Babeth Ngoc Han Lefur, country director of Oxfam Vietnam Vietnam is committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 10 for an inclusive society. What does this goal mean for poor women? As part of Oxfam’s research on the social impacts of inequality, we met Ms. Nang, 47, who lives in Chi Lang district, Lang Son Province. After her husband died in 2010, Nang found herself in debt and without resources. She has no land, weak health and a low level of education, and has to move back and forth between her husband’s village and her own home village. Nang does seasonal work ploughing and hoeing for better-off families, earning VND150 000 ($6.45) per day, just enough to cover daily expenses. Although she is categorized as a poor head of household, she does not dare to borrow money for raising livestock because she’s afraid of not being able to pay back the loan. She has to cover all expenses for her health care and her daughter’s lower secondary … [Read more...] about When we talk about economic inequality, let’s talk about women
Auditing missions protect the State budget
Hồ Đức Phớc, Auditor General of the State Audit of Việt Nam. — Photo laodong.vn Hồ Đức Phớc, Auditor General of the State Audit of Việt Nam, speaks to Lao Động (Labour) newspaper on his office’s achievements in 2018 What are some of the notable activities of the State Audit Office of Việt Nam in 2018? In 2018, the State Audit Office of Việt Nam (SAV) did quite a good job in our audit missions in Hà Nội and around the nation. In those missions, we uncovered that many billions of Vietnamese đồng from the State budget was wrongly spent. We hope our report will improve the use of State funds in the future and increase transparency and accountability. We detected many flaws in Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects. We detected that the total claimed investment of many projects was much higher than the actual cost, and the quality of these projects was not up … [Read more...] about Auditing missions protect the State budget
Vietnam Cooperative Alliance honoured for contributions to economy
The Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) was awarded the Labour Order, first class, for its contributions to economic development at a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of its foundation on January 19. Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue presents awards to members of the VCA Speaking at the event, Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue praised the VCA for the achievements that the organisation gained in 2018 and asked the VCA to continue advising the Party and State on policies to encourage the development of cooperatives. According to VCA Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Bao, cooperatives are playing an active role in agricultural restructuring, rural modernisation and sustainable poverty reduction. He added that cooperatives have become a bridge connecting enterprises to form value chains. Vietnam currently has over 22,400 cooperatives, of which 13,700 operate in the agricultural field and 7,500 are non-agricultural cooperatives. The VCA is a member of the International Co-operative Alliance, the World … [Read more...] about Vietnam Cooperative Alliance honoured for contributions to economy
Vietnam office space remains lucrative as demand spurts, supply dawdles
Troy Griffiths, deputy managing director of real estate service firm Savills, told VnExpress International it was the case last year and this would continue on the back of very strong demand amidst supply constraints. "The demand driver is very strong, especially that from the booming financial services sectors like insurance and banking." He said rentals would rise across the board as a consequence. "The Hanoi market’s rental might grow somewhere between 7 to 15 percent across all grades this year, while it will probably be slightly lower in HCMC, at 11 percent for A grade. "Rental will continue to trend up until supply catches up. Occupancy will be very strong at 90 percent and above. This will be much a story for 2019." Official statistics show that at more than $19 billion, foreign direct investment (FDI) disbursement for 2018 in Vietnam was the highest in a decade. The country's commitment in free trade agreements (FTAs) including the Comprehensive and Progressive … [Read more...] about Vietnam office space remains lucrative as demand spurts, supply dawdles
An Giang aims to serve 9.2 million visitors in 2019
Tra Su melaleuca forest in An Giang province (Source: VNA) An Giang (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has set to welcome 9.2 million foreign and domestic tourists in 2019, according Vice Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Pham The Trieu. The local tourism sector aims to earn 5.5 trillion VND (nearly 236.6 million USD) from tourism in the year, up 14.58 percent against the same period last year. Trieu said the locality will focus on attracting investment to tourism infrastructure development in its key sites, especially the Sam Mountain national tourist site. Attention will be paid to promoting tourism development connection between An Giang and localities in the west of the Mekong Delta such as Can Tho, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang and Soc Trang. Tourism promotion programmes will be organised to promote An Giang’s potential and strengths to international markets, including Cambodia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, … [Read more...] about An Giang aims to serve 9.2 million visitors in 2019
