Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — A solo art exhibition titled Focus by the Romanian painter Sergiu Moise is being held in Hà Nội, showing 30 paintings created during his last five years living in Việt Nam. Moise experimented with Vietnamese traditional paining techniques such as lacquer, silk and oil on canvas. He painted images of daily life and portraits. The title of the exhibition, Focus, is the name of one of the oil on canvas works. Focus (40cm by 50cm) is about the artist’s struggles with an attention deficit, which makes it difficult to focus and organise daily activities. “Frequent mood swings and low tolerance for frustration are quite challenging when I have to sit down and work,” he said. “I have to put a lot of efforts into concentrating and to struggle to maintain interest in certain tasks in order to complete them. This exhibition is the result of many struggles like that.” Moise was born and grew up in … [Read more...] about Romanian painter showcases experiences in Việt Nam
Power shortage may pose a development challenge for Vietnam
Vietnam could run into electricity shortages over the next five to seven years as pressure builds to cut back on coal and hydropower plants, funds become scarce and there is little investor interest in energy projects. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) expressed this concern in a recent meeting with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Hoang Quoc Vuong, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, told Trong that the power sector faced many difficulties in meeting the target of producing 96,000MW by 2025. The state’s push for less coal and hydropower and more renewable energy projects, limited funding, slow pace of major power projects and lack of private sector interest, including that of foreign investors, were some of the major difficulties, Vuong said. “Renewable energy is expensive field, given the nation’s income level,” Vuong said. “At the same time, provinces are shying away from building coal and hydroelectricity power plants due to their … [Read more...] about Power shortage may pose a development challenge for Vietnam
Ceramics firm Viglacera sees profits over $21 billion
A worker Cotto floor tiles at Viglacera Halong JSC in the northern province of Quang Ninh. — VNA/VNS Photo The Duyet Glass and construction ceramic producer Viglacera forecasts earnings of nearly VND500 billion (US$21.7 million) in pre-tax profit in the first six months of this year. Of the estimate, the parent company’s revenue is expected to account for 82 per cent, at VND300 billion, equivalent to 51 per cent of the year’s estimate. The company, whose stocks are traded on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange under the code VGC, aims to attain pre-tax profit of VND231.5 billion and VND518.1 billion in Q3 and in the second half of this year, respectively. As for the parent company, the corresponding figures are VND120.3 billion and VND288.5 billion. The parent company’s total profit for 2018, thus, is projected to touch VND600 billion, up 7 per cent year-on-year. In 2017, VGC’s consolidated pre-tax profit was VND913.8 billion, equivalent to 108 per cent of the … [Read more...] about Ceramics firm Viglacera sees profits over $21 billion
Thua Thien-Hue revokes 12 stagnant projects
A view of Chan May port (Source: http://baothuathienhue.vn) Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has issued a decision to end the operation of 12 stagnant projects, with nine revoked and three put on special supervision. The halted projects include a cement brick factory belonging to Truong An JSC; an infrastructure project for Phu Bai industrial park in its fourth stage of Trung Quy-Hue company; and a project to invest in a stainless steel production line of Civil Engineering Construction Corporation 5 JSC. What is more, the province decided to revoke Vinconstec’s 600 billion VND-invested resort and urban area project, which was granted a licence in 2008 with the total area of nearly 700ha in Phu Thuan commune, Phu Vang district. The project was expected to become operational in 2017, but it has lagged behind schedule since 2012. Phan Ngoc Tho, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee said that along with reclaiming the projects, … [Read more...] about Thua Thien-Hue revokes 12 stagnant projects
Minister outlines measures to improve primary health care services
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien announced a set of measures to enhance the quality of health care services at commune-level medical stations during an event on July 16. These include improving the capacity of medical workers; finding new operation methods; investing in human resources and facilities; applying information technology; designing special financial regimes; and enhancing communication work, said Tien at the opening of a training course on chronic disease care at commune-level medical stations held in Ho Chi Minh City. In the future, services for the treatment, control, and prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases – like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases – will be predominantly delivered by medical stations at ward and commune levels. A large network of ward- and commune-level medical stations have been set up across the country but the health … [Read more...] about Minister outlines measures to improve primary health care services
