Wirtschaft - Umwelt / Economy - Environment (2014)

Vietnam: Kaviar vom Albino-Stör erobert Russland

31.12.2014 (Der Tagesspiegel) - Albino-Störe sind selten und ihre Eier, verkauft als Ho-Kaviar, entsprechend teuer. Mehr als 80.000 Euro kann ein Kilo kosten, zehn Mal so viel wie schwarzer Kaviar. Diese Störe leben in einem Stausee in Zentral-Vietnam.

Albino-Störe sind selten und ihre Eier, verkauft als Kaviar, entsprechend teuer. Mehr als 80.000 Euro kann ein Kilo kosten, zehn Mal so viel wie schwarzer Kaviar. [Weiterlesen & Video]

Alleged human trafficking victim tells court of sweatshop working conditions at Leisure Clothing

30.12.2014 By John Cordina (The Malta Independent) - A former Vietnamese employee of Chinese state-owned clothing manufacturer Leisure Clothing told a court that she worked long hours - including forced overtime - to earn considerably less than minimum wage as the compilation of evidence against two of its directors continued today.

Managing director Han Bin, a 46-year-old naturalised Maltese citizen who lives in San Ġwann, and marketing director Liu Jia, a 31-year-old Chinese national who lives at China House in Ħal Far along with many of the company's employees, face a total of nine charges, including the human trafficking of nine Vietnamese persons for the purposes of labour exploitation, misappropriating money owed to them and failing to comply with employment regulations. [read more]

Vietnamese worker claims she received €1.70 for almost 4 hours overtime

Magistrate reprimands prosecution for not yet presenting evidence supporting the primary accusation, that of human trafficking

30.12.2014 By Matthew Agius (maltatoday) - A Vietnamese former employee of Leisure Clothing told a court today that her overtime earnings for hours worked between 5:45pm and 9:30pm amounted to just €1.70 per overtime session. She added that she could not refuse to work the extra hours.

The compilation of evidence against Bin Han and Jia Liu continued this morning before Magistrate Carol Peralta. [read more]

Air-Asia-Flug Q78501: Wie sicher sind ostasiatische Airlines?

29.12.2014 Von Christian Flier (web.de) - Der Flug mit der Nummer Q78501 ist spurlos vom Radar verschwunden. Wo sich die Maschine befindet, ist derzeit noch unklar. Wie sicher sind Airlines aus dem ostasiatischen Raum?

Unter den aktuell unsichersten Fluggesellschaften der Welt, erhoben vom Fachmagazin "Aero International", landen alleine 13 ostasiatische aus China, Taiwan, Indien, Japan, Südkorea und Thailand. Sie alle eint, dass es immer wieder Pannen und Unfälle - teilweise mit Verletzten und Toten - gab. Mit Lion Air aus Indonesien (schlechteste), Vietnam Airlines und China Airlines kommen die drei unsichersten Gesellschaften allesamt aus Ostasien. [Weiterlesen]

Great Gamble on the Mekong A proposed dam on the Mekong River would provide energy for the region, but at a significant environmental cost

29.12.2014 By Nathaniel Eisen (Epoch Times) - Fishers and farmers have for some time tried to block a proposed dam on the Mekong River in southern Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Most recently, they made their views known at a public consultation on the Don Sahong dam. In all likelihood, however, they will lose and the dam will be built. “Great Gamble on the Mekong,” a new documentary from filmmaker and journalist Tom Fawthrop, insightfully details the probable dire consequences of this dam, and the failure this represents for a once-promising extra-legal cooperative structure, the Mekong River Commission.

“The Don Sahong dam will only push Cambodia and Vietnam closer to a food crisis,” said Chhith Sam Ath, an employee of the World Wildlife Fund in Cambodia. In addition to flooding gardens along the river, and diminishing the fish stock, they predict that the entrapment of nutrients by the dams will hurt rice production in Vietnam, leading to higher global food prices. [read more]

Russia economic gloom hurts tourism

25.12.2014 (The Nation) - The number of Russian tourists arriving in Vietnam is expected to decline at the beginning of 2015, due to the devaluation of the ruble in Russia.

On December 16, the Russian central bank raised its key interest rate to 17 per cent from 10.5 per cent and the ruble fell beyond 60 to the dollar.

Some travel firms in central Khanh Hoa Province told local media that the number of Russian tourists to Vietnam in December has not decreased, but a number of tours have been cancelled.

Nguyen Duc Tan, managing director of Anex Tour Vietnam, told vnexpress.net that, as of December, daily bookings have decreased from 200 to 70-80 per day, a reduction of 60 per cent. [read more]

Du caviar albinos «made in Vietnam»

24.12.2014 (24heures) - Dans une ferme d'esturgeons du sud du Vietnam, un employé sort un énorme poisson des eaux d'un lac artificiel. «C'est un albinos!», s'exclame l'excentrique «roi du caviar» vietnamien Le Anh Duc.

Les œufs de l'esturgeon albinos sont dorés et non noirs. Leur rareté - ils sont 40 sur un demi-million dans cette ferme - fait leur prix: le caviar d'esturgeon albinos se vend jusqu'à 100'000 dollars le kilo, dix fois le prix du caviar noir habituel, qui s'achète entre 5000 et 10'000 dollars sur les marchés mondiaux selon les industriels du secteur [en savoir plus]

Falling Oil Prices Pinch Vietnam's Economy, Tourism

23.12.2014 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - Vietnam’s export revenues are expected to drop because of sliding oil prices, putting pressure on the national budget, which relies on oil profits for more than 10 percent of all spending.

Oil prices have tumbled nearly 50 percent over the past few months, sending shock waves through Vietnam.

Economist Le Dang Doanh said the country is facing a dilemma over the low price.

The government "is very concerned that the fall would shrink the state budget," he said. "The Ministry of Finance said the country might lose more than $1 billion." [read more]

Schweizer Päckli-Adressen werden in Vietnam entziffert

23.12.2014 Von Christoph Aebischer (Berner Zeitung) - Unleserliche Handschrift? Wenns im Paketzentrum stockt, gehen Adressdaten auf eine 9700-Kilometer-Reise.

In den drei Paketzentren der Post sortieren Maschinen die meisten Pakete automatisch. Erst wenn sie eine eingescannte Postleitzahl nicht erkennen können, schicken sie das Paket in eine Extraschleife. Postangestellte kontrollieren dann am Bildschirm Postleitzahl und Strasse. In maximal 15 Sekunden ist es wieder auf der Reise.

Der Befehl für die Weiterreise kann allerdings auch aus Fernost kommen. Seit 2011 wird jede elektronisch erfasste Adressetikette in Vietnam gecheckt, um Zustellfehler wegen Adressänderungen und Nachsendeaufträgen zu vermeiden. Dafür jetten verschlüsselte Daten 9700 Kilometer gen Osten nach Hoh Chi Minh City. [read more]

Vietnam is changing but the country’s women traders are not seeing any benefit

22.12.2014 (The Irish Times) - Long hours are spent working in difficult conditions for small wages. Convoys of cargo trucks crawl along the packed, dimly lit tracks of Hanoi’s Long Bien market as night falls. Porters unload their containers onto pullers at the assembly point and heave them back to the hundreds of wholesalers and traders stationed nearby. Throughout the night, fruit, vegetables, meat and fish are sold here, carefully weighed before sale in the glow of orange light.

“It is a difficult job,” Ms Nguyen, a 48-year-old fruit trader says. “I have to carry my own boxes over here and try to attract customers every night.” She works from 5pm until 7am and, like most other female traders at Long Bien, rarely earns more than 200,000 dong (€7) a shift. [read more]

China treibt Wirtschafts-Union in Asien voran

21.12.2014 (Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten ) - China hat Kambodscha, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand und Laos umfangreiche Kredite und Finanzhilfen angeboten. Gefördert werden soll der Ausbau der Infrastruktur. China will mit diesen Maßnahmen verhindern, dass die Amerikaner ihren Einfluss in Südostasien weiter ausbauen.

Mit chinesischen Anlagen sollten in Kambodscha, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand und Laos die Produktionskapazitäten in den Bereichen Elektrizität, Telekommunikation, Stahl und Zement ausgebaut werden. [Weiterlesen]

Entwicklungsminister: Weihnachts-Textilien verantwortungsvoll kaufen

20.12.2014 (boerse-online) - BERLIN/STUTTGART (dpa-AFX) - Entwicklungsminister Gerd Müller hat an die Verbraucher appelliert, beim Kauf von Textilien im Weihnachtsgeschäft nicht nur auf möglichst billige Angebote zu achten. "In Bangladesch oder Vietnam arbeiten Näherinnen nicht selten für 15 Cent pro Stunde. Das ergibt einen Monatslohn, von dem die Menschen nicht leben und schon gar nicht ihre Kinder in die Schule schicken können", sagte der CSU-Politiker den "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" (Samstag). Die Bedingungen der Textilarbeiter müsse sich jeder klarmachen, der beim Weihnachts-Shopping lediglich "auf billig, billig setzt".

Dass Arbeitsnormen wichtig seien, sagten auch viele Verbraucher. "Zum Beispiel, dass eine Lederhose, die ich mir in Bayern kaufe, nicht in einer Gerberei in Afrika hergestellt wird, wo Kinder barfuß in der Chemiebrühe stehen. [Weiterlesen]

I had to work when I was ill, medicine was thrown in my face - Vietnamese worker at Leisure Clothing

11.12.2014 Kevin Schembri Orland (The Malta Independent) - Vietnamese worker Van Huang Thi Cam, who said she had tried to escape from Leisure Clothing, today told the court about working conditions, 'very low pay' and how she was made to work when sick.

Between November 2012 and April 2013, she only had one day off every two weeks. After April she had a day off every week. She was working from 7am to 9pm daily and Sunday from 8am to 6.30pm. Even when she was sick and asked her supervisor not to work the full shift, her request was rejected. The supervisor threw medicine in her face and told her to continue working, she claimed.

"I only had a single 1 hour 25 minute break every day, and the rest of the time I was working. I couldn't go out and supervisors would complain when I went to the bathroom". [read more]

Limit on how much water Chinese firm’s employees could drink

Vietnamese worker says Leisure Clothing workers had limit on water intake, toilet paper, and forced to work whenever she was sick.

11.12.2014 Daniel Mizzi (Malta Today) - A Vietnamese Leisure Clothing employee told a court today of the “miserable” working conditions at the garment company, claiming that workers had a limit on how much water they could drink and were only given two rolls of toilet paper for the entire month.

Van Hoang Thi Cam explained that she arrived in Malta in November 2013 together with another three Vietnamese workers.

The Vietnamese worker was summoned to testify in the compilation of evidence against Leisure Clothing directors Bin Han, 46, and Jia Liu, 31, of Birzebbugia. The two directors are pleading not guilty to trafficking and exploiting Chinese and Vietnamese workers, to misappropriating their wages, and to failing to pay wages. [read more]

Tierschützer prangern Zustände auf Bärenfarmen in Nordvietnam an

11.12.2014 (Blick) - Hanoi – Tierschützer schlagen wegen der Zustände auf sogenannten Bärenfarmen im Norden Vietnams Alarm. Die Zustände, unter denen die Tiere in der besonders bei Touristen beliebten Ha Long-Bucht gehalten würden, seien schockierend.

Mehr als die Hälfte der Bären seien ausgezehrt, vielen fehlten Gliedmassen und sie wiesen Wunden auf. «Es war schockierend», sagte der für Vietnam zuständige Direktor von Animals Asia, Tuan Bendixsen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam’s salty rice bowl

10.12.2014 Christopher Johnson (DW) - Vietnam is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of rice. But there’s a problem: as global temperatures warm and glaciers melt, sea levels rise right up into some of Vietnam’s richest rice-growing areas. And Saltwater is bad news for rice. So just how are farmers in Mekong River Delta coping with these climate changes? [Audio]

Why China can't lend its way to Asian dominance

10.12.2014 Anita Inder Singh (Nikkei Asian Review) - Infrastructure finance is a tool of geopolitics, and Beijing wants to be Asia's banker. China recently joined Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa -- the other members of the so-called BRICS group of developing countries -- in creating the New Development Bank (NDB), which will eventually have capital of $100 billion. Based in Shanghai, the institution will be headed by an Indian, with China as its largest single donor.

neither bilateral investment nor the creation of new lending institutions will ensure its future dominance over Asia, for four reasons. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Russian and British empires competed for influence in Asia in a strategic confrontation referred to at the time as the "Great Game." The game is afoot again, with largely different players, and the outcome is as unclear now as it was 100 years ago -- with one exception: Whatever else happens, the 21st century version will not result in Asia coming under China's sway. [read more]

Environmentalists Skeptical Ahead of Laos Meeting on Hydropower Dam

09.12.2014 Ron Corben (VOA) - BANGKOK— The four-nation Mekong River Commission (MRC) this week holds public consultations on the development of a large hydropower dam in southern Laos.

The project is one of a series of planned dams in the Mekong River Basin that environmentalists say could harm an ecosystem critical for feeding millions of people in Southeast Asia.

Environmentalists say construction of the Don Sahong dam on a vital cascading region of the Mekong River will directly impact fish migration, especially vital in dry season, and threaten the last remaining Irrawaddy dolphins in the river system. Carl Thayer, a political scientist with the Australian-based University of New South Wales, says tensions between Vietnam and Laos are also expected to rise as Vientiane presses ahead with the project.

"It's going to test [Communist] party to party relations between Laos and Vietnam quite severely. [read more]

Vietnam’s Migrant Masses Disappearing Into Shadow Economy: Jobs

03.12.2014 Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen (Washington Post) - Vietnam, heralded a decade ago as a mini-China in luring foreign manufacturers with cheap labor, is struggling to keep its economic momentum even as neighboring countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines record faster growth. The nation is showing signs of slipping into a low-productivity, low-value trap as workers leave formal jobs in industry and services, the United Nations Development Program said earlier this year.

Low labor productivity, along with the slow development of a skilled workforce, “can threaten continued growth,” Gaurav Gupta, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, told government officials in a conference in Hanoi yesterday. The curriculum is outdated, teachers are underpaid, and graduates lack the job-ready skills sought by multinationals, he said.

Vietnam’s labor productivity is one-fifth that of Malaysia’s, while Singapore’s is almost 15 times higher, the ILO said in a report in May. Nations including Malaysia and the Philippines that are developing a services sector, including retail and call centers, are forecast by the World Bank to grow at a faster pace than Vietnam this year, at 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent respectively. [read more]

Vietnam allows foreigners to buy real estate from July 2015

27.11.2014 (OPP Connect) - Following legal changes, foreigners will be allowed limited ownership of real estate in Vietnam from next July, but it may be some time before the market benefits, say experts

From next summer, foreigners will be allowed limited ownership of property in Vietnam, following changes in the law.

Vietnam has approved legislation, which comes into effect on 1 July 2015, allowing foreigners to own up to 30% in any apartment building, or 250 houses per ward in the country. [read more]

Slow Pace of Vietnam's Privatizations Worries Investors

27.11.2014 By Jake Maxwell Watts And Vu Trong Khanh (Nasdaq) - Vietnam's reputation as a fast-growing frontier market with a stable regime--the Holy Grail for adventurous investors--is being threatened by the government's squeamishness about selling off state-owned companies.

The most recent flop was the highly anticipated initial public offering of flag carrier Vietnam Airlines this month, which attracted zero interest from foreign investors, with most of the 3.5% stake up for grabs sold to two local banks, according to a person familiar with the deal. The sale was seen as a test of the government's commitment to change and its ability to promote the Southeast Asian nation's economic prospects.

"Vietnam is wasting its chance to attract foreign indirect investment," said Cao Sy Kiem, economist and former central-bank governor. "We need to further extend the room for foreign ownership in domestic companies." [read more]

Garlic industry could boost tourism numbers to small Vietnam island

27.11.2014 By Kim Honan (ABC Rural) - Off the well worn tourist track in Vietnam is an island known as the Kingdom of Garlic.

For the people of Ly Son Island, located in the Quang Ngai Province in the middle of the popular South East Asian country, garlic is their main crop.

The paradise doesn't attract even a fraction of the millions of tourists, estimated at more than 7 million, that visit the main land each year. However, Southern Cross University PHD candidate Gian Thuy Huu Tran believes that could change. [read more]

Over 1,000 dead endangered turtles seized

26.11.2014 (The Nation)  - HANOI (AFP): Vietnam’s environmental police have seized a record haul of over 1,000 endangered sea turtles which were being prepared for illegal export to China, an official said Tuesday. “The turtles were all dead,” Le Hong Thai, an official of the Ministry of Public Security’s environmental police department, told AFP.  “They were meant to be processed into handicrafts for export to China,” he added. The raids were made on Wednesday last week in the resort town of Nha Trang on Vietnam’s south-central coast. [read more]

1.000 bedrohte Schildkröten in Vietnam beschlagnahmt

25.11.2014 (nachrichten.at) - HANOI - Die vietnamesische Polizei hat die Kadaver von mehr als 1.000 bedrohten Meeresschildkröten beschlagnahmt. Die leblosen Körper der Tiere sollten illegal nach China exportiert werden.

Es war der bisher größte derartige Fund. "Alle Schildkröten waren tot", sagte Le Hong Thai, Sprecher der Abteilung für Umweltverbrechen im Ministerium für Öffentliche Sicherheit. "Sie sollten zu Handwerkskunst für den Export nach China verarbeitet werden", sagte Thai.

Die Kadaver wurden am vergangenen Mittwoch bei einer Razzia im Erholungsort Nha Trang im Süden Vietnams sichergestellt. [Weiterlesen]

Enhancing Science, Technology and Innovation to Drive Sustained Growth in Vietnam

24.11.2014 (World Bank) - HANOI, November 24, 2014 — Vietnam needs to rely more on productivity gains driven by innovation in order to boost its economy, according to a new joint study by the World Bank and Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released today.

Despite its historical record of scientific research, Vietnam’s innovation system in the modern sense is only emerging. Current science, technology and innovation capabilities are weak and the national innovation system is in a nascent and fragmented state. Research and development both in the public and private sectors still have a lot of room for improvement, according to the report. [read more]

Sigmar Gabriel rechnet in der Nähfabrik mit H&M ab

21.11.2014 Von Martin Greive (Die Welt) - Der Wirtschaftsminister besucht eine Textilfabrik in Vietnam – und mahnt Branchenriesen wie H&M, die die Arbeiter meist unwürdig beschäftigen. Dabei reichen zwei Cent pro Hemd für eine Betriebskita.

Einen Besuch in einer Textilfabrik van Laacks vor den Toren Hanois nutzt Gabriel dabei für eine Abrechnung mit Textil-Giganten wie H&M, Kik und Co. "Menschen dürfen nicht wie im Frühkapitalismus ausgebeutet werden", schimpft der Wirtschaftsminister – und fordert Konsequenzen. Nach Angaben von Menschenrechtlern herrschen in vielen Textilfabriken Südostasiens schlimme Zustände. [Weiterlesen]

Gabriel will mehr asiatische Investoren nach Deutschland holen

21.11.2014 (NDZ) - Durch mehrere geplante Freihandelsabkommen rückten Asien und Europa in den nächsten Jahren enger zusammen: «Das ist eine fantastische Vision. Asien ist das Rückgrat der Weltwirtschaft.»

Allerdings mahnte Gabriel nach einem Treffen mit Vietnams Premierminister Nguyen Tan Dung faire Bedingungen für ausländische Investoren in den rasch wachsenden Märkten Südostasiens an. «Länder, die Unternehmen systematisch benachteiligen, werden es schwer haben, Investoren anzuwerben», meinte er.

Westliche Firmen sind jedoch wegen Spannungen in der Region mit China besorgt. So streiten verschiedene südostasiatische Länder mit Peking um Inseln und Bodenschätze im südchinesischen Meer. [Weiterlesen]

Ein Luxus-Hemd aus Asien

21.11.2014 (Der Farang) - HANOI: Bundeswirtschaftsminister Sigmar Gabriel hat Arbeitsbedingungen asiatischer Näherinnen als Ausbeutung kritisiert.Die «schrecklichen Ereignisse» in Bangladesch, wo 2013 beim Einsturz einer Textilfabrik über 1000 Menschen starben, zeigten, dass Unternehmen Menschen «wie im Frühkapitalismus ausbeuten», sagte derSPD-Chef am Donnerstag während seiner Vietnam-Reise in der Nähe von Hanoi.

Gabriel glaubt, dass führende Modelabels sich Geschäftsmodelle auf dem Rücken einfacher Arbeiter nicht mehr lange leisten könnten: «Der Druck auf die Unternehmen, die sich so unverantwortlich verhalten,wird stärker werden.»

Ein Herrenhemd des Modeherstellers van Laack (Mönchengladbach), kostet in Deutschland im Laden 139 Euro. So setzt sich der Preis zusammen, wie van Laack vorrechnet: Nur 7,50 Euro an Lohn- und Produktionskosten bleiben in Vietnam. [Weiterlesen]

Gabriels Mission bei den Kommunisten in Vietnam

20.11.2014 Von Martin Greive, Hanoi und Saigon (Die Welt) - Der Hemdenproduzent van Laack zahlt den über 500 vietnamesischen Näherinnen in seiner Fabrik in Hanoi nicht nur faire Löhne. Das Mönchengladbacher Unternehmen hat sogar einen Betriebskindergarten eingerichtet. Van Laack sei ein "Vorzeigebetrieb", an dem sich andere ein Beispiel nehmen sollten, lobt Gabriel. Denn in den meisten Textilfabriken Asiens geht es ganz anders zu.

