Author: the-shiv
Offshore wind in Vietnam should to be developed by state first: MoIT
Of note, the Power Development Plan 8–known in short as the PDP8–that was approved last year, was embedded with a target of six gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. The implementation plan for the PDP8 released earlier this year, however, did not list a single offshore wind power project…
Vietnam construction firm posts record quarterly profit, but not from construction
A closer look, however, reveals that most of this profit stemmed from financial activities, not core construction operations. Specifically, the firm booked nearly VND 503 billion or US$19.86 from the liquidation and sale of fixed assets. Additionally, financial revenue doubled year-over-year to US$1.82 million due to the sale of several of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies. Of note, back in June, Hoa Binh announced that it would divest entirely from loss-making affiliated companies…
Korean ratings firm enters Vietnam’s credit rating market
This is part of a wider push to improve the quality of Vietnam’s corporate bond market after a number of high profile cases of fraud were revealed. For example, in 2022, Hanoi-based developer of luxury apartment projects, Tan Hoang Minh, was alleged to have defrauded investors of up to VND 10 trillion though corporate bond issuances…
US firms Qorvo, Cadence launch chip design course in Vietnam
This cooperation in training semiconductor chip human resources between the U.S. and Vietnam follows on from a commitment made by The US president during his visit to Hanoi in September last year. It also fits with Vietnam’s ambitions to become a hub for semiconductor chip manufacturing companies, although a lack of skilled labour has proved problematic…
Vietnam’s footwear exports recovering on back of lower tariffs
The surge in exports has been largely driven by the elimination of import duties through various free trade agreements. When the EVFTA came into effect in 2020, for example, tariff lines on Vietnamese footwear exported to the EU reduced by 37 percent, with any remaining tariffs to be eliminated progressively by 2027…
Serviced apartment supply in Vietnam capital up on higher FDI inflows
This is, in part, because FDI inflows boost into the capital city, according to Savills. Of note, in the first half of 2024, Hanoi had the fourth highest inflow of FDI in Vietnam recording US$1.18 billion, accounting for 7.78 percent of the country’s total registered FDI…
Vietnamese to consume additional 2.56 million litres of soft drink by 2033
Of note, Vietnam is currently debating adding soft drinks to the list of items subject to the Special Consumption Tax. In the most recent version of a revised SCT, the Ministry of Finance has included a ten percent tax on drinks with 5 grams or more of sugar per 100 millilitres. This legislation, however, is still in its draft stage…
Vietnam gold price jumps about 4 percent in one day
This is in line with the market moving to its own beat, often much higher than the world gold price, on the back of regulations that severely limit the importation of gold yet a culture that sees gold as an important store of wealth. This, coupled with challenging economic conditions, has fueled demand with the State Bank, reluctant to allow the import of more gold in the event it might put greater pressure on the local currency. Instead it has taken to selling gold from its own reserves to deflate the gold bar price…
Vietnam state power provider reports first half loss of US$513 million
Of note, retail electricity prices in Vietnam are regulated and, though permitted, price rises are not all that common. This has led to EVN selling electricity below cost price. As of January, it was losing about VND 142.5 per kilowatt-hour sold. This has been ongoing for some time and has led to EVN accumulating the huge aforementioned losses. The issue here seems to be a reluctance to raise electricity prices rather than an inability to do so…
Vietnam’s beer market to nearly double by 2032: Astute Analytica
These estimates come just weeks after the closure of the Heineken plant in Quang Nam, in central Vietnam which was big news with the provincial government set to lose out on VND 500 billion–or about US$19.8 million–in tax revenue each year. That is not to mention that a number of jobs will also likely be lost…
Concerns raised Vietnam car registration fee cut could breach trade agreements
