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Garment production for export at Kim Dung Textile and Garment Company in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: SGGP) Dependence on imported raw materials Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, said that the total number of enterprises participating in the textile and garment sector in Vietnam, including foreign and domestic enterprises, is more than 7,000. Of which, only 18 percent of them produce fabric materials, 12 percent produce yarn, 2 percent produce other materials, and the rest are garment enterprises. This fact has put the textile industry in front of the challenge of unstable growth due to its dependence on imported raw materials. Currently, each year, Vietnam imports 100 percent of cotton with an estimated value of US$3.2 billion and 60 percent of fabric with an estimated value of $14 billion. The US is the largest cotton and fabric import market of Vietnam, followed by China, Japan, South Korea, and … [Read more...] about Vietnamese textile-garment industry strong but not stable

The elections were conducted within the framework of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)’s 78th session held in Bangkok from May 23 to 27. Vietnam is among the three and five countries with highest votes at CSAM and SIAP, respectively. The election of the General Statistics Office and VIAEP to the Governing Councils of SIAP and CSAM demonstrated ESCAP member countries’ high appreciation of Vietnam's contribution as well as its role and position in ESCAP. The participation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and the Vietnamese delegation at the 78th Session of ESCAP on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of ESCAP's establishment (1947-2022) and 45 years of Vietnam's joining in the United Nations (1977-2022) showed the country's commitment and strong support for ESCAP's activities in a bid to promote sustainable development in the region. That was an important factor for countries to decide to support Vietnam. … [Read more...] about Vietnamese offices elected to SIAP and CSAM

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh has paid courtesy call to Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio during the trip to Japan to attend the International Conference on the Future of Asia. — VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — During the visit to Japan, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh has paid courtesy calls to Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and several other Japanese high-ranking officials on May 26-27. During the meetings, Deputy PM Minh said Việt Nam always considers Japan as an extensive, reliable, and important strategic partner, hoping that the two sides would continue to implement important agreements and common understandings obtained during the official visits of PM Phạm Minh Chính and PM Kishida Fumio, contributing to the promotion of bilateral relations. The Deputy PM emphasised that as the two sides are reopening with the COVID-19 situation under control, Việt Nam and Japan must continue to exchange high-level delegations, especially through … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Deputy PM calls for investment from Japan in meeting with PM Kishida

Airlines in Vietnam are increasing the number of flights to serve high demand during the coming summer holiday. Vietnam Airlines Group, which operates Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and VASCO has said they will conduct some 36,000 flights with more than 7.1 million seats, including 32,400 flights and 6.3 million seats on domestic routes between June 1 and August 15. The figure showed an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. Vietnam Airlines Group will operate approximately 430 domestic flights daily during the peak summer days. Some of the busiest flight routes include Hanoi-Danang/HCM City and HCM City-Danang with nearly 160 flights daily between these three cities. There will also be hundreds of flights conducted to other popular tourist destinations including Phu Quoc, Cam Ranh, Dalat, Hue, Quy Nhon, Dong Hoi, Tuy Hoa, and Con Dao. Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines Group is planning to operate over 3,600 international … [Read more...] about Vietnamese airlines to serve high summer demand

The Economic Committee of the National Assembly has proposed that Vietnam restart a suspended nuclear power project in south-central Ninh Thuan Province to ensure the country’s ability to develop nuclear power in the future and to help achieve its environmental protection goal by 2050. The Economic Committee has submitted a report on the implementation of Resolution 31 of the National Assembly, which was issued to suspend the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project in the namesake province in 2016. In the report, the committee stated that Vietnam would potentially face challenges brought about by electricity shortage in the 2021-25 period. The competitive electricity market has not been developed in a synchronous manner, while the power pricing mechanism has been improved slowly. The country’s power source has yet to guarantee sustainable development and still has a negative impact on the environment. Vietnam previously pledged to reach its net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050 … [Read more...] about Vietnamese legislature’s economic committee proposes restarting nuclear power project

S&P forecast Vietnam’s GDP will grow 6.9% in 2022 before settling closer to its long-term trend of growing 6.5%-7% from 2023 onward. S&P Global Ratings on May 26 raised its long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Vietnam to 'BB+' from 'BB'. S&P expects Vietnam's economy to continue its upward trend. Source: S&P The rating agency also affirmed the country’s short-term rating at ‘B’ with a stable outlook. “The stable outlook reflects our expectations that over the next 12-24 months, Vietnam's economy will continue to recover from the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past two years. This will support the external position and rein in fiscal deficits,” it noted. S&P added it could raise the ratings if Vietnam's institutional settings improve considerably, in ways that augment policy predictability and transparency. Such favorable changes in the policy environment could bolster investor confidence in the … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s long-term credit rating upgraded to “BB+”: S&P