Pham Huu Son, a spokesperson for the TEDI-TRICC-TEDISOUTH consortium said the Ministry of Planning and Investment's (MPI) estimate of $26 billion for the North-South high-speed raiway project "has no basis." The MPI's price tag is much lower than the $58.7 billion proposed earlier by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) because of lower speeds at which trains will run and "a more optimized route." The train speed under the MPI’s proposal is 200 kilometers an hour, lower than the 350 kilometers proposed by the MoT. The TEDI-TRICC-TEDISOUTH, comprising three Vietnamese construction firms, has been hired by the MoT as a consultant for the project's pre-feasibility study. Son, also CEO of TEDI, one of the three firms, said the consortium has worked out that a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour proposed by the MPI would only cut track costs by 10 percent and equipment costs by 26 percent. "We have made detailed calculations for different speeds. There … [Read more...] about Cutting high-speed rail cost by half impossible, says consultancy
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U.S. exports to China to nearly double in ‘totally done’ trade deal – Lighthizer
Americas News U.S. exports to China to nearly double in 'totally done' trade deal - Lighthizer The Saigon Times Daily Monday, Dec 16, 2019,08:59 (GMT+7) U.S. exports to China to nearly double in 'totally done' trade deal - LighthizerThe Saigon Times Daily United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer gestures as he chats with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin looking on after posing for a family photo at the Xijiao Conference Center in Shanghai, China, July 31, 2019 – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The “phase one” U.S.-China trade deal will nearly double U.S. exports to China over the next two years and is “totally done” despite the need for translation and revisions to its text, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Sunday. Lighthizer, speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program, said there would be some routine … [Read more...] about U.S. exports to China to nearly double in ‘totally done’ trade deal – Lighthizer
HCMC accounting for nearly half of national startup quantity
In this meeting, Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Science and Technology Nguyen Khac Thanh shared the city’s experience on promoting innovative startup activities. Accordingly, the HCMC People’s Committee has continuously introduced various policies, along with several supporting activities, to encourage the development of an innovative startup ecosystem in the city and neighboring areas. Since the beginning of this year, many Vietnamese startups have been able to successfully attracted capital, with a total amount of more than US$670 million for 50 projects. 23 of them are businesses from HCMC, gaining over $300 million capital amount. In addition, a series of startup entrepreneurs in HCMC are confidently penetrating the global market. The municipal authorities are now promoting more startup activities via preferential policies to attract more resources from the community. Notably, its program SpeedUp, which supports promising startup projects, can offer a … [Read more...] about HCMC accounting for nearly half of national startup quantity
Prevention and relocation plan needed for Southern region
In the first six months of the year, heavy rains flooded many regions in the country, causing significant loss of life and property. Photo: baohaiquan.vn In the first six months of the year, heavy rains flooded many regions in the country, causing significant loss of life and property, he said at the “Prevention of Disaster in Southern Provinces” seminar. Nguyen Hiep of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said the agency in the last six months of this year would work with southern cities and provinces to set up a disaster-prevention and relocation plan for households living in coastal areas. Local authorities would be tasked to check areas facing a high risk of landslides and move residents to safe places, while workers will be assigned to guard roads at risk of being inundated by water, he said. In the first half of the year, 75 people were killed or missing while 48 others were injured during natural disasters. Total economic damages reached VND 868.5 billion … [Read more...] about Prevention and relocation plan needed for Southern region
Hundreds of electricity networks built in Southern region in six months
The corporation started work on fifteen 110kV grid projects and completed nine, including 67km of power transmission line. Photo for illustration It also put into operation 137 distribution networks, including 391km of new medium voltage transmission line and 1,953km of low voltage transmission line. As of July 8, the EVNSPC had signed contracts to buy power from 4,071 clients who installed solar panels on rooftops. In June, the company sold over 6.26 billion kWh of commercial electricity, up 30.6 percent compared to the previous month and 9.7 percent against the same period last year. In the first half of the year, the total commercial electricity of the corporation surpassed 35.5 billion kWh, a year-on-year rise of 10.47 percent, fulfilling 48.45 percent of the annual set target. According to the corporation, from now to the year’s end, it will continue putting into operation more 110kW transformer stations, improving the quality of electricity supply, and … [Read more...] about Hundreds of electricity networks built in Southern region in six months