Aber als Gabriel hört, dass selbst bei einem Vorzeigebetrieb wie van Laack der Lohnkostenanteil an den Gesamtkosten nur ein bis drei Dollar beträgt, schaltet er wieder in den SPD-Modus. "Solange keine freien Gewerkschaften in Vietnam zugelassen werden, wird es zu keinen großen Fortschritten in der Gesellschaft kommen", sagt Gabriel mit Blick auf den rigiden Führungsstil der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams. "Politische und wirtschaftliche Freiheit gehören zusammen." [Weiterlesen]

Similarities come into focus in talk of nuclear plants, U.S. bases with ethnic minority in Vietnam

20.11.2014 By Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - The first construction project for a nuclear power plant in Vietnam is proceeding in Ninh Thuan province, on the country's south-central coast.

Inrajaka, a 30-year-old man belonging to the Cham ethnic minority, invited us to "drink some tea in my new home, if you'd like." His new house was in the middle of the wilderness where the cactus grows, away from the village of My Nghiep where only Cham live. I asked Inrajaka a question with an obvious answer. "They're gonna construct a nuclear power plant around here. What do you think about that?" Immediately he replied, "It's among the worst things humans do." His new home is 10 kilometers from where Russia is going to build the Ninh Thuan No. 1 nuclear power plant. [read more]

Vietnam: A country on the move

20.11.2014 Manuela Kasper-Claridge (DW) - About 750 business representatives are meeting in Ho Chi Minh City to explore opportunities in Vietnam. The mood is upbeat, reflecting Vietnam's high growth rate. Manuela Kasper-Claridge surveys the scene.

Two young city planners nursed their drinks in a private coffeehouse. Luu Hoang Kiem Minh Nhat and Thu Minh Nhat, both 23 years old, just recently finished their studies. Now they're looking for a job. That's a difficult challenge, because they face enormous amounts of competition. Vietnam's population is very young. Each year, about one million people graduate from school. "We speak English; maybe we could find work in a foreign architectural firm," says Nhat.

The two young men don't want to work for the public service. They don't want to be bureaucrats. The two are typical of many Vietnamese: They want to live in the city, plan an independent future, and have as much freedom as possible. They pay no attention to Communist Party propaganda posters. [read more]

Vietnam - ein Land im Aufbruch

20.11.2014 Manuela Kasper-Claridge (DW) - Über 750 Wirtschaftsvertreter treffen sich zur Asien-Pazifik-Konferenz der deutschen Wirtschaft in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, dem früheren Saigon. Manuela Kasper-Claridge über ein Land im Aufbruch.

In einem privaten Kaffeehaus sitzen zwei junge Stadtplaner. Luu Hoang Kiem und Thu Minh Nhat sind beide 23 Jahre alt und haben gerade ihr Studium beendet. Jetzt suchen sie einen Job. Das ist nicht einfach. Denn Vietnams Bevölkerung ist sehr jung. Jedes Jahr schließen rund eine Million Menschen die Schule ab. "Wir sprechen Englisch, vielleicht finden wir Arbeit bei einem ausländischen Architekturbüro", erzählt Nhat.

In den staatlichen Dienst wollen die jungen Männer nicht. Dort würden ja nur die Bürokraten sitzen. Die Beiden sind typisch für viele Vietnamesen. Sie wollen in der Stadt leben, ihre Zukunft selbständig planen und so viele Freiheiten wie möglich haben. Die Propagandaplakate der kommunistischen Partei beachten sie nicht. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: un país en movimiento

20.11.2014 Manuela Kasper-Claridge (DW) - Cerca de 750 ejecutivos se dan cita en la ciudad Ho Chi Minh para explorar oportunidades de negocio en Vietnam. La sensación general es de optimismo, lo que se refleja en la alta tasa de crecimiento.

Dos jóvenes urbanistas beben en un café. Luu Hoang Kiem Minh Nhat y Thus Minhs Nhat, ambos de 23 años, acaban de egresar de la universidad. Lo anterior es un desafío enorme: la competencia que enfrentan es inmensa. La población de Vietnam es joven. Cada año cerca de un millón de personas se gradúa de la escuela. “Nosotros hablamos inglés. Tal vez logremos encontrar trabajo en una firma extranjera de arquitectura”, dice Nhat.

Ninguno de los dos jóvenes quiere trabajar para las oficinas públicas. No quieren ser burócratas. Ambos son como la mayoría de los vietnamitas promedio: no quieren vivir en la ciudad, planean un futuro independiente y tener tanta libertad como sea posible. Los carteles de propaganda del Partido Comunista los tienen sin cuidado. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam’s Cable Car Mania

19.11.2014 Written by Helen Clark (Asia Sentinel) - At least a couple of times a year, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is torn apart in the local press, along with the agency’s and often-terribly strange ideas for tourism promotion. Most recently has been a cable car in a cave.

“Vietnam seems to have this deep insecurity that its natural beauty and scenic landscapes are not enough - they must be ‘improved’ with cable cars, casinos or loud karaoke,” Pamela McElwee, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, told local media.

The massive cave was found in 1991 by a local, Ho Khanh, and later explored by a group from the British Cave Research Association in 2009. It quickly made headlines and a National Geographic photo essay made it famous. The small-scale, light-footprint approach to allowing visitors to the cave was welcomed by some who are sick of the tourism industry’s rapid, reckless and often environmentally damaging expansion. [read more]

Deutsche Wirtschaft will Spannungen mit China in Südostasien ernst nehmen

19.11.2014 (NZZ) - HANOI (awp international) - Die deutsche Wirtschaft will verstärkt neue Märkte in Südostasien ins Visier nehmen - ist aber angesichts der Konfrontation einiger Länder in der Region mit der Grossmacht China beunruhigt. «Wir sollten mit grosser Wachsamkeit die derzeitigen Spannungen in der Südchinesischen See und die anti-chinesischen Demonstrationen in diesem Sommer beobachten», sagte der Vorsitzende des Asien-Pazifik-Ausschusses der Wirtschaft (APA), Hubert Lienhard, zum Auftakt des Vietnam-Besuchs von Wirtschaftsminister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) am Mittwoch in Hanoi. Asien brauche Stabilität und Frieden. [Weiterlesen]

Gabriel fordert von Vietnam bessere Behandlung deutscher Firmen

19.11.2014 (aktiencheck) - HANOI (dpa-AFX) - Bundeswirtschaftsminister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) will den Handel mit Vietnam ausbauen, fordert aber eine bessere Behandlung deutscher Firmen in dem südostasiatischen Land.

Es müsse ein durchschaubares Steuerrecht geben, ebenso einen fairen Zugang zu bislang abgeschotteten Märkten und öffentlichen Ausschreibungen. Wenn diese Bedingungen erfüllt würden, seien deutsche Mittelständler auf Jahrzehnte verlässliche Investoren, sagte der Vizekanzler zum Auftakt einer viertägigen Vietnam-Reise am Mittwoch in Hanoi. [Weiterlesen]

Investitionsstandort Vietnam

19.11.2014 Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - Die 14. Asien-Pazifik Konferenz, die am morgigen Donnerstag beginnt, ist eine Gelegenheit für Vietnam, sich der Welt zu präsentieren. Die Konferenz wird alle zwei Jahre an wechselnden Standorten vom Asien-Pazifik-Ausschuss der deutschen Wirtschaft, der Außenhandelskammer und dem Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie veranstaltet. In diesem Jahr fiel die Wahl auf die Wirtschaftsmetropole Ho Chi Minh-Stadt. Auch Sigmar Gabriel, Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Energie, wird in Vietnam sein.

Um allerdings mehr ausländische Investoren anzulocken, sei vor allem eine Verbesserung der Verwaltung und die Ausbildung von Fachkräften notwendig, so der Bericht der Weltbank. Den letzten Punkt hebt auch Hundt von GTAI hervor: "Ein Schwachpunkt sind zu wenige Fachkräfte." Dieses Manko werde bislang noch von den geringen Arbeitskosten aufgewogen, die der entscheidende Standortvorteil Vietnams seien, so Hundt. [Weiterlesen]

The Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam's declaration re. the protection of the natural heritage site of Son Doong

17.11.2014 (IJAVN) - The independent journalists of Vietnam urgently put out the call to forewarn against the impending plan to build cable car lines in Son Doong, thus causing severe damage to this natural heritage site.

Son Doong is a major cavern part of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang series of caverns. Located at 17°27’25.88” North and 106°17’15.36” East, it lies in the township of Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. Discovered by Mr. Ho Khanh, a local resident, it has been widely advertized by the Royal Caverns Society of Great Britain in 2009.

Son Doong is the largest natural cavern in the world, naturally formed some two to five million years ago. It is 150 meters broad, 200 meters high, and at least 5 kilometers long, served by an underground river of some 2.5 kilometers, and it has 70-meter tall stalagmites, with its own ecosystem different from that on the outside (these are data published by the Royal Caverns Society of Great Britain).

The Quang Binh Provincial People's Committee is the principal agent causing the damage done to the Son Doong natural heritage site. As the main agency responsible for the state management of the site, the authorities of Quang Binh Province have, in November 2014, agreed to let the Sun Group survey the site so as to study the building of cable car lines in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

The Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam, a civil society in Vietnam, hereby raises its voice:

Request that the People's Committee of Quang Binh Province and the Government of Vietnam take actions "to protect the environment and to preserve this heritage site for future generations," which means that they must fully and objectively evaluate, then widely disseminate the information about this proposal to build cable cars in the area of Son Doong (which belongs to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park). They should listen to the voice of the people, to the scientific experts, to environmental activists, to state-owned mass media and to civil societies before making a decision on proceeding with the building of the cable cars in the Son Doong area (which belongs to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park). [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnamese employees worked 14-hour days at Leisure Clothing

12.11.2014 Matthew Agius (maltatoday) - Four employees of controversial clothing firm claim they were paid only €600 for eight months’ work • Company keeps workers’ salaries for ‘safekeeping’.

The comment was made by lawyer Pio Valletta in a case instituted by three Vietnamese employees of Leisure Clothing who are accusing company officials of making them work over 14 hours a day, sometimes for seven days a week. They are also claiming that terms in their contract stipulating that wages owed would be paid upon the expiration of the contract.

Thi Thu Tran, Thi Cam Van and Van Ngu Tran filed the case against Leisure Clothing officials Han Bin, Jia Liu and Zang Hang Cuan claiming that they are owed some €50,000 in unpaid wages and overtime.

Antoine Grech, a representative from the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations testified that the three men were employed at Leisure clothing between November 2013 to July 2014.

After an initial two-month period of working a seven day week, they were then allowed Saturdays off. Their hours of work would bring a tear to the eye of even the most industrious worker, being from 7am to 9.30pm with a single 75-minute break. [read more]

Vietnam inspectors recommend penalties for state-owned Rubber Group

11.11.2014 (Rubber World) - Thanh Nien News reports, "State inspectors have recommended penalties for rampant financial mismanagement at the state-owned Vietnam Rubber Group which lost nearly $391 million over the course of six years. Members of the Government Inspectorate found the group and its member companies had made a series of unprofitable investment decisions between 2005 and 2011. One major violation, according to the inspectors, was the group's significant investment in the Phu Rieng-Kratie Rubber Company which began cultivating rubber in Cambodia in 2007. Mismanagement of the foreign subsidiary may have resulted in VND 483 billion ($22.75 million) in losses, not to mention nearly $1.9 million in loans the company cannot pay back. [read more]

Indonesien und Türkei auf dem Vormarsch

11.11.2014 (wallstreet:online) - Nach dem Erfolg der BRIC-Länder drängt eine neue Generation der Schwellenländer nach vorne: die Next 11. Die Staaten – von Ägypten, über Indonesien bis zu Vietnam – überzeugen mit deutlich besseren Wachstumsperspektiven als Industriestaaten.

Die Analysten von Goldman Sachs hatten den Begriff bereits Ende 2005 geprägt. Er umfasst die Länder Ägypten, Bangladesch, Indonesien, Iran, Mexiko, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippinen, Südkorea, Türkei und Vietnam.

Die Next 11 bieten langfristig gute Wachstumsperspektiven, denn die Nachfrage der privaten Haushalte wächst kräftig. Mit einer Wirtschaftsleistung von umgerechnet 1,3 Billionen Dollar für 2013 ist Südkorea das Schwergewicht unter den Next 11 und liegt damit knapp vor Mexiko.

Ebenso wie die koreanischen Aktien haben sich zuletzt auch die aus Indonesien und der Türkei erholt. Mit einem Bruttoinlandsprodukt von knapp 870 Mrd. Dollar belegt Indonesien den dritten Platz unter den Next 11 vor der Türkei (820 Mrd. Dollar). [Weiterlesen]

Nach Anti-China-Krawallen: Vietnam wirbt um chinesische Investitionen

10.11.2014 (Südtirol Online) - Nach schweren anti-chinesischen Krawallen hat Vietnams Präsident Truong Tan Sang in Peking um eine Normalisierung der Wirtschaftsbeziehungen geworbe.

„Chinesische Firmen sind sehr willkommen in Vietnam“, sagte Truong Tan Sang am Montag vor Wirtschaftsführern vor dem Asien-Pazifik-Gipfel (Apec) in Peking.

Aufgebrachte Demonstranten in Vietnam hatten im Mai mehrere chinesische und taiwanesische Firmen geplündert und in Brand gesteckt. Etliche chinesische Firmen hatten daraufhin angekündigt, ihr Engagement in Vietnam zurückzufahren. [Weiterlesen]

Samsung will drei Milliarden US-Dollar in Vietnam investieren

10.11.2014 (IT-Times) - SEOUL - Der südkoreanische Elektronikkonzern Samsung will eine Milliardensumme in Vietnam investieren. In der Provinz von Thai Nguyen soll eine Smartphone-Fabrik errichtet werden.

Samsung hat in Vietnam eine Anfrage für eine Lizenz gestellt, um für insgesamt drei Mrd. US-Dollar eine zweite Smartphone-Produktionsanlage zu errichten. Bereits im März dieses Jahres hatte Samsung in Thai Nguyen für zwei Mrd. Dollar die erste Smartphone-Fabrik errichtet. [Weiterlesen]

Asian governments failing to respond to climate change, says Oxfam report

07.11.2014 (The News International) - Many countries in Asia including Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines should invest more in their governments’ capacity to protect their citizens, given the region’s vulnerability to climate change.

Asia is the most disaster-prone region of the world, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

If no action is taken, four countries-Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam-could suffer a loss equivalent to 6.7 per cent of GDP annually by 2100, more than double the global average loss, according to the Asian Development Bank. [read more]

Climate change report: What are Asia’s risks?

06.11.2014 By Graham Land (Asian Correspondent) - The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released a synthesis report on the findings of over 800 scientists regarding the impacts of climate change. The report, which was released on November 3 in Copenhagen, uses strong language to describe risks deriving from hazards, vulnerability and exposure. It also explores the benefits of mitigation and adaptation policies, such as reforestation, water management, planning for sea level rises and public health measures.

Since the document is a summary of the IPCC’s fifth assessment report, the synthesis report refers to more general information rather than location- or region-specific findings. But what do these latest and most definitive findings mean for the Asia-Pacific region, according to the source material for the report? [read more]

Vietnam in hot pursuit of foreign business, investment

04.11.2014 Guy Dixon (The Globe and Mail) - ... The country is caught between two courses. One is the communist government’s continuous move toward privatization and transparency, with the goal of attracting foreign money, more foreign technologies and more international joint ventures. The other course is its often-inefficient state-owned enterprises, which are slowly being unravelled.

Hanoi regularly declares the restructuring as being on pace. Yet economic watchers note a kind of push-pull dynamic, one that requires a particular savvy by foreigners doing business.

It’s widely recognized that state-owned enterprises are a drag on the economy, said Antony Nezic, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam. Among the big ones are Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services (MobiFone), Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) and Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex). [read more]

Bio-Rad to pay $55 mln to settle U.S. bribery charges

04.11.2014 (Yahoo Finance) - Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc will pay $55 million to end U.S. Justice Department to resolve charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by recording fake payments in connection with sales in Russia. Securities and Exchange Commission, which said units of the Hercules, California-based company made $7.5 million in improper payments to officials in Russia, Vietnam and Thailand to win business [read more]

South Korea to provide nuke reactor model for Vietnam

03.11.2014 (Trend News) - Da Lat University in Vietnam's Central Highlands Lam Dong province will receive simulated equipment for nuclear education donated by South Korea later this month, local media reported on Monday.

The donation forms part of activities under a project worth two million U.S. dollars funded by the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's Central Research Institute, with the aim to support the training of Vietnamese nuclear power personnel, according to state-run Radio Voice of Vietnam.

The equipment that simulates the operation of the RoK-designed OPR 1000 (Optimized Power Reactor) in real time is the first of its kind in Vietnam, promising to facilitate not only personnel training but also research at Da Lat University, a major supplier of nuclear power human resources for the country. [read more]

Dark side to Asean trade growth

03.11.2014 Tan Hui Yee, The Straits Times (ANN) - Thousands of logs are moved around Southeast Asia annually, much of the activity illegal.

Some of the trees are felled in Laos and Cambodia, with the timber shipped across the border to Vietnam, where they are turned into furniture and then sold to neighbouring China.

Enforcement officials already have a hard enough time keeping track of such timber and related products, which were estimated to be worth US$11 billion in 2010.

Experts warn that it will soon get harder when Customs procedures are streamlined across Asean countries under economic integration plans, to begin in a year's time.

Dazu gehören Drogenhandel, Menschenhandel Betroffenen, Elektronikschrott und gefährdete Wildtiere. [read more]

Vietnam Delays Nuclear Power Plant Construction

01.11.2014 Sonal Patel (POWER) - Vietnam won’t begin work on its first of eight planned nuclear power plants until at least 2020 or 2022 to ensure safety, the country’s Trade Ministry announced in September.

Russia’s state-owned nuclear company Rosatom was expected to begin construction of the first two-reactor plant in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan at the end of this year.

Russia’s Rosatom will build Vietnam’s Ninh Thuan-1 nuclear power plant, which will feature two water-cooled, water-moderated reactors of the VVER type with a capacity of 1,000 MW to 1,200 MW each. Russia’s Atomstroyexport is expected to be the general contractor for the project. [read more]

18 Rhinozeros-Hörner beschlagnahmt

01.11.2014 (Handelszeitung) - In Südafrika sind zwei Vietnamesen mit einer Rekordmenge geschmuggelter Rhinozeros-Hörner im Gepäck festgenommen worden. Die beiden 25 und 26 Jahre alten Männer wurden am Freitagabend in einem Flugzeug beim Zwischenstopp in Johannesburg gefasst.

Zuvor hatte die Polizei Informationen über die Schmuggelware in ihrem Gepäck erhalten, wie ein Sprecher am Samstag sagte. Demnach befanden sie sich auf einem Flug von Mosambiks Hauptstadt Maputo in die vietnamesische Hauptstadt Hanoi.

Eigentlich hätten die Passagiere während des einstündigen Zwischenstopps in Johannesburg an Bord bleiben sollen, doch liess die Polizei wegen der Hinweise auf die Schmuggelware alle aussteigen und das Gepäck von einem Spürhund untersuchen. Laut dem Polizeisprecher wurden dabei 18 intakte Rhinozeros-Hörner entdeckt. Es handelt sich um den grössten Fund aller Zeiten in Südafrika. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Huge rhino horn bust: 18 on flight - Two Vietnamese arrested

01.11.2014 (Emirates247) - Two Vietnamese men were arrested at Johannesburg airport with a record haul of 18 rhino horns, weighing 41 kilos (90 pounds), during a stopover on a flight from Mozambique to Vietnam, South African police said Saturday.

"This is the largest haul of rhino horns seized in one operation in South Africa," said a joint statement from police and customs officials. The flight had started in Maputo, Mozambique, and was heading to Hanoi.

Police said it was believed the horns, which were still intact, were removed from South African rhinos. The two Vietnamese, aged 25 and 26, were in police custody after being stopped late Friday. They were due to appear in court on Monday. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Pork Feast in Vietnam Spurs Monsanto GM Corn Push

30.10.2014 By Diep Ngoc Pham (Bloomberg) - Vietnam plans to sow genetically modified crops for the first time as demand for corn to fatten hogs expands in the country where pork consumption climbed 80 percent in the past decade.

The Ministry of Agriculture approved four traits for food and feed use in August. Dekalb Vietnam Co., a unit of St Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto Co. (MON), the world’s largest seed company, expects to commercialize two of them as soon as regulatory requirements are met, Nguyen Hong Chinh, head of corporate affairs, said by e-mail on Oct. 22.

While the Union of Concerned Scientists, a U.S.-based non-profit advocacy group, says GM crops have the potential to affect health and the environment, Monsanto says the broad consensus among scientists who have looked closely at GM plants is that they are as safe as any other crop. [read more]

Vietnam beef tallow proven to be inedible

28.10.2014 (The China Post) - TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The tallow products and coconut oil from Vietnamese manufacturer Dai Hanh Phuc Company (大幸福公司) have been proven to be made from animal feed oil and are not appropriate for human consumption, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) Vice Minister Shiu Ming-neng (許銘能) said yesterday. Official documents have shown that these products are inedible and MHW officials will soon start to destroy the affected products, Based on the latest information released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dai Hanh Phuc Company has not been certified as a food manufacturer.

