A long list of Vietnamese officials and business figures in different fields were taken to court in 2018 as Vietnam widened a corruption crackdown spearheaded by Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong since last year. Oil and gas Former political star Dinh La Thang was sentenced to 13 years in jail for economic management violations in January. Dinh La Thang at a court in Hanoi on May 5, 2018. Photo by Vietnam News Agency. Thang, 58, served as board chairman of oil giant PetroVietnam between 2006 and 2011, before his career took off as Minister of Transport and then Party leader of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest city. The indictment said he directly appointed Trinh Xuan Thanh as general director of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC) in December 2007, before making various promotion, funding and recruitment decisions to boost Thanh’s power and facilitate the company’s operations. He has been found guilty of being responsible for Thanh’s actions that led … [Read more...] about Heads that rolled in Vietnam in 2018
Vietnam in december january
Photo on Vietnam – DPRK friendship on display in Hanoi
Visitors to the exhibition (Source: CPV)The event was held by Ho Chi Minh Museum in coordination with the Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Vietnam to mark the 60th anniversary of the first visit of DPRK President Kim Il Sung to Vietnam in December 1958 and the 69th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (January 31st, 1950 – 2019). Photos capture milestones in the Vietnam – DPRK diplomatic relations built by President Ho Chi Minh and DPRK President Kim Il Sung; highlight friendly visits between the two nations as well as their diplomatic ties and milestones; and tell stories about the DPRK today.The exhibition will run at 19 Ngoc Ha street, Ba Dinh district, until January 1st, 2019./. Compiled by BTA … [Read more...] about Photo on Vietnam – DPRK friendship on display in Hanoi
Photo exhibition on Vietnam – DPRK friendship underway in Hanoi
A photo exhibition on the friendship between Vietnam and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is underway at Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi. (Photo: baotanghochiminh.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched a photo exhibition on the two countries’ friendship at the Hanoi-based museum on December 26. On display are close to 80 photos capturing milestones in the Vietnam – DPRK diplomatic relations built by President Ho Chi Minh and DPRK President Kim Il Sung. The photos highlight friendly visits between the two nations as well as their diplomatic ties and milestones. They also tell stories about the DPRK today. The exhibition is being held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first visit of DPRK President Kim Il Sung to Vietnam in December 1958 and the 69th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (January 31, 1950 – 2019). The event will run … [Read more...] about Photo exhibition on Vietnam – DPRK friendship underway in Hanoi
Ten outstanding external relations events of Vietnam in 2018
Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam closes the year 2018 with many political, diplomatic and socio-economic events and hallmarks which have drawn special international attention. The following are 10 prominent external relations events selected by the Vietnam News Agency. 1. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong elected President On October 23, at the sixth session, the 14th National Assembly elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the 2016-2021 tenure with 99.79 percent of votes. Earlier, at the eighth session of the 12th Party Central Committee, all committee members had agreed to nominate the Party leader for the presidency, demonstrating an absolute consensus among the Party and the people. Many world leaders sent congratulatory messages to the new President and the international media gave wide coverage about the event. Party … [Read more...] about Ten outstanding external relations events of Vietnam in 2018
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 22/12
Experts want to reduce number of export inspections Experts have suggested changing the number of and the time spent for inspections of export activities, including customs clearance, to help reduce costs for enterprises. Speaking at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh on December 20, Tran Ngoc Liem, deputy director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) HCM City, said that overlapping inspection procedures were causing problems for enterprises. The General Department of Vietnam Customs said that procedures accounted for up to 50 percent of customs clearance time. Many shipments have been inspected, but still have not been cleared, it said. Even after three months, State agencies are still conducting inspection checks. Phan Duc Hieu, deputy head of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), said the proportion of imports and exports subject to specialised inspections at customs clearance was up to 30-35 percent and would be reduced to 15 percent under a … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 22/12
Jeju Air to launch new S.Korea-Vietnam air route in December
