Kim jong un funny speech

COVID-19: Six more community cases recorded in Vietnam over 24 hours

March 4, 2021 by vov.vn

Three of the cases were detected in Kim Dinh commune of Kim Thanh District, a fresh hotspot in Hai Duong province.

Local authorities have set up a health quarantine zone in Kim Dinh where some locals tested positive for the virus several days ago.

The three remaining patients live in two other communes of Kim Thanh district. They tested positive after having close contact with COVID-19 patients.

The local administration on March 4 decided to set up medical quarantine zones in three residential areas in Kim Thanh district to halt the spread of the virus along the community. Approximately 2,000 residents will be affected by the decision.

Hai Duong ended 14-day social distancing measures on March 3, but maintained checkpoints in Kim Thanh district.

The same day, 22 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital nationwide after making a full recovery from the disease.

Among active cases, 259 patients have tested negative for the virus at least once.

The number of people quarantined for medical observation has fallen to more than 51,000.

Vietnamese doctors have so far cured 1,920 COVID-19 patients, and the number of deaths remains at 35.

Vietnam needs to build hub airports

March 4, 2021 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – Vietnam’s is considered as one of the fastest growing aviation markets in Asia.

Vietnam should invest in hub airports in terms of scale and capacity instead of massively building ones, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV)’s proposal on its draft plan on the development of the national airport system by 2030, with a vision to 2050.

Vietnam needs to build hub airports. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan said some airports are curently operating beyond the designed capacity, many of their items have not been upgraded, especially, no airport has been qualified in the international large hub category.

Tuan was speaking at a conference held in Hanoi on March 3, which aimed to seek ideas for national airport system development.

According to the draft plan, Vietnam will have 26 airports by 2030 and 30 ones by 2050, half of them will be international airports.

With the strong growth in the aviation industry in the future, the plan on the national airport system needs being studied carefully to suit the current situation and the socio-economic development of the country, according to local experts.

Localities proposed massively building airports

According to the CAAV, some provinces have recently wanted to turn their provincial airport into international airport. However, airport is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the tourist development and investment attraction of a province. Other infrastructures are more essential to attract private investment as well as tourist arrivals.

Phan Xuan Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, suggested that the plan on the national airport system development should be based on the projection of passenger number, the overall transport network development as well as the air routes system and the development plan of each airport.

At the same time, the aviation planning should take into account not only the probable economic efficiency, but also the compatibility between civil and military aviation, ensuring aviation security and national defence, Dung added.

Assoc. Dr. Tran Kim Chung, Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that forecasting the international and domestic developments in the 2021-2030 period is very important and necessary for the national airport planning.

In addition, it is necessary to identify competitors and partners among the airports of other countries in the region, then, consider domestic economic scenarios to have plans for the development of both infrastructure development and airports, Chung said.

Resources and infrastructure connections

Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan said that the plan should have a mechanism to attract resources in order to achieve the goals.

Dr. Chung recommended that the mobilization of non-state economic sectors to invest in airport construction should be seen as a policy and a solution.

Dr. Tran Quang Chau, Chairman of the Vietnam Association on Aviation Science and Technology, affirmed that for the effective mobilization of resources in the way of involving private investment in construction and operation of airports, a transparent policy is a must. “The policy should ensure a harmonization of interests among investors, the state and the people so that the investor would trust in the policy and pour money in investing and operating airports,” he said.

In addition, Dr. Chung also raised the issue of transport connectivity of infrastructures in the planning of the airport development. “Airport planning must be considered as an input to other plans and vice-versa ,” he said.

Six Hai Duong residents diagnosed with Covid-19

March 4, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Six Hai Duong residents diagnosed with Covid-19

The Saigon Times

A medical worker takes samples from a resident for Covid-19 testing. The Ministry of Health has reported six locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases in Hai Duong Province – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The Ministry of Health has reported six locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases in Hai Duong Province, raising the country’s tally to 2,488 as of tonight, March 4.

The latest Covid-19 patients, who reside in Kim Thanh District, tested positive for Covid-19 after they had been put under quarantine. They are receiving treatment at the Field Hospital No. 3.

Kim Thanh District’s Kim Dinh Commune with over 2,100 households has been put under lockdown since March 1.

Hai Duong Province ended the 15-day social distancing period on March 3, but tens of areas in nine districts and cities are still on lockdown.

