Quad cities business news

Plastics industry confident of achieving 3.2 billion USD export target The local plastic industry, with solid growth in shipments, will surely meet its yearly export target of 3.2 billion USD, according to the Vietnam Plastics Association. According to Ho Duc Lam, its chairman, said exports saw impressive growth last year to 3 billion USD while overall revenues jumped to 12 billion USD. “Exports in the first nine months of the year increased by 5 percent and will continue to enjoy good growth in the rest months of the year. “The US-China trade war has offered opportunities to Vietnamese plastics firms to boost exports.” According to the association, exports go to more than 150 countries and territories, with the US and Japan being key markets. In the domestic market, some industries, even those such as aerospace which use high-grade materials, are shifting to plastic products, and as a result sales have grown rapidly, Lam said. Locally-made plastic products are … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS HEADLINES OCTOBER 16

Yellow card pushes seafood industry developing sustainably Vietnam’s seafood exports have been seriously affected since the European Commission issued an official warning against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) exploitation of Vietnamese seafood. The European Commission’s yellow card has seriously affected Vietnamese seafood firms, resulting in a downturn in export value to the EU and a shortage of input material. Given these acute challenges, this company has still raked in six million USD, recorded 12 percent export growth in the first eight months of 2019. This success looks like a timely change in tactics. The EU is no longer Vietnam’s second biggest seafood importer. With import value of 251 million USD, it now stands in fifth position. According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, seafood exports to the EU have fallen, but have witnessed growth in other markets. Seeing the challenge as an opportunity to restructure, the … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS HEADLINES OCTOBER 17

RoK airline to launch route to Nha Trang in December An aircraft of Air Seoul (Photo: Yonhap news agency) Air Seoul is wholly owned by the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Asiana Airlines Inc. Starting December 18, Air Seoul plans to offer seven flights a week to Nha Trang as it strives to strengthen services on routes to Southeast Asia to offset declining demand on Japanese routes, the company said in a statement. Since early July, RoK airlines have halted or reduced services on their Japanese routes, while expanding flights on non-Japanese ones after the neighbouring country implemented export restrictions of key materials to the RoK./. Banks forecast strong performance despite credit slowdown Most domestic credit institutions and foreign banks’ branches in Vietnam expect their business performance in 2019 to be better than last year despite the predicted slowdown in credit growth, according to the State Bank of Vietnam's latest survey released late last week. In the … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS OCTOBER 15

Rice export volume up but value falls The ministry said the total rice export volume and value in the first nine months of this year reached 5.2 million tonnes and $2.24 billion, respectively. The figures represented a rise of 5.9 per cent in volume and a drop of 9.8 per cent in value compared to the same period in 2018. Of which, Viet Nam shipped abroad 586,000 tonnes of rice in September for $251 million. The Philippines was the top market for Vietnamese rice in the first eight months of this year, consuming 1.76 million tonnes worth $720 million, 2.9 times higher in volume and 2.6 times in value over the same period last year. Strong growth was also seen in other markets, including Australia (75 per cent), Ivory Coast (nearly 35 per cent) and Hong Kong (nearly 35 per cent). The average rice price in the first eight months fell 13.8 per cent year on year to $435 per tonne. White rice led the way in the period, accounting for 47 per cent of total revenue, followed by Jasmine rice … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS OCTOBER 14

Companies issue $7.7b worth of bonds in nine months The nine-month value is equal to nearly 80 per cent of the total bond issuance value in 2018. The figure is also lower than the total registered value of nearly VND276.9 trillion (nearly $12 billion), which means nearly VND98 trillion bonds were unsold. In September, 28 companies made 60 issuances with total capital raised of VND19.4 trillion (excluding international bond issues). Most bonds were three-year term with total value of VND13.5 trillion. Interest rates of bonds issued in September ranged between 6 per cent and 11 per cent per annum. Banks were the main player in the bond market with total issuance value of VND14.1 trillion in September, accounting for 72.78 per cent of total market value. Real estate companies followed with VND965 billion (4.97 per cent) and securities firm with VND413 billion (2.13 per cent). Bonds issued by banks also had the lowest interest rate, averaging only 6.71 per cent per year. Some companies … [Read more...] about VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS OCTOBER 18