Singapore polo club

The exclusive global launch of Grand Marina, Saigon in Hong Kong

On March 27 and 28, the Grand Marina, Saigon officially launched and received a positive reception from its Hong Kong investors at its exclusive project introduction organised by the Asia Bankers Club at the JW Marriott Hong Kong Hotel.

The first branded apartments of Grand Marina were purchased by customers of the Asia Bankers Club with a starting price of USD1 million, equivalent to a unit price of USD18,000 per square metre. This price is significantly higher than other luxury apartments in Ho Chi Minh City with an average price of nearly USD7,000 per square metre, according to CBRE Vietnam’s 2020 Real Estate Market Spotlight.

However, this price is comparable to those of branded real estate projects in the region such as The Residences at Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and The Residences at the St. Regis Singapore. On the other hand, compared to Hong Kong – one of the most expensive housing markets in the world – this price is significantly lower than the unit price of the city state’s luxury segment, estimated at an average of USD46,800 per square metre, according to Savills.

The emergence of a new real estate model in Vietnam – the urban branded real estate – has caused the price of luxury apartments to jump and catch up with other countries in the region. With the endorsement of global brands, Savills’ Branded Residence 2020 report stated, “The average price difference of the branded real estate market and the unbranded luxury real estate is about 31 per cent.”

The Asia Bankers Club announced that many customers have boldly decided to invest in Grand Marina, Saigon, although they did not have the opportunity to visit the project or a model house. Kingston Lai, founder and CEO of the Asia Bankers Club said, “The project is backed by the Marriott International brand, which has created confidence for our customers. Moreover, in the context of the global economy, Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country to record GDP growth in 2020 and is forecasted by the World Bank to increase its GDP by 6.81 per cent in 2021. Vietnam’s real estate market is emerging as a bright star, promising growth and opportunities for foreign investors like those from Hong Kong.”

Artist’s impressions of Grand Marina, designed to Mariott standards

South China Morning Post wrote: “Vietnam to host Marriott’s largest branded residence project as investors bet on Southeast Asian nation’s stellar growth.” The article reports that Marriott International is making a foray into Vietnam’s branded real estate sector, starting with Grand Marina, Saigon.

The success of the Grand Marina, Saigon  launch event in Hong Kong is a milestone marking the success of a new export product – branded apartments, in addition to long-established products such as rice and coffee. The appearance of the Marriott International brand in the segment has placed the Vietnamese real estate market on the world map and caught the attention of foreign investors.

By Ngan Ha

A sixth consecutive league win took Barca back into second place and moved them on to 65 points, two above third-placed Real Madrid and one behind Atletico, who were beaten 1-0 at Sevilla on Sunday. Barca visit Real Madrid next Saturday with the chance to go top of the table a day before Atletico visit Real Betis.

* West Ham United boosted their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four and earning a Champions League berth after an impressive first half helped them to a 3-2 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. West Ham moved three places up to fourth on 52 points from 30 games, one more than fifth-placed Chelsea and three ahead of sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in seventh.

* The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will not participate in the Tokyo Summer Olympics this July due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Sports in the DPRK on Tuesday (Apr 6).

* Tokyo Olympic organisers are expected to cancel a water polo test event scheduled for this weekend, public broadcaster NHK reported.

* The International Swimming Federation has cancelled the diving, artistic swimming, and marathon swim Olympic qualifiers scheduled for this month and May in Japan.

* Everton midfielder James Rodriguez scored on his return from a long lay-off on Saturday against Crystal Palace but it was not enough to earn his side victory as the Londoners snatched a 1-1 draw with a late strike from Michy Batshuayi. The Colombian had not featured for over six weeks due to injury. After coming close to scoring in the first half he broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, slotting a Seamus Coleman cutback inside the near post to score his 100th goal in European club football.

* Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has ruled out playing Eden Hazard in Tuesday’s (Apr 6) home Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool, saying he will not risk another injury setback for his club’s record signing. Belgian Hazard, ravaged by injuries since joining Real from Chelsea in 2019, returned to training last Friday ahead of schedule from his latest muscle problem, but played no part in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Eibar.

* Alaves have parted company with coach Abelardo Fernandez after slipping to the bottom of the La Liga standings, the club announced on Monday. The decision comes after Alaves’ 3-1 defeat by Celta Vigo on Sunday, which extended their winless run to seven games in the Spanish top flight.

* Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said the club could break their transfer record and spend over £100 million (US$139 million) on a player, amid speculation over the future of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

* Borussia Dortmund’s teenage striker Youssoufa Moukoko has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a ligament injury, the club said on Monday. Moukoko is the youngest player to score in the Bundesliga after netting in December against Union Berlin at the age of 16.

* Paris St Germain defender Alessandro Florenzi has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss their Champions League quarter-final first leg at Bayern Munich, the French club said on Monday. Florenzi’s team mate and fellow Italy international Marco Verratti is also out of Wednesday’s game in Munich after testing positive on Friday.

HCM City has set itself an export target of US$108 billion by 2030.

It is encouraging newly established firms to focus on key sectors like rubber, plastic, food and foodstuffs, IT-electronics-telecommunications, garments and textiles, and pharmaceuticals.

It wants to improve the industry and become involved in global value chains especially in the electronics, mechanical, and wood products, which it considers a key to its exports.

It plans to upgrade export infrastructure, and reform public administration directly related to foreign trade.

Head of the city’s Statistics Office, Huynh Van Hung, said COVID-19 has largely been controlled in Viet Nam, causing a recovery in manufacturing.

But exporters continue to face difficulties since many major trading nations have yet to open their markets, he said.

The municipal Department of Industry and Trade is working with other relevant parties to develop the supporting industry supply chain, helping businesses cut input costs and improve their competitiveness.

It plans to enhance trade promotion and help businesses reach out globally.

Nguyen Phuong Dong, director of the department, said despite facing numerous challenges, exports of five goods last year exceeded $1 billion each: computers, electronic products and components ($17.8 billion); garment and textile ($4.3 billion); footwear ($2.2 billion); machinery and equipment and parts ($2.2 billion); and the rest ($6.9 billion).

Its key export markets remained China, the US and Japan.

China accounted for $10.5 billion worth of the city’s exports, up 23.7 per cent from 2019. Exports to the US and Japan were worth $6.7 billion and $2.8 billion, down 0.2 and 16 per cent.

Shares forecast to face sharp volatility this week

Vietnamese shares are forecast to encounter sharp volatility in the short-term as the market shows signs of correction after three consecutive weeks of gains, analysts said.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the benchmark VN-Index edged down 0.08 per cent to close Friday at 1,162.21 points.

The index had lost 2.67 per cent last week.

An average of 699.2 million shares were traded on the southern exchange during each session last week, worth VND16.4 trillion (US$713.6 million).

In the last session last week, losses were narrowed as a surge from large-cap stocks boosted indices but the market was still shaky due to strong selling pressure.

According to MB Securities Joint Stock Company (MBS), the VN-Index dropping to below support level of 1,150 points helped attract outside cash flow. Investors sought out stocks that had been hit hard in the previous session.

“Basically, the VN-Index is still fluctuating in the accumulation zone, so the overall trading strategy is to buy and sell at resistance levels,” MBS said.

Tran Xuan Bach, a stock analyst at Bao Viet Securities Co (BVSC) added: “The market will have corrective movements early this week, before recovering at the end of the week. The 1,150-1,155 point area is still an important and decisive support area for the current market trend.

“If VN-Index fails to pass this zone, the market’s trend will follow a negative direction in the short term. In this scenario, the index might drop to test the support level of 1,110 – 1,125 points.”

Analysts from Phu Hung Securities Joint Stock Company (PHS) said the short-term downtrend was still dominating. Technical indicators showed negative signs, which meant correcting pressure hadn’t finished.

The nearest support zones of the VN-Index maybe around 1,150 points and around 1,100 points, PHS said.

Saigon-Hanoi Securities Joint Stock Company (SHS) said the market had fallen after three consecutive weeks of gains. VN-Index could not surpass the psychological resistance of 1,200 points. The interrupted trading system made investor sentiment become more negative, leading to increased selling pressure.

“Liquidity increased slightly from the previous week, showing that selling pressure is quite strong, but technical signals also showed that bottom-fishing demand at low prices is still enough to keep the market to close above 1,155 points,” SHS said.

According to Bao Viet Securities Co, Investors should maintain stock exposure at 35-50 per cent.

“Investors with high stock exposure can consider lowering the proportion of stocks in the recovery phases of the market.

“Investors with a cash-rich position should consider disbursing with a low proportion and give priority to existing stocks in the portfolio if the index falls to the support zone of 1,150-1,155 points,” it said.

Information technology stocks fell the most last week with losers including FPT Corporation (FPT), down 4.6 per cent, CMC Corporation (CMG), losing 7.2 per cent.

It was followed by the construction materials group with Hoa Phat Group (HPG), down 2 per cent, Nam Kim Group (NKG), losing 5.8 per cent, and Hoa Sen Group (HSG), dropping 6 per cent.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index rose 1.41 per cent to close at 270.96 points.

It had lost 2.43 per cent to last week.

More than 171.6 million shares were traded on the northern bourse, worth VND2.6 trillion.

Trade turnover with Cambodia reaches US$1.33 billion over two-month period

The initial two months of the year witnessed trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia stand at over US$1.33 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 64%, according to figures released by the Vietnam Trade Office in Cambodia.

Most notably, major local export items to Cambodia included iron and steel, petroleum, garments and textiles, consumer goods, and other agricultural products such as fish, meat, and vegetables. In return, Cambodian exports primarily consisted of cashew nuts, rubber, along with timber and wood products.

Alongside promoting exports to Cambodia, the nation continues to provide tariff preferences for Cambodian exports to the Vietnamese market as a means of encouraging an increase in trade exchanges.

This represents great significance for the Cambodian Government and people as it has served to boost production and stimulate economic recovery amid the ongoing complicated developments relating to the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Foreign investment into Vietnam up 18.5 percent in first three months

As much as 10.13 billion USD worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) was injected into Vietnam in the first three months of the year to March 20, a year-on-year increase of 18.5 percent, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Investment licences were granted to 234 new projects with total registered capital of 7.2 billion USD, rising 30.6 percent against the same period last year.

Meanwhile, 161 existing projects added 2.1 billion USD to their investment capital, a surge of 97.4 percent compared to the same time last year.

On the contrary, capital contributions and shares purchases by foreign investors were down 58.8 percent to stand at 805.3 million USD.

Foreign investors pumped capital in 17 sectors, with processing and manufacturing holding the lead with over 5 billion USD or 49.6 percent, followed by power production and distribution with 3.9 billion USD (38.9 percent), real estate 600 million USD, and science-technology nearly 167 million USD.

Singapore topped the list of 56 countries and territories landing investment in Vietnam, with nearly 4.6 billion USD, equivalent to nearly 45.6 percent of the total. Japan came second with about 2.1 billion USD (20.8 percent), and the Republic of Korea third with 1.2 billion USD (11.8 percent).

The FIA said the Mekong Delta province of Long An lured the lion’s share of FDI in the reviewed period with 3.2 billion USD, accounting for 32.1 percent of the total. Can Tho city of the same region was the runner-up since it attracted nearly 1.3 million USD, or 13.1 percent. Hai Phong northern port city came third with 946 million USD (9.4 percent).

So far this year, the foreign-invested sector has earned close to 58.6 billion USD from exports, including crude oil, up 27.5 percent year-on-year, and making up 76.4 percent of the nation’s total export turnover./.

