"C​ai l​uong" artists of HCM City will perform for free during Vu Lan, the annual Buddhist event that eulogises motherly love, held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. (Photo: dienanh&sankhau.vn) HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’s art troupes and cultural centres will offer several shows to celebrate the annual Buddhist holiday of Vu Lan, an event that eulogises motherly love, held annually in the seventh month of the lunar calendar.    Most of the shows will begin this weekend and continue until the mid-September.      District 9’s Suoi Tien Tourist Park will launch a programme called Vu Lan Bao Hieu (Showing Gratitude in Vu Lan) featuring culinary parties and stage plays that highlight people’s gratitude to and appreciation of their mothers. “Cai … [Read more...]

A stage of waste-to-energy process at a factory in Vietnam (Photo: dantri.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Energy production from solid waste in urban areas is forecast to increase by between 10-16 percent in Vietnam, heard a workshop in Hanoi on August 18. As part of a renewable energy and energy efficiency project jointly held by the General Directorate of Energy under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the workshop aimed to seek expertise for the development of grid-tied power based on solid waste in Vietnam, Participants said waste-to-energy production is becoming a useful solution in the world, and in Vietnam, environmental issues and demand for land in urban areas also lead to an urgent need for the waste-to-energy solution, thus helping to ensure energy security. However, they noted that … [Read more...]

The APEC workshop on August 18 focuses on customs best practices to identify illegal timber and wood products (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – An APEC workshop was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18 with a focus on customs best practices to identify illegal timber and wood products. The function was held by the APEC Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade as part of the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 3). Statistics of the International Trade Centre (ITC) show that global wood and furniture exports respectively reached 127 billion USD and 233 billion USD in 2016, rising by 7.9 percent and 10.8 percent from 2012. Forests in APEC economies account for 53 percent of the world’s forest area. The region also makes up 60 percent of the global timber and wood products output and 80 percent of the global timber and … [Read more...]

Gemadept trucks transporting containers. — Photo saigondautu.com.vn Gemadept Corporation (Gemadept) announced on Wednesday its complete divestment from the Hoa Sen - Gemadept Logistics and International Port Corporation. It finalised the sale of its 51 per cent stake in the company to an undisclosed South Korean buyer a day earlier, on Tuesday. The transaction’s value, also not disclosed, has been estimated at VND100 billion (US$4.4 million). In 2008, Gemadapt and the Hoa Sen Group signed a deal to establish the company, aimed to develop a logistics and port project in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. Gemadept held 51 per cent of shares while the Hoa Sen Group held 45 per cent. Gemadept is a Vietnamese company with interests in ports, logistics, forestry and real estate. The port it is divesting from is one of six ports that it operates. The stated reason for Gemadept’s divestment is that … [Read more...]

Vice Chairman of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam speaks at the seminar on August 18 (Photo: VNA) Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho wants to capitalise on chances in economic activities with ASEAN, especially the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam has said. The opportunities created by the AEC, which came into being on December 31, 2015, for people and businesses were spotlighted at a seminar held by the Can Tho People’s Committee on August 18. Participants presented cooperation opportunities for Vietnamese firms in the AEC, the country’s commitments in the community, the country’s optimisation of origin principle to benefit from the AEC’s tax incentives, along with opportunities and challenges for the Mekong Delta since Vietnam … [Read more...]

At the meeting (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – James Nachipo, Chairman of the APEC Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG), stressed that terrorism is a hard issue that requires more work and cooperation in the APEC region. He told the Vietnam News Agency on the sidelines of the CTWG Meeting that is taking place in Ho Chi Minh on August 18-19. Nachipo said that during the meeting, 49 delegates from APEC member economies mulled over the group’s strategic plan, which will be expired this year, and set forth a new strategic plan for the 2018-2020 period, focusing on air terrorism. The group is also developing another plan that looks at counterterrorism finance, movements of terrorists and foreign fighters, security and trade, and security infrastructure, he said. A plan for 2018 will also be made to identify a number of projects and activities which … [Read more...]

