Other News

Govt backs higher environment tax on fuelsMinh Tam A rider has his bike refilled at a gas station. Consumers will have to spend more on fuels if the environment protection tax hike is approved - PHOTO: MINH TAM HCMC – The Government has approved a draft resolution prepared by the Ministry of Finance to increase the environment protection tax on fuels to the maximum rate and asked the ministry to send the draft to the National Assembly Standing Committee for approval so that it can take effect from July 1. According to the draft, the environmental protection tax on gasoline would surge from the current VND3,000 to the upper limit of VND4,000 per liter. The ministry is also looking to raise the tax to VND2,000 for a liter of diesel oil, heavy fuel oil and lubricants. The tax on other oil products will also rise proportionately, while the tax on jet fuel will be kept unchanged. Such a tax plan, which will most likely be approved by the law-making body, will help fetch … [Read more...] about Govt backs higher environment tax on fuels

Competition authority finds problem with Grab-Uber merger dealNgoc Lan The logos of Uber and Grab are seen in this file photo. Vietnam’s competition authority says the merger of Grab and Uber has shown signs of economic concentration - PHOTO: REUTERS HANOI – The merger of Grab and Uber has shown signs of economic concentration, the Vietnam Competition Authority announced on May 16 after conducting a preliminary investigation into Grab’s acquisition of Uber in the Vietnamese market. The competition authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade a month ago announced a decision to probe suspected violations of Vietnam’s economic concentration rules after Grab’s purchase of Uber’s operations in Southeast Asia. Grab explained earlier that the combined market share of Grab and Uber in Vietnam is below 30%, but Grab failed to provide proof of its claim. The competition authority has worked with relevant parties and collected market … [Read more...] about Competition authority finds problem with Grab-Uber merger deal

Govt Inspectorate clarifying missing Thu Thiem zoning map An artist’s impression of Thu Thiem new urban area in HCMC’s District 2 – PHOTO: TL HCMC – The Government Inspectorate has completed a draft conclusion of an inspection of land planning and use in HCMC, including a clarification of whether or not a zoning map of Thu Thiem new urban area is missing. The draft inspection conclusion has been sent to the HCMC government and relevant agencies for further explanation and clarification. A source told news website Dan Tri said that what Vo Viet Thanh, who served as HCMC chairman in 1996-2001, had shared with the media in the past few days is accurate based on evidence the Government Inspectorate had collected and included in the draft conclusion.  Thanh told the local media that when presenting a Thu Thiem development proposal to the then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, Thanh used 13 maps. Thanh is still keeping all the files related to the Thu Thiem … [Read more...] about Govt Inspectorate clarifying missing Thu Thiem zoning map

Thu Thiem New Urban Area project to be scrutinized File photo of Thu Thiem peninsula seen from the Bitexco Financial Tower in downtown HCMC - PHOTO: PHAM VU HCMC – The HCMC delegation of National Assembly deputies plans to inspect the Thu Thiem New Urban Area project whose original 1/5000 zoning map the city government recently said is missing. Thu Thiem, a crescent-shaped peninsula in District 2 opposite downtown HCMC, has long been planned to become a new modern urban area, serving as an extension to the city’s current central business district, Tuoi Tre newspaper reports. Planning for the new urban area began in 1996, as the then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet issued a decision approving its development. Thu Thiem was then hoped to become a new commercial, financial, cultural and tourism center of the city. A design for Thu Thiem, together with the original zoning map, is believed to be attached to this decision and signed by the then Government leader. The map is … [Read more...] about Thu Thiem New Urban Area project to be scrutinized

Textile-garment firms vague about new regulationTam An A customer buys clothes at a shop in HCMC. Textile and garment products must bear Conformity to Regulation (CR) stamps to prove that they have permissible amounts of formaldehyde and aromatic amines to be traded in the local market. PHOTO: TAM AN HCMC – Many apparel enterprises have yet to learn of a new regulation effective on May 1 that they cannot market products without Conformity to Regulation (CR) stamps, which implies that such products contain amounts of formaldehyde and aromatic amines at or lower than the permissible levels. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) and head of VISTA’s representative office in HCMC, told the Daily that the association these days is flooded with questions about the new rule. Numerous members of the association, mainly small and medium enterprises, are vague about the implementation of the national standards … [Read more...] about Textile-garment firms vague about new regulation