Stock market expected to maintain growth path in 2021

Viet Nam’s stock market is expected to maintain its growth momentum of last year at 15-20 per cent based on positive supporting factors, experts have said.

Speaking at a seminar on opportunities and challenges for the stock market in 2021 held in HCM City on Saturday, Cấn Văn Lực, chief economist of the Bank for Investment and Development of Việt Nam, said: “Việt Nam has successfully implemented the dual goal of containing the Covid-19 pandemic and reviving the economy.

“With its economic recovery momentum, most organisations forecast that Việt Nam’s economic growth is likely to surge to 6.5‐7 per cent in 2021. And at the same time, we can control inflation well at below 4 per cent.”

In this context, domestic and foreign investment flows to the country will be stronger than those of last year, he said.

The number of new trading accounts opened more than doubled last year, driven by the desire of local investors to achieve higher returns as the interest rates paid on their bank deposit accounts plunged. And the momentum will continue this year, he added.

Dr Võ Trí Thành, director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that production and trading activities have been maintained and export growth has recovered quickly, while the new generation of free trade agreements will also increase export and investment cooperation.

This will help promote the stock market in 2021 and the years to come, he said.

Đặng Đức Thành, chairman of the Economists Club, said: “With the Government’s promotion of public investment, policies to attract FDI investment, maintenance of low interest rates, adjustment of economic stimulus packages, and effective control of COVID-19, it has made an important contribution to boost the stock market’s growth.”

The VN-Index surpassed 1,200 points on March 18, creating optimism among investors, he said.

Dr. Nguyễn Sơn, chairman of the State Securities Commission’s Việt Nam Security Depository, said that: “Having vaccines to prevent Covid-19 and the trend of shifting international capital flows from the banking sector (which yields low interest rates) to other investment channels such as stock and valuable assets such as gold and real estate will help the global stock market in general and Việt Nam’s stock market, in 2021.

“Việt Nam continues to be evaluated as a bright spot for regional investment by international organisations as it is one of the few countries that has effectively controlled Covid-19 and achieved positive growth in 2020,” he said.

He said the VN-Index would increase by hundreds of points this year.

Despite many opportunities, the stock market in 2021 still faces risks, notably the unpredictable development of Covid-19, an increase in trade defence globally, risks involved in inflation and exchange rates, and diversion of investment flows to other areas, they said.

Sơn also mentioned problems faced by the Vietnamese stock market, such as the slow process of equitisation of State-owned enterprises and divestment of State capital in equitised enterprises. Moreover, the upgrading of the market from frontier to emerging status still faces obstacles and the current IT system has not met the fast development of the securities market.

To enable the market to develop in a sustainable manner, the securities sector will focus on putting new regulations and policies in the Law on Securities into practice to support businesses and protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors, he said.

It will also map out a Stock Market Development Strategy for the 2021-30 period to shape goals, solutions and a roadmap for the development of the stock and capital market in the long run, he said.

In addition, the sector will enhance the modernisation of information technology systems and administrative procedure reform, launch new products, restructure the security market, and speed up equitisation and divestment of State capital in State-own enterprises and the listing of these firms on the stock exchange to increase market liquidity and supply, he said.

At the seminar, which was held by the Economists Club, Hồ Chí Minh Securities Corporation (HSC) and Green Plus Joint Stock Corporation, Green Plus signed a cooperation agreement with Japan’s Sato Yakuhin Kogyo, HSC, and Vietcombank’s Bình Tây branch.

Vietnamese firms advised to promote online sale in Singapore

Vietnamese enterprises are looking to sell their products online in Singapore where 73 percent of its population regularly shop online and make cross-border transactions.

According to the Vietnamese Trade Office in Singapore, as many as 21 out of 25 global leading logistics service providers headquarter in Singapore – a major information, commercial, financial and logistics centre of the region and the world.

The Southeast Asian country is also a major international air transit hub, which is a very important gateway to Asia in general and Southeast Asia in particular.

If Vietnamese businesses can expand their exports to Singapore, they will have great opportunities to approach international partners who are present in the country, thus increasing the value of exports and brands of their goods.

Joining e-commerce activities, enterprises will have high interaction with consumers so that they can flexibly adjust production in accordance the demand of customers.

This will help enterprises save production costs and take the initiative in controlling their brands, the Vietnamese Trade Office said.

Singapore is now home to numerous e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, Amazon.sg, Qoo10, Ezbuy, and Ebay.

In order to bring goods to the Singapore market in general and the e-commerce platform system in the country in particular, Vietnamese enterprises can set up their own companies in Singapore or find Singaporean importers.

The Singapore market is very suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises to begin cross-border sales, the Vietnamese Trade Office said./.

Fifty five firms to be honoured with Vietnam National Quality Awards 2020

Fifty-five businesses will be presented with the Viet Nam National Quality Awards 2020, including 19 winning the golden prize, according to a Decision issued recently by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Among those honoured with the golden prize, 15 are production enterprises, and four operate in services.

The remaining 36 award winners include 27 production enterprises and nine service companies.

The Viet Nam National Quality Awards are the Prime Minister’s annual recognition for organisations and enterprises with remarkable quality achievements in production, business activities and services, helping to promote the standing of Vietnamese products and services in the domestic and foreign markets.

The awards, first presented in 1996, were initiated by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

SOEs need to enhance autonomy in operation: report

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) need to enhance their autonomy and responsibility under market mechanisms to contribute to the growth of the economy, according to a report by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).

Viet Nam has improved the legal framework to ensure the rights of autonomy and self-responsibility of SOEs closely following international practices, but the legal framework is still missing many components, according to a recent report on the autonomy and self-responsibility under the market mechanism of SOEs conducted by CIEM with support from the Australia-Vietnam Economic Reform (Aus4reform) Programme.

The State still intervenes deeply in the operation of wholly State-owned enterprises, leading to overworked agencies that manage State capital at enterprises, while the enterprises face many difficulties.

To enhance the autonomy and self-responsibility of State-owned enterprises, the CIEM research team said improving transparency is key.

SOEs should publish public reports on both financial and non-financial information according to international standards. Strengthening financial discipline for State-owned enterprises is another important recommendation.

In addition, the transformation of an SOE into a joint-stock company is the most important measure to improve enterprise autonomy.

Phan Duc Hieu, CIEM deputy director, said the “fair treatment” of State enterprises is a requirement in a market economy, along with the implementation of commitments on international economic integration.

During 35 years of reform, Vietnamese laws have been amended so that State enterprises are increasingly empowered with more autonomy and responsibility.

According to Pham Duc Trung, Head of the CIEM’s Department of Enterprise Reform and Development Research, the Enterprise Law stipulates that a State-owned enterprise has the same rights and obligations as an enterprise of all economic sectors, including business autonomy, contract, and possession, use and disposition of property.

However, institutions and management mechanisms have failed to create full autonomy and self-responsibility for State enterprises. State management agencies decide many issues in the corporate administration of SOEs. That can weaken the motivation of enterprises’ leaders to act in the best interests of the enterprise and its shareholders.

Besides that, many SOEs have fallen into dissolution or bankruptcy, but are still kept alive via State support.

Le Duy Binh, CEO of Economica Vietnam, said SOEs wanted to be like private enterprises with full autonomy, but the operation of SOEs was often dependent on the State management agency that represents the owner.

Le Tien Truong, Chairman of the Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), said SOEs must comply with the Law on management and use of State capital to invest in production and business.

Before approving decisions within the authority of a board of directors, the representative of State capital in the enterprise must consult the State agency that manages State capital at SOEs, then convene a meeting of the board of directors to approve those decisions for them to be executed. It can take one or two months for the State agency to respond.

When Vinatex was a wholly State-owned enterprise, it had to wait for a governing body to give it directions. The situation has continued even though Vinatex became a joint-stock company with 48 per cent of the charter capital belonging to non-State shareholders in 2015, so this process will make it difficult for the group (Vinatex), according to Truong.

“For a private company, a shareholder only votes on the company’s strategic issues. Meanwhile, at an SOE, the shareholder must also vote on other normal issues. Thus, it has broken corporate governance practices,” Binh said.

Nguyen Dinh Cung, former CIEM director, was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying: “The State needs to create a business environment to promote and ensure State-owned enterprises operate and compete fairly according to market principles.”

He said legal provisions should be revised to ensure full autonomy for State enterprises in investment and business.

In addition, there should be a legal system to improve business autonomy by fundamentally revising the Law on Management and Use of State capital to invest in production and business in enterprises.

Along with that, State agencies should not have the right to give decisions, but only give opinions and approve investment policies. In other words, the State should not decide on issues of corporate governance.

Experts have also recommended that, according to international practice on SOE governance, especially the OECD’s guidance, to ensure the autonomy and self-responsibility of SOEs under market principles, the State – as the owner – needs to clearly define the reason or goal of maintaining ownership in the enterprise. The State should create conditions for the management board at the enterprises to operate autonomously and responsibly.

That means the thinking about SOEs and State management for these enterprises must change fundamentally. When operating under market principles, SOEs will play the right role in the economic recovery and growth, according to experts.

HCM City sets up teams to help foreign firms amid pandemic

The chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee has pledged to improve the business climate for foreign investors by setting up two working teams to assist in their investments.

Speaking at a conference with city leaders and Korean firms on Thursday, Nguyen Thanh Phong said: “The city is committed to a better business climate by issuing more special incentives and policies to attract foreign investors, including those from South Korea.”

The city has set up two “interdisciplinary working groups” in charge of promoting foreign investment and international cooperation with the aim of removing challenges facing foreign investors and promoting international cooperation.

“The working groups will increase exchanges with Korean businesses to remove problems facing them in a timely manner,” Phong said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs will be the focal point between Korean businesses and concerned agencies, receiving comments and inquiries from Korean firms to forward to agencies, according to Phong.

Most Korean firms said they wanted to resolve problems related to credit support, registration procedures for new business, and renewal of licences in Viet Nam.

Kim Heung Soo, chairman of the Korean Business Association (KOCHAM), recommended that calculation of tax be based on the total tax in the previous year or on the actual sales of the previous quarters in the year, instead of relying on tax agency predictions.

He said that administrative procedures for FDI projects, the establishment of additional legal entities, entity conversion permits, and land transfer procedures for foreign projects remained complicated and should be further simplified or eliminated.

South Korea is one of Viet Nam’s major economic partners with more than 5,600 Korean companies investing and doing business in the country.

It ranks third among 110 countries and territories investing in HCM City with a two-way trade turnover of US$66 billion last year.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, South Korea was the city’s 5th largest export market with exports worth $1.8 billion last year, accounting for 4.5 per cent of the city’s total exports and 9.5 per cent of the country’s total exports to South Korea.

“The potential for cooperation between the two sides is great,” said Phong.

The city’s exports to South Korea were worth more than $366 million in the first two months of 2021, up 30.3 per cent over the same period last year, according to Phong.

SMC lifts profit target on steel industry’s positive outlook

Thanks to the optimistic outlook of the steel industry in the long-term on stronger demand from the recovery of the construction industry, SMC Trading Investment JSC doubled this year’s profit after tax target.

On March 19, the Board of Directors of SMC approved the adjustment to increase 2021’s profit after tax target to VND300 billion, an announcement published on its official website showed.

Earlier, the company made a cautious target of just VND160 billion, down 49 per cent over the result of 2020. The move suggested that SMC is optimistic about the industry outlook in 2021.

