Vietnamese rice exporters often ship in 50-kilogramme bags under the labels of their foreign distributors (Photo: VNA) Long An (VNS/VNA) - Trung An Hi-tech Farming JSC in the Mekong Delta has been exporting rice under foreign brand names for many years though it is itself one of the biggest rice exporters in Vietnam. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the third Vietnamese Rice Festival in Long An province last December, Pham Thai Binh, the company’s director, said to let consumers know about Vietnamese rice products, exporters like his company have to be able to show consumers their brand logos. “But at the moment we still depend on buyers, which means they decide the packaging and labelling and we only have to follow instructions. “Some markets allow the phrase ‘origin in Vietnam’ to be written on the package, and that is already quite generous.” He said foreign buyers usually order in bulk and want 50kg packaged under their name. … [Read more...] about Vietnam loses out on global market without rice brand
Think globally but act locally
The US wants to halt Huawei’s global advance. It may be too late
The US wants to halt Huawei's global advance. It may be too late Huawei's rise as a global tech company is under threat as an increasing number of governments express concern that its technology could be used by Chinese spies. But the US-led campaign against the Chinese company may do little more than act as a brake on growth, given the dominant position Huawei has already built in fifth generation (5G) wireless technology. It has loyal customers in emerging markets and parts of Europe, and expects to become the world's top smartphone seller by next year. "This campaign will only slow Huawei's business growth in some countries in European and Asia Pacific markets," said Charlie Dai, an analyst with research firm Forrester based in Beijing. "But I don't think it's going to retreat from any market at all in the foreseeable future." Huawei's global dominance has raised alarm bells in the United States, which has accused the company of selling products that the Chinese government could … [Read more...] about The US wants to halt Huawei’s global advance. It may be too late
VN loses out on global market without rice brand
Vietnamese rice exporters often ship in 50-kilogramme bags under the labels of their foreign distributors. — VNS Photo Hoang Nguyen Trung An Hi-tech Farming JSC in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has been exporting rice under foreign brand names for many years though it is itself one of the biggest rice exporters in Viet Nam. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the third Vietnamese Rice Festival in Long An Province last December, Pham Thai Binh, the company’s director, said to let consumers know about Vietnamese rice products, exporters like his company have to be able to show consumers their brand logos. “But at the moment we still depend on buyers, which means they decide the packaging and labelling and we only have to follow instructions. “Some markets allow the phrase ‘origin in Viet Nam’ to be written on the package, and that is already quite generous.” He said foreign buyers usually order in bulk and want 50kg packaged under their … [Read more...] about VN loses out on global market without rice brand
Success built upon a shared vision
Selecting a partner for life is never easy, which is doubly true when it comes to choosing a strategic foreign partner. Vietnam-based telecommunication service provider CMC Telecom seems to have found the right one. CMC Telecom’s Deputy CEO Dang Tung Son told VIR’s Trang Nguyen about the company’s fruitful relationship with TIME dotCom Bhd. based on their matching vision, mission, and strategy. Dang Tung Son Malaysia’s second-largest fixed-line telecom operator, TIME dotCom Bhd. (TIME), has been a strategic shareholder in CMC Telecom since 2015. Why did you decide to partner with TIME in the first place? How has the relationship grown since then? Back in 2013, before the deal was sealed, we realised that Vietnam would soon open up its telecommunications sector to foreign investment. The gains in foreign capital in the last few years are seen to be extremely significant, but we also observed several instances of failed marriages. Therefore, CMC Telecom … [Read more...] about Success built upon a shared vision
Encouragement from VIR’s partners
Encouragement from VIR’s partners Pereric Hogberg - Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam I met with so many impressive journalists in Vietnam. I think the best thing journalists can do is to try to listen to the real stories, to be open-minded and curious. It is about transparency, openness, curiosity, and being willing to write and discuss failures and challenges, because they are not the same as mistakes. My country, Sweden, has gone through so many failures, but we learned from them. I am most interested in real knowledge. Sometimes, I want to understand more about the fundamentals of the Vietnamese economy, what is really pushing and driving the value of the currency, inflation, and taxes. In Vietnam, it is a bit hard to know who is paying, who is paying what, and what the services are. Phyllis Tan - Senior manager, Investment List Sotheby’s Investment International Realty, Singapore As a foreign company looking to enter Vietnam, we are happy to have access to regular and … [Read more...] about Encouragement from VIR’s partners