The direction was made at a meeting held by the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention and Control on July 21. Dung asked authorised agencies to consider opening the second floodgate in Son La Reservoir in the coming days if the situation calls for. The first floodgate was opened on July 19 morning to reduce the reservoir’s water level, which had reached 201.9 metres following heavy rain across the northern region. After discharging water, the water level remained high, about 201.07 metres by 8am on July 21. Dung also tasked the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting to issue more frequent forecasts of rains and flows affecting the reservoirs before 5-10 days so that competent agencies could have enough time to smoothly operate the basin’s reservoirs. The Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development was told to take … [Read more...]

Le Nhu Kieu, vice head of Soil and Fertilisers Research Institute under Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Science, said that about half of the amount of nitrogen fertiliser fed to plants gets released to environment, 70-80% of phosphorus fertiliser amount was kept in soil and 50-60% of urea fertiliser amount was either evaporated or eroded. On average, in Vietnam, plants and crops received only 35-40% of the fertiliser given to them, he said. About 11 million tonnes of inorganic fertilisers are used in the country on a yearly basis, he said. The leaked fertiliser pollutes water, impoverishes soil and makes it hard to restore the soil’s quality. “Overuse of chemical fertilisers also threatens human and other living being’s genes, as it could cause genetic mutations, which will bring diseases for crops,” Kieu said. Kieu … [Read more...]

At the business conference “Digital enterprise – on the way to Industry 4.0,” held in Hanoi on July 20, Hung said together with the foundation of rapid development and high-level integration of science achievements and modern technologies in sectors of digitalisation, bio-technology and physics, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to remarkably change the appearance of manufacturing of the world and Vietnam in the near future. “Besides this, this model will help enterprises increase their productivity, flexibility and efficiency, as well as shorten production time to make products available in the market, resulting in improvement of an enterprise’s competitiveness. Consumers can also benefit from higher quality, more reasonable prices and favourable products, as expected,” he added. He said the revolution … [Read more...]

Among the countries under the ADC’s probe, which also looked into zincs coated steel imported from India and Malaysia, only Vietnam gets the partial termination.  According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the ADC concluded that Vietnamese galvanised steel producers and exporters received countervailable subsidies from the Government during the investigation period but the subsidies never exceeded the negligible level. Therefore, the ADC decided to terminate the anti-subsidy investigation against all Vietnamese galvanised steel producers and exporters.  Besides, the commission will not give any recommendations about subsidies for Vietnam in its final report to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science.  The investigation also found that two out of the three Vietnamese producers and exporters who … [Read more...]

Addressing the discussion, State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Governor Le Minh Hung talked about the implications of the National Assembly resolution on NPL settlement approved last month and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s Decision 1058/QĐ-TTg on credit institutions restructuring in the 2016-20 period issued on July 19, which gave the scheme the green light. Besides bad debt settlement, the scheme lists objectives, principles, solutions and itineraries to restructure the system of credit institutions in the period. To implement it, Hung has asked all credit institutions to map out their own restructuring plans and submit it to relevant management agencies for approval. In their restructuring plans, institutions have to look at and assess their own finances, corporate governance, shareholders and charter capital ownership … [Read more...]

The State would gradually reduce its control in the market while ensuring supply and demand balance. Deputy minister Hoang Quoc Vuong held a meeting with the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) and Dong Bac Corporation in the northern province of Quang Ninh on on July 20 to study the roadmap to ensure national energy security for socio-economic development. The ministry would submit the proposal to the Government for approval with an aim to have a coal market which ensures local households’ consumption, prices follow supply and demand and export markets are actively built. Following the meeting, the ministry would also work with coal consumption households to resolve the industry’s difficulties. It would submit documents to the Government instructing Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and Vietnam … [Read more...]

NDO/VNA – The third meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in 2017 will convene in Toronto, Canada, from July 24-28. The meeting will gather business leaders from APEC member economies to discuss issues related to trade, economic cooperation and regional connectivity in preparation for the APEC Economic Leaders Week in Vietnam in November. A Vietnamese delegation led by ABAC Vietnam Chairman Hoang Van Dung will attend the meeting. In addition, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son will participate in a number of events within the framework of the meeting. According to Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Minister of International Trade, through cooperation with ABAC, Canada has been able to scale up trade and investment ties with Pacific nations and territories, including growing Asian markets. By working together, APEC economies can easily access benefits brought about … [Read more...]

