Many delegates discuss solutions to reduce congestion at Cat Lai Port in HCMC. (Photo: SGGP) The workshop attracted more than 70 delegates from customs authorities, ministries, and the business community to discuss this action plan. At the workshop, the relevant units announced 21 recommendations to improve the operational efficiency of Cat Lai Port to meet the increasing demand. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the port was operating at full capacity. Meanwhile, the demand calculated by the number of containers is forecast to double by 2030. The above 21 recommendations are the results of a pre-feasibility study on congestion prevention and logistics facilitation at Cat Lai Port conducted by the Trade Facilitation Project funded by the USAID from May 2020 to March 2021. The study comprehensively reviewed port operations on an area of 160 hectares to assess operational efficiency, bottlenecks, and shortcomings in the process of enhancing the handling capacity of the port. On … [Read more...] about HCMC cooperates with USAID to ease container congestion at Cat Lai Port
Saltwater intrusion solutions
Conference discusses Public-Private Partnerships in healthcare
A panel discussion at the conference on strengthening ‘Public-Private Partnership for sustainable healthcare transformation’ in Hanoi on May 18. (Photo: VNA) Opening the event, the newspaper's editor-in-chief Le Trong Minh said that Vietnam's health sector faced many challenges, such as increasing infectious and non-communicable diseases, hospital overcrowding, shortage of supplies and equipment, the ageing population as well as the disparity between regions and healthcare levels in terms of quality of medical services and standardisation of modern equipment. “For the health system to be capable and always ready to respond to future situations, towards a comprehensive and sustainable health care system, it is necessary to have new investment orientations in social resources for the health system, as well as stronger cooperation from the parties involved, including the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) method,” said Minh. At the event, MPI deputy minister Tran Duy Dong said it … [Read more...] about Conference discusses Public-Private Partnerships in healthcare
MR4 and Lao People’s Army promote cooperation
Over the past time, despite the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MR4 Command has directed its affiliated units to closely work with Lao military units and localities to ensure security in border areas and manage COVID-19 pandemic, while helping the Lao side to build the political system, contributing to ensuring political security and social order. For their part, Lao units and localities also coordinated with MR4’s units to grasp situations and maintain stability in border areas, while supporting the Vietnamese military units to search, collect and repatriate Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Laos during wartime. During the discussion, both sides mapped out solutions to raise cooperation quality, promote delegation exchanges while well managing handed-over constructions which symbolize the bilateral special solidarity and friendship. On this occasion, the two sides inked the cooperation agreement for 2022 and presented … [Read more...] about MR4 and Lao People’s Army promote cooperation
Prime Minister meets Vietnamese in San Francisco
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets Vietnamese in San Francisco . (Photo: VNA) San Francisco (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has lauded overseas Vietnamese ( OVs ) in general and those in the US in particular for their contributions to the homeland as well as the Vietnam-US ties. At a meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese community in San Francisco on May 17 (local time) as part of his trip to the US, Chinh noted that OVs have engaged in 376 projects in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) with total registered capital amounting to 1.72 billion USD. Remittances to Vietnam exceed 10 billion USD each year, hitting 12.5 billion US D last year, he said, stressing that the capital has played a role in the country’s socio-economic development. The leader reiterated that the Party and the State have always regarded OVs as an integral part and an impulse for national development, which has been reflected in the institutionalisation of … [Read more...] about Prime Minister meets Vietnamese in San Francisco
Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table
"Even in the very tough environment we are seeing, our employees have maintained a high quality and reliable service for our customers and this is helping us deliver stellar performance year after year," said Jens Lottner, CEO of Techcombank. Last year, the bank continued to reduce costs while focusing on building deposits in its current accounts and savings accounts (CASA), which Lottner described as a "stable and cheap" source of funding. Techcombank’s CASA ratio, which reflects the percentage of the bank’s total deposits that are CASA, jumped from 46.1 percent in 2020 to 50.5 percent last year, on its way to the bank’s target of 55 percent by 2025. Techcombank’s net interest margin (NIM), a measure of the difference between the interest received by the bank and the amount paid out to lenders, also increased 69 basis points to 5.6 percent during the year. "Together, these improving metrics, along with our effective cost management, translated into an excellent profit before tax … [Read more...] about Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table
Making better decisions in real estate
Pham Viet Tuan-Associate, Indochine Counsel Many of the negative risks arise because of the complicated Vietnamese land laws, which prevent not only foreign investors but also local developers from developing projects. This article will give some hints on how they could properly tackle issues related to land in property project development through the contribution of land. In the Vietnamese real estate market, it is common for a property developer to have land but not the budget or experience/resources needed to develop the project. In this case, such developers might seek other ways to conduct their business plan. Some solutions may be to secure a loan facility from a bank; to cooperate with other developers who have experience/resources in the project development; or to call for financial aid from funds, and foreign/local investors or to issue bonds in the capital market. Each solution has its pros and cons. From a foreign perspective, project land is essential to project … [Read more...] about Making better decisions in real estate