Author: the-shiv
Skoda assembly plant in northern Vietnam almost ready-to-go
A new assembly plant for the Czech Republic’s Skoda vehicles is set to go into operation later this year in northern Vietnam, The Investor is reporting. The plant in Quang Ninh province is 90 percent complete, according to the firm, and began a trial run back in May. Set on 36.5 hectares the factory will add a capacity of 120,000 vehicles a year to Vietnam’s automotive industry…
Cost of eating out in Vietnam rises .26 percent in August over July
Vietnam’s food and beverage industry has experienced huge growth in recent years, driven by a combination of factors including rapid urbanisation, rising disposable incomes, and a burgeoning middle class. That said, Vietnam recorded a fall in food and beverage outlets of 3.9 percent from the start of the year to the end of June, according to food and beverage point of sale technology provider iPOS. The bulk of this fall was in Ho Chi Minh City which recorded a contraction in the number of outlets of about 5.97 percent.
Vincom Retail: Vietnam Stock Overview
Notably, VRE has successfully opened three Vincom Plaza malls and one Vincom Mega mall so far this year. It had initially planned to open six malls this year, but one mall is set to be delayed until 2025…
Vietnam plastics exports up 14 percent in value August over July
Vietnam’s plastics exports climbed by 14 percent in August over July from US$181 million to US$207.3 million. Vietnam’s plastics exports for the year now stand at US$1.75 billion which represents an increase of 27 percent over the same period last year.
Century Synthetic Fiber Corporation: Vietnam Stock Overview
In the first half of 2024, STK’s revenue declined by 18.2 percent year-over-year to US$23 million due to lower sales. In response, STK stopped a number of machines and instead focused on reducing excess inventory. The company also recorded a net loss of US$2.2 million reportedly due to a surge in financial expenses, the result of unrealized exchange rate losses of US$1.7 million on a US dollar-denominated loan used to invest in a new factory…
Vietnam Ministry wants to target car sales of 1 million units a year by 2030
Of note, Vietnam’s cities are already straining to accommodate the rise in car ownership and the penetration rate is only around 5 percent. If the country is to reach car sales of 1 million units a year, there will need to be some fairly big investments in infrastructure. It’s not clear how or if this will be addressed…
Japanese clothing brand UNIQLO to expand presence in central Vietnam
Thua Thien-Hue province, particularly its capital Hue, has a growing retail sector that blends modern shopping experiences with traditional markets. Hue is known for its rich cultural heritage, but the rise of tourism has spurred the development of retail spaces, including shopping malls, supermarkets, and convenience stores…
Education services prices in Vietnam rise .14 percent August over July
In Vietnam, the cost of education services varies widely based on the type and level of institution. Public schools are generally affordable due to government subsidies, making them accessible to most families. Private and international schools, however, are significantly more expensive…
Vietnam stock exchange pre-funding requirements to be lifted for foreign institutions
Of note, the circular appears to only address foreign institutional investors and not foreign individual investors which account for about 42,446 registered trading accounts in Vietnam. Neither FTSE Russell or MSCI, however, appear to make a distinction between the two in terms of the need to remove pre-funding requirements. With this in mind, this latest announcement should be viewed with cautious optimism…
Trump golf course could be on the cards for northern Vietnam
Of note, historically Trump has been a popular figure in Vietnam. A Pew Research Centre survey in 2017, not long after Trump was elected president of the United States, found that Vietnam was just one of a handful of countries of the 37 surveyed where the majority of respondents had confidence in the real estate developer and reality TV star…
FIFA launches tender for World Cup 2026 media rights for Vietnam
At this early stage it’s not clear how much the broadcast rights might cost, but in football mad Vietnam they are likely worth a lot. Notably in 2018, Vietnam’s VTV broadcaster paid an estimated US$12 million and for the 2022 World Cup paid US$14 million…
Beer production in Vietnam falls .1 percent in August over July
Of note, Vietnam’s beer industry has been struggling since COVID on the back of a change in consumer behaviour, broader economic challenges that have reduced spending power, an increase in beer imports, and stronger enforcement of drink-driving laws…
Ministry proposes solid nine-day stretch for Tet holiday in Vietnam in 2025
Notably, in 2024, the holiday ran from Thursday, February 8 to Wednesday, February 14 leaving just two days to be worked in the week, and in 2023 it ran from Friday January 20 to Thursday January 26, leaving just one working day left in the week. In this context, a continuous nine-day break would be a welcome change.
Thai retail chain opens new mall in northern Vietnam
Of note, Central Retail recorded revenue in Vietnam of about US$777.4 million in the first half of this year. This was up from US$760 million last year. It was, however, also in the context of a 0.8 percent fall in sales in the Vietnam market for the retailer…
Vietnam electronics exports up 14.5 percent August over July
Vietnam’s exports of computers, electrical products, and spare parts and components thereof, climbed by 14.5 percent in August over July from US$5.9 billion to US$6.76 billion. Vietnam’s electronics exports for the year now stand at US$46.4 billion which is an increase 28.9 percent over the same period last year…
Electricity production in Vietnam up 2.1 percent in August over July
Of note, the bulk of that power has come from burning coal with hydropower plants being used as back up in order to avoid the power outages that plagued the northern provinces last year. Coal production in Vietnam, however, has fallen this year by about 12.3 percent. Consequently, there has been a spike in coal imports this year of 32.7 percent by value and 16 percent by volume.
Audits find broad inaccuracies in fin. statements for several Vietnam real estate firms
For example, in financial reports compiled by Saigon Real Estate Corporation, VND 76.6 billion in revenue was reported, however, after audit that number was reduced to VND 60.2 billion. It also saw a self-reported profit of VND 2.4 billion become a loss of VND 23.4 billion…
Typhoon Yagi estimated to have caused US$1.63 billion in damage in Vietnam
That said, there may be more costs to come with factories and manufacturing facilities damaged across the northern provinces–the Ministry is estimating that Vietnam’s economy could take a hit this year of .15 percent from typhoon Yagi…
Vietnam Ministry officially tasked with researching nuclear power for Vietnam
Of note, during Vladimir Putin’s brief two-day visit to Hanoi last week back in June, the Russian president oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology. If realised, the agreement would see the former assist the latter to establish a Nuclear Science and Technology Center in Vietnam with a Russian nuclear reactor…
Two foreign firms warned against ads on restricted content in Vietnam
The MIC maintains a blacklist and a whitelist of places where advertisements can and cannot be shown which is supposed to make it easier for advertisers to avoid breaking the rules. In reality, however, both lists are very short and severely limiting, making it difficult on a practical level for advertising firms to comply…
In today’s Vietnam news: Ethical / cultural business standards framework, Floating solar project, Embattled construction firm investment spinoff, Raising public debt ceiling, Selling excess
In today’s Vietnam news: GS TL on AI, Saigon Economic Times last issue, Fuel prices cut, Vinhomes issuing more bonds, Counterfeit Korean cosmetics store,
In today’s Vietnam news: Power supply imports, Hanoi boulevard project protests, Antidumping duties coming for boxes, Maersk container terminal project Hanoi, Vinpearl foreign investment,
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