Philippine delegates to the workshop (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies (ACT-NET) held a workshop on intensifying cooperation in revoking corruption assets among law enforcement agencies on August 18 in Ho Chi Minh City. The workshop, held within the framework of the APEC 2017 third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3), attracted the participation of many experienced speakers in the anti-corruption field, in both public and private sectors. The event offered a chance for member economies to discuss and share experience and information about difficulties, challenges as well as cooperation between law enforcement agencies in taking back assets related to corruption cases. Vietnam’s Deputy Inspectorate General Nguyen Van Thanh said that corruption is causing the country’s … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – The tenth meeting of the APEC Port Services Network (APSN) Council under the Transportation Working Group (APTWG) was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. Delegates at the event updated the APSN Five-Year Strategic Plan between 2014 and 2018, noting that the plan is important to setting directions for the organisation and the next Council meeting. Regarding the handling of dangerous goods at ports, they agreed that there is a need for updated dangerous goods guidelines for this region that would consider the nature of APEC economies and their different levels of development. The Council decided to compile best practices on the settlement of dangerous goods at APEC ports. The meeting also reviewed outcomes of the 2017 APSN Workshop on Restructuring of Shipping and Port Industry: Trends and Challenges that took place in Ho Chi Minh City on August 15-16, 2017. The Council endorsed the proposed Action Plan for … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – The tenth meeting of the APEC Port Services Network (APSN) Council under the Transportation Working Group (APTWG) was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. Delegates at the event updated the APSN Five-Year Strategic Plan between 2014 and 2018, noting that the plan is important to setting directions for the organisation and the next Council meeting. Regarding the handling of dangerous goods at ports, they agreed that there is a need for updated dangerous goods guidelines for this region that would consider the nature of APEC economies and their different levels of development. The Council decided to compile best practices on the settlement of dangerous goods at APEC ports. The meeting also reviewed outcomes of the 2017 APSN Workshop on Restructuring of Shipping and Port Industry: Trends and Challenges that took place in Ho Chi Minh City on August 15-16, 2017. The Council endorsed the proposed Action Plan for … [Read more...]

The workshop on August 18 discussed best practices sharing of standards and conformity assessment implementation on smart cities in the APEC region (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Nearly 100 delegates from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) discussed best practices sharing of standards and conformity assessment implementation on smart cities in the APEC region at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. The workshop is an activity of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) within the framework of the APEC 2017 third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3) and related meetings. In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung said the promotion of digital economy has been considered an important issue of the APEC 2017. One of SCSC 2017 priorities of this year is … [Read more...]

Vietnam’s real estate sector recorded several merger and acquisition deals involving foreign capital in the first six months of 2017 (Illustrative image. Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s real estate sector recorded several merger and acquisition deals involving foreign capital in the first six months of 2017, according to Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper. CapitaLand - a Singapore based real estate company – spent nearly 52 million USD acquiring a site in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City to develop the first A-class international complex in Vietnam, the VRG River View. The company also announced plans to purchase 90 percent of shares at the CapitaLand Thanh Nien Co. Ltd., which possesses 8,000 square meters in District 2 of HCM City, to build 317 apartments. Keppel Land, another Singaporean real estate investor, spent 846 billion VND (37 million USD) to … [Read more...]

Saigon’s top official has ordered the city to speed up road construction or face the prospect of an even more congested urban environment. “With the current speed of construction, it will take another 167 years for Ho Chi Minh City to reach national standards,” Nguyen Thien Nhan, the city’s Communist Party chief, said at a meeting on Friday. The city is “very short of road space,” he said. Road density in the megacity is 1.98 kilometers per square kilometer, while the national standard for urban areas is 10 kilometers for every square kilometer. He said the city needs “urgent breakthroughs” if it wants to end its dire traffic problems. "We must speed up road construction by sevenfold in the next 25 years," he said. A detailed roadmap has not been publicly discussed, and it’s not clear if the construction rush will involve the felling of more trees as it did for the recent metro line and road expansion … [Read more...]

Participants in a meeting as part of the third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18 (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The tenth meeting of the APEC Port Services Network (APSN) Council under the Transportation Working Group (APTWG) was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. Delegates at the event updated the APSN Five-Year Strategic Plan between 2014 and 2018, noting that the plan is important to setting directions for the organisation and the next Council meeting. Regarding the handling of dangerous goods at ports, they agreed that there is a need for updated dangerous goods guidelines for this region that would consider the nature of APEC economies and their different levels of development. The Council decided to compile best practices on the settlement of dangerous goods at APEC ports. The meeting also reviewed … [Read more...]