The FDA also stated that there are a total of 102 products from various food companies affected by the inedible tallow. In addition, another famous company, Veden Enterprise Corp. (味丹企業股份有限公司), also reported that it has used sauce containing Vietnamese tallow in its beef-flavored instant noodles and has already pulled these products off shelves. [read more]

Vietnam: arrestation d'un banquier de premier plan

26.10.2014 (DH.be) - Hanoï (AFP) - Un banquier vietnamien, parmi les hommes d'affaires les plus riches du pays, a été arrêté dans le cadre d'une enquête sur l'octroi de prêts douteux, a annoncé la banque centrale vietnamienne (BCV).

Ha Van Tham, ancien président de la banque privée Ocean Bank, a été arrêté vendredi, a précisé la BCV sur son site internet.

Soupçonné de "graves" infractions aux "lois sur le prêt bancaire", il encourt un maximum de 20 ans de prison, selon le ministère de la Sécurité publique.

Les irrégularités ont été mises au jour lors d'une enquête sur un projet de restructuration de la banque qui avait conduit à son éviction.

La BCV a souligné "coopérer étroitement avec les autorités compétentes pour examiner les infractions commises au sein d'Ocean Bank". [en savoir plus]

Instant noodles pulled from shelves: Uni-President used Vietnamese tallow

26.10.2014 (Soshiok) - TAIPEI, Taiwan - Nineteen instant noodle products from Uni-President Enterprises Corporation were pulled from shelves yesterday for containing tallow from Vietnam, following the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) issuance of a preventive recall on Oct 22; Vietnam officials have not yet proven that these oil products are edible.

Uni-President group reported to Tainan City's Department of Health that 19 beef-flavored instant noodle products, including the brands Lai Yi Ke, Man Han Da Tsan and spicy oden packs sold in 7-Eleven convenience stores, contain Vietnamese tallow products that have not been certified safe for human consumption. 

Uni-President group reported that it bought a total of 5.57 tons of refined tallow products from Ting Hsin Oil & Fat Industrial Co., which allegedly contain non-edible oil from Vietnam, on June 10 this year and used the oil to produce their beef-flavored sauce in their instant noodles, according to the FDA. [read more]

Grant Associates landscaping Vietnam uni

26.10.2014 (Bath Chronicle) - Staff at Bath landscape architecture firm Grant Associates are currently working on plans for a new university campus in Vietnam.

Earlier this year the company won an international competition to design the Vietnamese-German University Campus in Binh Duong Province. [read more]

Globalisierung am Mekong

24.10.2014 (chemie.de) - Vietnam ist ein Land, dessen Märkte zum Teil stark auf Importe angewiesen sind und sich daher zunehmend den Herausforderungen der Globalisierung stellen müssen. Themen wie zuverlässige Qualitätskontrollen bei Nahrungs- oder Arzneimitteln rücken in den Vordergrund.

Zahlreiche wachstumsstarke Branchen Vietnams sind von Importen abhängig, so beispielsweise die Nahrungsmittel- oder Pharmaindustrie. Doch nicht alle eingeführten Produkte zeugen von hoher Qualität, wie jüngste Vorkommnisse zeigen: Importiertes, verunreinigtes Fett, aber auch Rückstände von Pestiziden auf Obst verunsichern die Bevölkerung und stellen Qualitäts- und Hygieneansprüche in Frage. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese tycoon held on suspicion of fraud: sources

24.10.2014 (Reuters) - Police in Vietnam have detained one of the country's biggest tycoons, the founder and chairman of conglomerate Ocean Group, on suspicion of financial irregularities, banking sources and state media said on Friday.

Two banking and finance sources with direct knowledge of the case told Reuters Tham had been detained, but asked not to be identified because the issue was "sensitive".

Several state-run newspapers, citing unnamed police sources, said Tham would be held for at least four months pending further investigation into alleged lending violations.

Officials of the Hanoi police and Vietnam's police anti-fraud unit were not available for comment when contacted by Reuters. [read more]

Vietnam property: No-man’s land no more

23.10.2014 Leslie Shaffer (CNBC) - Vietnamese property may finally be shaking off its years-long bear market to rise from the flames, with analysts pointing to rising sales and increased investment.

"It's a real-estate market turnabout," said David O'Neil, chief investment officer at Asean Investment Management (AIM). "Inflation and interest rates have dropped by 65-80 percent so it's no wonder," he said, adding the volume of sales has doubled so far this year and he's seen private equity deals "every week." [read more]

Looking for a plus-one, Japan turns to Vietnam

23.10.2014 Author: Kensuke Yanagida, Japan Institute of International Affairs (East Asia Forum) - As Japan seeks to diversify its investments beyond China, an opportunity arises for Vietnam to attract greater international investment.

Over the past few years, firms invested in China have started diversifying their investment destinations and reducing their overreliance on China, in what is called the ‘China Plus One Strategy’. This is a result of rising labour costs and ongoing structural reforms in China. In this context, Vietnam appears to have great potential for attracting the interest of foreign firms looking for a destination for their next investment — to become the ‘plus one’. [read more]

Vietnam: 4.000 Arbeiter streiken

23.10.2014 (rf-news) - In Ho Chi Minh Stadt in Vietnam traten am Dienstag 4.000 Arbeiter von Vina Duke Comp. in den Streik gegen die miserabelen Arbeitsbedingungen. Aktueller Anlass ist die Erhöhung des Akkords, es herrscht in der Fabrik ein strenges Regime, so darf jeder Arbeiter im Monat nur 150 Minuten auf die Toilette, ansonsten gibt es Lohnabzug. Außerdem ist das Essen mies, für das sie auch noch bezahlen müssen. [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam police hunt hackers behind mass outage

22.10.2014 By Tim Hornyak (Network World) - Vietnamese cybersecurity authorities are hunting hackers believed to be responsible for the country’s biggest-ever online attack last week, according to the founder of a security website in Hanoi.

“This is the biggest cyber-attack ever in Vietnam, affecting the Vietnam security community,” Tran Quang Chien of SecurityDaily.Net wrote in an email. “This was a targeted malicious attack.”

The incident that began Oct. 13 saw the outage of multiple websites under Vietnam Communications (VCCorp), an Internet company in Vietnam that owns more than 20 websites such as news portal Dan Tri. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Big developing countries fuel surge in smartphone sales in S-E Asia

21.10.2014 (asiaone) - SINGAPORE - Smartphone sales in South-east Asia spiked by 44 per cent in volume and 24 per cent in value in the 12-month period up to August, compared to the same period the previous year, according to latest data.

Big developing countries in the region, like Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, are "fuelling the strong surge in adoption as many outside the big cities are probably just making the switch from their basic feature phone and acquiring their first smartphone" said Mr Gerard Tan, account director for digital world at GfK Asia.

The latest findings by GfK showed that total sales of smartphones in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia hit nearly 120 million units, and more than US$16.4 billion (S$20.9 billion), in the 12 months between Sept 2013 and Aug 2014. [read more]

Umstrittene Bärenfarmen in Nordvietnam geschlossen

20.10.2014 Redaktion DER FARANG (dpa) - HANOI: Nach heftigem Protest von Aktivisten haben zwei Bärenfarmen im Norden Vietnams ihren zweifelhaften Betrieb eingestellt.

Auf Druck örtlicher Behörden hin seien die Farmen in der vor allem bei Touristen beliebten Ha Long-Bucht nun geschlossen, meldete die Umweltgruppe Education for Nature (ENV) am Montag. In den Anlagen war den Raubtieren verbotenerweise Gallensaft entnommen worden - eine schmerzhafte Prozedur für die Bären [Weiterlesen]

Ausländische Unternehmen in Vietnam bemängeln qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte

17.10.2014 (Expat News) - Obwohl sich Vietnams Wirtschaft noch immer in einem Erholungsprozess befindet, steigt die Nachfrage nach Arbeitskräften stark. So suchen Unternehmen insbesondere erfahrene Teamleiter, Supervisor, Manager und Direktoren, während die Nachfrage nach neuen Absolventen gering bleibt. Viele Unternehmen haben deshalb Schwierigkeiten, Personal für das mittlere und höhere Management zu finden, was vor allem am geringen Angebot dieser Beschäftigungsgruppe am Arbeitsmarkt liegt. Zusätzlich mangelt es vielen vietnamesischen Arbeitskräften an gefragten Fähigkeiten, wie etwa Sprachkenntnisse, kognitives und technisches Können sowie die Kenntnis bestimmter Verhaltensnormen. Solche Fähigkeiten bringen am ehesten Arbeiter aus Singapur, Malaysia und Thailand mit. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam consults Lightbridge on research reactor

17.10.2014 (WNN) - US-based Lightbridge Corp has extended its nuclear cooperation with Vietnam by agreeing to offer consultancy services for setting up a nuclear research centre, including a research reactor, in the country.

The company announced today that it had signed two separate agreements with the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VinAtom) and Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company 1 (PECC1).

Under its agreement with VinAtom, Lightbridge is to provide consulting services related to the construction and operation of Vietnam's planned $500 million Atomic Energy Research Centre at Da Lat, including a nuclear research reactor. [read more]

Will Vietnam’s FDI-led economy get stuck in a middle income trap?

16.10.2014 Author: Tran Van Tho (East Asia Forum) - The Vietnamese economy has experienced a downturn in growth since 2008. In the past five years, the growth averaged about 5.5 per cent a year and is not expected to be much higher in the coming years. For a country of per capita income of about US$2000, that rate of growth is low. Increasing the rate of growth to somewhere in the vicinity of 8 per cent a year is imperative if Vietnam is to avoid the so-called middle income trap.

Another feature of the Vietnamese economy is that growth has increasingly been driven by foreign direct investment (FDI). FDI firms in recent years accounted for nearly half of industrial output and more than 65 per cent of exports... most FDI firms in Vietnam are wholly foreign-owned. The number of joint ventures between foreign and local firms is quite small. At the end of 2013, approximately 80 per cent of FDI projects were wholly foreign-owned. Vertical linkages between FDI and local firms are also very weak. FDI firms in machinery assembly heavily rely on imports of parts, components and other intermediate goods. They do partially procure intermediate goods in domestic resources but mainly from the supply of other foreign firms rather than local firms. This problem stems from the presence of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). [read more]

Vietnamese Authorities to Inspect Controversial Bauxite-Mining Plant

16.10.2014 (RFA) - Local news organizations that reported on the spill at the Tan Rai bauxite plant in Lam Dong province in southern Vietnam’s central highlands cited scientists who had previously warned about the adverse environmental effects of such reservoirs if they overflow and pollute rivers.

According to reports, red-colored sludge flowed out of the reservoir at the plant after the embankment gave way. But the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin), which owns the plant, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said the sludge was not what is known as red mud, a toxic byproduct of the process that refines bauxite, raw aluminum ore, into aluminum oxide, or alumina. [read more]

Zwickau: Vietnamesen als Fachkräfte für Straßenbau

16.10.2014 (ShortNews) - Auf Initiative des Berufsförderungswerkes Bau Sachsen reagierten Baufirmen in Zwickau auf den Mangel an Fachkräften, indem sie im weit entfernten Vietnam Lehrlinge gesucht haben. Für einen Ausbildungsplatz zum Straßenbauer fand man dort auf Anhieb hundert Bewerber, teilweise sogar Ingenieure.

Die besten wurden ausgewählt und bekommen jetzt im Berufsschulzentrum Zwickau zusätzlichen Sprachunterricht [Weiterlesen]

Deadly radiation traces found in contaminated imported cigarettes and customs on red alert

13.10.2014 By Alan Hall (Mirror) - The boxes of Red Marlboro were seized last year and contained Strontium 90, a chemical isotope used in nuclear weapons

German customs have warned that counterfeit Red Marlboro cigarettes may flood into Europe from Vietnam contaminated with lethal radiation. Officials at German air and seaports have been issued with geiger counters to read radioactive signals after a batch of the bogus cigarettes were intercepted in Warsaw, Poland, earlier this year. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Radioaktive Zigaretten alarmieren Zoll

12.10.2014 (Süddeutschen Zeitung) - Nach dem Fund radioaktiv verseuchter Zigaretten in Polen ist der deutsche Zoll alarmiert. Im September sei eine Warnung vor radioaktiv kontaminierten Zigaretten an alle deutschen Zollämter gegangen, sagte der Sprecher des leitenden Zollkriminalamtes Köln am Sonntag.

Die Sprecherin des für den deutschen Zoll zuständigen Finanzministeriums bestätigte einen Bericht der Bild am Sonntag, wonach am 9. Juni auf dem Flughafen in Warschau in einer Kiste mit gefrorenen Krabben Zigarettenpackungen gefunden wurden, an und in denen mit Jod 125 verseuchte Metallplättchen lagen. Packungsdeckel waren zusätzlich mit Strontium 90 verstrahlt.

Die Kiste gehörte zum Gepäck eines Vietnamesen, der aus seinem Heimatland über Paris nach Warschau geflogen war. Den Ermittlern sagte der Mann demnach, er sei in Vietnam angesprochen worden, ob er das Paket mitnehmen und einer Kontaktperson in Polen übergeben könne. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Wants India to Help Reduce Dependence on China

11.10.2014 By Devirupa Mitra (The New Indian Express) - NEW DELHI: As Vietnam hopes to reduce its dependence on the Chinese economy, its Prime Minister will land on the Indian soil later this month, marking an unprecedented level of intensity of interaction between the two countries - three high-level visits in three consecutive months.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will arrive at Bodh Gaya on October 28 and then a day later travel to Delhi for formal, substantive meetings. It takes place just a month after President Pranab Mukherjee was on a four-day visit to the country on September 14. And in August, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had marked the Modi Government’s first engagement with Hanoi.

According to sources, Vietnamese PM’s visit will focus on building more bridges with India, so as to sources materials and reduce its dependence on China. The sector specifically that Hanoi is looking at India is textiles. [read more] - 

Hijackers Release Vietnam Tanker After Diesel Fuel Theft

09.10.2014 By John Boudreau and Mai Ngoc Chau (Bloomberg) - Pirates released a Vietnamese oil tanker and its 18 crew members yesterday after siphoning part of its diesel cargo, according to the coast guard.

The hijackers appeared to speak Indonesia’s Bahasa language, Thu said, citing the tanker’s crew. They boarded shortly after it departed Singapore, coming alongside before swarming its decks, beating two pilots and breaking one of the men’s legs.

They also removed 1,400 tons of diesel by pumping the fuel out of two holds into their smaller craft, according to Thu. The ship’s communications and GPS systems were destroyed, and all of the crew’s mobile phones except one were taken. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

'Sie legten Messer an unsere Kehlen'

09.10.2014 (Handelsblatt) - Der seit einer Woche in Südostasien vermisste Tanker aus Vietnam ist nach Angaben eines Besatzungsmitglieds von Piraten entführt und wieder freigelassen worden. Der stellvertretende Kapitän der 'Sunrise 689', Pham Van Hoang, berichtete am Donnerstag telefonisch, dass mehr als zehn Männer mit Schusswaffen und Messern das Schiff kurz nach der Abfahrt in Singapur am 2. Oktober gekapert hätten.

'Sie legten ihre Messer an unsere Kehlen und drohten damit, uns zu töten, wenn wir uns zur Wehr setzten', sagte Hoang. Ein Mitglied der Besatzung sei bei einem Fluchtversuch gestürzt und habe sich ein Bein gebrochen. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Un pétrolier vietnamien libéré par des pirates

09.10.2014 (7sur7) - Un pétrolier battant pavillon du Vietnam, détourné par des pirates au large de Singapour, a été libéré, ont indiqué jeudi les autorités vietnamiennes.

Cette année, l'Asie du Sud-Est a connu une vague de détournements autour du détroit de Malacca, situé entre la Malaisie, l'Indonésie et Singapour, provoquant des craintes sur les voies maritimes de la région. [en savoir plus] - [tiếng Việt]

Los piratas liberan un petrolero secuestrado en el Mar de China Meridional

09.10.2014 (Univision) - Bangkok (EFE).- El petrolero con bandera vietnamita Sunrise-689 fue liberado por los piratas que lo secuestraron el viernes pasado en el Mar de China Meridional a las pocas horas de partir de Singapur, informó hoy la prensa local.

Dos de los 18 tripulantes sufrieron heridas leves en los primeros forcejeos con los atacantes, que robaron al menos un tercio de las 5.200 toneladas de petróleo que transportaba y destruyeron los equipos de comunicación del navío, según la compañía propietaria Haiphong Sea Product Shipbuilding. [seguir leyendo] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam-flagged tanker goes missing, hijack feared

07.10.2014 (Yahoo News) - Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - A Vietnam-flagged tanker has gone missing en route from Singapore to the Vietnamese port of Quang Tri and is feared hijacked, a world piracy watchdog said on Tuesday, amid growing concern over piracy in Southeast Asian waters.

There has been no contact with the MT Sunrise 689 since shortly after it departed Singapore last Thursday, the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre said in a news alert. [read more]

Vietnamesischer Öltanker vermisst

07.10.2014 (Bild) - Hanoi – Ein vietnamesischer Öltanker mit 18 Besatzungsmitgliedern an Bord wird zwischen Malaysia und Indonesien vermisst.

Der Funkverkehr zu dem Schiff sei etwa 180 Seemeilen (333 Kilometer) von Singapur entfernt abgebrochen. [Weiterlesen]

Parti de Singapour, un pétrolier vietnamien a disparu

07.10.2014 (Romandie) - Un pétrolier battant pavillon vietnamien a disparu, ont indiqué mardi les autorités maritimes de Malaisie. Il avait quitté Singapour il y a cinq jours pour le port de Quang Tri, au Vietnam.

Le contact avec le MT Sunrise 689 a été perdu peu après son départ de Singapour le 2 octobre, a précisé le Centre régional de la piraterie du Bureau maritime international (BMI), basé à Kuala Lumpur. Une recrudescence des actes de piraterie est constatée dans cette région d'Asie du Sud-Est.

Parti de Singapour, un pétrolier vietnamien a disparu [en savoir plus]

US-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation Agreement Becomes Effective

03.10.2014 (GlobeNewswire) - Washington - A U.S.-Vietnam agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation has entered into force. The agreement establishes the terms for commercial nuclear trade, research and technology exchanges between the two countries as provided under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act. Following is a statement from Richard Myers, Nuclear Energy Institute vice president for policy development, planning and supplier programs.

"This is a key part of a necessary effort to ensure that United States industry is able to participate in the highly competitive global nuclear energy market. The U.S. role and influence in that multibillion-dollar market is uncertain as global competitors have gained a larger share of it. [read more]

Snatched from their homes, crammed into cages and beaten to death to be eaten: Inside the world of Vietnam's brutal dog-meat industry

03.10.2014 By Alasdair Glennie (Daily Mail) - It is a sight that will horrify any animal lover or pet owner. Snatched from their homes, crammed into metal cages and force-fed for restaurant tables, these animals are the victims of Vietnam’s booming dog-meat industry.

Thousands of pets are stolen from gardens and front porches every year to feed the appetites of diners who treat dog meat as a delicacy.

Documentary makers from Channel 4’s Unreported World found that seven tonnes of live dogs are shipped to the nation’s capital Hanoi every day.

Many are stolen by thieves who drive round the streets at night on mopeds using lassos to catch unsuspecting pets.

Because they are sold by weight, they are force fed through funnels to increase their value before being hosed down and tightly packed in cages. [read more]

Le premier Airbus A350 de Vietnam Airlines prend forme

02.10.2014 (Air Journal) - Airbus a dévoilé hier une image du premier A350-900 destiné à la compagnie aérienne Vietnam Airlines, lors de son entrée dans la chaine d’assemblage final.

Première en Asie à mettre en service le nouveau biréacteur long-courrier, la compagnie nationale vietnamienne attend pour la mi-2015 la livraison du premier des dix exemplaires commandés. Il est entré le 30 septembre 2014 dans la FAL Roger Béteille à Toulouse pour son assemblage final, sans le moindre empennage mais affublé du nom de son client. Vietnam Airlines sera aussi le deuxième opérateur au monde de l’A350, après la compagnie de lancement Qatar Airways. [en savoir plus]

Erster Airbus A350 für Vietnam Airlines

01.10.2014 (Flug Revue) - In Toulouse hat die Endmontage des ersten Airbus A350 XWB für Vietnam Airlines begonnen. Die Fluggesellschaft wird der zweite Betreiber des neuen Twins.

Vietnam Airlines hat zehn Airbus A350 XWB bestellt und ist wird die nun in der Roger-Béteille-Final-Assembly-Line in Toulouse befindliche Maschine Mitte 2015 übernehmen. [Weiterlesen]

Airbus begins final assembly of first A350 XWB for Vietnam Airlines

01.10.2014 Linda Blachly (ATW) - Airbus has begun final assembly of the first A350 XWB for Vietnam Airlines at the Roger Béteille Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in mid-2015, making Vietnam Airlines the first Asian carrier to fly the A350 XWB.

Vietnam Airlines, which has 10 of the type on order, will operate the aircraft on premium long-haul services.[read more]

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Vietnam: la croissance s'accélère

29.09.2014 (Le Figaro) - Le Vietnam a enregistré lors des trois premiers trimestres de l'année sa croissance la plus rapide depuis trois ans, selon des chiffres publiés lundi, malgré des émeutes antichinoises qui menaçaient de faire peur aux investisseurs.