Another peer also increased its revenue and profit targets for 2021. Nam Kim Steel JSC (NKG) set a target of VND16 trillion in net revenue and VND600 billion in profit after tax, up 38 per and 103 per cent over the same period of 2019, respectively.

Right after the news, SMC shares hit the biggest daily gain to VND29,650 a share on March 22, up 52.1 per cent against the beginning of the year.

On Wednesday, SMC shares traded at VND28,500 a share, down 2.73 per cent, while NKG stayed flat to finish the day at VND21,700.

Brighter steel industry outlook

In 2020, the price of hot rolled coil (HRC) on the global market surged and even broke over US$700 a ton, pushing up the domestic price. As all of the company’s main businesses need HRC, steel product prices rose dramatically in the last months of 2020.

The HRC price continued its rally since the beginning of the year on stronger demand from China. The most-active May HRC future contract on Shanghai Future Exchange was 5,130 yuan/ton (US$784.37 a ton) on Thursday.

According to a steel industry report released in mid-January by SSI Research, the driving forces of domestic steel demand include infrastructure investment and FDI inflows, which also help promote civil construction activities along with infrastructure and FDI projects.

Export demand is still positive. SSI Research estimated a single-digit growth in Viet Nam’s steel exports. However, as the world supply becomes more stable, foreign sales are likely to face intense competition in export markets.

Many other securities firms expect a bright outlook for Viet Nam’s steel industry.

Mirae Asset Securities (Viet Nam) Limited Liability Company (MiraeAsset) projected the country’s steel production to increase by 15.7 per cent in 2021, three times higher than its expectation of world steel production.

Meanwhile, Vietcombank Securities Company Ltd (VCBS) has assessed that local steel demand will continue to grow on the recovery of real estate, as well as momentum from public investments.

Consumer lending to grow again in 2021

The consumer finance market will have the chance to grow again in 2021 thanks to the country’s economic recovery, experts forecast.

Vo Dai Luoc, former director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, said the consumer finance market would resume rising this year as economic growth is expected at 6 per cent against 2.91 per cent last year.

In 2020, income of consumers was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a decreasing demand for consumer loans.

According to Luoc, last year, the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector increased by 2.68 per cent, contributing 13.5 per cent to the growth rate of the whole economy. The figures for the industry-construction and services sectors were 3.98 per cent and 2.34 per cent, contributing 53 per cent and 33.5 per cent, respectively.

Besides the processing and manufacturing industries, the services sector, including wholesale and retail, financial activities, banking and insurance, would be continually one main driver of economic growth this year. Thus, the consumer finance market and consumer services would certainly play an important role in the economy, Luoc said.

According to economist Vu Dinh Anh, in the context of declining income due to the pandemic, consumer lending is an important factor to stimulate the increase in domestic aggregate demand through a rise in goods retail and consumption.

Despite higher risks than bank loans, the consumer lending market is still attractive to investors thanks to its profitability.

According to the State Bank of Viet Nam’s statistics, finance companies have the highest profitability among credit institutions in Viet Nam. The latest updates available in October showed return on asset (ROA) and return on revenue (ROE) of finance companies were respectively 2.19 per cent and 10.55 per cent, highest among credit institutions. The ROA of finance companies was even 2.8 times higher than commercial banks.

Sixteen finance companies are licensed to provide consumer lending with their total charter capital worth more than VND22 trillion (US$948 million) as of the end of 2020.

Those with the largest charter capital include FE Credit (VND7.328 trillion), SBIC Finance (VND2.532 trillion), EVN FC (VND2.5 trillion), Home Credit (VND2.05 trillion) and HD Saison (VND1.4 trillion).

A number of banks have launched finance companies, such as VP Bank with FE Credit, HDBank with HD Saison, SHB with SHB Finance and MBBank with Mcredit.

Banking expert Can Van Luc said Viet Nam’s consumer credit market had significant potential for development. Consumer loans are estimated to account for around 18-20 per cent of the total outstanding loans in the economy.

Ha Noi property prices surge due to Red River urban planning reports

Property prices in some areas of Ha Noi have surged strongly after reports on draft planning for the Red River urban area were released in June.

The Red River urban planning project aims to develop an area of ​​about 11,000 hectares in 13 districts including Dan Phuong, North Tu Liem, Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Hoang Mai, Thanh Tri, Thuong Tin, Me Linh, Dong Anh, Long Bien and Gia Lam.

Per the project, there will be dozens of bridges built across the Red River and many parks, and cultural, tourist, service and entertainment works, modern ecological urban areas will also be built on both sides of the Red River.

The plans have led to expectations that property prices in this area will increase strongly, especially after the planning is approved.

The trading of property in ​Cu Khoi Ward in Long Bien District has increased strongly, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

According to Nguyen Quang Huy – a real estate broker – the current price is VND68-70 million per sq.m for a house with one frontage and VND70-72 million per sq.m for a house with two fronts, higher than the previous price of VND40-50 million.

If this urban project is approved, the land price would increase further, even up to VND80-90 million, Huy said.

Le Thi Minh, from Cu Khoi Ward, said in the last two weeks, many people had come to ask about land in this area, causing land prices to rise. The price had increased by VND5-10 million per sq.m to VND37-40 million for a plot of land in Cu Khoi Street.

In some areas in Dong Anh District, land prices have also surged by about VND10-12 million per sq.m, especially in the area of ​​Tam Xa and Xuan Canh communes overlooking the Red River urban area, to VND28-30 million against prices from a month ago.

Land near the Red River dike is also offered a price of up to VND50-55 million sq.m, nearly double from before due to the Red River urban area planning, a broker said.

Land price prices have also increased in Hoai Duc District, including Vuon Cam urban area, near Van Canh University, Lideco North 32, Kim Chung-Di Trach, Ha Do Charm Villas and An Lac Symphony.

Of which, the strongest increase in land price is Kim Chung-Di Trach Urban Area, where the price was only about VND20-35 million per sq.m in mid-2020 and has jumped to VND40-70 million at present. This price is expected to surge to VND55-95 million due to good infrastructure.

In the Me Linh District, the property price has increased to VND15-30 million per sq.m since the beginning of 2021 in many projects, including Cienco5, AIC, Diamond Park View, Ha Phong, Hoang Van and Melinh Vista City projects.

According to real estate experts, there are two trends for property investment on the banks of the Red River, including swing trading and buying of land for compensation or higher price in the future.

Experts believe the rising property prices are due to information about infrastructure planning and investment.

In the area along the Red River, land brokers have been accused of price manipulation to push the property price up 2-3 times. If the planning project is approved, both landowners and brokers may continue to take this advantage to push prices upwards.

According to Nguyen Van Dinh, deputy general secretary of the Viet Nam Real Estate Association, the increase in land prices usually depends on the level of investment in infrastructure. If there is planning in principle or drawings, an increase of about 3-5 per cent is reasonable.

If the land price is too high, it will hinder the development of the real estate market in those areas.

Ha Quang Hung, deputy director of the Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department under the Ministry of Construction, said land prices had increased by 50 per cent compared to 2019 in some places in Hoai Duc District and 20-30 per cent year-on-year in the districts of Dong Anh, Gia Lam and Long Bien.

The strong increase of real estate prices in some areas of Ha Noi was mainly due to speculators taking advantage of real estate information to create price fluctuations, such as urban planning and investment policies for major infrastructure projects.

To stabilise the real estate market, the Ministry of Construction this year would build a mechanism to minimise the imbalance in the product structure of the market.

The ministry would also propose solutions to strengthen supervision of the market to reduce price manipulation.

MWG’s profit up 18 per cent

As of February, Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG)’s net revenue increased 6 per cent year-on-year to more than VND21.7 trillion, with its profit after tax also up 18 per cent despite disruptions due to new COVID-19 cases.

A monthly report published on MWG’s website showed in February, the company’s net revenue rose 34 per cent from the same period last year to VND10.67 trillion, leading to an increase of 73 per cent in profit after tax to VND505 billion.

In the first two months of 2021, MWG posted a climb of 6 per cent year-on-year to more than VND21.7 trillion in net revenue. Profit after tax in the same period was VND999 billion, 18 per cent higher than that of last year.

In the report, MWG said the accumulated data of the first two months of 2021 doesn’t precisely describe precisely the company’s business activities due to the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Revenue from online transactions rose 34 per cent year-on-year to nearly VND1.64 billion, accounting for about 8 per cent of its total revenue.

Sales of household appliances, laptops, and watches posted growth during the period, while sales of mobile phones and refrigerator were unchanged compared to last year. Sales of electronic products fell due to weaker demand during Tet.

Many MWG stores had to close or limit the number of customers in stores during this period due to the outbreak of new COVID-19 cases in the peak shopping season started from the end of January to February 10, the company stated in the report.

On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), MWG shares finished last Friday at VND130,000, up 0.93 per cent.

Demand for plant-based foods, fake meats on the rise

Demand for meat alternatives and plant-based products has grown significantly and will continue to rise in the global market, including Viet Nam, experts have said.

A study by US market intelligence and consultancy firm Polaris Market Research said the global plant-based meat market is likely to grow at 15.8 per cent a year to reach US$35.8 billion by 2027 compared to $11.1 billion in 2019.

The main factors driving the trend are health concerns due to the upsurge in food-borne illnesses through animal meat, awareness of food safety and nutrition and environmental concerns.

In Viet Nam, according to global data and consulting company Kantar Worldpanel, consumers are eating and drinking plant-based alternatives that are perceived to be natural and healthier.

Speaking at a seminar on green food potentials and trends in HCM City last week, Ho Thanh Nhien, founder of Bewina Company, a plant-based food supplier, said with their living standards rising Vietnamese are increasingly concerned about the safety of their daily meals and drinks.

Consumers have in recent years become interested in safe, organic and plant-based foods, with many opting for a vegetarian diet, she said.

Vu Kim Hanh, chairwoman of the Business Association of High Quality Vietnamese Goods, said: “The plant-based food market is attractive.

“Being an agricultural country, Vietnamese firms could exploit this niche market at home and abroad.”

Nhien, saying the global plant-based meat industry has become lucrative in the last five years, hoped that one day it would source everything from Viet Nam.

With more people shifting away from meats towards cleaner, plant-based protein alternatives, many food manufacturers ranging from start-ups to leading consumer goods, and even meat companies, are embracing plant-based meat products to meet the demand, she added.

Firms are also conducting research to come up with kitchenware that help retain the nutrition and colour of foods and do not generate toxins during cooking, speakers told the seminar.

Ly Ngoc Minh, general director of Minh Long I Co Ltd, said kitchen utensils help increase the taste of food, but cooking also affects the quality of food, directly affecting human health.

That is why his company constantly researches and develops premium porcelain cooking product lines (macrobiotic cookware) which do not need water when stir-frying or steaming food, he claimed.

Mekong Delta continues to develop transport infrastructure

The Mekong Delta is working with the Ministry of Transport to improve the local transport infrastructure and thus trade flows, the Can Tho Branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.

The Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway, for example, is expected to significantly speed up product delivery once it opens for traffic this year.

The Ministry of Transport plans to build another expressway between Can Tho city and Ca Mau province.

In the last five years, highways and bridges have been upgraded as have navigation channels in the Hau river, while the Cho Gao Canal in Tien Giang province has been dredged.

Lam said: “Poor transport infrastructure is a major obstacle for the Mekong Delta. Implementation of key projects by the Government is still slow.”

