Vietnam Morning News For February 28, 2020

Vietnam May Back Off From Coal as Plants Get Harder to Build
Vietnam may scale back a plan to boost coal’s role in its power generation as financial restrictions and local environmental concerns make it more difficult to build plants.
— Bloomberg

PM urges tax sector to continue with reforms
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuân Phúc on Wednesday praised the tax sector for reshuffling working apparatus, and urged it to continue with reforms to better serve taxpayers.
— Viet Nam News

Singapore firms look to Vietnam for agricultural goods
At the end of February, a delegation of firms from Singapore is expected to visit Vietnam in search of suppliers of fruits and vegetables. This visit is a countermeasure against the falling imports from China as a result of the Covid-19 virus outbreak.
— Fresh Plaza

Vietnam to pump $107 mil to improve Hạ Long City’s transport infrastructure
Hạ Long City of the northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh plans to spend more than VNĐ2.5 trillion (US$107 million) on transport infrastructure this year.
— The Star Online

Vietnam’s Proposed Public-Private Partnership Law
The Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam has published a new draft law on PPP investments that has since been going through the legislative.
— Lexology

ACB introduces $1 million in loans to support COVID-19 affected borrowers
Asia Joint Stock Commercial Bank (ACB) on Wednesday introduced a stimulus loan package worth VNĐ25 trillion (US$1.08 million) to support enterprises and individuals affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.
— Viet Nam News

MIC to submit national digital transformation programme this month
The Ministry of Information and Communications said it was completing the national digital transformation programme and expected to submit it to the Prime Minister this month.
— Viet Nam News

New energy strategy backs private sector investment
The Poliburo signed Resolution No 55-NQ/TW on Việt Nam’s strategic orientations for national energy development through 2030 with a vision to 2045 on February 11. Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh speaks to Vietnam News Agency about the important implications of the new strategy involving the private sector investment.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam’s commodity market expected to attract increased investment
The development of a commodity exchange in Vietnam is expected to provide an alternative for investors when they find difficulties investing in risky assets such as stock and real estate.
— NDO

Vessels from China, Vietnam barred from disembarking at Bacolod port amid coronavirus fears
Cargo vessels from China and Vietnam, with 42 crew members on board, were not allowed to disembark at a port in Bacolod City in separate incidents this week.
— CNN Philippines

Vietnam: Management of coastal shipping remains low par: conference
The transport sector needs to issue separate circulars to manage coastal transport operations for cargo ships, especially bulk cargo ships, a type of ship that runs off the coast and on rivers.
— Hellenic Shipping News

Agro-forestry-fishery sector runs trade surplus in two months
The agro-forestry-fishery sector recorded a trade surplus of over US$1 billion in the first two months of 2020, a year-on-year rise of 18.4%.
— NDO

Deputy PM chairs meeting of Steering Committee on energy efficiency
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, on February 26, presided over a meeting of the Steering Committee on the Vietnam – National Energy Efficiency Programme (VNEEP3) in the 2019-2030 period.
— NDO

The Fight for LGBT Rights in Vietnam Still Has a Long Way To Go
Prejudice, discrimination, and stigma against the LGBT community in Vietnam still loom large. Change will take concerted efforts.
— The Diplomat

RFA Blogger’s Trial Set For Friday in Vietnam, Lawyers Won’t Attend
An RFA blogger held in Vietnam for more than a year is set to go on trial on Feb. 28, but his lawyers will not attend, citing fears that both members of the defense team may not be allowed to enter the court, the lawyers say.
— Radio Free Asia

Prices in Vietnam edge up on scarce supply; Indonesia quiet
Farmers in the Central Highlands, Vietnam’s largest coffee-growing area, sold coffee at 32,000 dong ($1.38) per kg, up from 31,500 dong last week.
— Reuters

Vietnam attracts US$6.47 billion of FDI in first two months
Pledges of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Vietnam in the first two months of 2020 were estimated at US$6.47 billion, down 23.6% against the same period last year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency.
— NDO

Pepper farmers worried over Vietnam price drop
Declining pepper prices in Vietnam are worrying for Indian farmers as they fear a similar trend in the domestic market.
— The Hindu Business Line

Vietnamese businesses invest $30m abroad
The agency said restaurant and catering services received the lion’s share of Vietnamese investment at $14.3 million, 48 per cent of the total. The manufacturing and processing sector ranked second with $8.9 million or 29.4 per cent, followed by the wholesale and retail sector, logistics and other services.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam, India bolster bilateral investment, trade
Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung has affirmed that India is a major trade partner and investor of Vietnam, urging the two sides to spare no efforts to soon realise the target of bringing bilateral trade to US$15 billion.
— NDO

