Vietnam Morning News For December 17

500 poor families financially helped to build new houses
Some 500 disadvantaged families in the central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa have received financial aid worth a total of 25 billion VND (1.07 million USD) to build their own houses.
— VNA NET

Vinalines’ container shipping centre to debut
The Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines)’s container shipping centre will be put into operation on December 17, said Vinalines Deputy General Director Do Thi Ngoc Trang.
— VNA NET

BIM Land named ‘Best Resort Developer Southeast Asia’
BIM Land Joint Stock Company, a member of diversified conglomerate BIM Group, was named Best Resort Developer Southeast Asia at the Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards 2018 held late last week in HCM City.
— Viet Nam News

Chu Lai EZ, from arid to fertile land for industrial projects: PM
From a barren and arid land, the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Nam has made itself a fertile area for industrial development, according to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
— VNA NET

Better seaports and services key to cruise tourism in VN
Young UK tourist Sean Williams chose Việt Nam for his first trip to Asia in November, and revelled in the country’s rich culture and cuisine.
— Viet Nam News

More food safety inspections scheduled for holidays
The HCM City Food Safety Management Board has set up 12 inspection teams to ensure food safety and hygiene during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.
— Viet Nam Net

HCM City admits to sloppy urban planning
Master planning has been a weakness for HCM City for a long time and it could persist, a HCM City official has said.
— Vietnam+

Seminar talks future of Vietnamese digital economy
A scientific seminar to offer strategic forecasts about the future of the Vietnamese digital economy took place in Hanoi on December 14.
— VNA NET

First five-star int’l hotel makes debut in Sa Pa
Vietnam’s Sun Group inaugurated the first five-star international boutique hotel Hotel de la Coupole – MGallery by Sofitel in Sa Pa resort district, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on December 15.
— VNA NET

Confused values in times of rapid economic growth
The last time I was in Hanoi I felt frightened. As I was returning to my hotel late at night, and was about to cross the beautiful Ly Thai To street, dozens of roaring motorbikes suddenly emerged out of nowhere, thundering in front of me in a frantic and potentially lethal race.
— VN Express

Korean coach to use rewarded money for charity activities
Coach Park Hang-seo of the Vietnam national football team on December 16 announced he will donate the 100,000 USD he was rewarded for charities activities in the host country.
— VNA NET

Rewards rain on Vietnamese football team after AFF Cup win
Winning the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 has fetched the team the prize money of $300,000. But, given the popularity of the game and the team, business firms small and big have lined up to show their appreciation.
— VN Express

Community volunteer to guard endangered langurs
A farming community in the central province of Quang Nam has been volunteering to protect a critically endangered troupe of gray-shanked douc langurs (pygathrix cinerea) that have made the area their home.
— Viet Nam Net

Samsung and MoIT provide supports to help firms improve productivity
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) would increase supports to help local businesses improve their productivity thank to the training programme collaborated with Samsung Việt Nam, said Trương Thanh Hoài, the ministry’s head of the Industrial Department.
— Viet Nam News

Vietjet CEO becomes first Vietnamese Bloomberg game changer
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao is in Bloomberg’s list of 50 people who’ve been business game changers in 2018.
— Vietnam Insider

Long game played in real estate
When discussing the most dynamic emerging markets globally, it’s hard to lose sight of Vietnam. Driving its strong economic growth is an expanding middle class with thickening wallets. Rapid urbanization supported by a young, growing and educated population all bode well for an economy with one of the world’s fastest growing GDP rates.
— Vietnam Insider

Potential new contender to challenge e-commerce
In tackling violations by e-commerce firms related to low-quality goods and fake discounts, the opening of dedicated shopping websites is set to become an inevitable trend.
— Viet Nam Net

Wild animal meat trading rampant in Gia Lai restaurants
Many restaurants in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai are serving wild animals, but local authorities say it’s hard to deal with the problem.
— Viet Nam Net

From nanny to Banh Mi: Miss Universe reveals Vietnam’s humble beginnings
From her national costume inspired by a Vietnamese sandwich, to her English that made other candidates talking, Miss Vietnam H’Hen Nie has been among the trending candidates at this year’s Miss Universe pageant.
— www.philstar.com

Hanoi police bust kidney trading ring
The police in Long Bien District, Hanoi, announced that they had prosecuted Nguyen Duc Thang, born in 1989, for illegally trading human kidneys.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietnam sets up committee to prepare for ASEAN chairmanship
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a decision on establishing a national committee to prepare for Vietnam’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2020.
— Nhan Dan online

The Tiger-Man
Although the fast-food restaurant owned by Thanh was located in the outskirts of a German town, customers crowded in for lunch in great numbers as there were many offices, factories and small workshops nearby. To serve them more comfortably, one day the owner had to hire an assistant to cook and deliver food.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam win AFF Cup trophy
Vietnam held the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup trophy again after 10 years after beating Malaysia 1-0 in the second-leg final of the tournament that took place at My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, on December 15 night.
— VNA NET

Disadvantaged children in Lam Dong get free heart checkups
Free heart disease screenings began on over 800 disadvantaged children under 16 years old in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on December 15.
— VNA NET

Central city to develop waste-to-energy project
Đà Nẵng plans to build its first waste-to-energy project at Khánh Sơn dump.
— Viet Nam News

Kon Tum introduces investment opportunities to RoK firms
Kon Tum is calling for capable investors and firms to run long-term business in the Central Highlands province and accompany local authorities in developing the green economy, protecting the environment and combating climate change, a local official said.
— VNA NET

ASEAN Plus 3 young entrepreneurs share startups experience
Young entrepreneurs and leaders from the ASEAN member nations and those from the Republic of Korea, Japan and China – the dialogue partner countries of the group, joined a discussion on experience, opportunities and challenges in hi-tech agriculture startups.
— VNA NET

Spiritual tourism site plan raises concerns
Many environmentalists have raised concerns over the proposal to build a spiritual tourism site in Hà Nội’s Hương Sơn Commune which is home to Hương (Perfume) Pagoda.
— Viet Nam News

Supreme courts of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia bolster cooperation
The supreme courts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have agreed to strengthen bonds in the combat against criminals and the settlement of trans-border civil cases.
— VNA NET

Vietnamese, Cambodian products on display in Dak Nong
More than 100 businesses from 13 cities and provinces nationwide, and some others from Cambodia’s Mundulkiri province are displaying their products at the Vietnam-Cambodia international trade fair.
— VNA NET

HCM City deals with low fertility rate
HCM City’s birth rate has remained low at 1.5 per woman in 2018.
— VNA NET

Feature photo Vietnam Manpower

This week’s Vietnam morning news feature photo acknowledges International Migrants Day, December 18.

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.