Le PIB a augmenté de 5,62% entre janvier et septembre, contre 5,14% sur la même période en 2013 et 4,73% sur la même période de 2012. [en savoir plus]

Climate change affects Vietnam's rice bowl

29.09.2014 Christopher Johnson, Mekong Delta, Vietnam (DW) - Ever more farmers in Vietnam's Mekong Delta are facing tough decisions as a result of saltwater intrusion in their rice fields. But some argue it's just nature undoing human changes to the land.

In southern Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, the sprawling rice fields are full of emerald green plants. Hai Thach stands on the monsoon-soaked footpath that runs between his paddies. Squinting out across his half-hectare plot, the rice farmer says this is where he loves to be. "I so much enjoy working this land. Everyday, I must visit the land, four or five times a day."

Rising seas are inundating low-lying regions around the world - flooding towns and cities, and threatening regions vital to the world's food supplies, including the Mekong Delta, commonly referred to as Vietnam's rice bowl. [read more]

Elfenbein statt Cashew-Nüsse

29.09.2014 (NZZ) - (dpa) In einer als Cashew-Nüsse deklarierten Ladung aus Afrika hat der Zoll in Vietnam knapp 60 Elefantenstosszähne entdeckt. Die illegale Elfenbein-Ladung wurde am Wochenende am Flughafen in Ho-Chi-Minh-City konfisziert, wie der Zoll am Montag berichtete. [read more]

New rice helps Mekong farmers battle worsening floods, salt intrusion

25.09.2014 Author: Georgina Smith, CIAT (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Flooding in the lower Mekong Delta is becoming more intense, frequent and complex to control due to climate change, say researchers. The 17 million farmers living on the Delta in Vietnam’s southern-most tip - where 60 percent of the country’s rice is produced – need solutions.

As the government contemplates costs of up to $2.1 billion to protect crops and people from weather extremes and salt water intrusion, rice researchers are trying to equip farmers with more robust rice varieties.

Rice farmer Ho Thai Benam’s crop was hit by disease earlier in the year. “I have children studying in the city and with low rice productivity I don’t have enough money for their tuition,” she said. [read more]

Vietnam Growth Worst Since 1980s Seen on Credit Crunch: Economy

25.09.2014 By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen (Bloomberg) - Hanoi. Do Thi Hien points to about two dozen sewing machines lined up on one side of her apparel workshop near Hanoi’s Red River.

They have been gathering dust as she tried to get a loan to increase output for exports.

“I’ve knocked on the doors of four banks already this year and I still can’t get a loan,” Hien, 42, said. “They’re only prepared to lend at high interest rates.”

Hien’s factory is among thousands in the country that have cut production or shut down as one of the highest levels of bad debt among Southeast Asia’s biggest economies damps lending.

Government efforts to clean up banks have failed to reinvigorate the credit growth local companies rely on, threatening their ability to supply the Japanese and Chinese manufacturers who are turning to Vietnam as a production center. [read more]

Untersee-Internet-Kabel beschädigt

25.09.2014 (der Farang) - THAILAND: Ein Schiffsanker hat vor der Küste Vietnams ein Untersee-Internet-Kabel beschädigt. Als Folge müssen sich Internetnutzer in Südostasien mit einer langsameren Geschwindigkeit abfinden.

Beschädigt wurde das 20.000 Kilometer lange Asia-America Gateway (AAG)-Kabel, das Südostasien über Hawaii und Guam mit den USA verbindet. [Weiterlesen]

Geldstrafe für Elfenbeinschmuggel

24.09.2014 Von Matthias Gerhart (Frankfurter Neue Presse) - Über 32 Kilogramm zersägte Stoßzähne und einige Gramm Amphetamine versuchte ein 27-Jähriger nach Vietnam zu schmuggeln. Am Flughafen Frankfurt wurde er erwischt. Nun muss er sich vor Gericht verantworten.

Gestern ging es in einem Prozess vor dem Amtsgericht Frankfurt um diese Problematik. Auf dem Frankfurter Flughafen war im Juni dieses Jahres ein 27 Jahre alter Passagier aus der Maschine geholt worden, die gerade aus Prag kommend gelandet war. Das Flugticket des Mannes lautete auf den Zielort Hanoi im Norden Vietnams. Dort kam der Geschäftsmann und Inhaber eines Ladens für vietnamesische Andenken in der Prager Innenstadt auch her. [Weiterlesen]

Schlag gegen Produktfälscher in Asien

23.09.2014 (derStandard) Lyon - Polizei beschlagnahmt Imitate im Wert von 39 Millionen Euro und nimmt über 660 Personen fest.

Bei einer internationalen Polizeirazzia gegen Produktfälscher sind mehr als 660 Verdächtige in zehn asiatischen Ländern festgenommen worden. Wie Interpol am Montag weiter mitteilte, wurden fast eine Million Güter im Wert von fast 50 Millionen Dollar (39 Millionen Euro) [Weiterlesen]

Asean must take leadership role at UN Climate Summit: greens

Southeast Asian nations among those hardest hit by global warming impacts

22.09.2014 Tim Kroenert, Manila (UCANews) - Environmental and human rights groups Monday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to present a united front ahead of a global climate change summit.

Pointing to a series of environmental catastrophes that have wreaked havoc on Asean nations in recent years, experts urged Southeast Asian governments to take a leading role in global climate negotiations at Tuesday’s UN Climate Summit in New York.

At a press conference in Manila, the umbrella group Asean for a Fair, Ambitious and Binding Climate Deal (A-FAB) presented a policy brief, 'Weathering Extremes: The Need for a Stronger Asean response,' highlighting the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. [read more]

Vietnam postpones first nuclear power plant construction

22.09.2014 EBR Staff Writer (Energy Business Review) - Vietnam has delayed construction work on its first nuclear power plant, which was initially planned at the end of 2014, Vietnam Industry and Trade Ministry Deputy Minister Cao Quoc Hung said.

Thanh Nien Daily cited Hung as saying at a meeting that the construction is now rescheduled to be completed by 2020 or 2022 in order to ensure safety and efficiency. [read more]

WWF hace campaña para reducir la demanda de cuerno de rinoceronte en Vietnam

22.09.2014 (Publimetro) - Johannesburgo (EFE).- WWF Sudáfrica lanzó hoy una campaña dirigida a los varones vietnamitas en la que desmiente las propiedades saludables y afrodisíacas del cuerno de rinoceronte, con el fin de reducir la demanda de este producto en el país asiático y disminuir así la caza furtiva de la especie en Sudáfrica.

"La clave del futuro de nuestros rinocerontes está en Asia y no en África", declaró la directora del programa para estos animales del Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza (WWF), Jo Shaw, durante el acto celebrado en Ciudad del Cabo con motivo del Día Internacional del Rinoceronte. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam-EU free trade talks

21.09.2014 (New Europe) - The 9th round of negotiations on the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement (FTA) will take place in Vietnam’s central Da Nang city on September 22-26, local Saigon Times daily reported on September 16.

The report quoted Ambassador Franz Jessen, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, as saying that negotiators at the next round of negotiations in Da Nang will seek ways to do away with outstanding differences. [read more]

Kruger rhinos' final chance

20.09.2014 By Paul Robinson (The Earth Times) - With the arrest of an Indian horn trader, rhinoceros conservationists make steps towards preventing the poaching of all the species. More significant is the loss of 2014 rhino from South Africa alone this year. Rhinose Foundation, from the republic, are among the most significant movers among those stopping the poaching. Red polypropylene horns , meant to attach to RSA car hoods, hardly seem to do them justice, as they also bring Vietnamese officials and celebrities to see the killing at first hand.

The idea is to have rhino ambassadors in the focal point of rhino trading. China and other countries with Chinese traditional medicine are the sink for rhino horn, but Vietnam is presently the prime importer of illegal pieces of horn, cut up to fit in normal luggage. The 8 members of the Vietnamese delegation have just arrived in South Africa for World Rhino Day on 22nd September, including customs officials such as Nguyen Hung Anh and pop star Hong Nhung. They describe the ancient beliefs by which powdered horn is supposed to be drunk as a detoxifying agent to cure cancer or almost anything else. [read more]

Vietnam imposes share-listing rule

18.09.2014 Writer: Bloomberg (Bangkok Post) - Vietnam has introduced a rule compelling state-owned companies to list shares more quickly following initial public offerings (IPO) in an attempt to accelerate a privatisation programme lagging behind schedule.

From Nov 1, companies that conduct IPOs will have to register shares on the official UpCom over-the-counter market within 90 days of receiving business registration certificates, according to a decision issued by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung published on the government's website. Shares must then begin trading on one of the country's two main stock markets in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City within a year of certification. [read more]

Brückenbau zwischen Ostdeutschland und Vietnam / Delegationsreise nach Hanoi und Ho-Chih-Minh City

15.09.2014 (boerse-online) - Berlin (ots) - Wirtschaftsstandort Ostdeutschland auf Reisen: Vertreter von zwölf ostdeutschen Unternehmen aus Thüringen, Berlin, Brandenburg und Sachsen reisen vom 15. - 19. September in Begleitung von Germany Trade & Invest, dem Bundeswirtschaftsministerium und der Wirtschaftsförderung Thüringen nach Vietnam, um neue Geschäftskontakte zu knüpfen und Aufträge für die heimische Wirtschaft hereinzuholen. Die Unternehmen kommen aus den Branchen Erneuerbare Energien, Biotechnologie, Medizintechnik, Metallbearbeitung und Bauwirtschaft. Die ASEAN-Region und insbesondere Vietnam werden für deutsche Unternehmer immer interessanter. Im regionalen Vergleich steht Vietnam gut da, für 2014 und 2015 wird derzeit mit einem überdurchschnittlichen Wachstum von 5,8 bzw. 6,3 Prozent gerechnet. [Weiterlesen]

«Schnelleres Wachstum setzt weitere Liberalisierung voraus»

12.09.2014 Ernst Herb, Hanoi (Finanz und Wirtschaft) - Vietnam verdankt einer sinkenden Inflationsrate, steigenden Exporten und anschwellenden Kapitalzuflüssen aus dem Ausland das dritte Jahr makroökonomischer Stabilität. Das steht in Kontrast zu den Jahren nach 2008, als die südostasiatische Volkswirtschaft in Folge eines exzessiven Kreditwachstums und einer Teuerungsrate von zeitweise fast 30% nahe an den Rand des Abgrunds rückte. Die Asiatische Entwicklungsbank prognostiziert für das laufende Jahr eine Expansion des Bruttoinlandproduktes von 5,4%.

Damit entwickelt sich die Wirtschaft nach Meinung des renommierten Ökonomen Le Dang Doanh dennoch deutlich unter ihrem Potenzial. «Eine nachhaltig beschleunigte Dynamik setzt allerdings eine weitere Liberalisierung der Wirtschaft voraus», sagt Le, der als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Volkswirtschaft der Universität Hanoi arbeitet. [Weiterlesen]

Russia, Vietnam Take Steps Toward Free Trade Zone and Currency Settlements

06.09.2014 (RIA Novosti) - MOSCOW - The creation of a free trade zone between the states of the Eurasian Customs Union and Vietnam is on schedule with a contract expected in January 2015, in addition to national currency settlements, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told reporters at a meeting of the Russian- Vietnamese intergovernmental commission on Saturday.

"We discussed the creation of a free trade zone between the states of the Customs Union and Vietnam, and recognized that everything is going according to schedule. From the first of January 2015 the Eurasian Economic Union will be realized, the relevant agreement will be signed on behalf of the Union," said Shuvalov. [read more]

A conversation with Black Sea fishermen about a nuclear power plant in their backyard

02.09.2014 Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul and decided to check out the city of Sinop on the Black Sea coast.

I heard of Sinop after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster when it was picked as the site for a nuclear power plant using technology exported from Japan.

The shadow of Chernobyl

The number of cancer-related deaths due to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster is reportedly rising on Turkey's Black Sea coast. Radiation carried by northerly winds fell on the area with the rain.

Vietnam also has a fishing village where there are plans to build a nuclear power plant with Japanese technology, but the situation there is somewhat different.

The village does not have a stylish cafe and terrace for tourists next to the fishing port as Sinop does. In Vietnam, if a few fishermen and I, a single Japanese person, had started to say through an interpreter that we "oppose nuclear power plants," then we would have been taken away by the public security police long ago. [read more]

Climate change: Rising sea levels pose salt threat in Vietnam

30.08.2014 By Thu Van (The Straits Times) - HANOI - Pham Thi Ly buys fresh water every 10 days from a well operator in another commune during the dry season.

To ensure her children have clean drinking water, she has to buy the bottled stuff. The dry season typically runs for four months and this buying of water puts a dent into whatever she earns from fishing.

But Mrs Ly has no choice - there is no fresh water to be had as the groundwater under the Thua Duc Commune in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province has become too salty for daily use. [read more]

Vietnam's University Graduates Fail To Find Good Jobs

25.08.2014 (Bernama) - HCM CITY - Although 80 percent of graduates are employed only half are working in their area of study, said the Centre for Human Resource Forecast and Labour Information.

Half of employed graduates had to accept unstable jobs with low income and 20 percent are out of work, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) quotes the centre's director Tran Anh Tuan as saying. [read more]

Idemitsu makes gas, condensate find at blocks 05-1b & 05-1c off Vietnam

21.08.2014 (World Oil) - TOKYO, Japan -- Idemitsu Oil & Gas Co., Ltd. (Operator, President: Kosuke Tsuji), JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation (President & CEO: Shunsaku Miyake) and Teikoku Oil (Con Son) Co., Ltd. (President: Kenji Kawano) reported the discovery of gas and condensate at the fourth well in Blocks 05-1b and 05-1c offshore southern Vietnam.

Blocks 05-1b and 05-1c are located 300 km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. The well was spudded in February 2014. The drill stem tests (DST) were carried out in May and August, and accumulations of gas and condensate were discovered. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

EU bemüht sich um Freihandelsabkommen mit Vietnam

12.08.2014 (NZZ) - Die EU-Aussenbeauftragte Catherine Ashton will ein Freihandelsabkommen des europäischen Staatenblocks mit Vietnam unter Dach und Fach bringen. Bei einem eintägigen Besuch in Hanoi sagte Ashton, die Verhandlungen über die Vereinbarung machten gute Fortschritte. Sie hoffe, dass der Deal vor Jahresende unterzeichnet werden könne. [Weiterlesen]

EU seeks free-trade agreement with Vietnam

12.08.2014 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- The European Union's top diplomat says she hopes the EU will soon conclude a free-trade agreement with Vietnam.

Speaking to reporters in Hanoi during a one-day visit Tuesday, Catherine Ashton, says negotiations on the agreement were making good progress [read more]

Avanzan las negociaciones para un TLC UE-Vietnam

12.08.2014 (Univision) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — La jefa de la diplomacia de la Unión Europea, Catherine Ashton, expresó confianza en que antes de fines de año pueda concertarse un tratado de libre comercio con Vietnam.

Las negociaciones para el convenio han tenido un buen progreso, dijo el martes Ashton a la prensa durante su visita de un día a Hanoi, la capital de Vietnam [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam turns the corner

11.08.2014 By Wanant Kerdchuen in Ho Chi Minh City (Bangkok Post) - Vietnam's economic recovery is serving as an example for other developing Asean countries as it applies the lessons learned from recent difficulties. After years of struggling with double-digit inflation and unsustainable non-performing loans (NPL), the country is now building up immunity for future economic turbulences.

The year-old Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) has helped to improve the liquidity flow in the banking sector by taking bad loans off banks' books and exchanging them for VAMC bonds. As a result, a number of banks have been able to lower their lending interest rates to between 5% and 8.5%.

Many businesses have struggled for years because of a credit squeeze brought on by high central bank interest rates, as well as commercial banks' subsequent reluctance to lend and further exacerbate their bad-debt situation.

Inflation, meanwhile, has moderated to 6.6% over the past year and is expected to remain around that level for the next year, according to the Asian Development Bank. While the figure is high by regional standards, it's a steep decline from 18.6% in 2011.

While macroeconomic stability in Vietnam is improving, growth remains moderate and the economy is still performing below its potential, according to a recent World Bank report. [read more]

Currency woes fuel rising Bitcoin use in Vietnam

07.08.2014 By Edward Barbour-Lacey (Asian Correspondent) - On the heels of Vietnam’s first online Bitcoin trading floor going live last month, the virtual currency is being accepted by more and more merchants in the country. Distrust over the value of the Vietnamese dong is further fueling this growth.

The weakening dong has made the country’s citizens eager for stronger denominations to keep their money in. In June, the Vietnam’s central bank devalued the dong again – analysts expect further weakening by the end of the year.  Previously gold and U.S. dollars were the vehicles of choice for much of the wealth in Vietnam.

While the government has made a number of similar statements, it has been slow to formulate any clear policy or legal ruling on Bitcoin.  This has allowed the currency to spread steadily throughout the country. [read more]

Ho Chi Minhs Erben drängen in Putins Eurasische Wirtschaftsunion

06.08.2014 Von Hans-Joachim Hoppe (Eurasisches Magazin) - Vietnam hofft, bis Ende des Jahres ein Freihandelsabkommen mit der Eurasischen Wirtschaftsunion unterzeichnen zu können. Die Verhandlungen seien „in vollem Gange“, erklärte der vietnamesische Botschafter in Moskau, Fam Suan Shon, vor kurzem. Mit Vietnam erhielte Russland in Konkurrenz zu China eine wichtige Basis zur Ausdehnung seines Handels und seines politischen Einflusses auf Südostasien. Die Initiative fällt in eine Zeit der Spannungen mit dem Westen, da Russland nach neuen Partnern in aller Welt sucht.

Vietnam legt Wert auf eine Stärkung der Beziehungen zu Russland, heißt es. Die Pläne gehen offenbar schon auf das Jahr 2012 zurück. Den Wunsch zum Beitritt zur Zollunion hatte der vietnamesische Präsident Truong Tan Sang schon im Juli 2012 bei seinem Besuch in Moskau geäußert. Wenige Monate später am 7. November 2012, dem 95. Jahrestag der russischen Oktoberrevolution von 1917, wurde bereits ein Vorabkommen mit der Zollunion unterzeichnet. Vietnam beabsichtige, mit den Ländern der Zollunion (Russland, Belarus und Kasachstan) ein Freihandelsabkommen zu schließen. Dabei will Russland Vietnam offenbar als Testfall für die Ausdehnung der Zollunion auf die Asien-Pazifik-Region nutzen. [Weiterlesen]

As China row smolders, Vietnam rethinks its business plans

06.08.2014 By Nguyen Phuong Linh (Reuters) - A train from Vietnam's border with China pulls up at a station in Hanoi as dawn breaks, ready to unload goods for trade at what was for years the capital's most bustling wholesale market.

The freight load is smaller than it used to be, as is the crowd of traders awaiting its arrival. Chinese goods, they say, are increasingly unpopular among their customers now the two countries are locked in a bitter diplomatic row.

"No one buys Chinese products anymore," said Le Thang Loi, who runs a shop in Hanoi selling household goods. "I've switched over to sell Vietnamese and Thai things since last month."

Vietnam's testy but economically vital ties with its fellow communist neighbor have soured since early May, when Beijing moved a $1 billion oil rig unannounced into a stretch of the South China Sea that Hanoi claims is its exclusive economic zone. It prompted protests that degenerated into riots targeting Chinese factories in an unprecedented outpouring of anger. [read more]

Vietnam’s rice farmers turning to more lucrative crops

04.08.2014 (New Europe) - Farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta are reaping the rewards of replacing their low-yield rice fields with high-value soybean and waxy corn, reports the Vietnam News (VNS), a daily English-language newspaper published in Hanoi.

For instance, Huynh Van Hau, a former in Vinh Long Province's Long Ho District, harvested two hectares of soybean and earned profits of nearly 40m dong ($1,900). [read more]

Vietnam is set to gain most from a cutback on sourcing from China

01.08.2014 (Knitting Industry) - Rising costs in China have been forcing an increasing number of Western apparel brands and retailers to cut back on sourcing in China and have more of their apparel manufactured elsewhere, according to a new report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence – World textile and apparel trade and production trends: South-East Asia, June 2014.

Many buyers are also wary about sourcing in Cambodia, a potential low cost alternative to Bangladesh and China, because of recent labour unrest and reliability issues.

Vietnam would appear to offer better prospects for Western buyers as it has a well developed textile supply chain and appears to have escaped adverse publicity of the kind which has plagued the industries in Bangladesh and Cambodia. [read more]

Malaria: Resistente Erreger breiten sich in Südostasien aus

31.07.2014 (Spiegel Online) - Mehr als 200 Millionen Menschen erkranken pro Jahr an Malaria. Gegen die Krankheit gibt es wirksame Medikamente. Doch in Südostasien verbreiten sich zunehmend Erreger, die auf die wichtigsten Mittel nicht mehr ansprechen.

Mediziner sind alarmiert: Parasiten, die gegen das Medikament Artemisinin resistent sind, breiten sich in Südostasien immer weiter aus. Inzwischen seien sie in den Grenzregionen im Norden und Westen von Kambodscha, im Osten von Burma, in Thailand und Vietnam nachgewiesen worden, berichtet die Tracking Resistance to Artemisinin-Collaboration. Auch im Landesinneren von Burma, im Süden von Laos und im Nordosten von Kambodscha gebe es Anzeichen für Resistenz, heißt es in der Studie im "New England Journal of Medicine". [Weiterlesen]

Alarm over malaria in Southeast Asia: drug-resistant parasites found

31.07.2014 (AsiaNews) - Bangkok - A new form of drug-resistant malaria is spreading in Southeast Asia and has reached the border between Cambodia and Thailand. This was revealed by a team of British researchers in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and warns of the need for "radical action" to prevent further transmission of these parasites.