The Government has approved an allocation of 2.5 billion USD for infrastructure development over the next five years.

Annually the delta exports 17-18 million tonnes of goods, but 70 percent has to be shipped from major ports in Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, which increases transportation costs by 10-40 percent.

“It costs 5 million VND (216.6 USD) to transport 10 tonnes of catfish from our company in Can Tho city to HCM City. If we could use Cai Cui seaport in Can Tho city instead, it will cost only 1.5 million VND (65 USD),” Tran Van Quang, Chairman of Southern Fishery Industries Co Ltd, said.

The Cai Cui Port was built to handle vessels of 20,000 tonnes, but now only those of up to 7,000 tonnes can enter it due to the difficult access through small canals.

Investment in transport infrastructure would help the delta cut logistics costs.

An official from Ca Mau province’s transport department called for prioritising investment in inland waterways that are connected with roads to improve transportation throughout the delta and exploit the waterway system linking HCM City with other provinces and cities.

Next month the ministry will seek approval from the Government to build the Tran De deep-water port in Soc Trang Province capable of receiving vessels of up to 100,000 tonnes.

The port, not to be funded by public funds, is expected to achieve a throughput capacity of 50-55 million tonnes by 2030.

Setting up logistics centres

According to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, logistics activities in Mekong Delta remain largely unplanned.

More than 85 percent of its ports are scattered with each having a capacity of handling less than 10,000 tonnes of cargo annually.

The region also lacks a synchronised transport system, logistics centres, warehouses, and container yards, and companies have to send their products to HCM City for sterilising and irradiating, all of which increase logistics expenses.

Le Duy Hiep, Chairman of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, said the delta is the country’s agricultural export hub but logistics costs are 20-25 percent compared to 10-15 percent in neighbouring countries.

Besides, for a long time, Delta localities have only focused on stages between the field and factory, but paid little attention to transporting them to ports, shipping, packaging, and inspection despite their decisive role in the competitiveness of agricultural products.

“That is the reason why it is very important to develop logistics centres capable of handling all stages of agricultural production,” Lam said.

“This would reduce the waiting times and cumbersome procedures.”

Ho Thi Thu Hoa, head of the Vietnam Logistics Research and Development Institute, said a national plan for developing logistics by 2015 had included two second-level logistic centres in the region, but they remain on paper.

Recently the first phase of the Hanh Nguyen Logistics Centre, a self-contained logistics hub for agricultural exports, began operation in Hau Giang province. The province targets having five such centres by 2025.

The opening of a logistics centre will help connect all stages in the agricultural supply chain./.

Long An targets at least 60,000 tonnes of aquaculture production

The Mekong Delta province of Long An targets at least 60,000 tonnes of aquaculture production this year, about 2,000 tonnes higher than in 2020.

Of the total, the output of brackish water shrimp is to reach over 15,000 tonnes, while freshwater shrimp is to exceed 45,000 tonnes, up 1,500 tonnes and 500 tonnes, respectively, compared to 2020.

The provincial agricultural sector is focusing on guiding farmers on crops and conducting environmental monitoring to give them timely alerts. The sector is also strengthening the quarantine of fishery varieties, and supervising the development of diseases in different aquatic farming areas.

The province will continue applying technologies in aquatic farming while focusing on upgrading infrastructure for farming activities.

Long An has concentrated on developing brackish water shrimp production regions in Can Duoc, Can Giuoc, Tan Tru, and Chau Thanh districts, on a total area of about 6,800 ha, while piloting the high-tech farming model in a number of areas.

It targets at least 1.3 trillion VND in shrimp farming production value by 2025.

The province will also develop freshwater aquatic products in the Dong Thap Muoi region, such as Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, and Tan Thanh districts.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province’s aquaculture has seen strong growth in recent years, with expanded farming areas and models boasting high efficiency, such as brackish water shrimp farming and tra fish farming.

The province had nearly 5,500 ha of brackish water shrimp area last year, with an output of 2.7 tonnes per ha and total production of over 13,600 tonnes. At the same time, its total freshwater aquatic production was nearly 44,500 tonnes./.

GDP increases by 4.48% in first quarter

The gross domestic product (GDP) during the initial quarter of the year is estimated to have recorded an increase of 4.48% compared to the same period from last year, according to data released by the General Statistics Office (GSO) at a press conference held on March 29 in Hanoi.

The industrial and construction sector also recorded an increase of 6.3%, while the processing and manufacturing sector continued to represent the driving force for the national economy with a stellar growth rate of 9.45%.

Furthermore, the service sector enjoyed a growth rate of 3.34%, constituting approximately 35.7% of general growth, the wholesale and retail sector saw growth of nearly 6.5%, whilst the finance and banking sector saw a rise of 7.4%.

Nguyen Thi Huong, director general of the GSO, said these positive outcomes during the first quarter prove the great efforts made by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and relevant units in successfully containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. This has contributed to effectively implementing the dual goal of combating the pandemic, and simultaneously accelerating economic development.

Moreover, the average consumer price index (CPI) in the first quarter of the year increased by 0.29%, a figure which is considered the lowest growth rate over the past 20 years, the GSO representative stated.

The CPI growth in March endured a decline of 0.27% over the previous month, although it represented a rise of 1.31% compared to December, 2020, according to Huong.

This drop in CPI growth during March can largely be attributed to the decline in shopping demand of consumers following the Lunar New Year festival or Tet, and the abundant supply of food items.

The inflation rate in March also dropped by 0.12% over the previous month, whilst expanding by 0.73% over the same period from last year, thereby making average inflation in the first quarter of the year enjoy an annual rise of 0.67%.

The price index of export goods in the first quarter of the year increased by 0.75% compared to the fourth quarter of last year, whilst decreasing by 0.3% against the same period from 2020.

According to the GSO representative, the domestic gold price is currently fluctuating in line with global gold prices.

Vinh Long calls for $1.06 billion into 10 key projects

Vinh Long People’s Committee has issued a decision to call for a total of investment VND24.37 trillion ($1.06 billion) into 10 projects.

These 10 projects are part of the investment promotion programme of Vinh Long province for this year.

The list includes several exceptional projects, such as Binh Tan Indstrial Zone (IZ) located in Tan Quoi town, Binh Tan district with a total area of 400 hectares and an investment value of VND2.9 trillion ($126.1 million).

In the agricultural sector, the province is calling for investment in a 50-100ha high-tech agricultural manufacturing project in Vinh Long city that has a total investment capital of VND250 billion ($10.87 million). The province is also promoting an agricultural goods manufacturing and processing project in Binh Minh town, with the area of 10.6ha and VND400 billion ($17.4 million) of capital.

In the urban and housing sector, the province is looking for investors for the 500ha My Hoa new urban project stretching across Binh Minh and My Hoa communes and Binh Minh town with a total investment capital of VND8.05 trillion ($350 million). There is also a provincial urban and administrative project worth VND7.5 trillion ($326.1 million).

However, the province has yet to issue the criteria to select investors for these 10 projects.

At the same tie, the province is also mobilising resources to promote tourism development with the aim of turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector by 2030.

The authorities have been reviewing and issuing support and incentive policies to encourage investment in tourism, while also building infrastructure, adjusting the planning of tourist areas to attract more investment, and developing unique tourism products. It has also promoted the application of technology and improved the quality of human resources serving tourism development.

Vinh Long welcomed over 6.1 million domestic and foreign visitors in 2015-2019, earning nearly VND1.7 trillion ($73.9 million). The number of tourists and revenue increased by 11.6 per cent and 25.7 per cent per year on average.

SBV provides refinancing loans worth VND4 trillion for Vietnam Airlines lenders

The prime minister has signed a decision allowing the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to provide refinancing loans worth VND4 trillion to credit institutions that are lenders of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

The decision is in line with a resolution which the National Assembly adopted last year to authorize SBV, the nation’s central bank, to help Vietnam Airlines deal with losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Interest rates for refinancing loans are set at 0% per year, which is also applicable for any extension for such loans. The refinancing period follows the request from credit institutions but will not exceed 364 days.

SBV will complete disbursement no later than December 31, 2021.

The credit institutions will be responsible for their loan agreements with Vietnam Airlines. The agreements must be weighed carefully based on the credit institutions’ capacity and Vietnam Airlines’ financial conditions. The total value of the loans for Vietnam Airlines must not exceed VND4 trillion.

In 2020, Vietnam Airlines suffered a loss of VND14.4 trillion due to the negative impact of Covid-19. The airline operated 96,500 flights, carrying 14.23 million passengers and nearly 195,000 tons of cargo last year, down 48%, 51% and 47% year-on-year, respectively.

In the 2021-2025 period, Vietnam Airlines will focus on its recovery, while continuing to push for the restructuring process.

The Vietnam Aviation Business Association forecast that revenue of Vietnamese air carriers would continue plunging this year, with airlines expected to suffer losses of over VND15 trillion from air transport activities.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

227.5 kilos of drugs are found in a car in Quynh Thien Commune, Hoang Mai Town on April 3

Four people have just been detained for their involvement in a large-scale transnational drug trafficking ring.

Police and border military officers in the central province of Nghe An also seized nearly 350 kilos of drugs of different kinds from the ring.

According to police reports, at 1 am on April 3, a man was caught red-handed while transporting 227.5 kilos of drugs in a car in Quynh Thien Commune, Hoang Mai Town.

Earlier on January 21 and March 20, three other men were detained while carrying 115 kilos of meth.

The four have been found to be in the same drug trafficking ring.

Initial investigations showed that the drugs were brought into Vietnam from Laos and were to be taken to China for sale.

Vietnam reports 11 new imported cases COVID-19 on April 6 afternoon

Eleven new COVID-19 cases, all imported, were recorded in Vietnam in the 12 hours to 6pm on April 6, the Ministry of Health said.

Among the new patients, there are nine males and two females. They are one Indian man, and 10 Vietnamese.

They have been quarantined upon their arrival in the country.

So far, Vietnam has reported 2,648 cases of COVID-19. Of the 1,603 domestic infections, 910 cases have been detected since January 27, when the latest outbreak began.

On April 6, six patients were discharged from hospital, raising the number of recoveries to 2,422, while the fatalities are still kept at 35.

Seventeen of those still undergoing treatment have tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, nine others twice, and 16 thrice, according to the ministry’s Department of Medical Service Administration.

There are 36,701 people having close contact with confirmed cases or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine at present.

PM gives green light to 1-billion-tree growing project

The Prime Minister has issued a decision approving a project on growing 1 billion trees in Vietnam during the 2021 – 2025 period.

According to the project, of the 1 billion trees to be planted by the end of 2025, 690 million will be grown in urban and rural areas, and 310 million planted in protected, special, and production forests.

The project aims to protect the ecosystem, improve the scenery, respond to climate change, boost socio-economic development, improve the quality of people’s life and foster the sustainable growth of the country.

As per the project, the target for 2021 is 182 million trees, with an average of 204.5 million trees to be planted each year in the 2022-2025 period.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been tasked to be in charge of the work and cooperate with the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, and authorities of centrally-run provinces and cities to build related annual and five-year plans./.

Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh relieved from position of State Vice President

The National Assembly (NA) cast secret ballots to relieve Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh from the position of State Vice President in the 2016 – 2021 tenure on April 6 morning as part of its 11th session in Hanoi.

After the voting results were announced, 451 out of the 452 deputies present at the sitting, equivalent to 93.96 percent of the total number of legislators, approved a resolution on relieving Thinh from the position.