Japanese firm hopes to supply LNG to thermal power plant in Cần Thơ City
Japanese JERA Co Inc has expressed its hope to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Môn 1 thermal power plant in the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ.
— Viet Nam News

Google, Microsoft accelerate shifting production to Việt Nam due to virus: Nikkei Asian Review
Google and Microsoft are accelerating efforts to shift production from China to Southeast Asian countries including Việt Nam amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak, the Nikkei Asian Review reported.
— Viet Nam News

Forests in Cà Mau at high risk of fire
More than 43,500ha of forest in the southern province of Cà Mau is at high risk of fire due to prolonged hot weather, according to the provincial forest management, agricultural and rural development departments.
— Viet Nam Net

Hunting for clouds in Vietnam’s remote northern highlands
Thick white clouds have become a hallmark of Sa Pa, a cool resort town in Lao Cai Province, which is at its mystical best from January to March.
— VnExpress

EVFTA: How Will European and Vietnamese Investors Benefit?
On February 12, 2020, the European Parliament ratified the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) receiving 401 votes in favor, 192 against and 40 abstentions.
— Vietnam-Briefing

Central Group takes control of Vietnamese electronics retailer
Thailand’s Central Group has taken full control of electronics retailer Nguyen Kim through its latest indirect acquisition of a 41.5 percent stake.
— VnExpress

Businesses adopt survival tactics amid epidemic
Vietnamese businesses are adopting diverse survival strategies as the novel coronavirus epidemic gnaws at their bottom line.
— VnExpress

Grab unveils Vietnam-focused accelerator program
Grab has launched a Vietnam-focused accelerator program for early-stage startups to capitalize on the country’s fast-growing tech ecosystem, the company announced today in a media statement.
— Tech In Asia

Foreign investment falls 23.6 percent in first two months
The inflow of foreign investment into Vietnam experienced a year-on-year drop of 23.6 percent in the first two months of the year to 6.47 billion USD, according to a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Foreign Trade Agency.
— VietnamPlus

German-funded project to support Việt Nam in Paris Agreement implementation
The main implementing agency on the Vietnamese side is the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).
— Viet Nam Net

Commercial space rents in HCM City head downward
Rents for commercial spaces in HCM City’s main streets have been decreasing in recent months due to lower demand, according to experts.
— Viet Nam News

Epidemic only a short-term dampener, VN story remains intact: survey
Though Việt Nam’s economy will suffer in the short term from the new coronavirus epidemic, the country’s drive to integrate into the global economy will continue to create plenty of new opportunities for trade and investment in the long run, experts have said.
— Viet Nam News

VN seafood exporters not too worried about COVID – 19
Seafood exporters in Việt Nam are not too worried though import demand for their products has taken a hit due to the coronavirus epidemic.
— Viet Nam News

Int’l exhibition for horticulture and floriculture sector opens in HCM City
The 3rd International Exhibition & Conference for Horticultural and Floricultural Production and Processing Technology (HortEx Vietnam 2020) opened in HCM City on Wednesday.
— Viet Nam News

Shares slide amid weak investor sentiment
Share slid on Wednesday as the spread of CO-VID 19 virus has dampened investor sentiment, triggering worries about a possible pandemic.
— Viet Nam News

VN’s agro-forestry-fishery exports drop 2.8 per cent in first two months
Việt Nam exported agro-forestry-fishery products worth a total of US$5.3 billion in the first two months of this year, representing a slight drop of 2.8 per cent against the same period in 2019, updates from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed.
— Viet Nam News

Đang Nai plans to build, expand industrial parks
The southern province of Đang Nai plans to build industrial parks and expand existing ones to address the current shortage of space, according to the Đang Nai Industrial Zones Authority.
— Viet Nam News

Feature photo Không phân biệt đối xử

This week’s Vietnam morning news feature photo focus on Zero Discrimination Day, March 1.

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).

—

About Vietnam morning news.

Vietnam morning news roundup is the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of Vietnam English language news headlines published. Each weekday we scour hundreds of local and international news sites and websites to find the most recent Vietnam English language news today.

We filter our the dull, the boring, the repetitive, and the click-bait and package all of the Vietnam daily news that you need to know to start your day into an easy to read, time saving format of Vietnam news headlines and first paragraphs before 7.30am Ha Noi time.

We clearly identify the source of all the Vietnam news headlines, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the news site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you too. If a website uses particularly invasive pop-up adverts, we’ll tell you.

This enables you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original Vietnam news article, or keep on reading the remaining Vietnam daily news headlines.

Click here to get your Vietnam English language news today by email before 8am Ha Noi time daily. Remember to watch out for the confirmation email from us to confirm your subscription. Check your trash folder if you do not see it.

For more immediate updates download the AEC News Today Mobile App from the Apple or Google stores, or follow us on Twitter.

#Independentmedia

Governance, not government; policies not politics.