The researchers found that in Thailand, Vietnam, east Myanmar and north-west Cambodia the malaria parasite has developed resistance to artemisinins, a very powerful active ingredient used in the fight against the disease. [read more]

Alarma malaria en el sudeste de Asia: se encontraron parásitos resistentes a los remedios

31.07.2014 (AsiaNews) - Bangkok - Una nueva forma de malaria resistente a los fármacos se está difundiendo en el sudeste de Asia, principalmente en la frontera entre Camboya y Tailandia. Lo revela un equipo de investigadores ingleses en un estudio publicado en el New England Journal og Medicine, y advierte que es necesario hacer "una acción radical" para prevenir ulteriores transmisiones de estos parásitos.

Los investigadores han descubierto que en Tailandia, Vietnam, el este de Myanmar y el nordeste de Camboya el parásito de la malaria desarrolló una resistencia a la artemisia, principio activo muy potente empleado en la lucha contra la enfermedad. [seguir leyendo]

Feces, poison found on Vietnam shishamo fish

25.07.2014 Jiji Press (The Japan News) - A shipment of frozen shishamo, a type of smelt, from Vietnam has been found to contain rat poison and feces, Japanese officials said Thursday.

The products were made by Vietnamese seafood processor Rich Beauty Food Co. and imported through an agent by Imura Industry Co. in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, prefectural and health ministry officials said. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

US Senate panel approves Vietnam nuke agreement

23.07.2014 By Elaine M. Grossman (NTI) - A key Senate committee on Tuesday endorsed a U.S. nuclear trade pact with Vietnam, but constrained its length to 30 years and added new requirements for most such future pacts.

The joint resolution, offered by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, passed in a bipartisan voice vote in an afternoon business meeting of the panel.

As negotiated by the Obama administration, the new agreement to allow U.S. nuclear technologies, atomic materials and technological know-how to be shared with Vietnam could be automatically extended -- a departure from typical past practice with Washington's trade partners that has troubled some lawmakers. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam blows hot and cold over intellectual property

22.07.2014 David Mann, Contributing writer (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Here is a situation dripping with irony: Vietnam, where the government is often accused of turning a blind eye to all sorts of intellectual property infringement, is having a great deal of success abroad when it comes to protecting its own patents and trademarks.

A case in point comes from China. Earlier this year, Chinese authorities rescinded a trademark registered by a local company called Guangzhou Buon Ma Thuot Coffee after complaints by Vietnam's Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association. The association, which represents Vietnam's top coffee growing area, managed to persuade a Chinese court that it owned a unique geographical trademark and, in the process, drew international attention to the escalating turf war between established Vietnamese brands and their overseas rivals.

Vietnam could come to rely more on multilateral trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but its reluctance to address intellectual property issues could drag out the stalled negotiations even further. A leaked draft chapter of the TPP, published on Wikileaks last year, appeared to show that Vietnam was among a number of countries that refused calls by the U.S. to pledge additional resources to the enforcement of IP rights. [read more]

'Mekong delta will be partly submerged'

21.07.2014 By Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Can Tho, Vietnam (The Nation) - BY THE END of this century, 20 per cent of Vietnam's business hub Ho Chi Minh City will be inundated and 39 per cent of the Mekong Delta will be submerged, according to a Vietnamese study.

Such a prediction might not be so accurate. The study only used the map and assumed that the ocean would rise some centimetres, but could not say exactly how high.

However the climate change phenomenon in this century would have some severe implications for the Mekong Delta and the livelihoods of the local people.

The "Mekong Delta Plan: Long Term Vision and Strategy", conducted by Vietnam's Natural Resource and Environment Ministry and the Dutch government, indicates that climate is already changing the delta, which ranks among the top five in the world most likely to be severely affected by climate change, according to the report, which was released last December. [read more]

ADB cuts Southeast Asia growth outlook

18.07.2014 (Channel NewsAsia) - HONG KONG: The Asian Development Bank on Friday downgraded its 2014 economic outlook for Southeast Asia, citing political tensions in Thailand and Vietnam and soft external demand in Indonesia.

The Manila-based lender said in a supplement to its economic outlook for the region that it expected gross domestic product (GDP) to grow 4.7 per cent for the year, compared with its April projection of five per cent.

Indonesia's growth for the first quarter of the year slowed to 5.2 per cent with low commodity prices and a temporary export ban on selected minerals slowing recovery in net exports, the bank said. [read more]

Japan to resume ODA to Vietnam

18.07.2014 (NHK) - Japan's government plans to resume official development assistance to Vietnam after a brief suspension over a bribery scandal involving a Japan-funded project.

Japan suspended new ODA projects for Vietnam in June after a railway construction consulting firm in Tokyo was found to have paid kickbacks to officials of the state-owned Vietnam Railways. [read more]

Is it Time for an Asian Environmental Miracle?

17.07.2014 Written by Erik Solheim (Asia Sentinel) - The world is changing fast as Asia continues to surge ahead. In fewer than two generations, the Republic of Korea has gone from being one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the richest and a global leader in technology and manufacturing. The People’s Republic of China is set to become the largest economy in the world this year. In Viet Nam, 15-year-olds are performing above OECD average in education. Under the new leadership of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India will aim for the skies.

Half of the world’s population lives in Asia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has estimated that the region will account for 50 percent of the world’s economic activity by 2050. That would lead to a radical change in economic power. But in historical terms, this is really a return to the normal state of global affairs. For most of world history, up to around 1800, Asia was at the center and Europe on the periphery. [read more]

iPhone auch in Vietnam ein wichtiges Statussymbol

17.07.2014 (Macerkopf) - Durch Interviews mit Analysten und Konsumenten in Vietnam hat die Nachrichtenagentur Bloomberg nun festgestellt, dass sich Apples iPhone auch in Vietnam als Statussymbol etabliert hat.

So hat das Magazin Menschen ausfindig gemacht, die mehrere Monatsgehälter in den Erwerb des neusten iPhone-Modells investieren, um einerseits über gute Technik zu verfügen und andererseits sich und ihre Umgebung vom eigenen Selbstwert zu überzeugen.

Apple hat Vietnam längst als wichtigen Wachstumsmarkt erkannt. Dies zeigt auch der Versuch, die größte vietnamesische IT-Firma FPT Corp. an sich zu binden. Und die Verkaufszahlen sprechen dabei für sich. Laut Expertenmeinung werden die Smartphoneverkäufe in Vietnam im laufenden Jahr um 56 Prozent auf 12 Millionen Stück ansteigen. [Weiterlesen]

Microsoft moves Nokia manufacturing from China to Vietnam

17.07.2014 By Larry Dignan (ZDNet) - Amid a large restructuring of its Nokia unit, Microsoft is also joining many technology companies moving manufacturing from China to Vietnam. Microsoft is also moving operations to Brazil and Mexico.

Microsoft on Thursday said it will lay off 18,000 employees, with many of them being factory workers in China. According to Stephen Elop, chief of Microsoft's devices unit, the software giant will move its device manufacturing and marketing operations to markets where Windows Phone has some traction. [read more]

Apple Looks to Status-Hungry Vietnam for Growth: Southeast Asia

16.07.2014 John Boudreau and Nguyen Kieu Giang (The Washington Post) - July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Bich Ngoc, who earns less than $60 a week and has a newborn son, cobbled together four months of savings to buy the latest iPhone so she could impress her colleagues who have older versions of the device. “I like the iPhone because it is small, light and very delicate,” said Ngoc, a 24-year-old accountant in Hanoi who purchased the device last week. “Everyone seems a bit jealous.”

Apple Inc. is looking to consumers such as Ngoc in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia willing to spend more than two months salary on an iPhone or iPad, as it seeks sales amid competition with Samsung Electronics Co. Apple is tapping FPT Corp., Vietnam’s biggest listed information and communication technology company, to roll out retail outlets in major cities as part of a regional push. [read more]

Mekong dams causing problems for Vietnamese farmers in delta

15.07.2014 By Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Can Tho, Vietnam (The Nation) - Fish migration and sediment flow hit; threat from more seawater intrusion

Vo Van Co, a 49-year-old farmer at Vuon Man Ba Ho orchard in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho, feels the environment has changed, as rain and water levels have fluctuated in recent years and affected his work - but he doesn't know why.

Local ecologist Nguyen Huu Thien said the delta now faces three major threats: climate change, "errors" in domestic development and projects upstream on the Mekong River.

The impacts of climate change were real and people had felt them, he said, noting that rising temperatures and an increase in the sea level had happened, along with less predictable rainfall and stronger storms.

"Mistakes" from development have occurred in all countries around the world, including the Mekong Delta in the far south of Vietnam. Development activity aimed at boosting economic growth has polluted the environment and damaged the ecological system.

The impact from climate change had been gradual and people have adapted.

The government could also correct mistaken development by changing its policies, he said. But, the sudden impact from projects upstream, notably hydropower dams was the biggest concern for people in downstream on the river, Thien said. [read more]

Mekong region and Korea

13.07.2014 By Ramchandra Pode (The Korea Times) - The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) comprises Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Provinces in the People's Republic of China, covering a land area of some 2.3 million square kilometers.

According to the Asian Development Bank, the combined population of the GMS region's five countries and two provinces is about 326 million, representing more than 70 different ethnic and linguistic groups.

Mekong Region countries are at various levels of economic development, with diverse resources that are unevenly distributed. Almost 70 percent of the GMS's population is dependent on local resources, comprising predominantly agricultural economies. [read more]

Dua oil field offshore Vietnam brought on stream

11.07.2014 By Rick Wilkinson, OGJ Correspondent (Oil & Gas Journal) - MELBOURNE - Premier Oil Group, which includes Santos Ltd., Adelaide, has brought its Dua oil field on stream offshore Vietnam.

Dua is a 3-well subsea development tied back to the nearby Chim Sao facilities on Block 12W of the Nam Con Son basin.

Gross production from the three wells is expected to be 8,000 b/d for the first year of production. The oil will be processed through the floating production, storage, and offloading vessel stationed at Chim Sao with sufficient capacity to handle the output from both fields. [read more]

US Bekleidungsimporte fallen, Vietnam legt zu

11.07.2014 (Fashion United) - Während die Bekleidungs- und Textilimporte der USA in den ersten fünf Monaten des Jahres insgesamt um 3,7 Prozent stiegen, war der Mai überall ein etwas langsamer Monat, in dem US-Importe um 3,7 Prozent auf das Äquivalent von 1,89 Milliarden Quadratmetern (SMEs) fielen, verglichen mit 1,96 Milliarden SMEs vor einem Jahr.

Vietnam war der einizge Gewinner in Bezug auf einen Anstieg der Importe in die USA; das Land legte im Mai um 9,2 Prozent auf 208 Millionen SMEs zu und blieb damit weiterhin der zweitgrößte Importeur der USA nach China. [Weiterlesen]

New USAID Policy Highlights the Role of Biodiversity Conservation, Prioritizes Vietnam

10.07.2014 (USAID) - HANOI -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched its first-ever Biodiversity Policy in Washington on July 8, setting forth an ambitious vision of conserving biodiversity globally for sustainable long-term development.

Over the past 50 years, the world has seen more progress toward economic prosperity and human development than during any other time in human history, but at the same time, humans have altered the environment at an alarming rate, with sometimes dire consequences for biodiversity and the ecosystem services that sustain our life. Vietnam is ranked as the 16th most biodiversity rich country in the world and also a major hub for wildlife trafficking, supplying domestic and international markets with a variety of live animals, animal parts and medicinal plants. Under the new policy, Vietnam is identified by USAID as a priority country for biodiversity programming. [read more]

AsiaInspection Q2 Barometer: Riots, Strikes and 200,000 Toxic Products

10.07.2014 (Business Wire) - HONG KONG -AsiaInspection, a leading global provider of quality control services for businesses importing from Asia, Africa, Southern Europe and Latin America, today announces its 2014 Q2 Barometer, a quarterly synopsis on outsourced manufacturing and the quality control services industry.

Vietnam Undeterred by Rioting

In Vietnam, textile and apparel exports increased 18% year-on-year between January and May, reaching $7.5 billion USD.¹ However, recent protests due to political tensions with China sent fear into supply chains, with AI figures showing May 2014 ordered inspections to be 3.3 times higher than the average for May 2013 to April 2014. This is due to increased concern from foreign buyers to ensure their supply chain and quality have not been disrupted. In the first half of the year apparel imports from Vietnam into the US saw a 12.7% increase, well ahead of rival China at 0.9%

Toxic Chemicals Rampant: 5% of All Azo Dye Lab Tests Fail

Time and time again we see outsourced manufactured products putting consumers at risk. The fact that 200,000+ products made it to store shelves containing a known cancer causing carcinogen shows the need for stricter controls and testing at the source. This reflects the sheer scale at which consumers are being placed at risk” said Sebastien Breteau, AsiaInspection CEO. [read more]

Consultancy, three officials face bribery charges in Vietnam aid project

10.07.2014 Kyodo (The Japan Times) - Prosecutors filed charges Thursday against a Tokyo-based consultancy and three of its officials for allegedly bribing Vietnam Railways officials for favors in conjunction with a Japan-funded project in Hanoi.

The suspects, including Tamio Kakinuma, 65, former president of Japan Transportation Consultants Inc., were charged with providing tens of millions of yen to officials of state-run Vietnam Railways Corp. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam’s growth ‘below potential’, says World Bank

08.07.2014 By Vivienne Russell (Public Finance International) - Vietnam’s macroeconomic situation continues to stabilise but growth remains below potential and rising inequality is a concern, the World Bank said today.

Although gross domestic product is estimated to grow at 5.4% this year, higher than many other countries in the region, it is still below Vietnam’s potential, the Taking Stock report said. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Samsung setzt auf den Elektronik-Boom in Vietnam

03.07.2014 Von Vu Trong Khanh (The Wall Street Journal Deutschland) - Samsung hat von den Behörden in Vietnam grünes Licht erhalten, 1 Milliarde US-Dollar in eine Fabrik im Norden des Landes zu investieren. Das Werk soll 50 Kilometer nordöstlich von Hanoi entstehen, 8.000 Arbeiter beschäftigen und jedes Jahr 48 Millionen hochauflösende Bildschirme für Smartphones und Tablets produzieren. Die Lizenz dazu wurde am Mittwoch erteilt, wie das Volkskomitee der Provinz mitteilte.

Die Fabrik des Bildschirmherstellers Samsung Display wird voraussichtlich Ende kommenden Jahres den Betrieb aufnehmen. Gefertigt werden sollen die modernsten Produkte des südkoreanischen Konzerns, darunter auch flexible Bildschirme. [Weiterlesen]

In tackling bad debts, Vietnam takes it slow

03.07.2014 Elisabeth Rosen (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Vietnam could be close to approving the first sale of a domestic bank to foreign buyers. The size of the deal would likely be negligible, but it would still be a major moment in the process of cleaning up Southeast Asia's most precarious banking sector.

According to reports in state-owned media, Singapore's United Overseas Bank wants to buy GP Bank, which is in such dire straits that the government would allow a full takeover by a foreign bank under new rules introduced in February. Strategic foreign investors can now own as much as 20% of a healthier bank in Vietnam, up from 15% before. [read more]

Samsung Display says to build $1 bln Vietnam plant

02.07.2014 (Reuters) - SEOUL - A subsidiary of South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it received approval to build a $1 billion display module assembly plant in Vietnam, its first production facility in the country.

A Samsung Display Co Ltd spokesman said the company plans to start production at the plant, to be built in Bac Ninh province, some time in 2015. Exact production capacity or types of displays to be handled at the facility have yet to be decided, he said. [read more]

Asean seen as a reluctant economic bloc

01.07.2014 Kristine Angeli Sabilo, Philippine Daily Inquirer (inquirer.net) If the United States is a reluctant superpower, then the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is a reluctant economic bloc, said a panelist in this year’s Asian Business Conference “2015 Approaching.”

Paulius Kuncinas, Asia regional editor of the Oxford Business Group on June 26 said the Asean was “a very efficient and very ambitious trading bloc but it somehow got stuck in the path of reaching a full economic integration.”

The research economist and writer said this is because the idea of the Asean integration, which seeks to create a single market and production base through the free flow of goods, services and finances by 2015, has yet to become popular. [read more]

Vietnam continues to clear rubber plantations due to lack of Chinese demand

30.06.2014 (Rubber World) - Ha Noi, Vietnam - VietnamNet reports, "According to Vuong Quoc Thoi, Director of the Tay Ninh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, 1,300 hectares of rubber plantations in the province have been cleared. Thoi said the latex rubber price has dropped dramatically in the world market due to the oversupply. Thailand has marketed 200,000 tons of reserved latex rubber. Meanwhile, China, which consumes 50 percent of Vietnam’s rubber exports, has cut down its import volume. “The rubber price once climbed to a peak of VND100 million per ton. But it has dropped dramatically to just over VND20 million,” Thoi said. Meanwhile, in Dak Nong Province, according to Nguyen Quang Tuan, a senior official, farmers have been chopping down rubber trees for the last several months. About 100 hectares of rubber have been eliminated. Director of the Binh Phuoc provincial agriculture department, Nguyen Van Toi, has also confirmed that rubber trees have been chopped down in the province, though he could not offer an exact number. [read more]

Vietnam's economy suffers from China row

30.06.2014 By Manabu Ito, Nikkei staff writer (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Vietnam's continued struggle with China over territorial claims in the South China Sea is beginning to take a toll on the Southeast Asian nation's economy, threatening to push its robust growth lower.

Economic repercussions from the latest flare-up of the long-standing territorial dispute are now being felt. Some infrastructure development projects involving Chinese companies have stalled, while the number of Chinese visitors to Vietnam has begun to drop. The government and the nation's business sector are taking steps to reduce Vietnam's heavy economic dependence on China. But it is not an easy thing to achieve. [read more]

Laos agrees to studies for second Mekong dam

27.06.2014 By Kaweewit Kaewjinda (Reuters) - BANGKOK - A Laotian official said on Friday his government would allow environmental assessments before proceeding with construction of a dam on the Mekong River that activists and neighbouring states say could hurt the livelihoods of fishermen and farmers.

Laos went ahead with the much bigger Xayaburi dam despite opposition from Vietnam and Cambodia. It was more conciliatory over the Don Sahong dam at a meeting in Bangkok of the Mekong River Commission Council grouping countries along the river.

Officials from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam agreed on Thursday to the consultation process for the dam, which is still in the planning phase. [read more]

Vietnam reported over 30 million Internet users in 2013

27.06.2014 (TransWorldNews) London - Vietnam has good potential for development of B2C E-Commerce. The country has the fastest growing middle and affluent class in the South East Asia region and one of the most engaged online audiences, spending close to 30 hours per month online. Furthermore, a larger share of Internet users in Vietnam visits retail websites than in any other South East Asian countries, ahead of the worldwide average. A high consumer optimism index also contributes to the potential for growth of B2C E-Commerce in the country.

There were over 30 million Internet users in Vietnam last year, reaching over a third of the population. In the large cities of the country over half of Internet uses shop online.

E-Commerce in Vietnam is governed by specific laws and special decrees, which are frequently updated. E-Commerce marketplaces are required to apply for registration, while independent B2C E-Commerce sellers can notify the relevant authorities about establishing a website. Non-compliance with the decrees is punished by fines, introduced in 2013. [read more]

Vietnam Seeks to Step Out of China's Economic Shadow

26.06.2014 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - WASHINGTON — The lychee harvest is in full swing in Vietnam's northern Hai Duong province, but local officials say fewer Chinese traders have come to buy the sweet and juicy fruit this summer due to concerns about anti-China sentiment.

Observers say tensions over a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters of the South China Sea are having a negative impact on the economic ties between the two neighbors.

Pham Duc Tuan, a high-ranking official of Thanh Ha district, told VOA’s Vietnamese service that the move to diversify its trading partners is very important while Hanoi and Beijing continue their standoff at sea, causing every aspect of the bilateral relations to deteriorate. [read more]

"Business as usual" in Vietnam

23.06.2014 Rodion Ebbighausen (Deutsche Welle) - Nach anti-chinesischen Protesten in Vietnam stand die Investitionssicherheit des südostasiatischen Landes in Frage. Ein Besuch in der Region zeigt, dass die Lage wieder unter Kontrolle ist.

Die Besichtigung ist nur mit Begleitung der vietnamesischen Behörden möglich. Der Reporter der Deutschen Welle wird jederzeit von Beamten des Außenministeriums, einem Mitarbeiter der Wirtschaftszone und der Polizei begleitet. Die Regierung ist vorsichtig, denn das emsige Treiben auf der Baustelle wurde Mitte Mai (14.05.2014) von gewalttätigen Zusammenstößen jäh unterbrochen. Vietnamesische und chinesische Arbeiter waren an der Baustelle eines taiwanesischen Stahlwerks der Formosa Plastic Group aufeinander losgegangen.

Eine Besichtigung der Brandstätte war trotz mehrfacher Nachfrage nicht möglich. Alle Schäden seien bereits behoben, so die Auskunft. Ngo Dinh Van, stellvertretender Direktor der Wirtschaftszone, hält die gewaltsamen Zusammenstöße im Gespräch mit der Deutschen Welle für "einen bedauerlichen Unfall."