Up to now, the country has seen 1,917 Covid-19 patients make a full recovery.

Six COVID-19 cases recorded on March 4

March 4, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

Three of the new cases were detected in a lockdown area in Kim Dinh commune, Kim Thanh district, while the other three were in concentrated quarantine facilities as they were F1 of previous cases.

The national tally increased to 2,487.

The same day, 22 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,920. The death toll remains at 35.

Among patients still under treatment, 65 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 57 twice and 137 thrice.

More than 51,570 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-affected areas are being quarantined across the country.

Source: VNA

M&A pushing ahead real estate market

March 4, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

The long process of project approval from competent government agencies and the serious impact of COVID-19 have helped mergers and acquisitions in real estate sector become more active.

A recent report released by VNDirect Securities Corporation stated that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals, especially in transferring part of large-scale real estate projects, were considered one of the fastest solutions for foreign developers when they want to jump into the Vietnamese real estate market, as well as for the domestic developers expanding their land fund and investment portfolios.

This report also cited that some projects from giant developers are currently in the negotiation process with most expected to be completed this year.

“Thanks to the improvement of the legal system in the Law on Investment, a range of deals will be done within this year with total value up to more than $1 billion,” the report cited.

According to Tran Khanh Hien, deputy director of the Research at VNDirect, the real estate market in 2021 will be step-by-step resumed at its active level, based on the economic recovery, rising housing demand, and increased supply due to a range of projects that will be permitted to continue after long delays to review procedures.

The Gem Riverside, funded by domestic developers Dat Xanh Group, and the Eco-smart city at Thu Thiem from South Korea’s Lotte Group, are among those looking to be kicked forward.

Developers cited that M&A deals in real estate are a motivation for developers to be resumed after a long time of being impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

Nguyen Thai Phien, senior financial director at Novaland Group, said that the corporation is based on M&A deals in order to develop its land fund and business for long-term development.

Novaland started collecting land in 2005 via M&As and currently boasts more than 700 hectares in the east of Ho Chi Minh City, 700ha in Dong Nai province, and more than 2,000ha in Phan Thiet of Binh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces.

Asian activity

Masataka Sam Yoshida, head of the Cross-border Division of RECOF Corporation, said that the trend of Japanese companies into Vietnam is increasing.

The Vietnamese real estate market is presented with a range of large-scale Japanese developers such as Mitsubishi, Nomura Real Estate, Daiwa House Industry, Sumitomo Forestry, Creed Group, Samty Asia Investments, Kajima Corporation, and more.

Most of the sectors in Japan, according to Yoshida, have developed to its highest level so they need to find new markets to expand outside of Japan.

The second factor is the M&A growth strategy supported by the abundant accumulated money over the past 20 years, reaching trillions of US dollars.

“Japanese businesses are still looking to Vietnam in the process of searching and expanding markets, taking advantage of the young population. The interest from Japanese investors in Vietnam is huge, even during the pandemic,” Yoshida commented.

“Once travel restrictions are lifted, a huge wave of Japanese companies waiting to take up investment procedures will appear very soon,” he added.

Similarly, a representative of the Korean Business Association in Vietnam also said that businesses there are very interested in the consumer goods, food and beverage, and retail industries.

“In addition, real estate is a field of large profit margins, long-term efficiency, and is always a channel to attract investment to South Korean investors,” the representative said.

1532 p23 ma pushing ahead real estate market

Increasing the heat

Elsewhere, housing land and industrial real estate are expected to stir up the M&A market in the next 12 months.

Kim Ngoc, director of Valuation and Advisory Services at Colliers International, cited that the amendments and updates in the laws in investment, securities, and enterprises will make M&A activities more active after many inappropriate regulations have been removed.

“Combined with Vietnam’s achievements in 2020 of successfully controlling the pandemic and achieving the highest possible growth rate, there are many reasons to believe that M&A activities will recover quickly. Sectors that can attract more M&A are real estate, retail, and consumer goods,” she said.

Newly-signed trade agreements and the movement of many giant manufacturers and multinational groups are playing a significant role in the M&A trend moving forward.

Apple recently chose Vietnam as its first base for manufacturing the iPad and MacBook after China, demonstrating that high-quality investment flow is driving into Vietnam and helping realise deals in industrial properties, logistics, and support services.

