The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has instructed local banks to better control risks in corporate bond investment, especially bonds of real estate firms. According to the SBV, after reviewing the business performance of banks in the first half of this year, it saw the corporate bond investment of some banks facing risks as the ratio of such investment was high and is continuing to rise. Notably, the amount of bond investment in construction and real estate firms at some banks accounted for a large proportion of the banks’ total assets while the real estate market has not yet recovered firmly and the business performance of realty firms still faces many difficulties. In addition, some banks also invested in bonds with other purposes, such as to restructure debts of issuers, which have high risks. In order to ensure the safety of the banking system and limit risks in corporate bond investment, under the direction, SBV required banks to review their internal regulations related to … [Read more...] about VN banks warned about risks of real estate corporate bonds
Bond coupon rate definition
Startups catching the eye
Vietnam's emerging startup scene is proving to be a case of right place, right time for local and international venture capital funds. Eleven “rising star” startups in Southeast Asia in September converged at the “500 Startups Demo Day” in Ho Chi Minh City to spotlight the dynamic technology landscape in Vietnam and broader Southeast Asia. “There’s more hype about Vietnam’s tech scene now than ever before, as this is an exciting time for Vietnam overall,” said Mr. Eddie Thai, General Partner at 500 Startups Vietnam. “Vietnam is fast becoming an attractive destination for local and international venture capital funds, who are hoping to capture the growing consumer opportunities and leverage the Vietnamese entrepreneurial spirit.” Rising appetite Vietnam’s startup sector is growing at a rapid clip despite the global economic slump and is closing the gap with regional leaders. In only two years, it has made a big leap … [Read more...] about Startups catching the eye
Farewell to golf columnist Robert Bicknell, forever part of the Việt Nam News family
By Hari Chathrattil* “Việt Nam News is my first family here.” This is something I have repeated innumerable times ever since I first walked into the newspaper’s office 26 years ago and met Nguyễn Khuyến, the paper’s first Editor-in-chief, an encounter as fresh in my mind today as it was then. Yesterday, an inseparable part of those halcyon days left our family forever. Robert Bicknell became a part of the Việt Nam News family as a proofreader back then, and Khuyến being Khuyến, spotted his talent and made him a columnist whose disarming, humour-laced writing unfailingly entertained all of us, not to mention legions of readers, week after week, for almost three decades. I am not a fan of golf being played in tropical countries, and Robert and I went head to head on this account, not to mention several other political issues where we never saw eye to eye on. A friend who waded into one of our heated … [Read more...] about Farewell to golf columnist Robert Bicknell, forever part of the Việt Nam News family
US Open: here we go again
By Robert Bicknell Ahh, it’s almost time for the US Open again and that means it’s time to bash the USGA before the USGA bashes the “best players in the world” with a ridiculous course set up, but this year will be a little different because the USGA's Mike Davis has relinquished course-setup duties to John Bodenhamer, who has run USGA amateur championships since 2011. Davis is the genius who brought us such favorites as the mishandling of the Dustin Johnson ruling at Oakmont in 2016 and the ravaged greens at Chambers Bay in 2015, the set up which caused Phil Mickelson to temporarily lose his mind and intentionally hit a moving ball in last year’s US Open, the new rules for 2019, and its poor roll-out which resulted in severe mockery by the Tour players and, I’m sure, many amateurs as well. In a nutshell, the USPGA Tour players are not happy with the USGA by any stretch of the imagination and have actually considered boycotting the US Open … [Read more...] about US Open: here we go again
Drug addiction drives youngsters to commit crimes
Drug addicts make shoes at Bau Bang Rehabilitation Centre in the central city of Da Nang (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Drug addiction among young people has remained high and is the main cause of crimes among them, with half of young addicts having committed crimes, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA). Nguyen Trong Dam, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the ministry estimated that there are about 222,580 drug addicts nationwide, most of them under 35. Of that, 8 percent started using drugs when they were adolescents. The rate of those using synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine, ecstasy, ketamine, amphetamine or cannabis was rising annually, by an increase of between six and eight percent a year on average. In big cities such as Dong Nai, Da Nang and Tra Vinh, about 80 percent of drug addicts were reported to use synthetic drugs. These drugs can cause symptoms such as physical and mental malfunctions, … [Read more...] about Drug addiction drives youngsters to commit crimes