Later, the NA heard State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc presenting a nomination list for the legislature to elect the State Vice President.

Participating deputies then discussed in groups the candidacy for the post of State Vice President./.

Red maple trees to be removed from Hanoi streets

Authorities in Hanoi are going to replace dying red maple trees on some local streets.

Vice chairman of the municipal people’s committee, Duong Duc Tuan has just agreed with the proposal from the Department of Construction to replace the red maple trees which have been planted on Nguyen Chi Thanh and Tran Duy Hung streets.

According to a report from the Construction Department, the pilot plantation of over 260 red maple trees which were donated by a local firm were carried out in 2018. 119 trees were planted on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street and 143 others on Tran Duy Hung Street.

“The trees have not grown well over the past two years due to unsuitable climate,” the report said. “45 trees have died.”

The department has suggested replacing the maple trees with the Ivory Coast almond trees on these two streets, which can be carried out this month.

Construction on Phan Thiet Airport begins

A ceremony to kick-start a project to build Phan Thiet Airport in the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan was held on April 5.

In accordance with the aviation transport development plan until 2020, with a view to 2030, Phan Thiet will be an aerodrome with a reference code 4E, which will be used for military and civil purposes.

It will receive international flights with a runway and a terminal having a design capacity of 2 million passengers per year, along with serving military and national defence purposes, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province and the region at large.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieu. Gen Tran Don asked the Air Defence – Air Force to ensure progress and quality of the construction and devise measures to implement tasks synchronously, firstly in unexploded ordnance disposal and land clearance.

Agencies under the Ministry of Defence are responsible for steering the Air Defence – Air Force in the implementation of the project./.

National insurance database to be launched on June 1

The Government has recently issued Decree No.43/2021 regulating the national insurance database which will be launched on June 1.

The database covers social, health, unemployment insurance as well as medical and social security information to ensure citizens’ rights and interests.

It is available for individuals and organisations nationwide to access the latest and correct insurance information, thus meeting requirements for socio-economic development.

It also stores basic information about individuals, households and employers.

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) is responsible for building, updating, maintaining, tapping and managing the database. It will also work with ministries and agencies to collect and update information in the database.

The connection and sharing of information with the database must ensure State, family and personal confidentiality./.

President Putin congratulates newly-elected President Nguyen Xuan Phuc

Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 5 sent a message of congratulation to Nguyen Xuan Phuc on his election as State President of Vietnam at the ongoing National Assembly session in Hanoi.

He highlighted the positive development of the traditional longstanding friendship and cooperative relations between Russia and Vietnam on the basis of mutual respect.

“I believe that, through joint efforts, we will ensure the continued development of our strategic bilateral relationship as well as mutually beneficial cooperation in many different fields. This will obviously satisfy the basic interests of the Russian and Vietnamese people, while enhancing stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region,” President Putin wrote in a telegram.

He wished President Phuc good health, happiness and numerous achievements in his new position as Head of state.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc was elected President of Vietnam by the National Assembly at its ongoing session in Hanoi on April 5.

Writing contest about Poland launched in Vietnam

The Polish Embassy in Vietnam has launched a writing contest for this year, aiming to encourage Vietnamese people to learn more about the cultures of Poland as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia in the Group 4 (Visegrad).

Each piece of writing must be at least 1,000 words long and it can also include photos or videos.

Winners of the contest are scheduled to be announced in late June this year. The winner of the contest’s first prize will receive a cash prize of US$2,000, followed by second and third prizes of US$1,500 and US$1,000, respectively.

In addition, a further five consolation prizes of US$100 each will also be delivered.

The Wikipedia contest was originally launched in 2019, attracting roughly 2,000 entries, and the winner was given a free seven-day tour of Poland.

Last year witnessed the contest draw twice the number of entrants compared to the previous year.

Repatriation flights from South Korea to Vietnam resumed

Repatriation flights for Vietnamese workers in South Korea will be resumed from April 22.

According to the Centre of Overseas Labour, Vietnamese people in South Korea including workers with expired contracts can go to the websites of the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea to register for a repatriation flight on April 21, 2020. However, some people submitted their registration forms too many times and caused some difficulties in the calculation and flight arrangement process.

As a result, the embassy has provided a new link for registration which will be used for flights that operate from April 22.

The embassy also warns that each person should only submit one registration form. If they submit too many registration forms, the embassy will use the forms with the latest date which may put them behind the queue.

If someone wants to change mobile phone numbers or e-mail address, they can use the code provided on the online form.

Users must take all responsibility for their information. Guest workers that are under the Employment Permit System must clearly declare other information.

Trial of ex-minister Vu Huy Hoang to re-open on April 22

The Hanoi People’s Court will reopen a trial for ex-minister of industry and trade Vu Huy Hoang and nine accomplices on April 22 for violations at the ministry and in Ho Chi Minh City that caused losses of over 2.7 trillion VND (112.5 million USD).

The first-instance trial was first held on January 7. However, it was delayed due to the absence of three defendants and many other people whose rights and obligations are associated with the case. The trial was held again on January 18 but suspended again for the same reason.

Hoang, born in 1953, and Phan Chi Dung, born in 1957 and the former Director of the Light Industry Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), were charged of “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”.

The eight other defendants, who are former HCM City officials, including former Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Tin, were accused of “violating regulations on land management”.

The trial is scheduled to last until April 29.

According to the indictment from the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Saigon Beer – Alcohol – Beverage JSC (Sabeco), which is under the MoIT’s management, was given more than 6,000 sq.m in downtown HCM City for production and business purposes.

However, Hoang, former Deputy Minister Ho Thi Kim Thoa, and Dung directed subordinates at the ministry and Sabeco to carry out procedures for using land use rights and Sabeco’s money as capital contributions to set up Sabeco Pearl, a joint venture between the firm and a number of private enterprises, to implement a project building a hotel, a trade and convention centre, and office space for lease on the land.

After Sabeco completed legal procedures for the joint venture’s investment and proposed the HCM City People’s Committee approve the addition of officetel and housing functions to this project, the MoIT ordered the company to transfer all of Sabeco’s stake in this project to the private enterprises in the joint venture.

This was illegal and resulted in a loss some 112.5 million USD to the State, according to the indictment.

Another of the accused, Ho Thi Kim Thoa, has fled, and the investigation police agency has put her on the wanted list./.

No COVID-19 infections logged on April 6 morning

Vietnam documented no new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours as of 6:00 am on April 6, making the nation’s tally unchanged at 2,637, according to the Ministry of Health.

Of the total infections, 1,603 were domestically-transmitted cases, including 910 recorded since the latest outbreak hit the northern province of Hai Duong on January 27.

A total 27,478 people who came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 498 at hospitals, 18,870 at other quarantine sites, and 8,110 at home.

Among patients under treatment, 17 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 9 twice, and 16 thrice.

The Treatment Sub-committee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported that Vietnam has seen 2,416 recoveries so far.

The health ministry said that additional 455 Vietnamese got COVID-19 vaccine shots on April 5. As of 4:00 pm on the day, 52,868 frontline workers in 19 provinces and cities nationwide were vaccinated.

In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people should strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration)./.

Party chief holds phone talks with Russian President

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 5, during which the leaders informed each other about recent major affairs and achievements of the two nations.

Trong told Putin about the outcomes of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s 13th National Congress, Vietnam’s progress after 35 years of national reform, as well as the country’s visions, targets and orientations for future development, among others.

Expressing his gratitude toward Russia’s support for Vietnam, the Party leader stated the Vietnamese Party and State always value the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia. He hoped the bilateral ties to grow fruitfully for the sake of the two countries’ people in contribution to regional and global peace and development.

For his part, Putin congratulated Trong on his re-election as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee for the 13th tenure and Nguyen Xuan Phuc on his election as State President of Vietnam.

Both leaders stressed that the Vietnam – Russia relations have been thriving in almost all fields and that the sides will continue taking specific measures to foster their cooperation in security, defence, energy, oil & gas, economy, trade, education and training, and tourism.

They laid special emphasis on further collaboration in COVID-19 prevention and control via mutual support regarding vaccine research and production.

The leaders shared a common stance on the need of building healthy international relationships of mutual respect, friendship, equality, mutually beneficial cooperation; and settling disagreements through dialogues and peaceful measures in the current international context.

The Vietnamese Party chief took the occasion to invite Putin to officially visit Vietnam this year and attend the closing ceremony of the Vietnam Year in Russia and the Russia Year in Vietnam. The Russian President accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Hanoi police bust cigar smuggling ring

The police in Hanoi has worked with related agencies to bust a cigar smuggling ring in which a flight attendant was arrested carrying over 100kg of cigars into Hanoi.

Police in late March were informed that flight attendant Nguyen Hai Son had smuggled a large number of cigars via Tan Son Nhat Airport. Son also bought the cigars from Nguyen The Nam from Thu Duc District to sell in Hanoi.

The police quickly carried out a search and found 71,315kg of cigars worth VND2bn in Hanoi. Most of the cigars were hidden at Son’s relatives in Hanoi. Son was detained for smuggling. After four months of investigation, they were able to identify Son as the ring leader of a cigar smuggling ring. Son was unable to provide any legal papers and invoices during the raid.

The investigation was expanded and Nam was detained. 1,745 cigars were also found at Nam’s house.

The authorities have started to prosecute Son and continue to expand the case.

All fishing ships in Binh Dinh must obtain food safety certificates by end of June

All fishing ships in Bình Định must obtain food safety certificates by the end of June as part of efforts to enhance the quality of fishery products caught by the south-central province’s fishing fleet, according to a local agricultural official.

The province has been accelerating a campaign to raise local fishermen’s awareness about their responsibility to abide by the Law on Fishery and persuade shipowners into signing a commitment to not encroach on foreign waters, said Trần Văn Phúc, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

These moves are intended to implement the European Commission (EC)’s recommendations to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practice to have the EC’s “yellow card” on Việt Nam’s seafood lifted, Phúc said.

In the first quarter of 2021, the provincial Fisheries Department granted more than 160 food safety certificates to fishing vessels with a length of 15 metres or more that have been licensed to operate offshore. So far, more than 2,800 out of 3,200 offshore fishing vessels in the province have received the certificate.

The department has streamlined procedures to cut time to get the food safety certificates in accordance with current regulations. Now it only takes a day for a food safety certificate to be issued, instead of three days as before, deputy director of the department Nguyễn Công Bình said.

There are nearly 400 boats of 15 metres or more in length without a food safety certificate in Bình Định, most of which fish offshore and dock to sell their catches in ports outside the province.

The sub-department plans to send officials to neighbouring coastal provinces to check the status of these ships and request them to obtain food safety certificates.

Tragic accident inspires young woman to set up blood donation club

A blood donation club launched by a teenager has been joined by many young people eager to save lives in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

Nguyễn Thị Thảo Nguyên, 19, head of the club, from Kon Tum City, has donated blood many times and wants more people to join the club to save more lives.

Her mother died after being given 23 units of blood in a terrible accident many years ago.

“The sad memory was in my mind. Since then, I have wanted to donate my blood to help others like others did to try and save my mother,” said Nguyên.

“I first got involved in blood donation when I saw a call from my friends on a social network. I am very afraid of needles. I tried to overcome my fear and rushed to the hospital to help people in urgent need,” she said.

After the first successful blood donation, she has kept going to the hospital to donate blood.

