Author: the-shiv
Vietnam creative industries dealt another blow with Cannes-slated movie banned
A Vietnamese film headed for Cannes has been denied a distribution licence by Vietnam’s Ministry of Communications on the grounds that it shows ‘a gloomy, deadlocked, and negative view’ of Vietnam, according to Screen Daily. This is another blow to Vietnam’s creative industries which are widely seen as underdeveloped, yet
Vietanm customs data for April sees export growth, trade surplus slip
Vietnam customs data released last week shows a slight downturn in exports in April, losing 7.7 percent over March. That said, exports were still up over the first four months of the year by 15.1 percent compared to 2023. Imports were also down 2.9 percent in April over March but
Samsung to increase investment in Vietnam
Samsung has said it intends to invest an additional US$1 billion a year in its operations in Vietnam. This will add to the US$22.4 billion already invested in the country by Samsung. The arrival of Samsung back in 2008 heralded a significant shift in the manufacturing sector with the South
World Poker Tour event in Vietnam scrapped on permitting failure
A World Poker Tour event scheduled to be held in Hanoi has been cancelled amid reports organisers failed to acquire the necessary permits. Local media outlet, Dan Tri has said the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information and the police have been asked to review the event including if the
Vietnam’s gold auction rules change but still not a great investment
The State Bank of Vietnam is still trying to auction off gold to bring down the gold price, despite several failed auctions amid an overheated gold market. This latest gold auction has 16,800 taels of gold up for grabs in lots of 500 taels down from 700 in past auctions,
Vietnam’s second biggest real estate developer under investigation
Vietnam’s Novaland, the country’s second biggest real estate developer, is currently being investigated by the Ho Chi Minh City Police department. The department has reportedly request documents pertaining to Aqua City, a real estate development in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province. As a result, Novalands share value plummeted by about
Fact check: Do 21 percent of Vietnamese really own crypto?
A report compiled by Triple-A, a Sinagpore based digital currencies payment provider, has suggested that 21.2 percent of Vietnamese own crypto currencies. This has been widely reported in the media both abroad and in Vietnam, however, this seems far fetched–about 44 percent of Vietnamese are unbanked and just 6 percent
Cutting the 48 hour work week back in the news in Vietnam
Overtures have been made by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour–the VGLC–to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to reduce standard working hours below the current 48 hours a week. This was announced back in January, however, in recent weeks the idea has gained traction with local
Real estate credit growth figures show Vietnam’s housing sector still struggling
At the end of February credit issued to Vietnam’s real estate sector had increased by about US$813.2 million, however, the residential sector recorded a credit contraction of US$78.6 million. Outstanding loans for off-the-plan houses also fell by US$648.3 million. Conversely, gains were made in industrial parks and export processing zones,
Reports workers are resigning in anticipation of changes to social security
Worker retention has become a problem at some firms in Vietnam due to pending changes to the ability to access social insurance before retirement. Currently, workers can choose to take a one-time payout if they are out of work for more than a year. There have, however, been reports that
US dollar still at 25,450 dong level, more FX reserves needed
US dollars were being sold for 25,484 Vietnamese dong Sunday at some banks. This is above the 25,450 mark at which the State Bank of Vietnam has intervened by spending foreign currency reserves in the past. On the black market, US dollars were even higher selling for 25,800 a piece.
State Bank to audit income, assets of 58 bank workers selected at random
The State Bank of Vietnam has selected 58 workers in the banking industry through a random lottery that will be audited as part of moves to clamp down on corruption in Vietnam’s central bank. The bank will review the employees’ income and assets to make sure that they are not
South Korean firm breaks ground on bioplastics plant in Hai Phong
SKC Limited, a part of South Korea’s SK Group, has broken ground on a bioplastics plant in northern Vietnam’s Hai Phong province in line with increasing plastics production among foreign firms in Vietnam. The plant will produce an estimated 70,000 tons of biodegradable plastics a year starting from the second
English-certificate providers run afoul of Vietnam’s education regulators
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education has found that 146,600 English language learners in Vietnam have International English Language Testing System–known more commonly as IELTS–certificates that were ‘inappropriately issued’. In short, a change in regulations meant that foreign language certificate issuers would need to get approval from the Ministry of Education to
Vietnam Airlines doesn’t want to use HCMC’s new airport
Vietnam’s national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has said that it would prefer to stay at what is currently Ho Chi Minh City’s only international airport, Tan Son Nhat, when a second airport at Long Thanh is completed. It is essentially arguing that airport transfers will be more challenging–currently, it’s possible to
EU non-tariff barriers becoming key obstacle for Vietnamese goods
Vietnamese okra is at risk of being banned from entry into the EU due to high levels of pesticides found in recent imports. As a first step, the European Union has increased inspections of the okra coming from Vietnam. Similar action has been taken for instant noodles, dragon fruit, and
Vietnam airfares investigation finds no price gouging
A review of airline ticket prices by the Vietnam Aviation Administration has found that domestic airlines have not breached pricing regulations. The airfare regulator put out the call last week for consumers who felt they had overpaid for airfares. After a brief investigation, however, they have found that airfares prices
HSBC doesn’t think there will be a rate rise this year in Vietnam
HSBC has reportedly said that a rate rise in Vietnam this year is unlikely on the back of broader challenges facing the local economy, according to local media. Fitch Solutions, on the other hand, said last week it is expecting a cut to interest rates in Vietnam this year. It
Vietnam’s Provincial Competitiveness Index for 2023 released
The index–known more commonly as the PCI–assesses the competitiveness of Vietnam’s 63 provinces and self-managed cities. Northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province came out on top with a total score of 71.59 followed by Dong Thap and Long An with 71.14 and 70.78, respectively. PCI 2023, highest to lowest Province Score
Vietnam Airlines record profit result of lessor writing off bad debt
Vietnam Airlines recorded a ‘new record’ profit in the first quarter of this year of VND 4.53 trillion or US$178 million. This was, however, only after the company leasing planes to Vietnam Airlines subsidiary, Pacific Airlines, agreed to write-off US$220 million worth of debt in exchange for the return of
In today’s news: 2G services to end September 15, Rising deposit interest rates, Samsung earnings H1, Chinese hot pot chain performance, Battery storage ambitions,
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,
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