The Government has assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to build a development roadmap for a competitive coal market as there are new coal suppliers. (Source: dautu.vn)  Quang Ninh (VNA) — The Government has assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to build a development roadmap for a competitive coal market as there are new coal suppliers. The State would gradually reduce its control in the market while ensuring supply and demand balance. Deputy minister Hoang Quoc Vuong held a meeting with the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) and Dong Bac Corporation in the northern province of Quang Ninh on on July 20 to study the roadmap to ensure national energy security for socio-economic development. The ministry would submit the proposal to the Government for approval with an aim to have a coal market … [Read more...]

The central bank ​on July 21 held an online conference to prepare for the implementation of the scheme to settle non-performing loans and restructure credit institutions in the 2016-20 period.(Photo: vietcombank.com.vn)   Hanoi (VNA) – The central bank on July 21 held an online conference to prepare for the implementation of the scheme to settle non-performing loans (NPL) and restructure credit institutions in the 2016-20 period. Addressing the discussion, State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Governor Le Minh Hung talked about the implications of the National Assembly resolution on NPL settlement approved last month and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s Decision 1058/QĐ-TTg on credit institutions restructuring in the 2016-20 period issued on July 19, which gave the scheme the green light. Besides bad debt settlement, the scheme lists objectives, principles, … [Read more...]

Le Thanh Binh of Vietnam (right) tries to pass Macau defender Hun Seng Kuai during their AFC U23 Championship qualifier ​on July 21 in HCM City (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam topped Group I, which saw the hosts beating Macau 8-1, in the second-round match of the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship qualification in Ho Chi Minh City on July 21. In an unexpected result, East Timor made a big bang as they held title favourites South Korea to a 0-0 draw. Facing a much weaker team, which is ranked 182nd in the world, 49 ranks lower than Vietnam, coach Nguyen Huu Thang made eight changes in his line-up, compared with the team that played during the first win over East Timor two days ago. However, his altered team put in a good performance. They needed just three minutes to open the score. Midfielder Nguyen Van Toan’s shot was denied by the goalkeeper, … [Read more...]

Farmers in Quang Vinh commune in Thua Thien - Hue province work in the winter-spring rice fields. (Source: VNA)   Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam wastes at least 23 trillion VND (1 billion USD) annually on fertilisation, experts said and called for replacement of conventional fertiliser with more hi-tech products. Le Nhu Kieu, vice head of Soil and Fertilisers Research Institute under Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Science, said that about half of the amount of nitrogen fertiliser fed to plants gets released to environment, 70-80 percent of phosphorus fertiliser amount was kept in soil and 50-60 percent of urea fertiliser amount was either evaporated or eroded. On average, in Vietnam, plants and crops received only 35-40 percent of the fertiliser given to them, he said. About 11 million tonnes of inorganic fertilisers are used in the country on a yearly basis, he … [Read more...]

Illustrative image (Photo: UN) New York (VNA) - The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has concluded its 2017 High-level Segment (HLS) by approving a minister-level statement on commitments of participating countries to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a focus on poverty eradication. Running from July 10-20, the annual function included a ministerial meeting of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development. A Vietnamese delegation led by Vice Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong attended both HLS and HLPF. In a speech at the HLPF on July 17, Phuong stated the Vietnamese Government has issued a National Action Plan to implement the 2030 Agenda, which demonstrates the country’s determination and responsibility for achieving the global sustainable development goals (SDGs). [Vietnam … [Read more...]

Citizens of Timor Leste line up to vote during parliamentary election in Dili on July 22, 2017 (Source: AFP)   Hanoi (VNA) - Over 760,000 eligible voters of Timor Leste on July 22 casted their ballots at 1,118 polling stations nationwide to elect members of the parliament. In the election, 21 political parties will run for 65 seats in the Timor Leste National Parliament. One party will have to win at least 33 seats to rise to power in the country’s legislative body. Analysts said the National Council of Timorese Resistance and the Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor (Fretilin), which hold 30 seats and 25 seats in the current parliament, respectively, will be the frontrunners. The newly-formed Popular Liberation Party led by former President and guerilla fighter Taur Matan Ruak, meanwhile, has also gained … [Read more...]