At first, Nguyên and three other friends set up a group to be ready to give blood whenever a local hospital needs it.

She also started encouraging more young people in Kon Tum Province to donate blood to save lives.

In July 2019, she and 14 other members established a blood donation club of volunteers.

Her club has more than 1,000 members, aged 18-60, participating in blood donation with the motto ‘Donate blood for passion – Give blood when you can’.

Nguyễn Quốc Huy, a club’s member, said they often joked that Nguyên was addicted to donating blood.

“The members of the club respect and love her very much and are ready to join hands to create practical activities for society,” said Huy.

Lê Thị Kim Linh, head of Department of Hematology – Blood Transfusion, General Hospital of Kon Tum Province, said there were always unexpected cases with a need for urgent blood transfusion and the blood donors of the club had saved many lives.

The blood donation club has donated more than 1,500 units of blood in two years of operation.

Many patients have recovered from critical situations and returned to their families thanks to the donors.

Eight people who received blood from Nguyên even joined the club after recovering.

In addition to blood donation, the club also organises other activities like helping children in difficult circumstances, supporting people affected by floods and storms and planting trees in landslide-hit areas.

Recently, the club started building a new house for a poor family that lost their house in a fire, at a cost of VNĐ110 million.

The club members have also helped a lot of people in need of blood in the three provinces of Gia Lai, Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi, encouraging more people to work together for the community.

Nguyên said the club would continue to carry out many other meaningful activities to contribute to the local community.

Tonnes of fish found dead at HCM City lakes

A large number of fish have been found dead in HCM City lakes and canals over the recent days.

According to the HCM City Department of Fisheries, by midday of Sunday, around 14 tonnes of dead fish in Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal were collected.

Meanwhile, roughly two tonnes of dead fish were also gathered at a lake at Ehome 3 residential area in Binh Tan District’s An Lac Ward.

The heavy rain on April 2-4 is seen as among the causes of the fish deaths, HCM City Department of Fisheries said. The department explained that the rainwater swept litter from drains into the lakes.

The rainwater has also stirred the mud layer in the lakes, worsening the pollution.

The break of a dyke in the middle of the lake linked to a nearby drain has been partially attributed to the worst pollution which has killed the fish.

The majority of the fish at the lake in Ehome 3 residential area were released by local residents.

The dead fish have created a bad odour for surrounding areas.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province to provide support for struggling fishermen

Despite many advances in the Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu fisheries sector in recent years like increased vessel capacity, reduction in near-shore fishing and general compliance with fishing regulations, high fuel prices and labour shortages remain a problem for fishermen.

In Xuyên Mộc District, for example, there are more than 500 boats and nearly 2,000 workers, but this year only 80 per cent of the boats has headed for the open sea.

Phạm Văn Ba, the owner of two vessels with a capacity of 600CV at Incomap fishing port (Vũng Tàu City), said that the number of fishes and shrimps in his first trip to head for the open sea increased by several tonnes compared to the same period last year. However, he makes little profit due to the high fuel prices.

Beside an increase of 15 to 20 per cent for fuel and food prices this year, Phạm Song, a fisherman, has to pay his employees their wages to boost their motivation for the next trips.

Hence, he hopes the State will add more policies to support for fishermen, Song, the owner of two fishing boats with a capacity of more than 400CV at Phước Tỉnh fishing port (Long Điền district), said.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu is speeding up the process of compiling documents for offshore fishing boats. The department will seek the approval of Provincial People’s Committee to maintain supporting fishing activities.

In addition to building a centre to support fishing activities, the province will rebuild policies to change inshore and destructive fishing to create jobs in line with fishermen’s customs and experiences.

In 2020, Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu People’s Committee has provided local fishermen of 400 fishing boats with more than VNĐ60 billion (US$2.6 million) to support their offshore fishing activities.

Members of national men’s football team receive COVID-19 vaccinations

Head coach Park Hang-seo receives COVID-19 vaccination on April 5

In addition to national teams set to compete at international tournaments to secure berths at the Tokyo Olympics, the men’s football squad was also inoculated in preparation for upcoming matches in Group G of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

The games will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Vietnam will play Indonesia on June 7, Malaysia four days later, and then wrap up the qualifiers with a game against the hosts UAE on June 15.

The vaccination drive for the footballers will be held in five phases, with the last being on April 17.

The men’s football squad is set to gather in mid-May, with 34 players.

Vietnam currently tops Group G with 11 points, followed by Malaysia with nine and Thailand with eight. The UAE has six points, while Indonesia is yet to pick up any.

The Vietnam Sports Administration recently announced that more than 300 athletes will receive COVID-19 vaccine shots this month./.

Gia Lai Province fights back against illegal forest destruction

Forests in Chư Pưh District in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai are facing a high risk of illegal forest destruction.

To minimise deforestation, local authorities have assigned new forestland to local people under contracts signed between the Forest Protection Department and households.

Phạm Văn Đạo, head of Chư Pưh District’s Forest Protection Department, said mostly ethnic minorities households in the district had registered to protect the forest.

Local people are also encouraged to detect and prevent forest protection violations.

“The allocation of forests like this is very practical because the forest areas have been strictly protected by local people,” Đạo said.

“All destruction of forests is promptly detected and prevented by the local people and authorities are promptly notified for timely handling.”

A total of 43 households in the district’s Ia Phang Commune registered to protect nearly 500ha of forests last year, according to the department.

Chư Pưh District’s Forest Protection Department has worked closely with local authorities to patrol to prevent logging and timber transportation.

Rah Lan Phu, Head of Forest Protection Team of Ia Ke Village, Ia Phang Commune, said households were excited to help protect the forest.

“Through forest protection contracts signed with authorities, local people have more income and enjoy practical benefits from the forest,” he said.

Ia Phang Commune is one locality performing well in growing and protecting forests through advocacy.

Chairman of Ia Phang Commune People’s Committee, Trần Hoàng, said communal forest rangers regularly run patrols with community teams to prevent damage to the forest.

The commune holds meetings every week in villages to encourage people not to fell trees for cultivation and to plant new trees on deforested lands.

Chư Pưh District currently has more than 21,000ha of forest in six communes, of which the natural forest is nearly 12,000ha, the plantation forest is more than 1,600ha, mainly rubber, acacia and eucalyptus trees, and the rest is protective forest.

The forest area is not concentrated due to the complex topography, so managing and protecting the forest can be tough.

To deal with this situation, the district Forest Protection Department has sent eight forest rangers to six communes to assist local authorities in building community teams responsible for forest management and preventing forest fires.

Thirteen grassroots forest fire prevention teams and nine community groups for patrolling the forest have attracted 900 members.

The number of forest violations in the district has been significantly reduced.

In 2020, Chư Pưh District authorities saw 40 cases of forest law violations, down by eight cases compared to 2019.

The province’s Forest Protection Sub-department has petitioned the Government to increase the fees paid to ethnic minority households for forest protection.

Gia Lai wants to increase its forest coverage rate to 47.5 per cent by 2025.

VN National University Ho Chi Minh City researchers make COVID-19 prevention, control products

Students and scientists at the Việt Nam National University – Hồ Chí Minh City (VNUHCM) have carried out extensive research and developed products that help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Out of 2,000 projects from 79 countries, one on producing protein from Ecoli bacteria in laboratories by a student team from the University of Science won sponsorship from the Agence Universitaire de La Francophonie – a society of universities offering training in the French language.

Firstly, they collaborated with a company in the bio-technology industry to carry out the project under Dr. Nguyễn Thuỵ Vy, head of the genetics department at the university’s biology and bio-technology faculty. The research was prompted by the fact that asymptomatic COVID patients and those with mild symptoms were believed to be a hurdle to control the pandemic in the community.

To detect infection, many countries use antibody tests. The advantages of this method are that it is fast, easy to deploy on a large scale and has great accuracy. However, Việt Nam does not have suppliers of SARS‐CoV‐2 viral protein antigens, making it difficult for companies to seek for manufacturing antibody testing kits. Dr Vy said: “We use a technology to produce protein from Ecoli bacteria at low cost. Around the world, most proteins are produced from animal tissue.” Vy and two students, Lê Trần Đăng Khôi and Võ Hồ Mỹ Phúc began the research in early June with sponsorship from AUF and they created products within three months.

“The project does not only contribute to COVID-19 prevention but also inspires other students to take up research. The product is useful for COVID-19 tests with fast, accurate results and affordable prices.”

The VNUHCM’s National Key Laboratory of Digital Control and System Engineering’s scientists also made an automatic chamber for disinfection and obtaining samples from patients without making contact.

The chamber disinfects automatically before the next person enters for giving samples. Though ultraviolet disinfection technology is used, the UV rays do not directly touch peoples’ bodies and so are not harmful to health officials or patients. Moreover, the high-efficiency particulate air filter technology combines with UV to completely kill viruses and bacteria remaining in the air after being sucked out of the chamber.

Another VNUHCM’s member university, the University of Technology, has innovated dozens of useful and convenient products to serve the community in terms of COVID-19 prevention and containment.

Scientists at the Bách Khoa Research Centre for Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Technology have also made a mobile disinfection system with air filters to ensure clean air is discharged in the environment. The technology has been transferred to companies for commercialisation and mass production.

A research team at the University of Technology’s material technology faculty has made masks that could be used by healthcare workers for continuous hours.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Huỳnh Đại Phú, the faculty dean, said when COVID-19 broke out, one urgent issue was a shortage of medical equipment. Healthcare workers faced a high risk of infection because of working for many hours in an environment without negative pressure chamber. It was very important for them to use preventive clothes, goggles and masks to prevent the risk of contracting the virus, and his team made these masks with a bacteria and air filter membrane to avoid infection, Phú said.

The medical workers at Trưng Vương Hospital are using them.

One of VNUHCM’s strategies is to continue focusing on scientific and technological development and innovation to help implement national and southern region development strategies and to raise its international profile.

As of October 2020, it had filed 527 applications for patents and 566 technology transfer contracts and scientific services that fetched revenues of VNĐ104.2 billion (US$4,5 million).

Doctors in HCM City remove rare, life-threatening heart tumour

Doctors at Gia Định People’s Hospital in HCM City have successfully removed a rare, life-threatening heart tumour in a 40-year-old patient.

The patient on March 31 was hospitalised at Gò Vấp District Hospital due to shortness of breath and chest pain. An echocardiography showed a tumour in his heart, which caused heart failure and severe anaemia.

The hospital sent the patient to Gia Định People’s Hospital for urgent surgery. Doctors said the large tumour in both the left atrium and left ventricle was at risk of being stuck in the heart’s valves.

The spread of the tumour had also caused mitral regurgitation, which the doctors treated.

Dr Bùi Minh Thành, head of cardiac surgery department at the Gia Định People’s Hospital, said that most heart tumours cause no symptoms and are not located at the two valves. The patient’s tumour was special, causing a sudden blockage of blood flow in the heart, which could lead to acute heart failure and, if not treated in time, death.

The patient is in stable condition.

Ninh Binh works to ensure safety for opening of National Tourism Year 2021

The organising board for the National Tourism Year 2021 of Ninh Binh province convened a meeting on April 5 to decide on the final plan and discuss related preparations for the opening ceremony slated for late April.

As hear at the meeting, the opening ceremony will take place at the national special heritage site of Hoa Lu ancient capital in Hoa Lu district’s Truong Yen commune, on the evening of April 20. About 2,600 guests have been invited to attend the ceremony.

