to
improve its human resources’ quality or it will remain an outsourcing nation
for international groups.
French Week at Big C kicks off
An event call French Week at Big C began at the
supermarket chain’s outlets around the country on December 10 as part of the
French Month in
During the week, consumers will have the chance to
experience French products such as wine, traditional breads, hams, butter,
cheese, beef and cosmetics.
Big C is offering a discount of 20 percent on overage
on all French products besides attractive gifts like a shopping bag and hat.
Organised by Central Group Vietnam and the supermarket
chain, the event will run until December 17.
Fertilizer exports see strong growth
From a fertilizer importer,
According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs,
major markets of
Meanwhile,
Other markets of Vietnamese fertilizer included
Despite the strong growth in export,
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD) reported that
Other fertilizer exporters to
Explaining the rise in fertilizer import, Nguyen Duc
Thanh, Vice President of the Fertilizer Association of Vietnam and CEO of the
Petro Vietnam Ca Mau Fertilizer JSC said that not all fertilizers
ANZ upbeat about
Robust credit growth will help the Vietnamese economy
achieve its growth target this year, while export is likely to remain strong
and more foreign capital will flow into utilities, says Australia & New
Zealand Bank Group.
ANZ has just released its latest report on
ANZ economist Eugenia Victorino attributed this growth
to strong exports boosted by trade deals, good credit growth, and steady
inflows of foreign capital. Inflation is likely to remain manageable at 3.5
per cent and interest rates are expected to stay at 6.25 per cent in 2018.
The economist then highlighted that foreign investment into
“Foreign manufacturers have experienced a lack of power
and other infrastructure issues in
Since January,
The ANZ economist added that
Regarding exports, ANZ data showed that
“The
When it comes to
CEO of ANZ Vietnam Dennis Hussey added that he has seen
significant progress in solving bad debts in
“The upcoming Basel II will also force discipline in
the banking sector, pushing banks to raise capital, strengthen their risk
management progress, and manage bad debts,” said Hussey.
Car sales fall in January-November
period
Car sales from January to November this year fell 10
per cent year on year to 244,670 units, despite a pick-up in November.
For November alone, sales of cars of all kinds went up
13 per cent on a monthly basis, after months of declining, to 24,752 units.
Industry experts said the domestic auto industry is
unlikely to achieve the 10 per cent growth forecast by the Vietnam Automobile
Manufacturers’ Association.
The likely failure comes despite car businesses running
year-end sales, cutting prices of cars from few dozens to hundreds of
millions of dong.
Many consumers are still waiting for steeper price cuts
from January 2018, as tariffs on completely built-up cars imported from ASEAN
nations will fall to zero under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.
Automobile sales in 2016 hit a record high in 20 years,
with 304,427 units sold.
Workshop promotes VN-S
The nascent robot industry in
This growth, taking place during the fourth industrial
revolution (Industry 4.0), will depend heavily on artificial intelligence and
automation, Nguyen Quan, Chairman of the Viẹt Nam Automation Association
(VAA) and former Minister of Science and Technology, said at a December 8
workshop held in the capital city.
The workshop, jointly organised by VAA and the
ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC), focused on the potentials, advantages and
opportunities for co-operation in
Lee Hyuk, South Korean Ambassador to
Quan noted that VAA has selected South Korean companies
as strategic partners in developing the national robot industry because not
only was
Moreover, South Korean corporations investing in
Ta Cao Minh, VAA Vice President and General Secretary,
said that industrial robots and hi-tech automation have been prioritised in
2011-2020 national strategy for science and technology development.
The VAA looked forward to more co-operation
opportunities with their South Korean partners, he added.
Minh said the use of robots was growing in
On the Thanh Cong Honda assembly line, 80 per cent of
the work is done by robots, he said.
Minh also pointed to the success of TOSY Robotics Jsc,
established in 2004, which is currently providing a large number of toy
robots developing more complex robots catering to industrial needs.
Kim Young-sun, Secretary General of AKC, noted at the
workshop that the Vietnamese government’s active role in developing science
and technology to foster active participation in the global supply chains was
evident, particularly in attracting foreign investment for industries geared
towards industrialization and modernisation.
The workshop was part of the Korea Institute for Robot
Industry Advancement (KIRIA)’s Investment and Market Research Mission to
It gave local businesses the opportunity to interact
and exchange information with more than 12 major manufacturers in the South
Korean robotics industry.
Vietnam Airport Ground Services Company Limited (VIAGS)
at
Bui Duc Thanh, director of VIAGS Tan Son Nhat, said the
company was placed third on Eva Air’s ranking for its service quality last
year. Its jump to second position out of 55 airports worldwide this year has
proven the company’s efforts and determination in providing services which
exceed customers’ expectations.
Speaking at the award ceremony on Thursday, Allen Chou,
chief representative of Eva Air at
Prior to this, AirMacau honoured VIAGS Da Nang in
central Da Nang City and VIAGS Noi Bai in Ha Noi City as the second and the
third best ground service providers in the global airline network in 2016.