Jeju Air to launch new S.Korea-Vietnam air route in DecemberBy Dao Loan Yang Seong Jin (R), head of Public Relations at Jeju Air, at the Danang-Daegu air route launch and the carrier’s development plan introduction ceremony, held in HCMC on November 15 – PHOTO: DAO LOAN HCMC – Jeju Air, a South Korean low-cost airline, will open a new air route to link Danang City and South Korea’s Daegu City on December 22, taking the total air services connecting the two countries to seven, a representative from the carrier said. Speaking at the Danang-Daegu air route launch and the carrier’s development plan introduction ceremony, held in HCMC on November 15, Yang Seong Jin, head of Public Relations at Jeju Air, said that the new air route is expected to operate seven weekly flights, with flying time lasting four and a half to five hours. Apart from the launch of the new air service, the carrier will increase the number of flights from Muan County to the … [Read more...] about Jeju Air to launch new S.Korea-Vietnam air route in December
Vietnamese real estate tycoon gets 9 years in prison for revealing state secrets
After a one-day trial behind closed doors, Hanoi People's Court sentenced Vu, 43, a major real estate tycoon in Da Nang, to 9 years in prison for "deliberate disclosure of state secrets." Phan Huu Tuan, 63, former lieutenant general, former deputy general director of the General Intelligence Department under the Ministry of Public Security also received a 7-year sentence while Nguyen Huu Bach, 55, a former official of the ministry, got 6 years in prison for the same charges as Vu. As the case involves state secrets, details of Vu's and his accomplices' crimes were not revealed. Prior to his downfall, Vu was one of the biggest property investors in Da Nang. He was the chairman of three major property companies and a shareholder in a number of other projects in the city, usually considered the third most important in Vietnam after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Last December, authorities conducted a search of Vu's house before issuing an international arrest warrant for him after he was … [Read more...] about Vietnamese real estate tycoon gets 9 years in prison for revealing state secrets
Biggest underground dance music festival to return in December
Carl Cox performs on New Year’s Eve 2017 at Epizode 2 (Photo courtesy of the organisers) HCM City (VNA) - Vietnam's biggest underground dance music festival is back for a third edition in December on the picturesque island of Phu Quoc. Epizode 3 will kick off on December 28 and run through January 8, 2019, providing 11 days of world-class electronic music and art, all taking place on the beautiful beaches of the island in the southern province of Kien Giang. The last two editions in 2016 and last year received rave reviews, bringing a lineup of world-renowned electronic music artists to Asia, including Carl Cox, Marcel Dettmann and Ricardo Villalobos, a game-changer for the continent’s dance music scene. The event’s organisers, Moscow-based Sagrado Corp, said “last year, Epizode 2 attracted thousands people from all over the world, who enjoyed non-stop dancing, arts, sculptures and entertainment. Epizode 3 will continue to invest in the growth of the … [Read more...] about Biggest underground dance music festival to return in December
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/4
VN firms cosy up to Asia-Pacific partners Construction begins on TAFiCO’s second production line Maybank Kim Eng Securities ups capital Masan Group shareholders approve ambitious sales targets Honeywell opens first Asian cyber-security centre in Singapore Vinafood II starts trading on UPCoM Vinafood II was officially started trading on unlisted public company market (UPCoM) and registered to list 114.8 million shares with the code VSF, yesterday. Reference price on the first trading day was VND 10,100 per share, yesterday. In 2018, Vinafood II said it plans to speed up trade promotion program to food products, exploit large-scale trade markets such as China and Africa. Vinafood II’s representative affirmed this year sees its strong demand for exports. As per plan, Vinafood II will try the diversification of rice export markets, not to depend on the existing ones. It targets to … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/4
Foreign banks assure continued presence in Vietnam
Some foreign banks have assured that they will retain their presence in Vietnam after withdrawing capital from some Vietnamese partners recently (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Some foreign banks have assured that they will retain their presence in Vietnam after withdrawing capital from some Vietnamese partners recently, noting that the country is still an attractive market. Local media recently reported on the capital withdrawal of BNP Paribas of France, HSBC of Hong Kong (China) and Commonwealth of Australia from their Vietnamese partners. Last January, Standard Chartered of the US sold all of its 8.75-percent stake in the joint venture with the Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB) of Vietnam. Meanwhile, Australian-owned ANZ Vietnam also sold all of its retail banking segment in the Vietnamese market to Shinhan Vietnam in December 2017. The withdrawal of the foreign investors has caused concern of a mass capital outflow from Vietnam. However, a representative of ANZ … [Read more...] about Foreign banks assure continued presence in Vietnam