Da Nang - Quang Ngai highway (Source: V​EC) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has asked the Transport Ministry, investors and contractors to work closely with localities on site clearance to speed up the progress of key transport projects.  Chairing a meeting of the State Steering Committee for key transport works in Hanoi on August 17, Dung urged the Transport Ministry to promptly complete the north-south highway project and plans for transport investment in the Mekong Delta to report to the PM and submit to the National Assembly. The ministry was asked to direct investors, management boards and contractors to hasten the construction of the Tan Vu – Lach Huyen road, Da Nang – Quang Ngai highway, Hoa Lac – Hoa Binh highway, Deo Ca tunnel, Long Thanh international airport, Cao Lanh and Vam Cong bridges and component part of the … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – The APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies (ACT-NET) held a workshop on intensifying cooperation in revoking corruption assets among law enforcement agencies, on August 18 in Ho Chi Minh City. The workshop, held within the framework of the APEC 2017 third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3), attracted the participation of many experienced speakers in the anti-corruption field, from both the public and private sectors. The event provided a chance for the member economies to discuss and share their experience and information concerning any difficulties and challenges, as well as cooperation between law enforcement agencies in taking back the assets related to corruption cases. Vietnam’s Deputy Inspectorate General Nguyen Van Thanh said that corruption is causing the country to lose resources, reducing the efficiency of public investment, eroding the trust of investors and weakening national competitiveness and … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – Nearly 100 delegates from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) discussed best practices, sharing of standards and conformity assessment in the development of smart cities within the APEC region, at a workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. The workshop is an activity of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) within the framework of the APEC 2017 third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3) and other related meetings. In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung said that the promotion of a digital economy is considered as an important issue of the APEC 2017. One of SCSC 2017 priorities this year is “Development and promotion of standards and conformance to support the digital economy”, in that the APEC region needs to work together to share best practices, identify opportunities and challenges, and boost cooperation, the harmonisation of standards … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – Nearly 100 delegates from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) discussed best practices, sharing of standards and conformity assessment in the development of smart cities within the APEC region, at a workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. The workshop is an activity of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) within the framework of the APEC 2017 third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3) and other related meetings. In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung said that the promotion of a digital economy is considered as an important issue of the APEC 2017. One of SCSC 2017 priorities this year is “Development and promotion of standards and conformance to support the digital economy”, in that the APEC region needs to work together to share best practices, identify opportunities and challenges, and boost cooperation, the harmonisation of standards … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – Nearly 100 delegates from 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) discussed best practices, sharing of standards and conformity assessment in the development of smart cities within the APEC region, at a workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18. The workshop is an activity of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) within the framework of the APEC 2017 third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM3) and other related meetings. In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Van Tung said that the promotion of a digital economy is considered as an important issue of the APEC 2017. One of SCSC 2017 priorities this year is “Development and promotion of standards and conformance to support the digital economy”, in that the APEC region needs to work together to share best practices, identify opportunities and challenges, and boost cooperation, the harmonisation of standards … [Read more...]

Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested three Vietnamese women on Thursday for brokering sex work services. Nguyen Thi Tien, 33, her sister Nguyen Thi Ngoc, 31, and Pham Thi Thanh Huyen, 32, were busted after police raided hotels on Ba Thang Hai and Pham Hong Thai streets and discovered four sex workers on Tuesday. The women claimed to be amateur models and actresses, and were providing sexual services for $700-2,500 per client. The deals were brokered by Tien and Ngoc. A group of women who were part of the ring. Photo courtesy of Ho Chi Minh City police At the station, the sisters claimed to be working as hosts for entertainment shows, and had persuaded some of the actresses and models they worked with to become sex workers to earn some extra cash. Police have identified more than 30 members of the high-end prostitution ring, and have summoned them for testimonies. Around 3,000 people are believed to be working as sex workers in … [Read more...]

Spray chemical to kill mosquito larva (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health is maximising efforts to prevent the spread of dengue fever, heard a meeting in Hanoi on August 17. According to head of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu, the country has recorded 90,626 dengue infections since the beginning of 2017, a year-on-year rise of 67.8 percent, including 24 fatalities. The capital city of Hanoi is ranked second nationwide after the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City in terms of infections, he said, noting that from January 1 to August 16, 2017, Hanoi recorded 17,027 dengue patients, seven of whom died. Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien ordered an increase of campaigns to spray chemicals to kill mosquito larva, especially at hospitals, schools and construction sites, as well as training courses for health … [Read more...]