Car imports from Europe to Vietnam mostly came from France and Germany in the first half of this year and were worth a little shy of US$10 million collectively. Of note, import taxes on cars and motorcycles before the EVFTA came into force were between 32 percent and 70 percent. These will be progressively reduced to zero over the first seven to ten years of the agreement…
ADB holds steady on Vietnam GDP growth at 6 percent in 2024
The Asian Development Bank has left its forecast for Vietnam’s GDP growth unchanged at 6 percent in its latest, Asian Development Outlook July 2024. The bank has also forecast that inflation in Vietnam should be around 4 percent for the year…
Chinese battery to add US$300 million to northern Vietnam operations
Notably, back in June, a Singaporean battery maker also announced plans to increase its investment by US$5.5 million in southern Vietnam. The expansion of these battery firms aligns with increasing local demand for batteries. According to Mordor Intelligence, the Vietnam battery market size is estimated to reach US$326.32 million in 2024 and US$454.11 million by 2029. This is off the back of a compound annual growth rate of 6.83 percent from 2024 to 2029…
Vietnamese seafood-solar firm to invest in Mekong Delta wind energy
Notably, the renewable energy segment is a relatively new growth driver for Sao Mai–Sao Mai only started investing in renewable energy in 2017 when it established Sao Mai Solar. Currently, the firm operates the An Hao Solar Power Plant with a 210-megawatt peak capacity and Europlast Long An Solar Power Plant with a 50-megawatt peak capacity. These projects contribute about 5 percent of Sao Mai’s revenue, however, they account for 20 percent of the firm’s gross profit…
Singaporean CapitaLand planning US$110 million investment in Vietnam industrial land
Of note, foreign businesses have been a key driver for the Vietnamese real estate market this year. From January to June, more than US$2.4 billion worth of foreign direct investment was registered in the sector, a significant jump from US$1.53 billion in the first six months of 2023…
World Bank maintains 5.5 percent GDP growth forecast for Vietnam
This is broadly inline with projections from the IMF in which it forecast 5.8 percent growth back in April and a report from Vietnam’s Institute for Economic and Policy Research which found that Vietnam is unlikely to reach its GDP growth target of 6.5 percent by the end of the year. The institute’s Vietnam Annual Economic Report 2024 instead found that GDP growth is likely to come in around 5.85 percent…
Gold ring prices surpass gold bar prices in Vietnam
Of note, State Bank gold bars were previously being sold through four majority state-owned banks, at well below market price, with huge queues of customers looking to buy up the cheap State Bank gold. This has since moved online and now that demand is much less visible. That said, the rising price of gold rings could suggest there may be a supply side issue with respect to gold bars…
Vietnam considering 2.6 cent feed-in-tariff for excess rooftop solar
Notably, in 2017, to encourage renewable energy, the government implemented a mechanism to buy excess rooftop solar power at a preferential feed-in tariff price of 9.35 cents per kilowatt hour. This policy led to a significant increase in investments in rooftop solar power systems and subsequently ended in late 2020 due to concerns about uncontrolled growth of rooftop solar power sources. This rapid expansion caused challenges in managing the national power grid and since the beginning of 2021, the signing of rooftop solar power purchase and sale contracts has been paused…
Business confidence in Vietnam falls in second quarter: EuroCham
The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam’s latest Business Confidence Index survey, has recorded a fall in business confidence of 1.5 points. The results reflect the responses of 212 survey respondents out of EuroCham’s 1,400 members…
Mixed messages on future of FDI in Vietnam
Vietnam has used tax incentives as a financial lever to influence investment trends. Preferential tax rates for foreign projects are available at rates of between 10 to 17 percent, depending on the field and location, with some enjoying special tax rates as low as 5 percent. However, these tax incentives have been significantly diminished by the Global Minimum Tax–about 122 foreign companies have been impacted by the new tax in Vietnam, according to a review by tax authorities…
In today’s Vietnam news: Dragon Capital Europe ETF, Carbon market opens, New regulations communicating with press , Copyright commercial-use fee confusion, Vingroup reduces holdings
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,
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