Hans-Georg Jonek von der Friedrich-Naumann Stiftung in Hanoi ist der Ansicht, der Fall sei nur ein Beispiel von vielen dafür, dass China ökonomisch einigen Druck auf Vietnam ausüben könne. Allerdings nicht so viel, dass Vietnam dafür seine territorialen Interessen opfern würde. "Im Zweifel würden die Vietnamesen in den sauren Apfel beißen und auf zwei oder drei Prozent Wirtschaftswachstum verzichten." Diesen Kurs würde auch die große Mehrheit der Bevölkerung unterstützen. Insgesamt ist sich Jonek sicher: "Die Zukunft Vietnams liegt im Süden, Osten oder Westen, aber nicht im Norden." [Weiterlesen]

Japan-Vietnam: lures, rewards and bribes

23.06.2014 By Brian La (Asia Times) - Ho Chi Minh City - The recent suspension of Japanese aid to Vietnam will do little to uproot the systemic corruption that has long fueled and plagued bilateral relations. With growing strategic relations aimed at jointly counterbalancing China and burgeoning commercial ties, the suspension is expected to be short-lived and only a minor setback to the broad warming trend.

In March, Japanese media reported that the president of Japan Transportation Consultants (JTC) admitted that his company had paid bribes of 130 million yen (US$1.3 million) to civil servants in Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam from 2008 to early this year to win work tied to projects funded by Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). [read more]

Südostasiens heißer App-Markt setzt Blackberry Messenger und Whatsapp zu

20.06.2014 Von Newley Purnell (WSJ) - Die Fülle kostenloser Messaging-Programme, die auf Samudras Telefon-Bildschirm blinken, ist typisch für Südostasien. Und sie veranschaulicht gut, warum sich die Region gerade zu einem heißen Schauplatz im Wettbewerb der App-Anbieter entwickelt. Viele der rund 600 Millionen Menschen, die dort leben, nutzen noch einfache Handys und werden erst in Zukunft auf ein Smartphone aufrüsten. Deshalb ist Südostasien für viele Tech-Konzerne ein kritischer Wachstumsmarkt.

Die meisten Apps, die in Südostasien um einen Platz auf den Smartphone-Bildschirmen buhlen, sind im Westen wenig bekannt. Dabei nutzen sie Millionen von Menschen in der Region. Der Dienst Line von Naver Corp und die Messaging-App Wechat von der Kakao-Corp-Sparte Kakao Talk sind allgegenwärtig. Aber auch unbekanntere Dienste wie Viber aus Zypern, dessen Kauf der japanische Internetkonzern Rakuten im Februar für 900 Millionen Dollar besiegelte, und Zalo aus Vietnam gewinnen laufend neue Kunden in der Region. Zalo allein hat es seit seinem Start im Jahr 2012 auf 10 Millionen vietnamesische Nutzer gebracht. [Weiterlesen]

Grant Associates to design landscape for new Vietnamese-German University in Binh Duong Province

19.06.2014 By Kat Byles (Bristol Post) - British landscape architecture firm Grant Associates working with Boston architects Machado and Silvetti Associates, Inc. have won an international competition to design the Vietnamese-German University Campus in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam.

This is a unique collaboration between the World Bank, the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training and the German Hessen State Ministry of Science and Art that aims to develop an internationally accredited higher education program for research and advancement for Vietnamese students and to build a campus for the new university.

The planting of a native tropical woodland perimeter belt provides a strong multifunctional edge to the campus. A sustainable water management is a central feature of the landscape design. [read more]

Vietnam hopes to sign free trade agreement with Eurasian Economic Union by yearend

19.06.2014 (ITAR-TASS) - MOSCOW. Vietnam hopes to sign a agreement on free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) by the end of this year, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Fam Suan Shon told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.

“Negotiations on the establishment of a free trade zone are in full swing, and there are grounds to hope they will be successfully finished by the end of this year with the signing of the agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union,” he said. “Vietnam attaches greater significance to strengthening relations with Russia, which has always been its reliable partner in all spheres of life.” [read more]

Vietnam Devalues Dong First Time in a Year to Spur Exports

19.06.2014 By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen (Bloomberg News) - Vietnam’s central bank devalued the dong for the first time in a year to help spur exports and vowed to ensure the stability of the currency as tension rises over a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters.

The State Bank of Vietnam devalued the dong by weakening its reference rate for the currency by 1 percent to 21,246 per dollar, according to a statement on its website late yesterday. The change, effective today, allows the dong to fluctuate as much as 1 percent on either side of the central bank’s fixing.

The dong fell 0.3 percent to 21,310 as of 3:41 p.m. in Hanoi and touched 21,360 earlier, prices from banks compiled by Bloomberg show. That was the biggest drop since Aug. 22. The currency was last devalued, also by 1 percent, on June 28, 2013. The central bank has said several times this year that it aims to weaken the dong as much as 2 percent in 2014. The benchmark VN Index (VNINDEX) of shares closed down 0.5 percent. [read more]

China Aggression Sounds Wake-Up Call for Vietnam’s Manufacturers

16.06.2014 By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen (Bloomberg News) - For more than eight years, Luong Thi Kim Oanh bought cases of thread from China for her garment factory in Hanoi. Last month, rattled by an anti-China riot in her country, she placed her first order from South Korea.

More Vietnamese businesses may have to consider alternatives as the country prepares to file a legal suit challenging China’s claims to the disputed waters.

“It will force Vietnam’s businesses to look into other markets where the political risk is absent, and that’s a good thing,” said Chua Hak Bin, a Singapore-based regional economist at Bank of America Corp. “It’s always good to diversify, anyway. You don’t want to rely too much on another country, especially where political tensions are escalating.” [read more]

Taiwan firms in Vietnam up and running

14.06.2014 (The China Post) - TAIPEI -- Over 90 percent of Taiwanese businesses that suffered damage during last month's anti-China riots in Vietnam have resumed operations, a Taiwanese business group said Friday.

“Taiwanese businesses have tried very hard to resume operations and are not considering withdrawing their investment,” said Hsu Yu-lin (許玉林), the chairman of the Bing Duong (平陽) Taiwan Business Association's reconstruction committee.

Despite the extent of the companies' direct losses, estimated at between US$150 million and US$500 million, “no company that I know of is considering withdrawing their investment,” he said.

He warned, however, that if compensation measures were not in place soon, Asama Bicycles could be the first Taiwanese company to throw in the towel after six of its 10 factories were set ablaze during the riots. [read more]

Big Potential for Vietnam's IT Services

13.06.2014 By Will Greene (Forbes) - Vietnam plays a small role in global IT services today, but it has big potential to contribute more in coming years. Many Vietnamese IT companies and policymakers want to develop the human capital necessary for future success. However, they face challenges that will require clever solutions.

Like many emerging markets, Vietnam today exports substantially more goods than services. Although revenues from IT services have grown substantially in recent years, the country produces vastly more hardware than software. And while IT services companies outnumber hardware manufacturers, you’ll still find more tech industry workers in factories than in offices.

Those factory jobs don’t pay much. According to official government statistics, the average hardware production worker earned $2,165 per year in 2012. Those in IT services, by contrast, routinely make several multiples of that. Many also enjoy the added perks of participating in the global knowledge economy and building skills that are likely to remain relevant for many years. [read more]

Dengue pandemic threat with monsoons:Vietnam

13.06.2014 (BioSpectrum Asia) - The deadly disease that has killed six and infected 10,000 people so far this year is expected to create havoc with the onset of monsoons in Vietnam, unless due precautions are taken

Singapore: Although there was a 42 percent dip in the number of annual dengue cases in Vietnam this year, roughly 10,000 people were infected and six were killed with the disease, confirmed the Ministry of Health. However Mr Tran Dac Phu, director of the Preventive Health Department said that infections are expected to soar with the onset of monsoon, which create a favorable breeding ground for the mosquitoes. Ho Chi Minh City reported three fatalities, followed by Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Ca Mau provinces, all in southern Vietnam, which reported one fatality each [read more]

New Vietnam oilfield output seen below peak at start

10.06.2014 (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnam has begun pumping around 8,000 barrels of oil per day from a new offshore oilfield, Thang Long, while production is expected to start at another nearby field late this month, state oil and gas Petrovietnam said on Tuesday.

Production began on June 6 at six wells at Thang Long field in the 01-02/97 blocks, 160 km (100 miles) east of Vietnam's Vung Tau city, Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP), the production arm of Petrovietnam, said in a statement. [read more]

Trente ans de prison pour un ancien magnat de la banque au Vietnam

09.06.2014 (Yahoo! Actualités) - Nguyen Duc Kien, un des hommes les plus puissants du Vietnam lorsqu'il était aux affaires, a été condamné lundi 9 juin à trente ans de prison. Arrêté en août 2012, cet ancien magnat de la banque est impliqué dans un scandale de plusieurs millions de dollars qui ébranle l'ensemble du secteur bancaire vietnamien déjà fragile.

Se disant innocent, Nguyen Duc Kien, 50 ans, a reçu la peine maximale prévue pour les accusations d'escroquerie, d'évasion fiscale et d'activités économiques illégales. Il a également été condamné à une amende de 75 milliards de dongs (2,6 millions d'euros). [en savoir plus]

Bankier in Vietnam wegen Betrugs zu 30 Jahren Haft verurteilt

09.06.2014 (T-Online) - HANOI (dpa-AFX) - Einer der reichsten Männer Vietnams mit einer Schwäche für Fußball ist wegen Betrugs zu 30 Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Nguyen Duc Kien, Gründer der Asia Commercial Bank, einer der größten Privatbanken des Landes, soll sich mit gefälschten Geschäftsplänen Kredite erschlichen und das Geld für Fußballer ausgegeben haben. Er wurde am Montag in Hanoi zusammen mit acht Komplizen unter anderem wegen Betrugs und Unterschlagung verurteilt. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam banking tycoon given 30-year jail term

09.06.2014 (Yahoo! Finance) - A Vietnamese court on Monday sentenced a disgraced banking tycoon to 30 years in jail over a multi-million dollar scandal that shocked the nation's already fragile financial markets.

Nguyen Duc Kien, 50, was found guilty of fraud, tax evasion, illegal trade and "deliberate wrongdoing causing serious consequences", according to the verdict read at the Hanoi People's Court.

The other defendants were given sentences of between two and eight years. The most senior of the other defendants, the former director of ACB, Ly Xuan Hai, was given eight years. [read more]

‘Made in China’ now a toxic label

07.06.2014 By Kate Galbraith / Foreign Policy (The San Diego Union-Tribune) - China’s environmental crises are starting to drive foreign companies and expats away, along with their money and talent. Pollution numbers are piling up, and they’re scarier all the time. Nearly one-fifth of farmland is polluted, an official government study found in April, and so is three-fifths of China’s groundwater. No wonder the tea in my cupboard isn’t branded as “Grown in China” or that a Chinese food giant just bought a big stake in Israel’s largest food producer, which specializes in dairy goods — in part because Chinese consumers are looking for safer cheese products, a Shanghai analyst told the Financial Times. ...

An obvious one is tourists, who are recalibrating whether the wonders of the Great Wall are worth clogged lungs. The number of visitors to Beijing fell by 10 percent in the first 11 months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012 (other factors like the strengthening yuan were also at work). Edward Wong, The New York Times correspondent in Beijing, has written memorably about how many Chinese and foreigners, fearful for their air, food and water, feel as though they are “living in the Chinese equivalent of the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disaster areas.” [read more]

Japan suspends aid to Vietnam over bribery case

03.06.2014 (The Japan Times) Kyodo HANOI – Japan told the Vietnamese government Monday it would suspend official development assistance over bribery allegations surrounding a Japan-funded Hanoi urban railway project, the embassy in Hanoi said.

Specifically, loans for the first phase of constructing the project’s No. 1 railway line will be frozen, the embassy said.

It said the message was conveyed during a bilateral progress meeting, after six Vietnamese railway officials were detained in May over a contract awarded to Tokyo-based Japan Transportation Consultants Inc. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Japan Halts Loans To Vietnam On Alleged Corruption

03.06.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI - The Japanese government will suspend extending fresh yen loans to Vietnam after a new bribery scandal involving a Japanese consulting firm and Vietnamese railroad authority came to light.

It is the second time for Japan to halt yen loans to Vietnam due to a payoff scandal following the first case in 2008, Japan's Jijij Press reported. At an anti-corruption panel meeting held here Monday, officials from Japan's Foreign Ministry told their Hanoi counterparts that extension of new loans to projects involving Vietnam Railways will be halted while loans to other projects will be provided on condition of anti-corruption measures being worked out. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Anti-China Riots Spoil Vietnam Dollar Bond Rally

03.06.2014 By Lilian Karunungan (Bloomberg) - Vietnamese dollar bonds are missing out on a developing-nation rally on concern a territorial dispute with China that has sparked deadly riots will deter foreign investment.

The securities gained 0.5 percent in May, the least since January and the worst performance among 12 regional sovereign indexes compiled by HSBC Holdings Plc. Asian dollar notes surged 2.2 percent in their biggest monthly advance in almost two years as disappointing U.S. economic data pushed down Treasury yields, boosting demand for higher-yielding bonds. [read more]

How bad is Vietnam's debt crisis?

02.06.2014 Elisabeth Rosen (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- The Vietnamese government could be close to approving the first-ever sale of a local bank to foreign buyers. The size of this deal would likely be negligible, but the deal would still go down as a major moment in the country's efforts to clean up Southeast Asia's most precarious banking sector.

According to reports in state-owned media, Singapore's United Overseas Bank wants to buy GP Bank, which is in such dire straits that the government is set to allow a takeover through new rules introduced in February. Strategic foreign investors can now own as much as 20% of banks that are deemed to be performing well, up from 15% before.

The relaxation in foreign ownership is part of a three-pronged approach to shore up capital at Vietnamese banks, which are struggling under non-performing loans amounting to 15% of total bank assets, according to Moody's Investors Service. The central bank has placed the figure at 9%, which is still high compared with most of Asia.

The other reforms are the establishment of Vietnam Asset Management Co. (VAMC) and a state-led consolidation of the banking sector. [read more]

Manufacturers keep faith in Vietnam

01.06.2014 (Machinery Market) - Most large companies operating in industrial parks in Vietnam that were affected by anti-China riots earlier this month have resumed operations.

The riots occurred after protests over disputed territory in the South China Sea. Vietnam has about 200 industrial parks; they account for more than 30% of its exports and have attracted around $110 billion in foreign direct investment. [read more]

Vietnams Wirtschaft Am Gängelband Chinas

31.05.2014 Marco Kauffmann Bossart, Singapur (NZZ) - In Reaktion auf die schweren Spannungen mit Peking will Hanoi seine wirtschaftliche Abhängigkeit vom mächtigen Nachbarland verringern. Die vietnamesische Regierung verfügt indes nur über wenig Optionen. Anfang Woche ist im Südchinesischen Meer ein vietnamesisches Fischerboot nach einer Konfrontation mit chinesischen Schiffen gesunken. Nach Darstellung Hanois war es am Montag unweit der von beiden Ländern beanspruchten Paracel- oder Xisha-Inseln umringt und danach gerammt worden. Die Philippinen, die mit der Grossmacht ebenfalls wegen Gebietsansprüchen in ressourcenreichen Gewässern im Streit liegen, haben sich im Handel stärker diversifiziert. Für Japan sodann ist der Güterverkehr mit China zwar von hohem Gewicht, doch beruht diese Abhängigkeit auf Gegenseitigkeit. Vietnam hingegen hätte bei Retorsionsmassnahmen mehr zu verlieren als die Genossen in Peking.

In der vietnamesischen Staatspresse meldeten sich daher Stimmen zu Wort, die eine Kursanpassung verlangen. Ungeachtet der trotzig anmutenden Feststellung von Regierungsvertretern, man sei von keinem anderen Land abhängig, forderten Mitglieder der Legislative – die in Vietnam mehr Gewicht hat als in anderen Autokratien – von der Regierung «detaillierte Pläne», wie die Unternehmen auf die «neuen Realitäten» reagieren sollten. [Weiterlesen]

Deutsche Unternehmen in Vietnam Kuscheln mit den Kommunisten

31.05.2014 von Rolf Obertreis (Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten) - Trotz Zensur und Korruption: Deutsche Unternehmer schwärmen von Vietnam – und der investorenfreundlichen Regierung.

Vor dem Luxushotel in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, dem einstigen Saigon, wehen rote Fahnen. Einige Plakate zeigen das Konterfei von Ho Chi Minh, andere erinnern an die siegreiche Schlacht der Viet Minh in Dien Bien Phu gegen die Franzosen 1954, die die Zeit der Kolonialmacht beendete. Fahnen und Plakate zeigen: In Vietnam hat die Kommunistische Partei das Sagen. Deutsche Unternehmer stört das nicht, im Gegenteil: Investoren aus Deutschland und Peter Kompalla von der Außenhandelskammer in Vietnam (AHK) überschütten das Land und die Regierung fast uneingeschränkt mit Lob. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnams Zentralbank manipuliert den Goldpreis

28.05.2014 (Goldreporter) - In Vietnam hat die Zentralbank im vergangenen Jahr immer wieder Gold auf dem Markt geworfen, um den heimischen Goldpreis zu drücken. Sie will es wieder tun.

Die State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) tut das, was man auch von den Zentralbanken im Westen vermutet. Sie interveniert auf dem heimischen Goldmarkt.

“Wenn es Schwankungen auf dem Goldmarkt gibt, dann springen wir ein, um ihn zu stabilisieren”, erklärte der stellvertretende Gouverneur der vietnamesischen Zentralbank, Dao Minh Tu, in dieser Woche im Rahmen einer Presseerklärung, die vietnamesische Medien zitieren.

Zentraler Goldanbieter in Vietnam ist die Saigon Jewelry Co. Ein Tael Gold, 37,5 Gramm, kostete zuletzt umgerechnet 1.289,75 Euro. Das entspricht 34,39 Euro pro Gramm und liegt damit rund 15 Prozent über, dem was aktuell in Europa zu zahlen ist. [Weiterlesen]

S-Klasse für Kommunisten

28.05.2014 Von Michael Lenz (Der Farang) - HO CHI MINH CITY: Der deutsche Autohersteller Mercedes-Benz wird in diesem Jahr in Vietnam zehn Millionen US-Dollar in den Bau einer Produktionsanlage für die S-Klasse und den Ausbau des Vertreternetzes investieren.

Produziert werden sollen die Modelle S500L und S400L, die zu einem niedrigeren Preis als importierte Wagen auf den Markt kommen sollen. [read more]

Aiding Vietnam In Peaceful Uses Of Nuclear Power

24.05.2014 (VOA) - Pact would establish a legal framework for U.S. nuclear trade with Vietnam. Bilateral relations between the United States and Vietnam took another step forward this month as President Barack Obama sent the U.S. Congress for its review a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the Southeast Asian nation.

The pact, initialed on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Brunei last fall, would establish a legal framework for U.S. nuclear trade with Vietnam. As part of this agreement, Vietnam reaffirmed its commitment to rely on existing international markets for nuclear fuel services rather than acquiring sensitive nuclear technologies itself, including enrichment and reprocessing technologies. [read more]

Le russe Rosneft livrera 6 M t de pétrole par an au Vietnam

24.05.2014 (RIA Novosti) - SAINT-PETERSBOURG - Le groupe russe Rosneft livrera près de 6 millions de tonnes de pétrole de la marque VSTO (ESPO) par an à la raffinerie vietnamienne de Dung Quat jusqu'à 2039 conformément au contrat signé samedi par Rosneft et PetroVietnam Oil Corporation.

La cérémonie de signature du contrat s'est déroulée dans le cadre du Forum économique international de Saint-Pétersbourg.

La Russie exporte le pétrole VSPO, connu également sous le nom anglais d'ESPO (East Siberia Pacific Ocean), vers les pays d'Asie par l'oléoduc Sibérie orientale-Pacifique. [en savoir plus]

Global freshwater conservation gains momentum among UN countries

21.05.2014 (WWF) - Thirty-five member countries of the United Nations have now officially agreed to common guidelines for sharing and managing freshwater resources that cross international borders. With Vietnam’s ratification, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UNWC) will go into effect in August, transforming the way governments share fresh water and settle water-related disputes.

Vietnam represents the first Asian country to ratify the UNWC, and does so from a particularly important region: the Greater Mekong. The Mekong River passes through six countries and fuels the ‘rice bowl’ of Asia. It is the world’s most productive inland fishery, supporting the livelihoods and food security of some 60 million people. [read more]

South China Sea tensions slow Vietnam rice trade, pressure prices

21.05.2014 (Business Recorder) - BANGKOK: Tensions between Beijing and Hanoi have slowed Vietnam's rice trade and pressured prices for the grain, while plans to sell government stocks have made Thai rice more competitive, traders said on Wednesday.

Vietnamese rice prices eased as sales to its major buyer China have slowed because exporters were reluctant to commit to new deals due to payment risks in the middle of a wrangle over territory in the South China Sea. [read more]

Ausländische Firmen halten Vietnam trotz Protesten die Stange

19.05.2014 (Tiroler Tageszeitung) - Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt (Saigon)/Cupertino (Kalifornien) (APA/Reuters) - Wenige Tage nach den anti-chinesischen Protesten in Vietnam haben die meisten großen Fabriken dort den Betrieb wieder aufgenommen. In zwei von den Ausschreitungen betroffenen Industrieparks im Süden etwa wurde zum Wochenbeginn nach Angaben des Betreibers in 80 Prozent der insgesamt 326 Fertigungsstätten wieder gearbeitet.