Direct air service to connect Vietnam, Switzerland this yearLe Anh Doris Leuthard (L), head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of Switzerland, and Minister of Transport of Vietnam Nguyen Van The (C) shake hands at the aviation agreement signing ceremony - PHOTO: THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT HCMC – Vietnam and Switzerland on April 4 inked an agreement on air services, preparing for the launch of direct flights between the two countries late this year. According to the Ministry of Transport, the deal will provide a legal framework for Vietnamese and Swiss airlines to offer air services. Terms in the deal are basically similar to those in the ICAO Template Air Services Agreements and air transport agreements Vietnam signed with the UAE, Turkey and Spain in the past. At the signing ceremony, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said two-way trade between the two countries has reached some US$2 billion. The deal will open up … [Read more...] about Direct air service to connect Vietnam, Switzerland this year

Short-term social insurance required for foreign workersThuy Dung Foreign workers are seen at a construction site in Vietnam - PHOTO: TL HANOI – Foreign workers in Vietnam should buy short-term social insurance products like sickness, maternity, workplace accidents and occupational diseases in the immediate future, and will have to get long-term social insurance products, including pension and death insurance after 2020 or 2022, according to a draft Government decree. Under the 2014 social insurance law which came into force on January 1, social insurance is compulsory to foreign workers in Vietnam. However, such a regulation has yet to be applied as foreign business associations in Vietnam have objected to the rule and a guiding decree has not been issued. Many business associations and experts have previously proposed applying short-term or voluntary social insurance to foreign workers. Tran Hai Nam, deputy director of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social … [Read more...] about Short-term social insurance required for foreign workers

Vietnam yet to impose preventive measures on Grab takeover of UberLan Nhi Grab taxicabs are seen on a street in Vietnam. The country’s competition authority has yet to make a new move to prevent possible economic concentration following Grab’s acquisition of Uber - PHOTO: TL HANOI – The competition authority in Vietnam have yet to make the next moves over a transaction in which Grab acquired Uber Technologies Inc’s Southeast Asian business after asking Grab to report details of the deal. The Vietnam Competition Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade on March 27 asked Grab to report the deal in line with the Law on Competition no later than April 3 to see if the takeover infringes economic concentration rules that may kill competition. The department explained that the deadline has yet to come. Experts with experiences in cases related to competition and monopoly said the department or the National Competition Council can impose … [Read more...] about Vietnam yet to impose preventive measures on Grab takeover of Uber

Local startups called to join Mekong Innovative Startup TourismDuc Tam HCMC – Local tourism startups are now able to sign up for the Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) Startup Accelerator program this year. The program is for early stage companies in travel tech or traditional tourism. Applicants should be based in Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand, or Vietnam with at least one founder being a native in one of these countries. They should also have a minimum viable product already, as MIST does not accept idea-stage startups. Interested startups should visit the official website of the program at http://mist.asia/startup-accelerator to register and provide required documents prior to March 10. Projects which show novelty, creativity and breakthrough growth will be selected for the second round. Startups of these projects will be offered a free one-week training course, and then compete with each other. The outright winner will get US$10,000 in prize money. Besides, five best … [Read more...] about Local startups called to join Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism

Airport transit station proposed at Trong Dong StageLe Anh HCMC – Indochina Group has proposed the Ministry of Transport build a transit station at Trong Dong Stage near Ben Thanh Market to serve passengers of all carriers as a way to ease overload at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Passengers can check in and receive boarding passes at the station and travel to the airport by shuttle bus. In addition to easing the airport’s overload, the station consisting of a commercial center, when in place, will offer customers a variety of services such as entertainment, catering and shopping. The idea, however, can hardly be viable, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), which says passengers may miss their flights due to traffic congestion on roads between the station and the airport. It is baseless to assess the necessity and effectiveness of such a transit station in HCMC, said CAAV. The authority said Indochina Group has not clarified the detailed … [Read more...] about Airport transit station proposed at Trong Dong Stage