Vietnam Morning News For June 3

Vietnam to achieve a breakthrough in building e-government: PM
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc thanked AFD for supporting Vietnamese experts and agencies in implementing e-government.
— The Hanoitimes

Viettel becomes one of world’s biggest telcos
Since 2000, Viettel has earned an accumulated revenue of more than VND1.78 quadrillion (US$76.5 billion), and VND334 trillion (US$14.3 billion) in profit.
— The Hanoitimes

Hyundai Group wants to invest in Vietnam’s high-speed rail
Hyundai Group is eyeing Vietnam’s transnational high-speed railway project, controversial for its feasibility and high costs.
— VnExpress

Agriculture ministry gathers ideas for timber regulations
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is calling for ideas to create a draft decree that establishes a system of regulations ensuring Vietnam’s legal timber and wood products qualify for import and export.
— VietnamPlus

Defence Minister holds bilateral meetings on Shangri-La Dialogue sidelines
Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich held bilateral meetings with other delegates to the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 1.
— VietnamPlus

World Bank acknowledges improvements in Vietnam’s business environment
In May, Vietnamese government agencies have been in discussion with the World Bank on recent improvements in the country’s business environment.
— The Hanoitimes

Vietnam defense minister calls for cooperation to solve South China Sea disputes
Minister of National Defense Ngo Xuan Lich urged countries to maintain cooperation and peace in dealing with territorial conflicts on Sunday.
— VnExpress

Non-voting shares could lure more foreign capital to Vietnamese firms
The use of non-voting depository receipts (NVDRs) may help foreign investors buy more shares in Vietnamese companies without raising their power.
— VietnamPlus

Petrol prices drop in latest review
The retail prices of oil and petrol were adjusted down from 3 pm on June 1 following a decision made by the ministries of finance and industry and trade.
— VietnamPlus

Three bears freed from captivity in central Vietnam
Three bears in Nghe An Province have been released from illegal captivity and moved to a rescue center.
— VnExpress

Int’l fireworks festival opens in central Vietnam
The 2019 Da Nang International Fireworks Festival kicked off in Vietnam’s central Da Nang city on Saturday.
— Xinhua

Vietnam arrests 2 drug traffickers
Police of Vietnam’s northern Son La province have detained two local people who traded and possessed two cakes of heroin and 8,000 pills of lab-made drug.
— Xinhua

Da Nang International Fireworks Festival kicked off
The 2019 Da Nang International Fireworks Festival kicked off in Vietnam’s central Da Nang city on Saturday.
— Vietnam Insider

Entire commune in Dong Nai set to be built Long Thanh International Airport
A commune in Dong Nai Province, located in southern Vietnam, will be administratively dissolved from June as the country clears land for a megaproject to build Long Thanh International Airport.
— Vietnam Insider

Van Don airport receives first international flight
The first international flight landed at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province this week, putting Vietnam’s first private airport on the international map.
— VnExpress

New policies push foreign investors’ interest in Vietnamese road sector
The country plans to need about US$480 billion for infrastructure investment by 2020, with additional projects in the pipeline including about 1,380 km of highway and around eleven power plants.
— The Hanoitimes

Pilots Who Flew For Air America In Vietnam Fight For Pensions
America’s final act in the Vietnam War produced an iconic image: a helicopter on a rooftop as desperate Vietnamese tried to climb aboard. For some involved in the mission, the story isn’t over.
— NPR

Construction on 50MW wind power plant begins in Bac Lieu
Construction on a wind power plant with a capacity of 50MW began in Vinh Hau A commune, the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on June 1, as part of activities during the Vietnam Sea and Island Week and an Action Month for the Environment.
— NDO

Vietnam gets over W1 tril. in financial aid from Korea
Vietnam was the largest recipient of funding from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) provided by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) over the past five years, the bank said Sunday.
— Korea Times

Vietnam builds a luxury yacht marina
Few things are more anathema to communism than a superyacht, except perhaps taking a ride to the marina in a Bentley.
— Taipei Times

More supply chains to shift to Vietnam, ASEAN
Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, can expect to see more supply chains coming its way if it improves production technology and capacity, as well as regional cooperation, HSBC officials have said.
— VietnamPlus

Grab fined for foreign loan violation
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has just fined ride-hailing firm Grab VND120 million (USD5,217) for breaking regulations on borrowing from foreign lenders.
— Vietnam Insider

National index of industrial production up 9.4% in five months
Vietnam’s index of industrial production index (IIP) in May expanded 4.6% against the previous month and 10% year-on-year, the General Statistics Office said on May 29.
— NDO

Officers break up Laos-Vietnam drug ring, confiscate 100,000 narcotics pills
Officers in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Binh have arrested a Laotian suspect and confiscated 100,000 pills of synthetic drugs as they broke up an illicit ring that smuggled narcotics from Laos into Vietnam.
— Vietnam Insider

Why foreign investors call Vietnam a rising Asian star?
Vietnam is a growing heavyweight in Asia thanks to competitive wages, growth in manufacturing and foreign investment.
— The Hanoitimes

Cybercrime targets finance sector
Vietnam’s cyber security is being compromised, posing new challenges in ensuring information safety, especially in the finance-banking sector, State agencies and organisations.
— VietnamPlus

Vietnam, China boost agricultural and aquatic exports
Measures to promote the export and import of agricultural products, fruit and seafood between Vietnam and China were discussed at a conference held in Lao Cai city on May 31.
— NDO

Government to issue policies to encourage clean pork purchase
The Government will consider incentives to encourage firms to buy clean pork for freezing and storage amid the spread of the African swine fever disease, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said at the Government’s regular press conference on May 31.
— VietnamPlus

In Vietnam, online shoppers concerned as delivery services require ID photo
Many Vietnamese have aired their concern about privacy as several delivery services of online retailers require an ID photo of the receiver.
— Tuoi Tre News

HCM City to reduce dependence on private investors for transport infrastructure
HCM City has decided to convert a number of private transport infrastructure projects that were designated as BOT (build – operate – transfer) and BT (Built – Transfer) into public projects.
— Viet Nam News

Son La: Yen Chau mango conquers selective foreign markets
Mangoes in Yen Chau district, the northern province of Son La, were officially exported to the US, UK, Australian and Chinese markets on June 1, marking an important milestone for the export of Son La’s key crop.
— NDO

Digital transformation offers development opportunities
Digital transformation is considered an opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to avoid falling behind their competitors, but many firms, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, remain unaware of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, experts have said.
— Viet Nam News

Seminar promotes Vietnam-Russia trade and investment ties
A seminar was held by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) at the Food City Trade Centre in Moscow, Russia, on May 31, aiming to help Vietnamese businesses to conduct market surveys and seek partners, towards inking contracts to export products into the Russian market.
— NDO

Feature photo Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper

This week’s morning news photo features International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, June 5.

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.