Auch in anderen Firmen, etwa aus Taiwan oder Singapur, stand die Produktion nach Angaben aus den Unternehmen nicht mehr still. Bei dem Schuhhersteller Yue Yuen, der Adidas und Nike beliefert, lief der Betrieb einem Sprecher zufolge wieder normal, nachdem die Fertigung vergangenen Woche unterbrochen worden war. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Branche beobachtet Proteste

19.05.2014 (TextilWirtschaft) - Die anti-chinesischen Proteste in Vietnam beschäftigen auch die Textilproduktionsunternehmen im Land. Aus dem Markt heißt es, Firmen hätten Mitarbeiter aufgrund der Unruhen im Land abgezogen. Auch Adidas hat nach Angaben einer Sprecherin dem Team vor Ort angeboten, das Land temporär zu verlassen. „Einige haben dieses Angebot angenommen“, heißt es. Inzwischen habe sich die Situation wieder normalisiert und die Produktion laufe.

Unternehmen wie Seidensticker und van Laack, die ihre Betriebe im Norden Vietnams bei Hanoi haben, sind nicht betroffen, beugen aber vor. Gerd Oliver Seidensticker: „Wir haben keine Probleme in unserer Fabrik, aber wir nehmen die Situation sehr ernst. Wir haben inzwischen ausschließlich deutsche Flaggen am Betrieb aufgehängt und sind sehr bemüht, als deutsches Unternehmen wahrgenommen zu werden.“

Van Laack fühlt sich nach eigenen Angaben aufgrund „herausragender CSR-Leistungen und überdurchschnittlicher Bezahlung″ als Arbeitgeber sicher. In solchen Zeiten wird einmal mehr über Arbeitgeber gesprochen, die es besser machen als die Chinesen. Gegen sie hat sich ein richtiger Hass aufgebaut“, erklärt Geschäftsführer Christian von Daniels. [Weiterlesen]

Warnung vor dem Wunderpulver

13.05.2014 (JuraForum) - Wenn Patienten unter einer chronischen Erkrankung leiden, setzen sie häufig ihre Hoffnung auf vermeintlich pflanzliche Mittel. Solch ein „Wundermittel“ gegen Rheuma aus Vietnam haben Pharmazeuten der Universität Würzburg jetzt analysiert – mit einem alarmierenden Ergebnis.

Ein bräunliches Pulver, abgepackt zu Tagesdosen in kleinen Faltbriefchen und natürlich ohne Beipackzettel: Mit diesem angeblich rein pflanzlichen Wundermittel hatte sich vor kurzem eine Frau an Professorin Ulrike Holzgrabe, Inhaberin des Lehrstuhls für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie der Universität Würzburg, gewandt. Sie sei Rheumapatientin und beziehe regelmäßig ihre Arznei von einem vietnamesischen Heiler aus der Nähe von Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt; manchmal fahre sie sogar persönlich nach Vietnam, um diese für ein paar Dollar dort zu kaufen, erzählte die Frau der Chemikerin.

„Sämtliche Komponenten des Pulvers waren also in pharmakologischen Dosen vorhanden. Insofern wundert es natürlich nicht, dass die Rheumapatientin mit der Wirksamkeit des Pulvers zufrieden war“, fasst Holzgrabe das Ergebnis ihrer Untersuchungen zusammen. Aus medizinischer Sicht könne sie von der Einnahme allerdings nur abraten – und das gleich aus einer Vielzahl von Gründen: [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Stocks Tumble to Four-Month Low as China Tensions Rise

12.05.2014 (Bloomberg News) - Vietnam’s benchmark stock index plunged to the lowest level in four months while volatility surged to the highest since 2011 amid escalating tensions with China over disputed waters.

The VN Index (VNINDEX) fell 4.7 percent to 517.05, the lowest close since Jan. 9. PetroVietnam Gas JSC lost 4.4 percent. Vietnam Dairy Products JSC slid 4.6 percent to a 12-month low.

The benchmark gauge for Vietnam’s $52 billion equity market has tumbled 15 percent from this year’s March 24 peak after China moved an exploration rig into disputed waters. Protesters rallied against China’s actions in Ho Chi Minh City and the capital Hanoi over the weekend, while Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called on members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to show support over the issue. [read more]

Geht das Mekong-Delta bald unter?

Der stetige Anstieg des Wasserspiegels raubt Millionen Vietnamesen die Lebensgrundlage / Klimaerwärmung und Abholzung von Mangrovenwälder Hauptursachen

 02.05.2014 Von Peter Jaeggi (Fränkischen Nachrichten) - In etwa 50 Jahren wird das Mekong- Delta Südvietnams 70 Zentimeter unter Wasser stehen - so sagen es Modell- rechnungen voraus. Falls dies eintrifft, müssten sechs Millionen Menschen umgesiedelt werden. Die Folgen wären verheerend, denn das Delta ist die Reisschüssel Vietnams und seine wirtschaftliche Lebensader.

Es ist keine gute Nachricht, die an diesem Vormittag den Direktor der Primarschule Nummer 1 in Dat Mui im Mekong-Delta erreicht. "Ein Damm ist gebrochen! Eine Flutwelle bedroht das Schulhaus!" Der Anruf des örtlichen Volkskomitees versetzt die 600 Kinder und das Lehrpersonal am südlichsten Zipfel Vietnams in Aufregung. Es geht um Menschenleben. [Weiterlesen]

Girl confirmed to be infected with measles after visited Vietnam

02.05.2014 (Taiwan News) - The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday reported the 10th case of imported measles in Taiwan this year, indicating a higher rate of infection than in recent years.

A one-year-old baby girl was confirmed to be infected with measles after returned from Vietnam on April 18, according to the CDC.

One of the 125 people who had come into contact with her have developed measles symptoms, the CDC said, adding that it will continue monitoring them until May 22. [read more]

Japan may stop importing Vietnamese shrimp

01.05.2014 (ANN) - Japanese businesses are planning to stop importing shirmp from Vietnam due to excessively high levels oxytetracycline (OTC) in the Vietnamese produce, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep).

The group said Japan would be importing its shrimp requirements from India and Indonesia.

According to Vasep, the decision was made due to the excessively high levels of OTC that were detected in Vietnamese shrimp shipments, despite prior warnings and the public knowledge that virtually all Vietnamese shrimp exports were being tested for the antibiotic. [read more]

Cambodian villagers fight Chinese developers to save ancestral home

29.04.2014 Abby Seiff, Phnom Penh (ucanews) - For much of the past six weeks, a handful of guards have stood watch at the edge of the long, red dirt road leading into southwestern Cambodia’s remote Areng Valley.

Sixteen kilometers away, ethnic minority Chong villagers remain at home waiting for an alert. When word of an attempted incursion comes, they will rush and join their comrades at the gates.

In recent weeks they have repeatedly blocked workers of Chinese firm Sinohydro from entering the valley to work on a controversial dam and research mining opportunities in the area.

“When they hear the Chinese are coming they send people back to the village to come [help block the road],” said Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, the head of Mother Nature, an NGO that is assisting the villagers. “It’s really important to have these eyes on the ground and I think it diffuses the possibility of violence. If [workers] go in, it could get violent if people feel the need to protect their home.” [read more]

Families, Monks Want Chinese Dam Canceled

29.04.2014 By Khuon Narim (The Cambodia Daily) - Members of an ethnic minority community facing eviction from their ancestral homeland to make way for a Chinese hydropower dam in Koh Kong province—and the monks and NGO helping them—Monday once again urged the firm and the government not to go ahead with the project. Hundreds of Chong families are facing eviction at the hands of Sinohydro (Cambodia) United, a Chinese firm that recently took over plans to build a 108-MW dam in the Areng Valley, in the heart of the Cardamom Protected Forest. Construction, which has yet to start, is expected to flood some 20,000 hectares, including the community’s sacred forests and a critical habitat for the en­dangered Siamese Crocodile.

“If the dam is built it will hurt our traditional ways and our livelihood, which depends on the forest,” said Has Ley, speaking at a press conference organized by the NGO Mother Nature in Phnom Penh.

“It’s not a real dam,” said Mother Nature cofounder Alex Gonzalez-Davidson. “It’s a project that doesn’t make any sense but it’s still going to go ahead because of corruption and other things.” [read more]

Vietnam: Ausbau von Energie aus Biomasse

28.04.2014 (©Exportinitiative) Mit dem Premierministerbeschluss vom 24. März 2014 zum Anreizmechanismus für Strom aus festen Biomassen wurde ein weiterer wichtiger Grundstein für den Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien in Vietnam gelegt. Nach Einführung eines Einspeisetarifs für Windenergie in 2011 regelt der aktuelle Beschluss u.a. die zukünftige Planung und Entwicklung der energetischen Nutzung von Biomasse, den Netzzugang sowie Abnahmevereinbarungen zwischen Energieproduzenten und dem Netzbetreiber.

Hiermit reagiert Vietnams Regierung auf die unzureichende Höhe des Stromabnahmepreises, der für Elektrizität aus Biomasse-Anlagen bisher etwa rund 4 US-Cent/kWh betrug. Der Einspeisetarif soll Investitionen in entsprechende Projekte attraktiv genug gestalten, so dass das grosse Potenzial an Ressourcen aus der Landwirtschaft und Agroindustrie wie Reisspelzen, Reisstroh, Zuckerrohr-Bagasse, Restholz, Kaffee- und Cashew-Hülsen energetisch genutzt werden kann. [Weiterlesen]

Why Can’t Vietnam Grow Better Rice?

Although the country is a major rice exporter, the industry suffers from quality issues

24.04.2014 By Elisabeth Rosen (The Diplomat) - Rice has been Vietnam’s staple food for more than a thousand years. Today, the government designates 3.8 million hectares for growing the grain; this quota represents nearly half the total land for agricultural production. About one-third of the annual harvest is shipped overseas. With India and Thailand, Vietnam is one of the world’s top three rice exporters. Last year, the country earned nearly $3 billion from selling rice overseas.

“The major problem that the rice industry faces is fragmented and small-scale production,” says Dr. Nguyen Anh Phong, a researcher at the Center for Agriculture Policy. “This leads to poor post-harvest management such as improper storing and milling, which causes degradation.”

It also makes inspections harder to carry out in a consistent way, accounting for problems like pesticide residue. Many farmers still harvest by hand; those who have mechanized typically rely on small machines with a limited capacity. And unlike more industrialized countries where mechanical dryers are used, Vietnamese farmers typically let the sun do the work, although this contributes significantly to post-harvest losses.

“Farmers dry rice on the road or in their gardens, so if it rains, the rice gets damaged,” Phong says. [read more]

Apple's sales boom in communist Vietnam

24.04.2014 (fin24) - Hanoi - Communist Vietnam is suddenly Apple Inc's hottest market after sales there tripled in its fiscal first half, a growth rate five times faster than in India where it is spending heavily in a battle for market share.

Vietnam has barely received a mention from Apple executives in their regular briefings for financial analysts. But in a quarterly conference call on Wednesday, they were talking up the potential of the country.

Quarterly iPhone sales more than doubled and the strong growth appears likely to continue given Vietnam's predominantly young, tech-savvy population, rapid growth in internet and mobile phone use and a projected doubling of the middle class by 2020. [read more]

Vietnam Measles Outbreak ‘Could Have Been Prevented’: WHO

23.04.2014 (RFA) - The World Health Organization chief in Vietnam said the deadly measles outbreak in the country could have been prevented through a more effective vaccination program, but added that the authorities have strengthened their capability to contain the crisis.

Doctors say that more than 7,000 children have been affected by the highly contagious virus since it resurfaced in Vietnam late last year, while at least 127 have died—nearly all of whom were located in the capital Hanoi and other nearby localities.

And while authorities have launched an intensive inoculation campaign to combat the outbreak, WHO representative Takeshi Kasai said Wednesday that the government could have done more to prevent the crisis. [read more]

Parents slam government as measles outbreak kills 123 children in Vietnam

23.04.2014 (AsiaNews) Hanoi - The country's Health Ministry comes in for criticism for hiding the extent of the outbreak and failing to take appropriate action. Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien dismisses fear-mongers, claims "only" 25 children have died so far. Some 3,430 cases have been confirmed with an additional 5,800 suspected. The World Health Organisation is closely monitoring the situation. Alarmed parents rush their children to hospital.

A possible measles outbreak has been reported in Vietnam after 123 children were reportedly killed by the disease. This in turn has sparked a wave of popular discontent with the government's response, deemed inadequate by many.

Waves of people have rushed to hospitals in Hanoi (northern Vietnam) and Ho Chi Minh City (southern Vietnam) as well as other places fearful that the disease might be spreading.

Meanwhile, criticism is mounting on the Internet and social media with netizens calling for the resignation of Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien. What is more, as parents rush to get their children vaccinated against the highly contagious viral disease, Vietnamese authorities have come under fire for allegedly covering up a potential epidemic. [read more]

Vietnam, epidemia de sarampión mata a 123 niños. Los padres atacan al gobierno

23.04.2014 (AsiaNews) Hanói - En la mira el ministerio de la Salud, que habría escondido la situación, en lugar de intervenir. El ministro Nguyen Thi Kim Tien minimiza y habla de "solo" 25 víctimas. Por el momento hay 3.430 casos confirmados y más de 5.800 sospechosos. La Oms sigue de cerca la evolución de la situación. Padres alarmados toman por asalto los hospitales.

En Vietnam hay alarma sarampión, con 123 víctimas (todos pre-adolescentes) confirmados en el País y una ola de malestar popular creciente por las decisiones- consideradas insuficientes- adoptadas hasta ahora por las autoridades para frenar la epidemia. Los hospitales de Hanói del norte, Ho Chi ming City en el sur y en otras localidades fueron tomadas por asalto por una población llena de miedo por el dilatarse de la enfermedad. Mientras tanto en internet y en las redes sociales aumenta la protesta; en el banco de los imputados el ministro de salud Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, al cual le piden se dimita inmediatamente. La sospecha es que los vértices del estado hayan ocultado y querido cubrir a propósito una potencial "epidemia", mientras que los padres se confían en las estructuras sanitarias para la suministración de la vacuna. [seguir leyendo]

Huy Fong owner ready to fight for his company: Guest commentary

22.04.2014 By Art Alas (The Pasadena Star-News) - Last week, David Tran decided enough was enough. You see, Tran is a fighter. As a soldier in Vietnam, Tran fought for freedom against the communists.

In 1980, David Tran started a new fight, this time for commercial success and the American Dream. He started making an Asian hot sauce in Southern California that has since taken the world by storm. His Sriracha sauce has become a cult favorite and is considered a staple in many Asian and American homes. Thirty years later, Tran has won again. His commitment to hard work and a high-quality product has made him a commercial success. [read more]

Italian expertise leads to Vietnam transplant breakthrough

21.04.2014 (ANSA) - Rome, April 21 - Italian expertise has made it possible for Vietnam's first successful child-kidney transplant from a live donor.

The operation on was conducted at the National Hospital for Pediatrics in Hanoi with a team of local doctors and surgeons from Rome's Bambino Gesù children's hospital on March 25.

The young child is doing well after the surgery. The operation is part of the Charity Vespa for Children programme sponsored by Italian scooter and motorbike group Piaggio. [read more]

Biodiversity - Vietnam uses ecological engineering to save rice

21.04.2014 Marianne Brown (Deutsche Welle) - Inside 30 years Vietnam has gone from importing rice to becoming the world’s second largest rice exporter. Over-use of pesticides is damaging the environment, but farmers in the Mekong Delta say they've found a solution.

There is a hint of gold in the verdant rice fields that fill the horizon in Kien Giang province - a sign for the farmers here in the south west of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta that harvesting time is not far away. But along the paths between the paddies, known as bunds, there are also neat row of speckled color - yellow, orange and purple nectar flowers - that are not part of the typical pastoral scene here.

The floral borders are not for decoration though, they are part of an ecological engineering project aimed at encouraging the natural predators of harmful pests and thereby reducing the use of pesticides. In particular the project targets the brown planthopper, a winged insect which devastates rice crops across Asia by sucking the sap until the plants shrivel and die, causing discolored patches on the field known as hopper burn. [read more]

Developing the wrong kind of port

20.04.2014 Michael Pinto (Smartinvestor.in) - Vietnam has suddenly woken up to a new and unusual problem. On its 3,400 kilometre-long coastline, along one of the busiest sea routes it is dismayed to find that its policy of encouraging the establishment of more and more ports has only led to overcapacity, and has put a question mark over its ability to attract the sort of high-value manufacturing that depends on efficient logistics systems. Almost every province along the coast has managed to grab a port project, and the Vietnamese government has projected private investment of more than $32 billion until 2020 to develop transport infrastructure. As a result, the country finds that port capacity lies idle, cranes are silent and investors are counting their losses.

This is typified by Vietnam's only deep sea facility, the Cai Mep Port, set up on the South China Sea at a cost of $2 billion in 2009. It was seen as a crucial step towards boosting shipping volumes by 130 per cent by the end of the decade. [read more]

Vietnam moves towards a green economy

19.04.2014 (The Malay Mail Online) - HANOI, April 19 — Vietnam needs to continue studying and perfecting relevant mechanisms and policies while learning from the experiences of other countries in moving towards a green economy, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported citing the Nhan Dan (People) online newspaper. Green economy is still a relatively new concept in Vietnam, requiring study and the popularisation of related knowledge to leaders, policymakers, enterprises and residents.

Associate Professor Dr Nguyen The Chinh, deputy head of the Institute of Strategy and Policy in Natural Resources and Environment, says green economy and environmental protection are two different things but they tend towards each other to form a popular category — sustainable development — which is being widely applied in every field.

The ‘Agenda 21’ action plan on sustainable development was initiated at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [read more]

Une épidémie de rougeole meurtrière touche le Vietnam

19.04.2014 (Romandie) - Une épidémie meurtrière de rougeole a déjà tué, depuis le début de l'année, au moins 112 personnes, principalement des enfants de moins de 10 ans, a annoncé le ministère de la Santé. Elle en a contaminé des milliers d'autres.

Le bilan risque de s'alourdir en raison des contaminations croisées, du mauvais temps et d'hôpitaux pédiatriques débordés dans les principales villes du pays où les parents paniqués conduisent leurs enfants malades, a mis en garde le ministère. [en savoir plus]

Mehr als 100 Kinder sterben bei Masern-Ausbruch

18.04.2014 (Hannoversche Allgemeine) - Bei einem Masern-Ausbruch in Vietnam sind seit Anfang des Jahres mindestens 112 Kinder gestorben. Das berichtete das Nachrichtenportal „Tuoitrenews“ am Freitag unter Berufung auf das Gesundheitsministerium.

Mindestens 8500 Kinder hätten sich mit dem gefährlichen und hoch ansteckenden Virus infiziert. Fast 90 Prozent der Kinder seien wahrscheinlich nicht geimpft gewesen. Mehrere Impfskandale haben Eltern abgeschreckt [Weiterlesen]

The trade in rhino horn: asset stripping on an apocalyptic scale

17.04.2014 Paula Kahumbu with Andrew Halliday (The Guardian) - The South African government’s plan to legalise rhino horn sales will simply make life easier for the organised crime cartels that are exterminating the species

I am sitting in a large meeting room at Pretoria University in South Africa at a conference to discuss the trade in rhino horn. Expecting a fierce debate pitting conservationists against hunters and traders, instead I find myself confronting my own impotence against the most horrific poaching of rhinos. What is happening in South Africa is truly in a league of its own.

But the fact is that, of the 200 South African rhino hunts in 2013, only 15 were genuine hunts. The rest were rhinos shot by mostly Vietnamese ‘pseudo hunters’, who pay for the privilege of trophy hunting but have no intention of ever mounting their trophy on a wall. The economics are simple: the cost of hunting is about US $20,000, but the 3.5 kg horn is worth many times more when ground up into a fine dust, for sale as a ‘medicinal’ product. Current prices are estimated at up to US $75,000 per kg. [read more]

Rising unemployment among bachelor degree holders in Vietnam

17.04.2014 (china.org.cn) - There is now an increasing number of unemployed college graduates in Vietnam, which shows a wide gap between the number of graduates and the actual manpower requirements of Vietnamese business establishments.

Statistics from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) showed that for the first three months of 2014, the rate of unemployed college and university graduates, aged between 20 and 24, has increased by 20.75 percent year on year.

A total of more than 72,000 Vietnamese with bachelor and master degrees nationwide are under the "unemployment" status, which is 1. 7 times more than the figure recorded in late 2012. [read more]

Chinese cell phone brands to dominate Vietnamese market in coming years

17.04.2014 By Nguyen Thi Ngan (Shanghai Daily) - HANOI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese brands of cell phones will dominate Vietnamese market in the near future not only because they are cheaper but also because of their excellent quality, according to a top official of a Chinese global mobile phone manufacturing firm. According to the director, who requested anonymity, his firm is now putting in the Vietnamese market with cheap and reliable mobile phones and smart phones. As of the first half of 2013, Lenovo almost remained the only Chinese brand in Vietnam's mobile phone market.