Addressing the meeting, Tong Quang Thin, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Binh People’s Committee and deputy head of the organising board, asked for close coordination among sectors and localities involved and stepping up the communications work.

He also urged the relevant sectors to ensure security and social order, COVID-19 prevention and control, and food safety during the event.

Ninh Binh planned to organise 11 major and 27 others activities in the National Tourism Year 2021, themed “Hoa Lu – Thousand-year-old Capital”.

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and 27 localities nationwide were set to hold two major and 103 events in response to the National Tourism Year 2021. However, many of these activities have been canceled, postponed, or scaled down due to complex developments of COVID-19.

Located in the southern reaches of the Red River Delta, Ninh Binh is known for its wondrous natural scenery, with a labyrinth of waterways, mountains, and plains as well as cross-cultural influences from the north to the south and from the mountains to the plains and coastal areas. It is home to 1,821 relic areas, including 81 national relic sites and a world cultural and natural heritage site./.

Supporting youth in start-up movement

Young people have many start-up ideas but lack the capital and business experience to turn them into reality. In recent years, the Provincial Youth Union and the Youth Union of Nam Dinh province have implemented a range of flexible and innovative measures to help union members and young people establish a career and create jobs for local people.

In 2017, thanks to support from the Youth Union of Nam Dinh province, he borrowed nearly 100 million VND from the National Fund to expand production and create a variety of products.

He now posts profits in the billions of VND each year, creating regular jobs for 40 local people and planning to further expand in the future.

The Youth Union of Nam Dinh province recently coordinated with bank branches in the area to set up groups to support young people in borrowing capital to develop their production.

As of the end of 2020, there were over 5,500 union members, and young people in Nam Dinh were allowed to borrow capital for production and business, with a total of over 175 billion VND made available./.

Addicts in Dien Bien get better access to methadone treatment

Opioid addicts will be able to pick up several days supply of methadone for use at home after an event that was held yesterday in the northern mountainous province of Điện Biên.

The event was held by the Việt Nam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health (MoH), the World Health Organization (WHO) in Việt Nam and the provincial Department of Health.

The MoH said methadone has been used to treat opioid addicts in Việt Nam since 2008.

Currently, more than 52,000 people receiving methadone treatment in 330 treatment facilities in all 63 provinces and cities.

The coverage of the programme has reached 28 per cent of the total number of addicts, with the six-month period for medicine adherence rate at 83 per cent, above the world average of is 80 per cent.

Điện Biên Province has recorded more than 9,000 drug addicts and currently, more than 2,400 are undergoing methadone treatment at the province’s 35 methadone dispensing facilities.

Hoàng Đình Cảnh, deputy director of the VAAC, said after more than 12 years of implementation, the treatment of opioid addiction with methadone has revealed a number of limitations.

They included low access to treatment and very different regional adherence to treatment. The rate of treatment dropout accounts for more than 50 per cent, mostly in mountainous provinces.

One of the main reasons leading to discontinuation of treatment is patients having to receive treatment at a medical facility.

To tackle the problem, different countries around the world have allowed some patients to bring methadone to use at home.

Providing patients with methadone for many days will reduce travel time, travel-related costs and create favourable conditions for patients to access, maintain and comply with treatment.

This helps to improve treatment for patients, improve quality of life and increase patient and family satisfaction with methadone treatment facilities.

Cảnh said Điện Biên was one of three localities, along with Lai Châu and Hải Phòng City, to run the pilot programme, because Điện Biên was a mountainous province which is difficult to travel in.

Many patients have to travel tens of kilometres to get to treatment facilities for their daily medicine. Methadone dispensing points have been deployed in some commune health stations but still cannot meet the needs of patients because the villages are too far away and the roads to medical facilities and dispensers are very high in mountainous areas.

This is also a very active locality that has achieved good results in methadone treatment in recent years.

The successful pilot implementation of this programme in the three localities would serve as the basis for a nationwide expansion, he said.

Egyptian media highly evaluates Vietnam’s new leadership

A number of Egyptian newspapers on April 5 ran articles on Vietnam’s new leadership which, they said, will contribute to consolidating the relations between the two countries.

An article published on Eldyar e-newspaper said former Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been elected State President of Vietnam, while Politburo member of the 13th tenure and head of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh was elected PM.

Sayed Badry and Mohamed Al-Saeed, co-authors of the article, lauded Vietnam’s success in completing the dual goals of containing the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting socio-economic development last year.

They believed that the bilateral relations will be further enhanced in the time ahead, with two-way trade expected to double last year’s figure to 1 billion USD soon.

The same day, Events Magazine News e-newspaper said President Phuc made imprints while serving as PM during the 2016-2020 period.

Author Ahmed Hassan highlighted Vietnam’s achievements last year, saying it is the only country among the six biggest economies in Southeast Asia to post a positive growth rate of 2.19 percent.

Its gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded 340 billion USD, ranking fourth in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 37th worldwide, the article said.

The article applauded the Government’s role in streamlining administrative procedures and creating optimal business conditions to tap resources for socio-economic development.

Hassan also expressed his belief that newly-elected PM Chinh will lead the Vietnamese Government to overcome difficulties and challenges so as to outstandingly complete strategic targets set for the next five years.

Vietnam’s senior leaders have demonstrated their solidarity in efforts to create breakthrough reforms, creating a foundation for the country to make miracle steps in national development in the next decades, according to the article./.

E-health declaration compulsory for all air passengers: CAAV

All airlines must ensure that their passengers complete electronic health declarations before boarding at all airports nationwide, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

This is part of the efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to its documents recently sent to competent authorities, the CAAV said that without e-health declaration, passengers will be denied to fly, while airlines which fail to follow the regulation will have to bear legal responsibility.

In a document recently sent to competent authorities, the CAAV required airlines to instruct their passengers fulfill the health declaration at https://tokhaiyte.vn or through the Vietnam Health Declaration application.

Besides, airlines should arrange staff at check-in kiosks at terminals to support passengers in the e-health declaration procedure.

They should join hands with airports nationwide to inform passengers of the mandatory declaration through passenger information systems, posters and panels at easy-to-see places in airports.

Earlier, many passengers failed to make e-health declaration before coming to the security screening checkpoints at Noi Bai International Airport.

On March 30, 1,447 passengers did not fulfill e-health declaration, while the number recorded on March 31 was 712. About 80 percent of them completed check-in procedures via website and at kiosks./.

Singapore think tank highly evaluates Vietnam’s new leadership

The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) has recently published an article delving into what freshly elected Vietnamese leaders are going to contribute to the nation’s future development.

In his article, the author Yang Razali Kassim – a senior fellow at the RSIS – said the new leadership marks a combination of experience and freshness, a suitable formula for Vietnam’s planned transition towards a socialist-oriented developed status by 2045.

He assumed that Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will continue to oversee the strengthening of the Party building work and the fight against corruption where his success has been proven. Meanwhile, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc will leverage on his experience as prime minister to expand and strengthen Vietnam’s relations with other countries.

According to the article, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, whose decisiveness is seen as a quality needed for a head of the Government. He will have the unenviable task of steering the country towards the dual goal of rolling back and containing the pandemic while maintaining and promoting economic growth.

The author also talked about Vietnam’s foreign policy under the new team, noting the likeliness of the strategy of “openness, multilateralisation and diversification”. International economic integration will continue with more free trade agreements (FTAs) being signed, thereby creating new impetus for the nation’s economic recovery.

He stated Vietnam’s diplomatic foray will continue to deepen following its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020 while its entry into the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for one year has raised its voice on the global stage.

By the end of the NA elections on April 8, the new Vietnamese core leadership will be ready to take over and will steer Vietnam towards a more prominent regional role, said the article./.

Congratulations on 25th anniversary of Vietnam-Ireland diplomatic relations

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has cabled a congratulatory message to Irish President Michael Daniel Higgins on the occasion of the 25th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Ireland diplomatic ties (April 5, 1996 – 2021).

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his congratulations to his Irish counterpart Micheál Martin.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh also cabled a congratulatory message to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland Simon Coveney./.

Vietnam records six new imported COVID-19 cases, 33 recoveries

Vietnam recorded six new imported COVID-19 cases, including five Vietnamese citizens and an Indian expert, in the past 12 hours to 6pm on April 5, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said.

The new patients brought the total number of infections detected in the country to 2,637, including 1,603 domestically-transmitted cases.

According to the MoH’s Medical Service Administration, an additional 33 patients have been given the all-clear from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number of recoveries to 2,416, while the death toll related to the disease remained at 35.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments across the country, 17 tested negative to the virus once, nine twice and 16 others thrice.

As many as 27,478 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are currently quarantined nationwide, including 498 in hospitals, 18,870 in state-designated establishments and 8,110 others at their residences.

To live safely with the pandemic, the Ministry of Health advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from mass gatherings, and making medical declarations./.

Schoolboy overcomes hardship to excel academically

Phạm Văn Thông was born in a uniquely challenged family, as his father suffers an intellectual disability and his mother has a history of epilepsy.

Living in a downgraded house in a small village in northern Hưng Yên Province, Thông and his little sister usually faced a shortage of food due to his parents’ illness.

Difficulties never hindered the boy from his eagerness to study. In 2020, Thông passed the entrance exam to the province’s gifted school. He is now one of the members of the school team entering the national excellent student exam in maths for the 2020-2021 academic year.

“I still want to be born in this family”

Hoàng Thị Quy suffers from epilepsy and Phạm Văn Hinh has an intellectual disability. They were in the same village in Dị Chế Commune in Tiên Lữ District and decided to live together to share their burdens in life.

Quy gave birth to two children. During their childhood, the two children played together and Thông took care of his sister when he grew older. The whole family depended on the 2,500 square-metre rice and vegetable field and some additional income from making bamboo curtains.

“Our children didn’t have milk like others. They only lived on powder and rice water,” she told the online newspaper vietnamnet.vn.

When Thông turned six, Quy sent Thông to school. The boy immediately loved to study and would get up early to prepare breakfast and lunch for the whole family before going to school.

In secondary school, Thông stayed up until midnight to complete his homework. He spent most of the day helping his parents in the rice fields so that they could earn enough money for food.

Quy said she wished many times that Thông could have been born to a better family.

“But he replied ‘I still want to be born in this family’”, she said.

Quy said she initially didn’t want to let Thông register for the gifted school as it took him an hour to ride his bike to the school.

But the boy insisted as studying at the gifted school was his dream.

“My first time entering the Hưng Yên Gifted School was when I joined the district level excellent student exam two years ago. This was the most memorable exam as I could sit in the classroom of my all-time favourite school,” he said.

Thông has had 10 years of excellent performance at school and excels at maths.

Thông said he received a lot of support from teachers and friends. The monthly allowance of VNĐ700,000 (US$28) would be a gift for him to focus on his study.

“I used to be afraid that my studies would become a burden for my parents, but now I’ve realised it would be a chance for me to make my dream come true,” he said.

“I’ll do my best to get the best result in the next national excellent student exam. I plan to become a doctor as I can help save patients and bring a better life for my parents. I do understand the feeling of those whose relatives have illness,” he said.

Nine charged with allegedly beating up, burying alive young man

The police of Nghe An Province’s Vinh City have filed charges against nine people for allegedly capturing, beating up and burying alive a 17-year-old boy.

The nine, aged from 17 to 31, comprise Nguyen Trong Duong, Ho Trong Khanh, Le Nguyen Hung, Nguyen Tien Nam, Tran Manh Tai, Vo Quang Hung, Hoang Quang Thanh, Phung Duy Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Dinh Huy, the local media reported.