Since the beginning of 2017, VIAGS has received 16 awards for its service
quality by prestigious airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, and
Cathay Pacific.
Currently, VIAGS serves nearly 600 commercial flights,
more than 90,000 passengers and some 3,300 tonnes of goods per day to Noi
Bai,
During the summer peak season, VIAGS deploys some 5,000
employers to its service chain across the north, central and south of
In 2017, VIAGS workers found and handed back to
passengers 12,800 pieces of lost property, a year-on-year increase of 17.2
per cent, together with VND12 billion in cash, up 55 per cent compared to
2016.
The numerous titles from prestigious world airlines
marks an end to a successful year of operation for VIAGS and confirms the
four-star service ranking that Vietnam Airlines has secured for the second
consecutive year.
Established at early 2016, VIAGS is the first business
model in
The company has completed the first phase of evaluation
for ISAGO ED5, a standard on safety auditing for ground operations of the
International Air Transport Association.
Food management a top concern
Despite natural disasters and market regression, in the
past 11 months,
Vietnamese agricultural products have been exported to
180 countries and territories, with 2016’s export value $32 billion and the
figure set to hit $36 billion this year, said Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong at the International Support Group (ISG)
Plenary Meeting 2017 yesterday.
The event focused on discussing
Nonetheless, Cuong said that despite being an
agricultural exporting “powerhouse”, 90 per cent of
The figures are a record high, with many seafood and
green products achieving unprecedented export value of more than $1 billion,
said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) at the meeting.
Moreover, an alarming portion of Vietnamese
agricultural goods are sold abroad without proper branding, or under foreign
brands. This disadvantage affects the nation’s status in the global
agricultural value chain, he claimed.
At the meeting, World Bank Country Director for
For
He suggested the agricultural industry shift its focus
from production processes to harvesting, slaughtering, storage and
distribution, in hope of generating higher value added products, more jobs
and higher income.
According to Cuong, the agricultural sector’s
restructuring for 2017-2020 will emphasise boosting productivity, quality,
efficiency and competitiveness, linking raw material production with consumption
along the value chain.
As well as small production scale, the country’s
agriculture sector faces issues such as inadequate use of resources and a
lack of science and technology application with only about 25 to 30 per cent
of firms employing modern processing lines, reports from the MARD show.
Cuong said the MARD’s intention is to expand
distribution channels for both domestic and international markets to create
strong national brands.
He stated that the goal of large-scale agricultural and
rural production requires efforts from the private sector, research
institutions, policymakers and public services.
The 2017 year-end session of the Vietnam Business Forum
(VBF) opened in
The event, an annual dialogue between the Government
and business community, was co-organised by the Ministry of Planning and
Investment, World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and VBF
Consortium.
Opening the forum, Minister of Planning and Investment
Nguyen Chi Dung said 2017 marks significant moves by the Government in building
a favourable business climate, citing the issuance of Resolution
19-2017/NQ-CP on enhancing business environment and national competitiveness,
and Resolution 35/NQ-CP on supporting growth of enterprises toward 2020.
The year was earmarked for the implementation of
business-cost-cutting measures, he said. According to the official, dialogues
between authorities at different levels and enterprises were frequently held
throughout the year, with public agencies and sector working to simplify
administrative procedures and facilitate business operations.
In the first 11 months of 2017, 116,000 new firms were
established, registering over 1 million billion VND (44 billion USD) in
capital, up 14.1 percent and 42 percent from last year, respectively.
Meanwhile, 24,000 companies resumed their business during the period.
Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (VCCI) Vu Tien Loc pointed to existing difficulties and to the
numbers of 11,000 dissolved firms and of 55,000 others suspending operation during
the 11-month period. The figures represented respective annual increases of
3.3 and 3 percent, he said.
Administrative procedures were still a big obstacle to
business performance. A VCCI report on the 2016 provincial competitiveness
index showed that 35 percent of the surveyed companies spent at least 10
percent of their time to handle these procedures, which one every four of
them considered the biggest difficulty to their operations.
Loc suggested the Government, public agencies and
sectors focus on completing the list of conditional business sectors,
simplifying the procedure of specialized inspection, and cutting costs for
businesses.
Hirohide Sagara, Co-Chairman of VBF Consortium's
Management Board, acknowledged economic progress
At the same time, he said concerns remain related to
the apparatus’ transparency, efficiency, and labour productivity, he said,
adding that the VBF year-end session aims at tackling these concerns for
better growth of the private sector in
Draft third protocol amending ACIA gets approval
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has just signed a
Government’s resolution approving the draft of the third Protocol amending
the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA).
The Vietnamese Government on July 31 approved the draft
of the second Protocol amending the ACIA.
The ACIA was reached on February 2009 and took effect on
March 29, 2012, aiming to promote investment liberalisation within ASEAN and
lay the foundation for the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC) in 2015.