One of the driving forces for such deals in Vietnam comes from foreign companies which withdrew from China to avoid risks related to US-China trade tensions. Notable destinations for these companies have included Indonesia, Spain, and Finland, as well as Vietnam.

The market in 2021 and beyond is also expected to blossom in city outskirts and satellite towns which are well connected with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In the north, hotspots are projected to be the likes of Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, and Haiphong when in the south, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An are already on the radar of investors.

Vietnam ranked second out of 50 economies in the latest M&A Investment Index by Euromonitor, which reflects the expected level of investment, activity, and attractiveness of the global M&A market amid macroeconomic and financial shocks for 2020-2021.

With COVID-19 still complicated in many countries, most European governments are lowering their basic interest rates to reduce borrowing costs. These factors could create good opportunities for businesses to expand operations in foreign countries through the M&A channel, Euromonitor said.

The Institute for Corporate Investment, Mergers and Acquisitions expects that M&A in Vietnam will recover in 2021-2022, back to around $4.5-5 billion in 2021 and event up to $7 billion in 2022. Real estate will remain the second-hottest sector in M&A, behind finance and banking.

VIR

Factories in Hai Duong to conduct routine COVID-19 testing for employees

March 3, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

Workers at clothing factory Haivina in Gia Loc district, Hai Duong province, are tested for COVID-19 before resuming work. (Photo: VNA)

Hai Duong (VNS/VNA) – Hai Duong province’s management board of industrial zones (IZs) has asked enterprises in the locality to routinely test their employees and managers for COVID-19 .

This is one of the requests set for the enterprises regarding production plans when the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.

According to the management board, factories at IZs in Kim Thanh district can resume work but they must follow the Ministry of Health’s regulations on COVID-19 prevention.

Specifically, test results for all employees at the enterprises must show that they are negative. Enterprises must also regularly clean the environment, disinfect the workplace and dormitories (if any).

All staff must follow the Health Ministry’s 5K message: Khau trang (face mask) – Khu khuan (disinfection) – Khoang cach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration).

It is necessary for enterprises to organise the supervision of compliance with pandemic prevention rules.

The enterprises are urged to set up a focus point to contact the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Kim Thanh district when epidemiological factors emerge to coordinate, even when in doubt.

Owners of factories are responsible for COVID-19 prevention and control work at their establishments and take responsibility before the law for the emergence of the pandemic due to subjective factors.

For enterprises with employees who test positive for COVID-19, they are requested to urgently take samples from those who haven’t been tested.

It’s a must for enterprises to make a business plan associated with the prevention and control of the pandemic. Coordination with local authorities to review and thoroughly handle the disease risk factors in businesses or from employees is also included in the plan. They should submit a report to the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control for approval before resuming operation.

Employees are ordered to sign documents with the local authorities affirming their commitment to COVID-19 safety.

Businesses involved in the trading of infrastructure at industrial zones are responsible for coordinating with relevant agencies to monitor enterprises in IZs to comply with the regulations on pandemic prevention and control.

After 15 days of stringent province-wide lockdown measures, the northern province of Hai Duong will lift some restrictions in certain areas on Wednesday (March 3) as the COVID-19 outbreaks are gradually being brought under control.

It will shift to a new status, both drastically fighting the coronavirus and taking action to carry out socio-economic development tasks, according to a decision made by the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee at a meeting on March 1.

Since the coronavirus broke out in Hai Duong province on January 27, it has recorded 684 COVID-19 local infections, becoming the largest outbreak in the country.

Hai Duong authorities agreed to divide the localities in the province into two groups under different restrictions depending on the COVID-19 risks.

Four high-risk localities, including Hai Duong city, Kinh Mon township, Cam Giang district and Kim Thanh, will be placed under the Government’s Directive 15, the highest level of social distancing first introduced in March last year when the country entered nationwide lockdown. The remaining eight localities in the province will follow the less restrictive Government’s Directive 19 on social distancing norms.

Hai Duong will continue to halt festivals, religious rituals, sporting events and other unimportant events that require large gatherings in public.

Service venues – retail/wholesale trading shops, shopping malls, markets, supermarkets, hotels, accommodation facilities, etc. – can resume operations, but must observe COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Xuan Thang said that, from March 3, Hai Duong would carry out 10 groups of anti-COVID-19 solutions and five groups of socio-economic development solutions.

As the outbreak may return, the entire local political system would not lower its guard and will remain on alert and be stringent in the fight, he stated./.

VNA