Building brands

The award aims to recognise and honour reputable and typical brands of products and services of businesses in the city that have made efforts and success in building brands.

The total revenue of these 30 enterprises reached over VND252.8 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 21.8% of the total revenue of retail sales of consumer goods and services in the past year in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee cum Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong, the award is expected to support more businesses and facilitate them in further developing their brands.

He also expressed his hope that the awarded enterprises will continue to make positive contributions to the city’s socio-economic development.

Troubled elevators, cracked glass doors, and false fire alarms are among problems that dwellers at the P.H. Nha Trang apartment complex in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa have been dealing with as their complaints to the project investor remain unsolved.

The P.H. Nha Trang apartment complex is funded by P.H. Nha Trang Commercial Investment JSC on an area of over 9,470 square meters on To Hieu Street in Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa.

The apartment building includes 26 floors, one basement, and accommodates a total of 1,272 flats.

According to many local residents’ written complaints, the walls of numerous apartments have been permeated by water.

On March 14 and 15, the freight elevator in Building A kept having problems, including opening without people pressing the open button, failing to close, broken alarm buttons, and even falling.

Cracks have also appeared on many walls, letting rainwater leak through into the flats causing flooding, according to N.T.H., a resident on the 24th floor of Building A.

At H.’s apartment, the sliding glass doors to the balcony have been shattered.

When the residents complained about the sliding glass door problem, the investor blamed it on their faulty use and asked them to handle it themselves, according to T.T.T., a dweller on the 18th floor of Building A.

In addition, faulty fire alarms sound despite no fire or smoke.

Interviewed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Tran Anh Tai, chairman of P.H. Nha Trang Commercial Investment JSC, however, showed his disagreement with the residents’ complaints.

According to Tai, the elevator system is still in the testing phase, with inevitable malfunctions being expected.

“It’s incorrect to say that the elevator suddenly fell as it just unexpectedly stopped,” Tai claimed, adding that his firm was demanding an explanation from the elevator supplier and promised a quick resolution.

The chairman clarified that his firm had changed from the previously chosen lifts of Volkslift and Hyundai makes, which had been committed in the contract between the residents and the investor, to Japan’s Fuji due to the former two brands’ failure to supply the equipment on time.

For the complaints that elevator access cards did not work, Tai explained that those cards might not be purchased directly from the investor but outside.

He also said that the residents might unintentionally trigger the fire alarm by sweeping near the alarm sensor or they did actually burn something but denied it.

Tai affirmed that the sliding glass doors were intact upon the apartment handover.

“Within the warranty period, the manufacturer will handle free of charge the faults that they hold responsibility for,” he asserted.

“If the error happened due to the residents’ fault, the residents are the ones who have to cover the expense.”

On the other hand, Tai admitted P.H. Nha Trang Commercial Investment JSC was at fault for the wet and leaking walls.

The company will promptly carry out repairs, he said.

Undocumented handover

According to N.T.N., a resident on the eighth floor of Building A, P.H. Nha Trang Commercial Investment JSC handed over the apartments to the residents one year behind the schedule committed in the contract of sale between the two sides and has yet to issue official handover documents.

The company has denied any claims for compensation due to the late handover.

According to chairman Tai, the apartment project is still waiting for the Ministry of Construction’s inspection to evaluate its quality and safety before acceptance. The inspection result is expected to come around the end of this month.

“The company technically does not allow the residents to move into the apartment building,” Tai said.

“We merely let them in to add furniture.

“However, as we have yet to establish a management board for the apartment complex, we have been unable to prevent the residents from staying at their flats.”

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AES Vietnam, a division of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), on Tuesday launched its new brand identity that reflects the company’s commitment and the world’s transition to a cleaner energy future.

Among the forerunners in clean growth and innovation, AES has been spearheading the energy industry with cutting-edge technologies in LNG to power, renewables, digital innovation, and battery energy storage while creating the greener, smarter energy solutions the world needs.

With 15 years of operation in Vietnam, AES continues to play a key role in meeting the country’s ever-increasing energy needs.

The company’s 2.2 GW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant and Son My LNG terminal project, both of which are under development, will bring a total investment of US$3.2 billion to Binh Thuan Province and significantly enhance the local economy.

The plant and terminal will together play a major role in shaping Vietnam’s energy future by diversifying the energy mix with imported LNG as well as meeting the country’s increasing demand for sustainable and affordable electricity.

Along with the launch of its new brand, AES Vietnam introduces new product offerings in solar energy and battery storage, with the aim of helping local customers reach a higher standard of clean energy, secure their sustainable energy future, and achieve benefits through shared platforms and applications.

“With the new branding and product offerings, AES Vietnam continues positioning itself as a global company with strong local expertise, providing innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies to help Vietnam meet its renewable energy goals, which were outlined in the Politburo’s Resolution No.55-NQ/TW,” said David Stone, president of AES Vietnam.

The new offerings in solar power include 5B’s revolutionary MAVERICK design, which enables customers to deploy up to two times more solar energy at three times the speed using 50 percent less land.

AES is also the world leader in lithium-ion-based energy storage, both through the firm’s projects and via Fluence – a Siemens and AES company.

