International

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said Tuesday that many businesses and individuals have been given land without going through a bidding process, resulting in losses to the state coffers. Many people, including real estate tycoons, have become rich because they have been allocated land without going through an auction, Ngan said at a National Assembly (NA) meeting. She proposed that all public land be auctioned, starting next year, including land owned by state-owned enterprises. The state can pay the clearance costs first and be reimbursed after the auction, Ngan said, adding that this regulation should added to the Budget Resolution so the NA can supervise the auctioning process.  In a new report submitted to the NA, the Ministry of Construction stated that the real estate market lacked transparency in planning, selecting and handing land over to investors.  Local authorities give land directly to investors without going through the auctioning process, and this has had negative results, … [Read more...] about Auction all public land, proposes head of parliament

The entire expressway fully opened to traffic just last month, but the section that had opened in August 2017 is now undergoing repairs. Officials have blamed the investor for poor quality construction, but the latter has tried to pass the buck on to inclement weather. Construction of the first ever expressway in the central region, connecting Da Nang City and Quang Ngai Province, began in 2013. A part of it was opened to traffic last year and the new road fully opened to traffic just last month. However, early this month, cracks and potholes were seen in the aftermath of a heavy downpour in the area. They were hundreds of square centimeters wide and 5-10 centimeters deep. On the Transport Ministry’s orders, Vietnamese construction firm Tuan Loc, began repairing the road on Sunday. The ministry has blamed both the project’s main investor, Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) and the contractor for the damage. “The VEC and relevant parties’ incapability to … [Read more...] about Poor construction blamed as Vietnam’s new expressway undergoes repairs

No trial for former German FA bosses over World Cup payment - courtThe Saigon Times Daily File photo of Theo Zwanziger, former president of the German Football Association (DFB) and member of the FIFA's executive committee addressing a news conference after a meeting of the FIFA executive committee in Zurich March 21, 2014 – PHOTO: REUTERS BERLIN (REUTERS) - Two former heads of the German Football Association and two other officials will not go on trial for suspected tax evasion over a payment ahead of the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany, Frankfurt’s regional court said on Monday. Former DFB chiefs Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach as well as fellow former DFB General Secretary Horst Schmidt and a former world soccer body FIFA official were charged in June. But the regional court said it had “not seen enough suspicion of wrongdoing” to warrant a trial. The Prosecutor’s office has one week to appeal against the decision which was welcomed by … [Read more...] about No trial for former German FA bosses over World Cup payment

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said at a National Assembly meeting Monday that if Vietnam’s GDP increases by 6.7 percent this year, per capita GDP will reach $2,540, up $155, or 6.1 percent year-on-year, and 1.21 times that of 2015. However, this figure is still far away from the country’s target of $3,200-3,500 by 2020, he conceded. According to World Bank Group statistics, Vietnam's GDP per capita in 2017 is $2,343. The figure for Singapore is $57,714, Malaysia ($9,945), Thailand ($6,594), the Philippines ($2,989) and Myanmar ($1,298). Minister Dung estimated that Vietnam’s GDP would grow by 6.57 percent on average in the 2016-2018 period, meeting the National’s Assembly target of 6.5-6.7 percent growth. However, he expressed concerns about the increasing number of businesses that stopped operations in the first nine months of this year. While 96,610 new businesses opened, 73,100 closed, up 48 percent year-on-year. These figures worried … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s per capita GDP long way away from 2020 target

By Hoang Tao  &nbspOctober 16, 2018 | 05:00 pm GMT+7 Xenh Vang from Laos is held at a police station for smuggling more than 300 kilos of meth. Photo by Ngo Quang Van Police in Quang Binh have arrested a Lao man for smuggling 300 kilos of meth and are looking for his Vietnamese accomplice. Xeng Vang, 23, from Laos, and an unidentified Vietnamese man were allegedly driving a truck carrying the drugs in Quang Binh Province across the Laos border last Friday when they were stopped by police for speeding. The Vietnamese man tried to bribe the police and said they were in a hurry. When the police tried to check the back of the vehicle, the two suspects fled to a nearby forest. The authorities later found 12 bags that contained nearly 309 kilograms of meth inside the trunk. Police find more than 300 kilograms of meth inside 12 bags. Photo by Ngo Quang Van Vang was arrested on Saturday when he was asking for water at a local house. Police said he had been hired to … [Read more...] about Lao man caught smuggling 300 kilograms of meth