Japan to provide patrol ships to Vietnam The Japanese Government has decided to provide Vietnam with six used patrol boats as part of a non-refundable aid package, and hopes these vessels will be upgraded for security patrols at sea. Japanese government sources said on July 31 Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida who arrived in Vietnam the same day for an official visit is expected to announce the delivery of the vessels during talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on August 1. Two of the vessels are fisheries surveillance boats and the remainder are fishing boats. They are 600-800 ton class vessels. The sources also said Japan will also supply lifeboats and other equipment to Vietnam. The non-refundable aid package is worth JPY500 million. Japanese encephalitis kills 10 children in Son La Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease that preys on young and malnourished children, has claimed ten lives out of to 84 reported cases in Son La province since the … [Read more...] about Japan to provide patrol ships to Vietnam
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BUSINESS IN BRIEF 7/10
Decree stipulates business fee structure Organisations dealing in production and business activities, with a charter or investment capital of more than VND10 billion (US$444,440), must pay a business fee of VND3 million per year. This is stipulated by Decree No 139/2016/ND-CP which was issued on Tuesday and will take effect on January 1 next year. The decree requires organisations with a charter or investment capital of less than VND10 billion to pay a fee of VND2 million per year. For branches and representative offices of the organisations, or non-productive units, the annual fee is VND1 million. The decree states that individuals and households involved in production and business activities generating annual revenues of more than VND500 million must pay a fee of VND1 million per year. Individuals and households with annual revenues of VND300 million to VND500 million, are subject to a fee of VND500,000 per year. Those with annual revenues of VND100 million to VND300 million will pay … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 7/10
Social News 15/12
Vietnam welcomes COP21's climate deal Viet Nam has welcomed the Paris Agreement, which attempts to limit the rise in global temperature to less than 2oC, saying that it will open a new chapter in coping with climate change. In a statement yesterday, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Spokesman Le Hai Binh said that the ratification of the deal at the 2015 United National Climate Change Conference on Saturday night was also an important step in global efforts in dealing with climate change. "The world community needs to have strong political determination and effective co-operation to seriously and appropriately implement the Paris deal," Binh said. "Developed countries should take the lead to limit the greenhouse effect, support and enhance capacity for developing countries to implement the deal together," he stressed. Binh noted that being among the most-affected countries, Viet Nam had actively implemented measures to cope with climate change and seriously implemented international … [Read more...] about Social News 15/12
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 20/4
China’s influence in Laos overshadows Vietnam The gathering was held at the new Laos Investment Centre, chaired by the Lao and Vietnamese governments, and attended by government and business leaders from the two nations. “Vietnam and Laos have been strategic allies since the 1970s,” said Phoikham Houngbounyuang, deputy governor of the Lao province of Xaysomboun. The Deputy Governor said though land-locked Laos is one of the poorest countries across the globe, it has one thing in abundance, access to the Mekong River and massive hydropower potential. China is the largest investor in Laos, he said and currently is eying total FDI of more than US$31.45 billion in 240 investments, principally in hydropower, with Chinese investors currently involved in four of nine dam projects in the Laotian Mekong region. Chinese companies have also committed US$7.2 billion to a railroad linking its Yunnan province to the Lao capital Vientiane as it sees its southern neighbour as an … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 20/4
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 13.1
Bullet train gets a second look The Ministry of Transport is conducting a new feasibility study for the construction of North-South Express Railway, with a focus on two initial sections – Ha Noi - Vinh and HCM City - Nha Trang. The study has been initiated after the National Assembly last June rejected the complete 1,570km North-South Express Railway project, saying the cost of US$55.85 billion was prohibitive. "We have to build an express railway, but every step of the construction will be studied carefully and properly and we are conducting a new feasibility study for that," said Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung. He told the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper that the study would define clearly the technology to be used, capital mobilisation, project process and construction duration as required by the National Assembly. Dung estimated the study would take two to three years to complete and would include an investigation into the country's resources and … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 13.1