The market surveillance officers of Binh Thuan visited a restaurant in the south-central Vietnamese province’s tourist city of Phan Thiet on Wednesday morning to clarify a customer’s complaint about its hefty charge of VND4.5 million (US$192) for cooking service. The Hung Vuong restaurant in Phan Thiet City’s Phu Thuy Ward welcomed a group of 48 tourists and one tour guide around lunchtime on Sunday, the facility’s manager Nguyen Ngoc Phong said. Having ordered their meal in advance, the tourist group brought along 18 kilograms of raw seafood they had purchased outside upon their arrival. Although the restaurant rarely allowed customers to bring food outside into its premises, the two sides discussed and agreed on using the restaurant’s service to cook the raw seafood with a charge of VND250,000 ($10.7) per kilogram that day, according to Phong. Phong added the restaurant had given a discount on the cooking service charge versus the listed price of VND350,000 ($15) per … [Read more...] about Phan Thiet restaurant inspected after charging $192 for cooking service despite advance agreement with customers
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Illegally-constructed buildings still standing in province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
A villa was illegally built on agricultural land of perennial trees while a restaurant was constructed on canal banks in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, sparking an uproar as the problem has remained unsolved for long. Local officials said they noticed these illegal structures, and then reminded their subordinates to inspect these cases, but the issue was skipped over. Many residents have complained about the villa and restaurant complex built on farmland with no permits and construction certificates by Nguyen Tan T., who lives in An Phuoc Commune, Mang Thit District, located in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long. The group of structures is situated near Provincial Road 902, which links Mang Thit District and Vinh Long City, the provincial capital. It is easy to see the palatial villa next to a small canal. The reinforced concrete villa is encroaching on two meters of the canal bank. The restaurant, called Nguyen Phat owned by T., is behind the villa and near the Co … [Read more...] about Illegally-constructed buildings still standing in province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Tax for development: Does Vietnam need tax reform?
Patrick Lenain - Former assistant director Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Schools and universities will need to adopt new technologies. Public transportation networks will need to be upgraded. Large-scale logistical hubs will be required to remain integrated in global supply chains. Old-age citizens will need welfare support. Electricity generation will need to decarbonise. Coastal cities will need to adapt to rising sea levels. Military spending will need to protect the country. And it is obvious that health spending remains a priority. Unfortunately, tax revenue is at present too limited to finance these large investments. Vietnam’s government collected tax revenue equivalent to 16 per cent of GDP last year, according to the International Monetary Fund. This is less than Malaysia (18.3 per cent), Singapore (18.5 per cent), India (19.7 per cent), Thailand (20.3 per cent), and China (27 per cent). This is also less than before the pandemic, reflecting … [Read more...] about Tax for development: Does Vietnam need tax reform?
Goodbye Shanghai: After 16 years, Covid curbs send American family packing
Heather and husband George arrived in Shanghai from New York in 2006 for a one-year adventure, but 16 years later their two-bedroom apartment in Shanghai’s historic former French Concession is the only home their children have ever known. So while repatriating to the United States is technically a homecoming for Heather and George, leaving Shanghai means leaving home for daughters Charlotte, 14, and Matilda, 12. Heather spent the month of June readying for a return to the United States. Her husband left weeks earlier with their family dog to help prepare for their new life in Washington D.C. "I haven't had the luxury to really grieve a lot of what I'm leaving behind because I need to get two kids and a cat out of here ... so it's been really focused on that logistics," she told Reuters from her flat which had just been emptied out by movers. The Kaye family are part of an exodus of both foreigners and locals from Shanghai as China's most cosmopolitan city tries to find its … [Read more...] about Goodbye Shanghai: After 16 years, Covid curbs send American family packing