Author: the-shiv
Vietnam’s dairy industry production grows 2.8 percent September over August
The year-on-year comparison reveals even more encouraging growth. The index for September 2024 was 5.1 percent higher than the same month last year, showcasing the sector’s resilience and sustained expansion…
Vietnam pharmaceutical materials imports fall 20.41 percent in September over August
Despite a 16.91 percent decline in imports from China (dropping from US$28,664,787 to US$23,817,031), China continues to be Vietnam’s top supplier of pharmaceutical materials, with a year-to-date total of US$245,220,442…
Vietnam furniture production records 3.3 percent month-on-month growth in September
In a year-on-year comparison, production for September 2024 was up by 38.3 percent over the same month in 2023, indicating higher demand in the furniture sector. Furthermore, the cumulative data for the first nine months of 2024 shows a 24.7 percent rise in production compared to the same period last year.
Vietnam’s VinFast has spent US$268.6 million on its stalled North Carolina factory so far
This is notably in that the factory was officially put on hold earlier this year, as the nascent car maker deals with huge losses, legal action, and little interest in its vehicles in the US market. VinFast has said the factory, which was scheduled to start operating next year, will now start operating in 2028.
Vietnam rubber, plastics firm struggle to compete with cheap chinese goods
This is noteworthy in that a lot of the focus with respect to cheap Chinese imports has been on the fact that low value goods are exempt from Vietnam’s Value-added Tax. In this context, applying VAT to these low cost imports has been floated as one way to level the playing field. However, it seems that what Nguyen is saying is that it doesn’t even necessarily need to go that far but rather a simplification of VAT refund procedures and processes could help local firms in the first instance.
Healthcare costs in Vietnam up 8.28 percent year-on-year in September
For the period from January to September 2024, the cost of medicines and medical services surged by 7.46 percent compared to the same period in 2023, underscoring growing pressure on consumers as they face escalating prices in healthcare, but also heightened demand for healthcare services…
Vietnam’s coal mining output falls by double-digits year-on-year in September
Of note, for the period from January to September 2024, production in the coal mining sector was down by 4.2 percent from the same period last year. It’s not clear what is driving this decline, however, it is inline with a contraction in production in Vietnam’s mining industry more broadly.
Vietnam cosmetics imports fall 12.92 percent September over August
Despite the overall decline, imports from Switzerland surged by 71.79 percent, and France saw an increase of 19.45 percent, likely indicating strong demand for premium or specialised cosmetic products from these countries…
New regulations on higher education for foreign universities in Vietnam
Of note, the new decree prohibits foreign higher education institutions from establishing branches in Vietnam of they are not ranked among the top 500 universities globally for the preceding three years…
Vietnam e-commerce sales reach US$3.3 billion third quarter: report
Notably, affordable products priced under VND 200,000, about US$8, made up over half of the online sales, and official stores, despite being only five percent of the total, contributed nearly a third of the overall revenue, reflecting a preference for authentic, high-quality items…
Gaming venues slated for more surprise inspections in southern Vietnam province
Of note, gambling in Vietnam is illegal but that doesn’t stop a sizable amount of betting occurring. Recognising that this might be a problem, or perhaps that Vietnam is missing out on millions of dollars worth of tax revenue, there have been recent moves to try to legalise the practice…
Vietnam pharmaceutical product imports up 6.95 percent in September over August
Belgium, with an 8.50 percent increase, and Switzerland, with a 32.64 percent increase, both showed steady growth, contributing US$23,789,578 and US$11,205,095 in September, respectively. Alternatively, Japan saw a significant spike in imports, with an 186.40 percent increase, though from a relatively low base. Japan’s total for the year so far now stands at US$52,869,822.
Unofficial online gold markets emerge in Vietnam on back of official-supply issues
The Vietnamese gold price has been out of sync with the world gold price for some time now, at points up to 20 percent higher. This led to the State Bank selling gold from its reserves at a fixed price to try and bring the price down. However, it looks a lot like it is only releasing a limited supply that is insufficient to meet demand, ergo consumers are turning to other sales channels…
US DOC make final determination on frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam, others
The DOC’s preliminary determination for Vietnam, notes that ‘one or more respondents did not act to the best of their ability to respond to Commerce’s requests for information’. There being only two firms investigated from Vietnam, and given that the second Soc Trang Seafood Joint Stock Company, the other firm, received its own subsidy rate of 2.84 percent, it appears that the aforementioned statement explains Thong Thuan’s much higher subsidy rate…
Vietnam bank lending out pacing deposits creating ‘significant’ liquidity pressure
The Founder of Integrated Financial Solutions, banking consultant Le Hoai An, has told the Vietnam Investment Review that bank lending outstripping new deposits by about 3.7 percent is putting liquidity pressure on Vietnam’s banks. He also notes that a fall in business bank deposits suggests businesses are becoming more heavily reliant on capital from banks…
Vietnam’s steel exports fall 20.64 percent September over August
Vietnam’s steel exports fell 20.64 percent in value in September over August, according to data from Vietnam’s General Department of Customs. By the ton, they were also down 20.76 percent…
IMF Vietnam GDP growth forecast goes up for 2024 but down for 2025
The International Monetary Fund, in its October World Economic Outlook, has raised its growth forecast for Vietnam for this year to 6.1 percent up from 5.8 percent in its April report. It has, however, lowered its forecast for next year from 6.5 to 6.1 percent…
Vietnam ceramics exports fall 13.1 percent in September over August
Of note, Taiwan experienced the largest drop, with exports decreasing by 32.51 percent month-on-month to US$4.91 million. Despite this, Taiwan’s year-to-date value remained significant at US$54.77 million…
New Vietnam rooftop solar development Decree finally issued
Originally the Ministry of Industry and Trade had been pushing for no feed-in tariffs on rooftop solar, however, at the request of the government, it reluctantly agreed to have feed-in tariffs but limited to just ten percent of the installation’s capacity. This was then raised to 20 percent at the request of Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha…
Vietnam electronics exports fall 5.8 percent September over August
Of note, the USA remains Vietnam’s largest market, although exports to the USA dropped by 21.52 percent in September compared to August. This sharp decline brought the YTD total to around US$17.32 billion. China, on the other hand, saw a significant 24.81 percent increase in exports, amounting to US$1.24 billion in September, contributing to a YTD total of approximately US$9.1 billion…
In today’s news: ForEx regs overseas investments SOEs, VinFast GSM 5m unit agreement, US cotton shipments to VN, Samsung semiconductor build-out VN, Tay Ninh
In today’s news: Japan-VN asset tie-up, Import tax refund guidance, Instant noodle consumption, AI plans, SSC + S&P Dow Jones execs meet in NY,
In today’s Vietnam news: Vinhomes bond plans, Fuel prices revised, Counterfeit Havianas, Internet undersea cable failures, VN-China tariff diff, SK-VN joint crude stockpiling, Daewoo
This is an interview with Chris Walker, a Vietnam Sourcing Expert with Vietnam Factory Tours how rising oil prices and the Middle East crisis are
This is an interview with John Gardner, CEO and Founding Partner, at Optimum Hospitality in Ho Chi Minh City. It covers fuel price impacts on:
This is an interview with Dr Nuno F. Ribeiro, Associate Professor, International Tourism & Hospitality Management at Copenhagen Business College, formerly of RMIT Vietnam. It