Vietnam Morning News For December 22

Vietnam’s hydropower dam builder to raise $100m in IPO
Vietnam’s state-owned Song Da Corporation plans to raise some 2.4 trillion dong ($106 million) at its initial public offering on the Hanoi Stock Exchange on Dec. 25.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Vietnam’s seafood industry reacts to ‘yellow card’ from EU
Despite the European Commission having given Vietnam’s seafood industry a ‘yellow card’ in October – a warning to countries involved in illegal fishing – Vietnamese seafood exporters believe they can have the decision revoked, and avoid a more serious ‘red card.’
— Tuoi Tre

Toyota wants licence to import cars
Toyota Viet Nam is one of the first firms to ask the Ministry of Industry and Trade to issue business certificates in accordance with new Government Decree No 116/2017/ND-CP.
— Bizhub

Equitisation needs more transparency to attract strategic investors
Transparency in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) must be enhanced to attract foreign strategic investment in the process, experts said.
— VietnamPlus

Vietnam’s sole oil refinery operator aims to raise $155 mln from January IPO
Binh Son also plans to offer a 49 percent stake in the refinery to strategic investors.
— VnExpress

Asia Coffee-Trade slows ahead of Christmas break; Vietnam supply steady
Asia’s main coffee exporters saw thin trading as demand fell ahead of Christmas break, while harvesting in Vietnam was going good on favourable weather, traders said on Thursday.
— Tuoi Tre

Vietnam’s exports likely to hit all-high $212 billion this year
The increase in the industrial production index will also contribute to gross domestic product growth of 6.7 percent this year.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Int’l integration drives growth: PM
The Government of Viet Nam has consistently pursued a comprehensive integration policy with focus placed on international economic integration, considering this a motivation to promote economic reform, growth and development, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.
— Bizhub

Travellers can pay by e-wallet at airport
The Vimo Technology Joint Stock Company (Vimo.vn) and Southern Airport Services Joint Stock Company (SASCO) on Tuesday signed a co-operation agreement on launching electronic payment services for Asian tourists when travelling into Viet Nam.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Saigon cafés, restaurants facing the heat for accepting Bitcoin payments
Bitcoin is being used to pay for pizzas in Vietnam’s financial hub, despite warnings from the central bank.
— VnExpress

Dong Nai attracts $1.3 billion FDI in 2017
The southern province of Dong Nai attracted over US$1.3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2017, $300 million higher than the set target.
— Bizhub

Uber accused of violating Vietnamese regulations
Uber is implementing ride hailing services in Danang, Khanh Hoa and Hanoi without reporting its operations to provincial authorities in clear violation of Vietnamese regulations.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Experts optimistic about 2018 stock market prospects
Experts are sanguine about the health of the stock market in 2018 even as they acknowledge likely risks and imbalances.
— Bizhub

Foreign corporations jump into street-food shops market
The Vietnamese “street food” shop market with products such as steamed rice, banh mi (Vietnam sandwich), pho (noodle soup), banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) and bun bo (beef noodle soup) is valued at VND47 trillion.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Vietnam’s mobile phone retailer makes inroads into healthcare with pharmacy chain acquisition
The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World), one of Vietnam’s leading mobile retailers, has dipped its toe into the pharmaceuticals retail sector with the acquisition of a local drug store chain.
— Tuoi Tre

Vietjet Air angles to be country-pair leader
Vietnamese no-frills airline Vietjet Air is poised to lead air connections between Thailand and Vietnam.
— Bangkok Post

Vietnam, Laos vow to develop special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation
During the official friendly visit to Vietnam by Laos’ party top leader and president Bounnhang Vorachith, the two sides have pledged to develop the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two parties, states and people, said their joint statement on Thursday.
— Xinhua

Feature photo Asian Development Bank

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Vietnam morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Vietnam news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies, not politics.