Worldwide, energy storage is considered a ‘force multiplier’ for renewable energy, as it allows for the integration of more solar, wind and distributed energy resources, and increases grid stability.

The offerings will enable AES to make it easier for organizations in Vietnam to speed up their clean energy transformation, make meaningful contributions toward a sustainable climate, and build competitive advantages within their industries, while at the same time accelerating the clean energy future the world deserves and needs.

AES Vietnam’s vision is to be a leading sustainable power company in Vietnam that provides safe, reliable, and affordable energy.

On September 30, 2019, AES was officially granted approval by the government of Vietnam to develop a 2.2 GW Son My 2 combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant, which will be located in Binh Thuan Province.

The Son My 2 plant will have a 20-year contract with the Vietnamese government and is expected to achieve financial completion in 2021 and begin commercial operations in 2024.

In October 2020, AES Vietnam and PV GAS inked a Term Sheet of the Joint Venture Agreement for the Son My LNG terminal.

The terminal has an installed capacity of 450 TBtu, representing a total investment of about $1.4 billion.

The terminal is expected to achieve financial completion in 2022 and begin commercial operations in 2025.

It will play an important role in supporting Vietnam’s energy transition and economic growth.

AES, through its subsidiary, AES Mong Duong Power Company Limited, has successfully developed and arranged financing for the Mong Duong 2 Power Project of 1,242 MW with total investment of approximately $2.1 billion.

The AES Corporation is a Fortune 500 global energy company accelerating the future of energy.

Together with its many stakeholders, the company is delivering the greener, smarter energy solutions the world needs.

Its diverse workforce is committed to continuous innovation and operational excellence, while partnering with customers on their strategic energy transitions and continuing to meet their energy needs.

InterContinental Đà Nẵng, a famous hotel belonging to IHG. The company aims to expand by 50 per cent in Việt Nam in the next two years. — Photo Courtesy IHG Hotels and Resorts

HCM CITY — IHG Hotels & Resorts said it plans to expand by 50 per cent in Việt Nam in the next two years by bringing more hotel and resort brands to the country.

At an online meeting with Vietnamese media on Wednesday, IHG said though lockdowns, travel restrictions, closed borders, and social distancing are still having a major impact on the hospitality industry,  there is plenty of reason for optimism, and expanding its portfolio in the country is an “exciting prospect.”

Serena Lim, vice president, development, for Southeast Asia and South Korea, said to achieve the goal, “We will build on the strong reputation and award-winning properties we have in the luxury and lifestyle sectors … and we now want to expand further in the mid-upscale space.”

The company intends to introduce three brands in the next two years, Regent, voco™ Hotels and Hotel Indigo, she said.

They will be in Phú Quốc, Đà Nẵngand HCM City respectively, she revealed.

Another brand, Crowne Plaza, would come to Phú Quốc and industrial locations such as Bình Dương, Bắc Ninh and Vĩnh Phúc, she said.

Also on the cards is an expansion of the Holiday Inn brand with the Holiday Inn Resort concept debuting in the country in the form of Holiday Inn Resort Hồ Tràm, she said.

“We are keen to expand in domestic-led destinations. We want to grow in industrial areas such as Vinh, Hải Dương, Hải Phòng and Bình Dương and family-friendly resort destinations including Quy Nhơn, Sầm Sơn-Thanh Hoá and Hoà Bình.”

IHG Hotels & Resorts has 16 hotel brands and nearly 6,000 properties in more than 100 countries, including 13 in Việt Nam Nam. — VNS

The ceremony was witnessed by representatives of strategic partners, main contractors, and local media. The groundbreaking ceremony of the Grand Marina, Saigon is an important milestone that marks the beginning of the journey to create a new icon of the city and this rapid change, an emblem of a nation’s ascent and its promise as a new centre of commerce and culture in Southeast Asia.

The groundbreaking ceremony of Grand Marina, Saigon

Located at the heart of District 1, at the iconic Saigon River waterfront, the Grand Marina, Saigon is a dual-brand project encompassing the two prestigious brands of JW Marriott and Marriott, and is also a world-class complex with a masterplan featuring a series of manicured public gardens, and a waterfront boardwalk, among others.

“We are proud to be the pioneer to bring the branded residences concept into Vietnam and introduce Grand Marina, Saigon – a timeless asset, a legacy to be passed on generation after generation,” said Jason Turnbull, deputy managing director cum chief financial officer at Masterise Homes. “The groundbreaking ceremony today is very meaningful for us as this is an important milestone realising the vision of Masterise Homes of creating exquisite real estate developments to impeccable standards, contributing to the prosperity of the community and society.”

Jason Turnbull, deputy managing director cum CFO, Masterise Homes delivering remarks at the event

Shawn Hill, senior vice president, Development APAC of Marriott International said: “We are excited to work with Masterise Homes to add Grand Marina Saigon to what is sure to be an extraordinary project to our growing portfolio of Branded Residences projects around the world. We are honoured to be a part of this development that will hit multiple landmarks for both parties: the first and largest Branded Residences in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City; setting new benchmarks for building high-quality and ultra-luxury living experience in line with international standards.”

Marriott International will closely participate in every phase of the development of the Grand Marina, Saigon project: from design and construction quality inspection to the management of the project, in accordance with the strict standards of the Marriott brands.

By Ha Thuy