Vietnam Morning News For March 21

Vietnam sees bright prospects for rice exports
Rice exports are expected to recover in the second quarter of this year, boosted by encouraging market signs.
— VNA NET

Vietnam hikes retail electricity prices by 8.36 percent – ministry
Vietnam has raised its retail electricity prices by 8.36 percent to an average of 1,864.4 dong ($0.0804) per kilowatt hour, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Wednesday.
— Today Online

Debt and inefficiencies come with Chinese infrastructural investments in Vietnam
Hanoi’s priorities include a North-South Highway with a 118 trillion đồng (US$ 5.3 billion) price tag, with less than half from China. Chinese interest rates are among the highest and come with several fees. Chinese companies win contracts by outbidding others, but their costs multiply as a result of delays and slow work.
— Asia News

Vietjet opens sales on three new domestic routes
Vietjet Air has begun selling tickets for three new routes linking the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to Hai Phong in the north and the central provinces of Nghe An (Vinh city) and Thanh Hoa.
— VNA NET

VietinBank to divest from Saigonbank in Q2
State-owned Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) will put more than 15.1 million shares of Saigon Bank for Industry and Trade (Saigonbank) up for auction in the second quarter of this year.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam Embalms a Sacred Turtle, Lenin-Style
Vladimir Lenin. Mao Zedong. And now: a giant reptile.
— New York Times

Vietnam, Germany discuss business linkages in water sector
A workshop on business connectivity and technology took place in Hanoi on March 20 within the framework of the Vietnamese-German Water Forum.
— VNA NET

Việt Nam’s marine development strategy introduced in Malaysia
The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia introduced the country’s strategy for the sustainable development of its sea-based economy at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) on Tuesday.
— Viet Nam News

Industry, trade minister meets party chief of Guangxi’s Zhuang autonomous region
The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade treasures cooperation with Guangxi and sees the Chinese locality as an important bridge to connect the Vietnamese and Chinese markets.
— VNA NET

Seafood expo bolsters Vietnamese exports to US market
Fifteen Vietnamese seafood exporters attended the Seafood Expo North America and Seafood Processing North America, the largest of its kind show in the North America, from March 17-19 to seek new partners and expand export markets.
— VNA NET

Propark Vietnam 2019 showcases new technologies
The international processing and packaging exhibition in Vietnam (ProPak Vietnam) 2019, featuring new technologies in the processing and packaging industry, opened in Ho Chi Minh City on March 19.
— Nhan Dan Online

Hi-tech pepper cultivation expands in Quang Tri
The central province of Quang Tri is promoting the application of high technology in the cultivation of pepper trees, one of the three main industrial crops of the province, in order to meet standards of the US and the EU.
— VNA NET

Banks struggle to lure long-term capital
Banks have to mobilise long-term capital at high costs by issuing certificates of deposit (CD) in Vietnamese đồng with high interest rates to lure depositors, causing concerns about a domino effect on lending rates.
— Viet Nam News

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— Vietnam Insider

HCM City investment centre helps SMEs enter supermarket chains
Startups and small businesses need to improve product design and quality assurance to gain entry to supermarket chains, speakers said at a workshop held on March 19 in HCM City.
— Viet Nam News

Ha Noi issues action plan for CPTPP
Ha Noi People’s Committee has recently issued a plan to take advantage of opportunities arising from the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
— Bizhub

Ministry to look into cutting industrial energy use
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) plans to focus its investigations on businesses that use high volumes of energy as part of its mission to save energy.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam bolsters cooperation with China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
The Party, Government and people of Vietnam always pay attention to and support the friendship and practical cooperation of the country’s ministries and localities with China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a Vietnamese official said on March 20.
— VNA NET

Int’l packaging, label, printing tech exhibition opens in Hanoi
The Vietnam International Packaging, Label, Thermal Transfer, Printing Technology Equipment and Supplies Exhibition 2019 (VPSE 2019) kicked off in Hanoi on March 20.
— VNA NET

Work begins on F1 racetrack in Ha Noi
Construction started on the Formula One (F1) Hanoi Grand Prix racetrack in Ha Noi’s Nam Tu Liem district on March 20.
— Bizhub

Thai Nguyen city allocates 100 million USD for urban development
The northern province of Thai Nguyen is striving to develop Thai Nguyen city as a catalyst for its development, at the cost of 100 million USD, including 1.8 trillion VND (77.5 million USD) in loans from the World Bank.
— VNA NET

HCM City export processing zones need revamp as FDI drops
Experts have recommended a number of measures to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) in HCM City’s export processing zones (EPZs) and industrial zones (IPs).
— Viet Nam News

PM encourages youth to promote voluntary role in national matters
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 20 called on young people to continue promoting their voluntary role in the implementation of the country’s common tasks involving labour issues, economic development, cultural preservation, political stability, and defence-security reinforcement.
— VNA NET

Int’l exhibition to showcase electrical technologies, green power
About 600 booths representing enterprises from Việt Nam and 10 other countries and territories will participate in the 12th International Exhibition of Electrical Technology and Equipment (Vietnam ETE) and the 9th International Exhibition of Products, Technologies for Energy Saving and Green Power (Enertec Expo).
— Viet Nam News

UK trio not properly warned of Vietnam waterfall dangers, coroner rules
Three young British tourists who died after falling down a waterfall in Vietnam during a water-sliding ride were not properly warned of the dangers involved, a coroner has ruled.
— The Guardian

Vietnam dissident jailed for ‘reactionary’ Facebook posts
A Vietnamese activist was sentenced on Wednesday (Mar 20) to two years in prison for “abusing democratic freedoms” in the conservative communist state that has seen an uptick in dissident detentions under a hardline leadership.
— Channel NewsAsia

Hậu Giang plans $69 million agribusiness project
The southern province of Hậu Giang is building a project on strengthening competitiveness through promoting agribusiness in the period 2021-26.
— Viet Nam News

Seminar talks Vietnam’s economic growth model
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue highlighted the close links between growth models and economic restructuring during a seminar in Hanoi on March 20.
— VNA NET

Vietnam processing and packaging trade show shines spotlight on Taiwan
Taiwan has emerged as the second biggest participant in PROPAK Vietnam 2019, an international trade fair for processing and packaging industries, taking place in Ho Chi Minh City between March 19 and 21.
— Taiwan News

RoK to open new consulate general in Vietnam’s central city
The Republic of Korea (RoK) will open a new consulate general in Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) has reported.
— VNA NET

Xoe Thai dance, Cham pottery seek UNESCO’s heritage recognition
Vietnam will soon officially ask the UNESCO to consider putting the country’s Xoe Thai dance in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and Cham pottery making art among Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
— VNA NET

Feature photo United Nations Photo

This week’s Vietnam morning news photo features World Water Day, March 22.

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.