HCM City decentralises power to departments, local administrations
A corner of Ho Chi Minh City (Source: sggp.org.vn) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has decided to devolve decision making authority to departments and local authorities in certain areas. It has identified 85 areas, including contentious ones like environment protection, construction of transport infrastructure and land management. For instance, district authorities can hereafter appropriate land under certain circumstances, sell State-owned housing and management of waste collection and treatment. “We hope to achieve a breakthrough in administrative reform by giving more powers to lower level officials,” Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said. “This is to make Decision No 54 of the National Assembly creating a special mechanism for HCM City a reality,” he added. Tran Xuan Dien, Chairman of the District 10 People’s Committee, said: “When we have more power, procedures will … [Read more...] about HCM City decentralises power to departments, local administrations
Southeast Asia – attractive investment destination in 2019
An electronics production line in Vietnam (Illustrative image. Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Southeast Asia has surpassed China to become the region most likely to produce the best investment returns, as the ongoing trade war between China and the US puts a chill on the world’s second-largest economy, according to a survey at the recent Asian Financial Forum 2019. About 39 percent of respondents viewed Southeast Asia as having the best investment returns, while 35 percent voted for China and 16 percent for the US. Reporting on the survey, the South China Morning Post noted that last year, about 55 percent of respondents to a similar survey said China would offer the best investment returns in 2018. The Hong Kong newspaper cited statistics in 2017 which showed that the foreign direct investment (FDI) poured into ASEAN countries increased to a record of 137 billion USD, 14 billion USD higher versus 2016. In a report announced in November 2018, three ASEAN member nations, … [Read more...] about Southeast Asia – attractive investment destination in 2019
Lao People’s Army celebrates 70th founding anniversary
A parade celebrates the 70th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – A meeting was held at the Kommadam Academy in Vientiane province on January 20 to mark the 70th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army. The event drew the participation of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Bounnhang Volachith, incumbent and former LPRP and State leaders of Laos, among others. A number of foreign military delegations, including those from Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Russia, Myanmar and Thailand, along with representatives from diplomatic corps and international organizations in Laos also attended the meeting. The Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Politburo member and Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich. In his opening remarks, LPRP General Secretary and President of Laos Bounnhang Volachith reviewed the history of the Lao People’s Army, originated … [Read more...] about Lao People’s Army celebrates 70th founding anniversary
Algeria – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group launched
Scene at the event (Photo: VNA) Algiers (VNA) – The Algerian People’s National Assembly (APN) (lower chamber) debuted an Algeria – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group at a ceremony in Algiers on January 20. Nemamcha Mohamed, a member of the APN’s external affairs committee, was selected as Chairman of the group. Speaking at the event, APN vice president Terbeche Abderezak and Nemamcha Mohamed expressed their admiration for Vietnam’s struggle for independence and efforts made to develop the country. Appreciating Vietnam’s support toward Algeria’s fight for independence and national construction, they praised the bilateral friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two nations and their parliaments in many years. They highlighted the significant meaning of the friendship group establishment, particularly in connecting the sides and in supervising bilateral efforts to boost collaboration between Vietnamese and Algerian … [Read more...] about Algeria – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group launched
Has Davos made the world better?
Has he made the world a better place? AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI His foundation, which hosts many of the world's most powerful, famous and wealthy people at its annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, has clearly made an impact. But questions have grown about whether the organisation is meeting its declared goal of "improving the state of the world", with resentment rising against the pro-business Davos agenda, and voters turning instead to populist leaders. One persistent criticism is that WEF meetings, including this week's main annual gathering in Davos, have simply created a safe space for the corporate world to lobby governments without oversight. Schwab was not available for an interview with AFP but the WEF's managing director, Adrian Monck, said in an email that the organisation "subscribes to the highest standards of governance". "FRAGILE AUTHORITY" Schwab, born in Ravensburg, Germany, in 1938, was a little-known business professor at the University of Geneva when in … [Read more...] about Has Davos made the world better?