Automaker groups warn U.S. tariffs will undermine new NAFTA dealThe Saigon Times Daily The flags of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are seen on a lectern before a joint news conference on the closing of the seventh round of NAFTA talks in Mexico City, Mexico March 5, 2018 – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - U.S. automakers and parts suppliers on Thursday warned that President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs and threatened car tariffs would undermine the benefits of the new deal to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement, causing widespread job losses. At a wide-ranging hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission, labour representatives said the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) fails to include adequate enforcement of labour standards, while Southeastern U.S. fruit and vegetable growers said it leaves them vulnerable to subsidized Mexican competition. The testimony will feed into a study by the commission on the economic … [Read more...] about Automaker groups warn U.S. tariffs will undermine new NAFTA deal
Domestic marketing vs international marketing
Instant noodle business rebounds after a slump
Instant noodle business rebounds after a slump Instant noodles consumption in Vietnam totalled at 5.06 billion packages last year, up 3 per cent against 2016 and ranking fifth in the world, trailing China, Indonesia, Japan, and India, according to the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA). Vietnam’s instant noodle market reached its peak between 2012 and 2014, with 5.2 billion packets sold. However, producers reported a slump in sales in the following three years. Ho Chi Minh City-based Colusa-Miliket Foodstuff JSC, the owner of the Miliket brand, saw sales slip to their lowest point in 2016, at VND459 billion ($20.3 million). Meanwhile, Acecook Vietnam’s sales declined from VND13 trillion ($575 million) in 2013 to VND8 trillion ($354 million) in 2016. Junichi Kajiwara, president of Acecook’s subsidiary in Vietnam, pointed out three reasons for the slump. Producers have yet to diversify their products to meet customer demands. There are misunderstandings about … [Read more...] about Instant noodle business rebounds after a slump
Vietnam’s aviation market heats up
VietNamNet Bridge - Sixty-three foreign airlines from 25 countries and territories will have 105 international air routes to Vietnam by October 2018, a sharp increase compared with 2016 when there were 78 air routes. Air carriers have been expanding their air route networks Nguyen Thanh Binh, who works for a construction company in Go Vap district, HCMC, is from Thach That district in Hanoi. She returns to her home village once a year. Previously, she used to take a train or coach. However, it was inconvenient. It took her three days to travel and she could stay home for two days before returning to HCMC. In recent years, Binh has travelled by air, because tickets are only slightly higher than rail tickets booked several months before the departure day, VND1.5 million vs VND1 million. It takes only two hours to fly from HCMC to Hanoi. Vietnam air carriers have been expanding their air route networks and flight frequency. There are 52 domestic air routes linking Hanoi, Da Nang and … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s aviation market heats up
Fintech changes financial landscape
With local firms developing innovative solutions and international corporations looking to get a slice of the Vietnamese pie, the local fintech market may become hotly contested A tale of the first runner-up While the grand prize of the first ever Fintech Challenge Vietnam 2017-2018 (FCV) has found its deserving winner last week in Weezi Digital, a local fintech that thrives on biometric solutions; the first runner-up, KIU Global, is also an interesting case, considering how far it has come from the initial idea to a financial solution that addresses the needs of both banks and customers. KIU founder and CEO Steven Landman shared with VIR on the sidelines of the Vietnam National Fintech Day last Wednesday, that it took him about a year to research and interview some 600 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) on his own before he could decide to give birth to an innovative fintech product like KIU. “The solution was based on a problem that I learnt about from most of the … [Read more...] about Fintech changes financial landscape