Five other younger boys were also found to be involved in the case and the police are investigating their violations.

According to initial results of the police investigation, N.Q.V., a resident in Xuan An Town, Nghi Xuan Town, Ha Tinh Province, hired Duong’s motorbike but did not return it. Therefore, Duong asked his henchmen to look for V.

On March 24, they found V. in Vinh City, so they captured and beat him and took off his clothes. The group later took V. to a nearby wasteland in Nghi Xuan District and continued beating him.

They dug a pit, covered V.’s head with a bag, tied his hands, pushed him into the pit and covered him with soil despite his pleading. A short period later, V. was pulled out of the pit and taken to a nearby river to bathe.

A video on the case, which was posted on social networks on March 26, has sparked public outrage.

Just three hours after the video was posted on social media, police detained 13 people and summoned the victim. The police later arrested Duong when he was hiding in Hanoi.

Many eateries in HCMC fined for food safety violations

The competent forces in HCMC have fined multiple restaurants and eateries for using food materials without a clear origin, violating safety conditions and operating without food safety certificates.

On April 5, the Food Safety Management Board of HCMC said that in March, the board discovered and fined 15 dirty food trading and manufacturing facilities, including eateries and restaurants.

Specifically, Duc Vinh Development and Investment Company in Thu Duc City’s Long Thanh My Ward was found producing and processing food in a polluted environment, while their food was also stored in unhygienic conditions after being processed.

Due to its unsanitary operations, the firm was slapped with a fine of VND29 million, Motthegioi news site reported.

Besides, the competent forces found the walls, ceilings and floors of the production areas and warehouses owned by Vinh Thuan Trading Facility in Binh Tan District moldy and the facility using excessive food additives, so it was fined VND37 million and forced to demolish all food and food additives.

Similarly, Nguyen Nhu Binh Company in HCMC’s outlying district of Binh Chanh received a fine of VND60 million for running its business without a food safety certificate. Further, the firm processed and produced food in an unhygienic environment, given the moldy walls, ceiling and floor of its trading and processing area and warehouse.

Apart from this, the competent forces also fined several others for food safety violations, including Bakar Company in Pham Ngu Lao Ward in District 1, Hai Di Lao Vietnam Holdings in Thu Duc City, Green Saigon Pure Drinking Water Company in Nha Be District and Bau Sen Trading Service Company in District 5.

Vietnam DX Day 2021 formally kicked off

Vietnam DX Day 2021, themed ‘National Digital Transformation: Sharing and Linking’, is expected to welcome 3,000 delegates nationwide from May 26-27 in Hanoi.

The program has four main parts of updating the latest trends in digital transformation, introducing effective digital transformation solutions, sharing experience of successful cases, and connecting partners in the digital transformation process.

Vietnam DX Day 2021 has 8 seminars especially for 8 key fields in the National Digital Transformation Program: finance-banking, healthcare, education, agriculture, transport-logistics, energy, natural resources-environment, and manufacturing-industry.

In addition, there will be 2 specially meetings focusing on digital transformation for small- and medium-scaled enterprises, promotion of digital startups in Vietnam.

Other activities held simultaneously include an exhibition for Vietnamese Digital Solution Platforms 2020, a program for supply-demand connection (Business-to-Business and Business-to-Government), an online conference to introduce Vietnamese digital solutions and platforms.

General Secretary of VINASA Nguyen Thi Thu Giang shared that the four major missions of her organization in the period from 2021-2025 are forming a technological ecosystem, developing platforms, focusing more on AI strategies, and building strong IT human resources.

When fulfilled, these missions can greatly contribute to speeding up the national digital transformation process. Vietnam DX Day 2021 is considered an essential annual activity to help achieve these goals.

Hotels and restaurants join in “No Smoking” campaign in Hanoi

Restaurants and hotels will build an image of a professional, civilized, and fresh environment for tourists.

The campaign, jointly launched by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) office in Vietnam, aims to encourage restaurants and hotels to build up a smoke-free environment in the capital city.

Addressing the event held in Hanoi on April 3, WHO Representative in Vietnam Kidong Park said every year, eight million people died from cigarette smoking around the world.

In Vietnam, 15 million adults smoke while the number of people exposed to second-hand smoke is 75 million.

Cigarette smoking is responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people each year in the country while around 6,000 people died from secondhand smoke, the WHO official said, urging an end to “the deaths of these blameless victims” of passive smoking.

“WHO called upon you to begin this with implementing smoke-free restaurants and hotels, which include simple acts such as placing “No Smoking” signs at visible areas of hotels and restaurants,” the WHO representative told restaurant and hotel owners.

He also suggested that inspections from law enforcement units should be conducted more frequently to achieve better compliance.

For his part, Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Medical Examination and Treatment Management Department under the Ministry of Health and director of the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund fund stressed that building a smoke-free tourism environment is an effective way to ensure the rights of non-smokers to breathe fresh air.

It also helps reduce the risks of illnesses caused by exposure to tobacco smoke for the tourism sector’s personnel and tourists, reduce direct and indirect medical costs for examinations and treatment of diseases related to smoking, Khue added.

“According to a 2020 study conducted by the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund, the rate of secondhand smoking in these establishments remains high, with 80% of customers exposed to smoking in restaurants, and 65% in hotels,” said the health official.

In her speech, Do Hong Xoan, deputy head of the Vietnam Tourism Association and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Hotel Association, highlighted the significance of this campaign for not only restaurants and hotels, but also for the community.

Xoan added that smoke-free environments, including restaurants and hotels, will build an image of a professional, civilized, and fresh environment for tourists and beneficial for the health of hospitality staff and customers. Such environment will surely attract more domestic and international tourists.

Joining the campaign is an effective way to enforce the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, Xoan affirmed.

After the launch, “No Smoking” signs were hung at the Hilton Hanoi Opera at 1 Le Thanh Tong street and San Fu Lou-Cantonese Kitchen at 6 Phan Chu Trinh street.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Brazilian/German coach Alexandre Polking (left) of HCM City FC shakes hand with Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamuang. Photo sports442.com

Shimoda took over the reins at Sai Gon FC in late February with an impressive CV. He was technical director of the Japan Football Association for years after holding key positions at strong Japanese clubs.

The 54-year-old, who can speak English, Portuguese and Spanish, played an important role in Japan’s success at the 2011 Asian Cup, the Asian U23 Championship 2016, the Asian U19 Championship 2016 and the Olympic semi-finals in 2012.

However, his good CV didn’t do him much good in Vietnam. In his three matches, Sai Gon did not score a single goal and conceded five to slump to 11th in the table a year after finishing third.

Neighbouring HCM City FC have been a little more patient with coach Alexandre ‘Mano’ Polking.

The Brazilian/German’s side are worse off than Sai Gon, having lost four out of six matches, despite pre-season expectations of a title challenge.

Polking has put former MLS midfielder Lee Nguyen at the core of the team and has three Brazilian forwards, but City have only scored three goals while conceding nine.

In a recent press conference, Polking said losing two matches by three goals to nil was unacceptable for strong HCM City and that his future was up to the club’s management who hired him three months ago.

He said if they are really patient, he would create a long-term programme to help HCM City get better.

Polking said he has never been in such a bad situation and is suffering high pressure to complete City’s dream of an AFC Cup berth next season.

At Thanh Hoa, European Cup-winning coach Ljupko Petrovic is struggling to lift his team from the relegation zone.

“We played pretty well in the first three matches conceding only one goal. But it is not the same in recent weeks. Three defeats in a row made the players down. We are sad and will have to lift players’ spirit up and prepare for coming games,” said the Serbian.

Thanh Hoa are rooted to the bottom of the table and avoiding the drop is now Petrovic’s main goal.

Culture and language barriers

Ljupko Petrovi of Thanh Hoa suffers three losses in a row in the V.League 1. Photo vovlive.vn

In more than 20 years of history, nearly 50 foreign coaches have worked in Vietnam, but only two have won the league.

Thai coach Arjhan Somgamsak lifted the trophy with Hoang Anh Gia Lai in 2003 and 2004 and Portuguese Henrique Calisto with Dong Tam Long An (now Long An FC) in 2005 and 2006.

After them, no foreigner has won a title at club level and none have extended their contract to a second year. Since 2010, there have been 23 foreign coaches but 16 of them didn’t even finish their first season.

Among them, former Vietnam national team coach Alfred Riedl of Austria took charge of Khanh Hoa for four months in 2001. He also coached Hai Phong but only lasted three matches in 2008.

Brazilian Edson Tavares had to leave Ninh Binh just four weeks in charge in 2009, while in 2011, Dong Tam Long An fired Argentinean Marcelo Javier Zuleta before the season had even started despite his good results in friendly matches.

That year also saw a record for the V.League 1 as Dong Tam Long An signed contracts with four different foreign coaches.

Brazilian Marco Barbosa came in and stayed with the team for seven weeks before he was replaced by Scotsman Simon McMenemy who was in charge in three months. Ranko Buketa of Croatia came in and left six months later.

Petrovic and Chung Hae-soung of HCM City nearly ended the title drought for foreigners in 2017 and 2019, respectively, but they fell just short and finished second.

All foreign coaches come to Vietnam with certificates and experiences but differences in culture and language often hamstring them.

Last season, Italian coach Fabio Lopez was sacked by Thanh Hoa after just five matches.

The club refused to pay out the rest of his contract, and Lopez later won a FIFA arbitration ruling, forcing the club to pay him up to US$200,000.

Football pundit Doan Minh Xuong felt sorry for Shimoda saying that the Japanese did not have enough time to make his mark with Sai Gon.

“When coming to Sai Gon he wanted to build a beautiful and effective style to match with the Sai Gon managers’ philosophy. It would take time under any agenda,” said Xuong.

“It is regrettable that Shimoda was given not enough time to understand Vietnamese football and know the team,” said Xuong.

He added that all foreign coaches bring different characteristics to Vietnam and have their own visions to bring clubs to success. But as outsiders, they need strong support from the whole club.

According to pundit Nguyen Quang Huy, coaches’ slow adaption and unsuitable tactics cause their poor performance.

“It is difficult for foreign coaches to be successful in Vietnam. Because the V.League 1 has quality local trainers who clearly know the realities of national football, speak Vietnamese and have international certificates too. They are also close with players, and most importantly, they are respected by players,” said Huy.

“Foreigners can not have such advantages. If they want to get good results, they must be very different in coaching level and need 100 per cent of managers’ support.”

Masahiro Shimoda is the first foreign coach fired this V.League 1 season. He loses his job after more than one month since first day. Photo kinhtevadulich.vn

Former Vietnam women’s football team Steve Darby suggested using local assistants was a smart choice.

The Englishman, who also worked for clubs in Malaysia and Singapore, said assistants would help the coach become more familiar with the local culture and style of players.

He said foreign coaches did not accept others interfering in their profession which is one reason they could not keep their job long in ASEAN or the V.League 2.

Kiatisak Senamuang of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) is the only exceptional foreign coach this season.

The former Thai international has led the former national champions to top of the table for the first time in five years.

It is believed that the Thai ‘Zico’ is flying high because he has good players and more importantly he understands his players and Vietnamese football thanks to his years playing and coaching HAGL in the past.

Pundit Huy said the V.League 1 needs foreign coaches who bring freshness with new ideas to supplement the weaknesses of local players and coaches.

VNS