EVN reports 8-percent rise in
11-month electricity output
The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) said its total
electricity output in January-November increased by 8.16 percent year on year
to reach 181.35 billion kWh.
The amount of commercial electricity output in the
period was estimated at 159.9 billion kWh, up 9.18 percent year on year,
including 14.79 billion kWh in November.
The group imported 16.46 billion kWh in the 11-month
period.
According to the group, an estimated 13.5 billion kWh
was transmitted from the centre to the north and the south in November,
accounting for 23.4 percent of the region’s power demand.
EVN forecasts that the daily power consumption in
December is estimated at 547 million kWh, affirming that the group will
ensure full and stable supply for customers.
The group plans to increase water storage in hydropower
reservoirs to prepare for the dry season in 2018, while coordinating the
operation of gas- and coal-fuelled power plants to efficiently exploit both
thermal and hydropower sources.
Vietjet honoured as most popular
airline
Low-cost carrier Vietjet was honoured as the most
popular airline at a ceremony held last week in the capital city of
This is the second consecutive year that the airline
has received the award, handed out by the Vietnam Economic Times.
Over the past years, Vietjet has not only offered travel
opportunities to tens of millions of passengers with reasonable prices, but
also had the bigger target of crating new value for the community.
With 73 international and domestic routes, Vietjet has
brought its passengers to many new destinations all over the world, advancing
the “Consumer Airline” model to serve all customers’ needs.
The “Trust and Use Awards 2017” aims to recognize
enterprises with the top quality products and services which are trusted and
used by consumers.
It nominates products and services in seven fields:
finance-banking-insurance, food and retail, fashion-cosmetics-beauty
services, household appliances-interior décor, pharmaceuticals and health
care equipment, tourism-resorts-real estate and
telecommunications-technology.
The results were based on consumer votes in several
criteria, including product quality, safety, clean and energy-saving
manufacturing, brand prestige and others.
The year-end session of the Vietnam Business Forum
(VBF) in 2017 is set to focus on measures to improve productivity and boost
the development of the private sector.
At a recent press conference in
In a report submitted to the Government, the VCCI
acknowledged significant improvement made to the local business climate,
particularly after the National Assembly passed the Law on Support for Small-
and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The implementation of Resolution
19-2017/NQ-CP on enhancing business environment and national competitiveness,
and of Resolution 35/NQ-CP on supporting growth of enterprises toward 2020
was also said to contribute to the outcome.
Hirohide Sagara, Co-Chairman of VBF Consortium's
Management Board, said that along equitisation to promote private sector,
other potential measures include maintaining a stable business climate,
cutting cost, and investing in infrastructure.
Expo-Russia Vietnam 2017, the second edition, is
scheduled to take place at Melia Hanoi from December 13 to 15 with a view to
promoting the two countries’ trade and economic ties and
Nguyen Tuan Hai, deputy head of the international
relations department of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI),
said at a press conference on December 11 that the expo will showcase
products and services for export, investment projects, and research findings
of businesses, universities and research agencies.
It will also introduce achievements in energy, machine
manufacturing, transport, telecommunication, mining, chemical industry,
health care, agriculture, and hi-tech industries.
He noted at the expo, which will attract hundreds of
businesses from the two countries, Vietnamese firms will have a chance to
learn about
D.R.Vartanov, Director of Russian company Zarubezh Expo
– head of the expo’s organising board, said at the first event in December
2015, the Russian side inked 172 agreements with Vietnamese partners.
Russian businesses are paying special attention to the
Asian-Pacific region, he noted, expressing his belief that the two countries
will reap more successes in cooperation in energy, transport, health care,
telecommunications and tourism.
A series of trade promotion activities will take place
as part of the expo, including a Vietnam-Russia business forum, a workshop on
economic cooperation between member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union
and
According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs,
bilateral trade was at 1.7 billion USD in the first six months of 2017,
including over 1 billion USD of
Automated system for seaport customs
management launched
The Ministry of Finance and the Vietnam Customs
officially put the Vietnam Automated System for Seaport Customs Management
(VASSCM) into operation in the northern port city of
Deputy Finance Minister Vu Thi Mai said that the system
is connected with the National Single Window System and the Vietnam Automated
Cargo and Port Consolidated System and the Vietnam Customs Information System
(VNACCS/VCIS).
Therefore, customs agencies can monitor imports and exports
at seaports and warehouses and the history of consignments after they arrive
in
According to head of Hai Phong’s Customs Department
Nguyen Tien Loc, since the pilot implementation from August 15, the system
has proved effective.
With around 1.3 million declarations a year in Hai
Phong, the total clearance time can cut down by 40,000 hours thanks to the
VASSCM.
It has also helped enterprises increase the efficiency
of production and business and raise their competitiveness, Loc said.
The Vietnam Customs said that the VASSCM will be soon
applied across the nation.
VNN
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Thứ Năm, 14 tháng 12, 2017
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