Imported animal feed grows during H1
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam spent more than 1.96 billion USD on importing animal feed during the first six months of 2018, up 10.7 percent year-on-year. In June alone, the figure was 350 million USD, with major supply markets like Argentina, Brazil, the US, China, and India. In the year’s first half, Vietnam spent 651, 321, and 287 million USD on products from Argentina, the US, and Brazil, respectively. The figures for Belgium and the Republic of Korea were 18 and 24 million USD, respectively. On the domestic scale, according to Nguyen Xuan Duong, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Livestock Production, Vietnam’s animal feed industry has maintained a two-digit growth over the past two decades, with output jumping from 400,000 tonnes in 1993 to more than 23 million tonnes in 2016. Vietnam is today the leading country in ASEAN and the 10th in the world in terms of animal feed … [Read more...] about Imported animal feed grows during H1
Over 57 pct of construction firms expected to perform better in Q3
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Up to 57.3 percent of construction businesses are expected to perform better in the third quarter of 2018, according to the General Statistics Office. The forecast is based on a survey conducted by the GSO on over 5,300 construction firms across 63 cities and provinces nationwide. According to the survey, 60.2 percent of State-run construction firms said they were optimistic that the business situation in the third quarter would be better and more stable than that of the second quarter. Around 57.4 percent of non-State businesses and 56.1 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises also showed optimism. The survey indicated that 48.6 percent of enterprises said they would stabilise or reduce expenses for construction activities in Q3, while 51.4 percent expected increasing production costs. As many as 54.6 percent of FDI companies forecast to stabilise or reduce production costs. The ratio for non-State and … [Read more...] about Over 57 pct of construction firms expected to perform better in Q3
Astellas oncology C3 prize returns for third year
Astellas Pharma has announced the launch of the third annual Astellas Oncology C3 Prize (Changing Cancer Care), a global challenge aimed at inspiring non-treatment ideas that may improve cancer care for patients and their loved ones. Grand Prize winner Diane Jooris presents her winning idea This year’s challenge will focus on solutions for cancer care in low- and middle-income countries, which bear a disproportionate burden of the global cancer epidemic. “Given the increasing cancer rates in low- and middle-income countries, and the limited tools and resources available in these regions, this year’s C3 Prize is focused on discovering innovative approaches to help narrow the global disparity in cancer care,” said Mark Reisenauer, senior vice president, Oncology Business Unit, Astellas. “Since the initial launch of the Astellas Oncology C3 Prize, we have seen a tremendous response and we wanted to focus this momentum to regions of the world with … [Read more...] about Astellas oncology C3 prize returns for third year
SCG to spend $44,000 to train young managers in Việt Nam
Officials from SCG and the Asian Institute of Technology in Vet Nam sign a deal for training the Southeast Asian company’s young managers in Việt Nam in HCM City last week. VNS Photo Viet Nam News HCM CITY – SCG, a Southeast Asian conglomerate with interests in cement-building materials, chemicals and packaging, has announced it will spend over VNĐ1 billion (US$43,800) to prepare its future leaders in Việt Nam. Last week, it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Asia Institute of Technology Vietnam (AITVN) for training its young managers. Under the MoU, the training courses will be held for one week a month for three months starting in September. According to a report by the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, a majority of companies in Việt Nam express concern about the lack of professional and core skills among the workforce. It also underlined that partnerships between the business sector and academia are important to … [Read more...] about SCG to spend $44,000 to train young managers in Việt Nam
GoBear gets new CEO
Adrian Chng, who takes over as the CEO of GoBear Viet Nam News HCM CITY – GoBear, an Asian insurance and banking metasearch engine, has announced the appointment of Adrian Chng as its new CEO to succeed Andre Hesselink. Chng is one of Asia’s foremost FinTech startup entrepreneurs, co- founding two FinTech start-ups and sitting on the boards of many others. Most recently he was CEO of Fintonia, a merchant bank he founded in 2015 that invests in FinTech companies in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. He co-founded Credolab and AsiaKredit in 2016 and 2017. He took over on July 16. GoBear was started as a partnership between Aegon, a global insurance company, and Walvis, a Dutch venture capital fund, in 2015. Since its inception the company has grown from its home market of Singapore to serving millions of users across Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Việt Nam and, soon, Indonesia. It employs over 100 people from 19 countries. Since its launch in … [Read more...] about GoBear gets new CEO