Vietnam Morning News For November 30

Timber exports to hit $8 billion
The export turnover of Vietnamese timber and timber products is estimated to hit US$8 billion this year, 10 per cent higher than the target, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, at a meeting held yesterday on sustainable forestry development.
— Bizhub

Foreign firms dominate VN electronics
Although Viet Nam is the world’s 12th-largest exporter of electronics and the third-largest in ASEAN since 2015, up to 95 per cent of the country’s electronics output comes from foreign-owned enterprises instead of domestic ones, the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) announced on Tuesday.
— Bizhub

Vietjet to pay 60% dividend for this year
Budget carrier Vietjet Air (HoSE: VJC) is collecting shareholders’ opinions on increasing the estimated 2017 dividend payout from 50 per cent to 60 per cent, including a maximum of 40 per cent cash dividend.
— Vietnam Economic Times

Smartphone users cover 84% of VN population
The number of people using smartphones, among mobile phone users, accounts for 84 per cent in 2017, compared to 78 per cent a year ago.
— Viet Nam News

Dairy giant Vinamilk moves into sugar industry
Vietnam’s largest dairy producer, Vinamilk, has officially set foot in the sugar industry by purchasing a 65 per cent share in the Khanh Hoa Sugar Joint Stock Company, renaming it the Viet Nam Sugar JSC (Vietsugar).
— Vietnam Economic Times

VIB to use profits to add to core capital
Vietnam International Bank (VIB) will submit to the general shareholders meeting (GSM) a plan to use part of its after-tax profits to add to the bank’s core capital.
— Bizhub

Informal sector needs social insurance: experts
Việt Nam can and should extend social protection to those in the informal economy through a mix of contributory and non-contributory schemes in order to achieve universal coverage, experts said at a conference on Wednesday.
— Viet Nam News

Work still to be done on EU trade deal: experts
The EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement, set to be signed next year, will benefit both sides, a workshop heard in HCM City on Tuesday.
— Bizhub

Trade surplus of US$2.8 billion recorded in Jan-Nov period
Vietnam enjoyed an estimated trade surplus of US$200 million in November, raising the total trade surplus for the first 11 months of 2017 to US$2.8 billion, as announced by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) on November 29.
— Nhan Dan Online

Samsung readies Vietnam R&D center for appliances
Samsung Electronics has finished construction of a research and development center in Ho Chi Minh City that will focus on cutting-edge technologies for use in household appliances and electronics.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Vietnam’s CPI in November up 0.13% from previous month
The consumer price index (CPI) in November rose by a slight 0.13% against the previous month and 2.62% from a year earlier, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
— Nhan Dan Online

PM encourages Australian group Sakkara’s investment in real estate
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has told the Australian property group Sakkara that there are huge investment opportunities for the group in Vietnam.
— VietnamPlus

For Industry 4.0’s workforce, up-skilling is a necessity
Simon Matthews, country manager for ManpowerGroup in Vietnam, Thailand, and the Middle East, talked to VIR about how the Fourth Industrial Revolution will impact the Vietnamese workforce.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Vinaconex share price set at $1.12
The State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) has set the minimum bidding price for the competitive share offering of Viet Nam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation (Vinaconex) at VND25,600 (US$1.12) per share.
— Bizhub

Money well spent
The Dodge Data & Analytics’ World Green Building Trends 2016 Report revealed that the global green building sector continues to double every three years, with 60 per cent of projects going green by 2018, according to surveyed respondents from 70 countries.
— VietnamNet Bridge

German firms eye investment in Hanoi
Members of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV) want to explore cooperation opportunities in urban development, infrastructure facility, means of transportation, energy, environment and human resource in Hanoi.
— VietnamPlus

Sweden’s Fram to buy Rocket-backed Carmudi’s Vietnam business
Fram Skandinavien AB has decided to acquire 95 per cent stake in struggling Rocket Internet-backed Vietnamese company Car Classifieds Ltd (Carmudi Vietnam).
— DealStreetAsia

Online Friday 2017 to attract more than 3,000 enterprises
More than 1,300 websites and 3,000 enterprises have registered to participate in the online shopping day called Online Friday which will take place for 24 hours on Friday of December 1, 2017.
— Nhan Dan Online

Hải Phòng hosts exhibition on energy saving
The International Exposition on Technologies and Products for Energy Saving and Environment Protection (E&E Expo Hải Phòng 2017) kicked off on Wednesday in the northern city of Hải Phòng.
— Viet Nam News

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