The Anti-Dumping Commission of Australia has announced the partial rescission of its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation on Vietnamese zincs coated (galvanised) steel (Photo: nhadautu.vn)   Hanoi (VNA) – The Anti-Dumping Commission (ADC) under the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science of Australia has announced the partial rescission of its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation on Vietnamese zincs coated (galvanised) steel.  Among the countries under the ADC’s probe, which also looked into zincs coated steel imported from India and Malaysia, only Vietnam gets the partial termination. According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the ADC concluded that Vietnamese galvanised steel producers and exporters received countervailable subsidies from the Government during the investigation period but the subsidies never … [Read more...]

War veteran ​Dao Thien Sinh has sent some 40,000 letters to families of martyrs, informing them of their kin’s grave locations. ​(Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The family of martyr Luong Khanh in Nha Trang city couldn’t hold back the tears when they received a letter from a stranger informing them of the location of Khanh’s grave. The martyr had been dead for years but the family couldn’t afford to search for his body. The informant was veteran Dao Thien Sinh in Vinh Khanh district of the south central coastal province of Khanh Hoa. Since 1976, Sinh has sent about 40,000 letters to martyrs’ families and relatives, supplying them with information he learned from trips to cemeteries nationwide. “Since we heard about my elder brother’s death, every day my mother longed for a letter which might inform us of the … [Read more...]

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (centre), President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Minister of the Royal Palace Samdech Kong Som Ol cut the ribbon to inaugurate a Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument in Preah Sihanouk province.   Preah Sihanouk (VNA) – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Minister of the Royal Palace Samdech Kong Som Ol on July 22 cut the ribbon to inaugurate a Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument in Preah Sihanouk province.  This is part of the Vietnamese Party chief’s State visit to Cambodia from July 20-22 at the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni. Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the construction of the monument reflects the tribute paid by … [Read more...]

The royal family committee’s head Ton That Vien Bao, lights incense praying after the grave was found under thick layer of bulldozing soil. (Photo: VNA)   Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) - The People’s Committee of Thua Thien- Hue province decided to move the grave of the bulldozed king wife’s tomb, augmenting the conflict between local government and the royal family committee. Nguyen Dung, the committee’s deputy chairman, told a press briefing early this week that province authorities decided to remove the underground tomb of Tu Duc King’s wife that was razed last month. Dung said the move was to “ensure fairness among other owners of graves”, which had been excavated and reburied at another place to give land to a parking lot project built in the buffer area amidst emperor Tu Duc, emperor Dong Khanh and other wives of emperor Tu … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – At noon last Friday, five households of the Capital Garden apartment building on Ha Noi’s Truong Chinh Street had their power and water supply cut. Capital Garden residents protest the building investor’s violations and actions. - Photo news.zing.vn It was not the public utilities companies that had cut their supply, but the building’s investor, the Kinh Do Group. For more than half a year, 60 out of 200 households in the complex had refused to pay service and parking fees to the building management, protesting what they said was inordinately high charges. “The company has not transferred power grid to Dong Da Electricity Company. Power and water prices are determined by Kinh Do. Residents have to pay without getting bills from the investor,” a resident named Trung told … [Read more...]

The Deloitte Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index for 2016, the Business Times said, noted that by 2020 – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India and Vietnam – could quite possibly rank among the top 15 manufacturing countries in the globe. Manufacturing labour costs in Indonesia, according to Deloitte, currently run about one-fifth of those in China, while in Vietnam and India they are about half the level of the most populous nation in Asia. The five Southeast Asian countries have a few distinct longer term competitive advantages over China, Deloitte said, such as better prospects for a continued growing younger workforce over the next three decades. In addition, a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership currently under negotiation among ASEAN and India, China, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Japan and New Zealand holds great promise for higher … [Read more...]

ABAC Vietnam Chairman Hoang Van Dung (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The third meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in 2017 will convene in Toronto, Canada, from July 24-28. The meeting will gather business leaders from APEC member economies to discuss issues related to trade, economic cooperation and regional connectivity to prepare for the APEC Economic Leaders Week in Vietnam next November. A Vietnamese delegation led by ABAC Vietnam Chairman Hoang Van Dung will attend the meeting. In addition, Permanent Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son will participate in a number of events within the framework of the meeting. According to Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Minister of International Trade, through cooperation with the ABAC, Canada has been able to scale up trade and investment ties with Pacific … [Read more...]