Sailor to leave NZ hospital The final Vietnamese crewman who was working on a South Korean ship off the coast of New Zealand when a fire broke out onboard is scheduled to be discharged from hospital this afternoon and fly back to Viet Nam tomorrow, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand. Nguyen Van Ngoan, a crewman onboard the Jeong Woo 2, was seriously injured in the incident which occurred last month. One of his Vietnamese crew members who was also injured in the incident returned home on Wednesday. Forty crew members, including 23 Vietnamese sailors, were onboard the fishing vessel at the time of the fire. Three Vietnamese sailors died in the inferno. Hanoi ’s 21-story apartment building on fire, no casualties A blaze broke out at 4.15am on Friday, causing smoke to cover block B of M3-M4 Thanh Cong apartment building in Nguyen Chi Thanh, Hanoi’s Dong Da district. Nguyen Dinh Hai, a security guard who was on the night shift, said he smelled … [Read more...] about SOCIETY IN BRIEF 3/2
Workers compensation insurance carriers
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 22/12
Vietnamese products must improve quality to gain foothold Essential consumer goods are believed to be the strong point of Vietnamese companies, but in reality they are overwhelmed by imported goods because of their better quality, which Vietnamese-made products lack. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has reported that import turnover of milk, vegetables, fruits, confectionery and medicines touched US$1.38 billion in November, a slight drop compared to the previous month but an increase of 12.5 percent year-on-year. In the first 11 months of this year, total imports of these commodities hit $13.3 billion, up 11.7 percent over last year, accounting for 12.6 percent of total imports from Vietnam. Of these, vegetables and fruits rose by 16.8 percent; confectionery and cereal products by 66.4 percent; medicines by 20.2 percent; and plastic goods by 24.1 percent. At first glance, these figures seem irrational as Vietnamese companies can produce these products easily. However, they … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 22/12
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/12
HCM City earmarks VND5.6 trillion for market stabilisation Local businesses have spent nearly VND5.6 trillion stockpiling goods to meet consumer demand during the upcoming lunar New Year festival (Tet). The Municipal Department of Industry and Trade on December 10 reported that businesses have made plans since April 2011 to ensure a sufficient supply of diverse and high quality essentials, including food and foodstuffs, at reasonable prices. Suppliers are those taking part in the city's ongoing programme to stabilize market prices, said a department official. The city will monitor price listings at more than 2,500 kiosks to keep market prices in check and nip in the bud any market manipulation. We will collaborate with market management forces in districts to intensify inspection at kiosks and spring trade fairs, said Le Ngoc Dao, deputy director of the department. The Saigon Co-op chain and convenience stores will provide services in the evening later than usual and … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/12
SOCIETY IN BRIEF 2/12
Japan to help reduce risk The Japanese Red Cross has committed US$2.76 million to help a Viet Nam Red Cross mangrove and disaster risk reduction project till 2015. Local Red Cross deputy chairman Phung Van Hoan said at a workshop in Ha Noi on Wednesday that the project aimed to support 356 vulnerable communes in eight northern coastal provinces and 10 com munes of two mountainous provinces, Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh. The project was expected to directly benefit 125,000 people and 2 million others indirectly. Activities would be focused on the adaptation of local Red Cross experiences in forest resource development from coastal to mountainous areas. Around 150 communes in 20 provinces would receive intensive technical support and assistance to become safer and more resilient, Hoan said. The local Red Cross was expected to expand its project to 1,000 communes and to provide input into the National Programme for Community-based disaster risk management that would cover 6,000 … [Read more...] about SOCIETY IN BRIEF 2/12
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 19/11
Vietnam's inflation to drop: Standard Chartered Vietnam's inflation is expected to drop to 11.3 percent next year, according to Standard Chartered Bank's latest report on the 2-year outlook for Vietnamese economic growth. The bank said inflation in Vietnam had begun slowing down and was expected to fall to 19.7 percent next month while the average full-year figure for 2012 was 11.3 percent. The bank said that the recently cooled global food prices plus the tightened monetary of the central bank would help combat the country's inflation in the months to come. "We expect that inflation rate will retreat to the single-digit rate at the end of the first quarter of next year," the bank said. But it said the tamed inflation was not enough for the government to loosen credit policies since there were other pressures facing the devaluation of the dong. [The devaluation] and the restriction of credit growth would continue to challenge the country next year, the bank said, adding the … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 19/11