Vietnam Morning News For March 22

Vietnam is the region’s fintech hub
Vietnam’s strong economic growth in recent years has led to the flourishing of the nation’s digital economy. The country’s economy in 2017 was deemed to be one of the best performing in the region. Its economy saw a 6.8 percent increase in gross domestic product (GDP) – higher than the government’s initial target of 6.7 percent – making it one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia.
— Vietnam Insider

Gas may bully coal in Vietnam’s $7.8 billion power project
Vietnam’s latest plans for $7.8 billion in gas-fired power projects may see the nation become one of the world’s newest liquefied natural gas importers and cut its coal use.
— The Jakarta Post

LNG may replace coal in Vietnam’s $7.8 billion power project
Vietnam’s latest plans for $7.8 billion in gas-fired power projects may see the nation become one of the world’s newest liquefied natural gas importers and cut its coal use.
— World Oil

Taiwan steel company has invested $183 mln in Vietnam
Taiwan’s Tung Ho Steel has invested a total of VND4.22 trillion ($183 million) in a plant in southern Vietnam as it seeks to take on local players.
— VnExpress

Trade remedies can help to protect domestic firms
Trade remedies, or policy tools to protect domestic industry from imports, are a hotbutton issue amid the global integration. Vi?t Nam News’ Thu Ngân speaks to Lê Tri?u Dung, director general of the Trade Remedies Authority, about the issue.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam deports six Chinese nationals after illegal entry
Immigration authorities in the border province of Lang Son expelled six Chinese nationals Tuesday for illegal entry.
— Vietnam Insider

VinaCapital rolls out VinaCapital Insights Balanced Fund
VinaCapita Fund Management Joint Stock Company (VCFM), one of the most experienced asset management companies in Vietnam, on March 20 announced the establishment of its fourth open-ended fund – the VinCapital Insights Balanced Fund (VIBF).
— VNA NET

Rubber industry faces falling export price
The Vietnamese rubber industry enjoyed robust growth in exports but experienced a fall in export prices in the first two months of 2019.
— VietnamPlus

Vietnam’s retail market needs development strategy: experts
Vietnam’s retail market needs a comprehensive development strategy to boost domestic trade, experts said at a conference in Hanoi on March 20.
— VNA NET

Asia Coffee Sales in Vietnam slow on low prices, supply rises in Indonesia
Coffee sales in Vietnam are slowing due to low prices, while supply rose in Indonesia as produces from a mini harvest reached the market earlier than expected.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietnamese blogger who vanished in Thailand jailed in Hanoi
A Vietnamese blogger who vanished in Thailand earlier this year is being held in a Hanoi prison, his friend and wife confirmed Thursday (Mar 21).
— Channel NewsAsia

Vietnam corporate bonds outstanding tops $4 billion
Vietnam’s local currency (LCY) corporate bonds outstanding last year increased year-on-year by 29.4 percent to over $4 billion.
— VnExpress

Vietnamese man was fined $8 for elevator sexual assault
Vietnamese citizens were outraged after a man was fined $8 for forcibly kissing a woman in an elevator, a rare public outburst in a country where sexual assault is scarcely spoken about openly.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietnam Consolidates as China’s Main Partner in ASEAN
During 2018 Vietnam consolidated as China”s main partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with a trade of more than 106 billion dollars, was announced in Hanoi on Thursday.
— Plenglish

Vietnam’s premier hacking group ramps up targeting of global car companies
A Vietnamese hacking group has been aggressively targeting multinational automotive companies in an apparent bid to support the country’s domestic auto industry, researchers who closely track the group told CyberScoop.
— Cyberscoop

Vietnam urged to declare swine fever ‘a national emergency’
Vietnam has been advised to declare a rapidly-spreading outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) as a national emergency.
— Agriland

VinFast tests its first 155 Lux cars abroad
The first batch of VinFast Lux cars have shipped to 14 countries in four continents for quality and safety tests.
— VietnamPlus

Casino business booming in Vietnam and other Asian countries
When talking about gambling in Asia, the first place that usually springs to mind is Macau – also dubbed the Monte Carlo of the Orient – and it is with good reason.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietnam police seize 300kg of meth in mansion bust
Vietnam police busted a massive meth ring in a Ho Chi Minh City mansion allegedly run by a Chinese national who used a textile company as a cover for the operation, police and state media reported Thursday (Mar 21).
— Channel NewsAsia

UK to help Vietnam improve quality of occupational trainers
How to improve the quality of trainers at vocational schools in Vietnam was the main theme at a workshop held on March 20 in the framework of a joint project on vocational training between Vietnam and the UK.
— VNA NET

Hà N?i’s irrigation system polluted with wastewater
More than 3,000 cu.m of untreated wastewater is released into Hà N?i’s C?u Bây Canal through 26 discharge points daily.
— Viet Nam News

American woman strips off, jumps to death off overpass near Hanoi airport
A woman identified as being of U.S. nationality climbed on top of an overpass near Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airport, going naked and dived off it to death on Thursday morning.
— Vietnam Insider

VN retail market needs a development strategy
Vi?t Nam’s retail market needs a comprehensive development strategy to boost domestic trade, experts said at a conference yesterday in Hà N?i.
— Viet Nam News

Sacred giant turtle gets embalmed in Vietnam
A sacred giant turtle that died in Hanoi’s Hoàn Kiếm lake has been given a new lease on life by city authorities who have embalmed the beloved creature for posterity – and tourist visits.
— The Guardian

USDA post about benefits of dragon fruit, a crucial export of Vi?t Nam
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has posted an introduction to the benefits of dragon fruit, a key export of Vi?t Nam.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnamese cuisine promoted in Czech Republic
An international cuisine festival themed “Experience Vietnam” took place in Prague, the Czech Republic, on March 20.
— VNA NET

ACV to expand Tan Son Nhat Airport
The Ministry of Transport has chosen the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) to invest in expansion of HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport.
— Bizhub

Trial of ex-leaders of Vietsovpetro begins
The Hanoi People’s Court opened a trial on March 21 for two ex-leaders of the Vietnam-Russia oil and gas joint venture Vietsovpetro on the charge of “abusing position and power to appropriate assets.”
— VNA NET

Vietnam attends international coffee, tea expo in Singapore
As many as 250 businesses from 28 countries and territories worldwide, including Vietnam, are participating in the International Coffee & Tea Industry Expo 2019 which opened in Singapore on March 21.
— Nhan Dan Online

Forum shares experience in ensuring social welfare for vulnerable groups
The German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs held a forum in Hanoi on March 20 assessing the social impacts of policy loopholes on vulnerable groups.
— VNA NET

Vi?t Nam to attend Taipei food show
Delegates from Vi?t Nam will attend the Taipei International 5-in-1 Food Show, the largest trade promotion expo for the Taiwanese food industry, in Taipei from June 19-22.
— Viet Nam News

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.