But even without any advertising campaign, Lenovo quietly rose to be the top brand now in the market, surpassing Korean and Western-made brands. [read more] 

Measles Outbreak Kills More Than 100 in Vietnam

17.04.2014 Tra Mi (VOA) - A measles outbreak sweeping through Vietnam is now blamed for 108 deaths, many of them children, far more than the 25 reported by the Health Ministry just last week.

Vietnam however, has yet to declare the disease an epidemic despite an online outcry and appeals from health experts, including doctors who met with the minister of health on Wednesday.

The director of Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Nguyen Tran Hien, says in an interview with VOA's Vietnamese service that an annoncement of an epidemic can only be made based on criteria that have not been met yet. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Ausschuss für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung in Vietnam und Bangladesch

15.04.2014 (Bundestag) - Eine Delegation des Ausschusses für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung reist vom 22. April bis 30. April 2014 nach Vietnam und Bangladesch. Geleitet wird die Delegation durch die Vorsitzende Dagmar G. Wöhrl (CSU). Weitere Delegationsteilnehmer sind Jürgen Klimke (CDU), Frank Heinrich (CDU), Stefan Rebmann (SPD), Gabi Weber (SPD), Niema Movassat (DIE LINKE) und Uwe Kekeritz (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN).

Vietnam ist eines der am stärksten vom Klimawandel betroffenen Länder. Die Delegation wird im Süden des Landes ein Umweltschutzprojekt der GIZ besichtigen, mit dem die Widerstandsfähigkeit des Küstenökosystems verbessert werden soll. [Weiterlesen]

Tycoon on trial as Vietnam counts cost of its rogue bankers

Vietnam's banks reel from fraud, bad debt - Dozens face trial for embezzlement during boom years - Economists say regulation, oversight remain weak

16.04.2014 By Nguyen Phuong Linh (Yahoo! - News Finance) - HANOI (Reuters) - A half-dozen shell companies, piles of forged documents, tax dodges, illegal stock trades and 19 bank staff unwittingly complicit in embezzlement on a massive scale.

The indictment against Vietnamese tycoon and former banker Nguyen Duc Kien reads like a "how-to" guide for masterminding fraud in a country with banking oversight so slipshod it brought one of Asia's most promising emerging economies to the brink of crisis.

The founder of Vietnam's number four private lender Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), went on trial on Wednesday accused of a litany of crimes that cost depositors 1.4 trillion dong ($66.4 million) in one of the country's most high-profile fraud cases. [read more]

Reforms vital for Vietnamese economy to stay on track

16.04.2014 Author: Suiwah Leung, ANU (East Asia Forum) - After several years of macroeconomic turmoil, 2013 finally saw a return to some semblance of stability in the Vietnamese economy. There is no time to lose.

The government needs to push through significant reforms in key areas in order to lift long-term growth.

Macroeconomic aggregates have been mixed. Headline inflation averaged 6.7 per cent, due partly to subdued credit growth and an easing of food prices. Core inflation (excluding food and energy costs) stood at 10 per cent, after increases in a number of administrative prices, such as education and health costs. Core inflation is expected to continue declining this year and next due to below-trend growth. [read more]

Rising sea levels threaten farmers' livelihoods in Vietnam

14.04.2014 By Nina Tietzel (SBS) - Vietnam's Mekong Delta is one of Asia's most fertile agricultural regions and is frequently referred to as the 'Rice Bowl of Vietnam'.

But the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)has warned this status is under threat by climate change.

According to IFAD, rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather are posing serious challenges to farmers in the Mekong Delta, where 60 per cent of the country's rice is grown.

Many farmers, including Cung Phan, have already lost the fight against the changing environment.

Cung Phan used to grow fruit and vegetables near the coast, but the land he used to cultivate is now under water. [read more]

Twenty tonnes of giant clams seized from Vietnamese fishermen

14.04.2014 (The Star, Malaysia) - KOTA KINABALU: Dozens of giant clams weighing nearly 20 tonnes were seized from nine Vietnamese fishermen at the Mengalum Island near here on Monday.

The giant seized clams valued at about RM500, 000, is an endangered and protected marine species in Sabah were found on a boat operated by a Sabah and Vietnamese joint venture company. [read more]

120 tonnes of spoiled food seized from smugglers in Nanning, Guangxi

13.04.2014 Mandy Zuo (South China Morning Post) - Guangxi authorities have seized 120 tonnes of frozen spoiled meat, including chicken feet and pig feet and ears smuggled from Vietnam, state media reported, with some of it produced four years ago.

The food, seized from two companies in Nanning, was smuggled via border cities including Dongxing and Pingxiang, Xinhua reported.

Food safety has become a serious concern among consumers following scandals involving melamine-tainted milk powder and rat meat sold as lamb. [read more]

Garnelen wegen Antibiotika zurückgerufen

11.04.2014 (Radio Bremen) - Wegen eines möglicherweise zu hohen Gehalts von Antibiotika hat die Firma "Deutsche See Fischmanufaktur" vier Chargen Riesengarnelen aus dem Sortiment der "Tiefgekühlten Gourmetportionen" zurückgerufen. Ein entsprechender Hinweis sei von Behörden aus Baden-Württemberg gekommen, teilte das Unternehmen in Bremerhaven mit.

Laut Verpackungsangaben stammen die Garnelen aus Thailand und Vietnam.

Die Deutsche See hat nach eigener Aussage die Geschäftsbeziehungen zu dem Lieferanten abgebrochen. [Weiterlesen]

Increasing demand for organic rice in Vietnam

08.04.2014 (DAP-News) - Demand for organic rice is on the rise in Vietnam despite its higher prices, local media reported Tuesday.

The rice has become more popular for several reasons, including clear labels of origin and production that follows organic standards or national and international standards like VietGap and GlobalGap.

Customers in southern Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City said they can buy organic rice as well as fruit, vegetables, fish, meat at organic food shops, according to local Vietnam News daily, adding that they prefer organic rice because the labels show where and when the rice was planted and the date of harvest.

Among companies investing more in organic rice and vegetables, the Ca Mau-based Vien Phu Organic and Healthy Foods Joint Stock Corporation has received organic production certificates granted by the U.S. and EU since 2012. [read more]

As Vietnam stretches rubber output, risk of price war grows

08.04.2014 By Lewa Pardomuan and Ho Binh Minh (Reuters) - After years of massive expansion, tearing up forests and swallowing land in neighboring countries to create rubber plantations, Vietnam is reaping what it sowed: a swelling of output that has made it the third-largest rubber producer.

Later this year rubber farmers will tap maturing trees from new plantations, but with global oversupply and limited storage capacity, Vietnam's burgeoning output could spark a price war in a market already at multi-year lows. [read more]

Vietnam's deputy PM reviews privatisation of state enterprises

08.04.2014 (ANN) - Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh yesterday worked with Ha Noi's leaders to check on the progress of equitisation and re-organisation of state-owned enterprises in the city.

Emphasising the significance of the work, Ninh noted that despite Ha Noi's great efforts in the past, the city had yet to tackle all the shortcomings and obstacles in the process of restructuring State-run firms. [read more]

Vietnamese farmers suffer as rice remains unsold

07.04.2014 (ANN) - Farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta need help in dealing with large quantities of unsold rice because expected purchases have not been made under a plan to build up temporary reserves.

The Tin Tuc newspaper reported last week that ever since farmers in the region began harvesting the winter-spring crop last month, prices in the local market have fallen, except for a brief five-day surge.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) estimates output from the winter-spring crop in the region to reach 4.3 million tonnes, of which 3.2 million tonnes have been harvested thus far. [read more]

ADB Warns Of Widening Economic Divide In Asia

05.04.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday said impressive economic gains in Asia and the Pacific are being undermined by widespread poverty and growing inequality, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

A recent report on ADB's support for inclusive growth by Independent Evaluation at the Manila-based institution said some 750 million people in the region still survive on less than US$1.25 a day and income inequality has risen more than 20 percent in the last 20 years.

These levels hinder further economic advancement and threaten the sustainability of an otherwise sharp reduction in poverty, the report said. [read more]

Customs Union negotiating with Vietnam to establish free trade zone

04.04.2014 By Daniar Mukhtarov (Trend News) - Almaty hosted the first round of talks on a free trade agreement between the Customs Union and Vietnam, according to Kazakh Economy and Budget Planning Ministry.

"The negotiators discussed the sections of the draft agreement on commodity trade, customs administration, rules of origin and intellectual property protection, as well as public procurement. The work on the text of the chapters on sanitary and phytosanitary measures and e-commerce has also been completed," the ministry said. [read more]

Germany Aids Mekong Delta's Climate Change Response

04.04.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI -- Germany will speed up the provision of official development assistance (ODA) for the Mekong Delta in the fields of climate change adaptation, energy and environment, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

German Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, Dr Hans Dieter Stell, made the remarks at a meeting with Can Tho city's leaders on Thursday.

According to the diplomat, Vietnam and Germany have seen fruitful cooperation in the fields, with the latter's large ODA projects in the Mekong Delta region. [read more]

Vietnamese illegal fishing boats destroyed after seizure off Top End coast

04.04.2014 By Jesse Dorsett and Felicity James (ABC) - Two illegal fishing boats have been torched in Darwin. The Vietnamese boats were found with two other vessels last month near Evans Shoal, about 350 kilometres north-west of Darwin. Australian Fisheries Management Authority officers said almost 200 giant clams were found on board the boats.

The clams can sell for up to $5,000 each.

The masters of the boats have been fined between $5,000 and $10,000 for illegal fishing.

Their crews are expected to be sent back to Vietnam soon. [read more]

Victims of Experian Data Breach Not Notified Because the Company Can’t Identity Them

04.04.2014 By Eduard Kovacs (Softpedia) - Last year, investigative journalist Brian Krebs revealed that a Vietnamese man running an online identity theft service managed to gain access to the details of hundreds of millions of Americans through an Experian subsidiary. US authorities are said to be investigating the data breach.

24-year-old Hieu Minh Ngo – who has already been arrested and pleaded guilty – had fueled his criminal service with data from US Info Search. This company had an arrangement with Court Ventures according to which they could access each other’s data.

The Vietnamese man made a contract with Court Ventures, but the company was acquired by Experian in March 2012. Experian failed to notice that anything was amiss for several months after the acquisition. [read more]

Vietnam Faces Critical Organ Donor Shortage

03.04.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI, April 3 (Bernama) -- A severe organ donor shortage in Vietnam means that few patients receive much-needed transplants, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Director of People's Hospital 115 in Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Van Bau, said that 500 patients needed hemodialysis due to serious kidney decline.

However, the hospital's 60 machines could not treat them all, even when operating at full capacity. [read more]

China crackdown on petrochemical plant protest

02.04.2014 By Tom Phillips, Shanghai (The Telegraph) - Protests over planned petrochemical plant in southern China enter a third day as police are accused of violently cracking down on environmental campaigners.

China must launch a "swift" investigation into claims police used excessive violence to quell an environmental protest this week, leaving dozens of people injured, human rights activists say.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Maoming, a city in Guangdong province, on Sunday to express their opposition to a 3.5 billion yuan (£342 million) paraxylene (PX) plant that authorities plan to build.

The demonstrators began gathering in the morning carrying banners that read: "Boycott the PX project, protect people's health!" and "If we can no longer live here, we'll go to Mars." [read more]

New Vietnam Bitcoin company declared illegal

02.04.2014 Arno Maierbrugger (investvine) - Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has warned the first online Vietnam Bitcoin Trading Centre (VBTC) is illegal and all of its trading activities are not protected by law.

The warning was released after Bitcoin Vietnam Ltd. Co. and Bit2C, an Israel-based bitcoin trading floor, announced that their recently established VBTC at www.bitcoinvietnam.com.vn is due to debut in late April.

However, the MoIT’s E-Commerce Trade and Information Technology Department that oversees commercial websites in Vietnam said “this trading floor” has not been registered legally in the country.

An official of the department said the dossier for establishing the website has been also turned down by the state management agency. [read more]

Norway, Vietnam enter fisheries cooperation

02.04.2014 (ScandAsia) - Norwegian businesses expect to increase fisheries cooperation with Dong Thap province and introduce its seafood to the Norwegian and European markets following a March 22 visit.

A delegation from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, led by its Deputy Minister Amund Dronen, made a fact-finding trip to Vinh Hoan Corporation, one of Vietnam’s leading Tra fish processors and exporters. [read more]

Vietnamese textiles need more investment to gain from TPP

01.04.2014 (Fibre2Fashion) - In order to take full advantage of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which is likely to be finalized this year, Vietnamese textile and garment industry would have to invest more in domestic yarn and fabric production.

It is because the TPP is likely to incorporate the ‘yarn forward’ principle, wherein Vietnamese garments made using yarn and fabric made in any of the 12 TPP member countries would be able to enjoy lower tariffs for exporting to the other TPP members, including the US.

However, at present, most of the yarn and fabric imported by Vietnam comes from China, which is not a member of the TPP. This requires that Vietnamese firms make heavy investments in textile manufacturing, processing and dyeing sectors. [read more]

Southeast Asia's 2-speed auto industry leaves some behind

01.04.2014 Nikkei staff writers MANABU ITO in Hanoi, MINORU SATAKE in Manila, WATARU YOSHIDA in Singapore and JUN ENDO in Tokyo (Nikkei Asian Review) - In central Vietnam, the steel skeleton of what was supposed to have been the country's first engine factory stands forlorn on an empty lot in the Chu Lai economic zone.

Hyundai Motor of South Korea told local partner Truong Hai Auto in January that it wanted to pull out of their contract, citing the Vietnamese company's financial difficulty. This sent Truong Hai, Vietnam's biggest carmaker, and the Vietnamese government, which had set great store by the venture, scrambling back to the drawing board.

"It was an important project for our country," said a frustrated manager at Truong Hai. [read more]

Vietnam macht die Grenzen dicht für den Goldtransfer

01.04.2014 ( Goldreporter) - Vietnam verhängt ein Ein- und Ausfuhrverbot für Gold. Die Zentralbank hat eine entsprechende Verfügung erlassen, um den heimischen Goldmarkt zu schützen.

Laut einschlägigen Medienberichten hat die Zentralbank Vietnams ein Ein- und Ausfuhrverbot für Gold erlassen. Ab dem 15. Mai 2014 ist es Individuen nicht mehr gestattet, Goldbarren, Goldmünzen und andere Formen von Gold ins Land einzuführen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam IPOs of State-Owned Companies Struggle

01.04.2014 By Nguyen Pham Muoi (The Wall Street Journal) - HANOI—Vietnam's initial public offerings of state-owned enterprises in the first quarter of this year have shown poor results, with only small amounts of shares sold mostly to local investors, according to data from market regulators in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The state-owned companies offered to sell nearly 304.5 million shares between January and March, of which nearly 83.5 million shares, or 27.4%, were sold. Foreigners bought only 10.1 million shares, the data showed.

Total proceeds collected from those IPOs were 1.05 trillion Vietnamese dong ($49.4 million), below the target of 1.10 trillion Vietnamese dong the government set earlier this year. [read more]

Developing Asia can sustain growth pace, risks easing - ADB

01.04.2014 By Rosemarie Francisco, Reuters (ABS-CBN) - MANILA  - Developing Asia is poised to sustain its current growth momentum and is well positioned to manage risks coming from a slightly slower Chinese economy and possible uneven demand from major industrialized nations, the Asian Development Bank said.

Asian nations can undertake preemptive measures to protect the region's growing economy from unpredictable capital inflows, said the Manila-based lender as it unveiled its forecasts for the region for 2014 and 2015.

The bank said it expects the region, grouping 45 countries in Asia-Pacific, to grow 6.2 percent this year, slightly faster actual growth of 6.1 percent in 2013, before accelerating further to 6.4 percent in 2015. [read more]

Vietnamese Consumers Shop for 'Safe' Vegetables on Internet

28.03.2014 Marianne Brown (VOA) - HANOI — In Vietnam, there are rising concerns about the excessive use of pesticides on crops. To ensure their vegetables are safe, some consumers are now shopping for produce online.

Billboards carry the message “don’t abuse pesticides, think of the consumer,” but a lack of government regulation has done little to combat the overuse of pesticides, and consumers are taking note. As a result, many are turning to the Internet to be better informed.

Out shopping in Hanoi’s city center, 30-year-old mother Tran Thuy Nhat expressed concerns many people can identify with.

She said she only buys vegetables from people she knows in her village on the outskirts of the city. She is worried about chemicals in vegetables and fruit and said if she buys these from someone she does not know, they could be harmful to her baby. [read more]

Climate change versus green beans in Vietnam's mountains

28.03.2014 (Thomson Reuters) - Life has always been tough for the villagers of Pa Lai, high in the mountains of northern Vietnam. Here, in the country’s remote uplands, the people of the ethnic Tay minority have often struggled to make ends meet.

Smallholder farmer, Vu Thi Ngoc, 50, knows just how hard it can be to make a living from the land. As one of the poorest women in the Thanh Van commune, she has always found it difficult to put food on the table. “Ever since I had my first child, it was very hard to survive,” she says.

In recent years, Vu Thi Ngoc hasn’t even had much help with farming, though she and her husband do what they can. Thanh Van commune is so far from the nearest schools that all three of her daughters left home at the age of 14 to pursue their studies. [read more]

EU to provide Vietnam with 551 million dollars in development assistance

27.03.2014 by KG/XINHUA (New Europe) - The European Union pledged to provide Vietnam some 400 million euro (551 million U.S. dollars) in development assistance during 2014-2020 period.

The commitment was made by David O'Sullivan, chief operating officer of the European external action service (EEAS) while meeting with Vietnamese deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Vietnam's capital Hanoi Wednesday. [read more]

Asia’s great cities face rising flooding risks in warming world

26.03.2014 By Ed King (RTCC) - Draft of IPCC’s forthcoming report highlights rising seas as acute risk for China, India, Thailand and Vietnam.

Some of Asia’s main cities could be under siege from rising sea levels by the end of the century, a UN panel of scientists is set to warn later this week.

Kolkata, Mumbai, Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Bangkok and Rangoon are among those most at risk, drafts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s forthcoming report suggest.

Rice and maize yields could also decline if temperatures rise and coastal growing regions are submerged, although winter wheat yields could increase. [read more]

Margallo viaja al sudeste asiático para incrementar la presencia de España

22.03.2014 Belén Anca López (La Vanguardia). Madrid (EFE) - El ministro de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación, José Manuel García-Margallo, inicia hoy un viaje al sudeste asiático que le llevará a Filipinas, Vietnam y Malasia, una visita de alto contenido económico a unos países en los que España pretende incrementar su presencia.

En Hanoi García-Margallo comenzará su visita el miércoles con un desayuno sobre la Marca España en el que hará una intervención bajo el título "Vietnam and Spain: Growing Opportunities".

El jueves el jefe de la diplomacia española hará una visita de cortesía al presidente de la República, y mantendrá una reunión con el ministro de Planificación e Inversiones, Bui Quang Vinh. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam seeks Sweden’s support in FTA talks with EU

21.03.2014 (Scandasia) - Vietnam would like Sweden to provide it with further assistance in cementing ties with the European Union (EU) and in negotiating the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh said Wednesday.

The Vietnamese leader made the appeal while meeting with Swedish Secretary of Foreign Affairs Frank Belfrage in Hanoi. [read more]

Denmark showcases a “Green” House in Vietnam

20.03.2014 (Scandasia) - Denmark has initiated The Danish Active House in Vietnam, a project partnership for showcasing green technology and sharing knowledge within energy-optimization when designing buildings. It is a joint project between partners from Vietnam and Denmark, supported by the Danish Embassy.

“We hope that the “green house” will be able to showcase Danish competencies and technology as regards energy efficiency in housing. I hope, this will be helpful for Vietnam on its ambitious road towards a greener economy, but also that it will be good business for Danish and Vietnamese companies” says Danish Ambassador John Nielsen. [read more]

Russia To Build Nuclear Technology Centre In Vietnam

20.03.2014 (Bernama) HANOI -- The Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation (Rosatom) plans to build a nuclear technology and research centre in Vietnam under an agreement between the governments of both countries.

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) quotes Rosatom deputy director general Vyacheslav A. Pershukov as saying the centre will be constructed in Da Lat city in Central Highland's Lam Dong province. [read more]

Vietnam expressways get Japan tech

19.03.2014 (Bangkok Post) - Three Japanese firms have won the contract to install intelligent transport systems in Vietnam's new expressways, with the aim of helping reduce traffic problems in the country.

Toshiba Corporation, Hitachi Ltd and Itochu Corporation have signed a contract to supply the Vietnam Expressway Corporation with electronic toll collection, traffic control and equipment monitoring systems. [read more]

Nucléaire: pas de retard dans la construction de la 1ère centrale du Vietnam, assure son président à Tokyo

18.03.2014 (DH) - TOKYO - Le président vietnamien a confirmé à la presse japonaise que les travaux de construction de la première centrale nucléaire du pays débuteraient comme prévu cette année avec un partenaire russe tout en réaffirmant sa confiance dans les technologies du Japon.

Répondant au quotidien économique Nikkei lors d'une visite à Tokyo, Truong Tan Sang a indiqué que "le projet n'avait pas changé" et que les travaux des premiers réacteurs atomiques seraient bien lancés dès cette année.

Des informations récentes faisaient état de possibles retards, mais Truong Tan Sang a indiqué qu'il n'en était rien, selon le Nikkei. [en savoir plus...]

Two Vietnam power plants shut after gas pipeline leak

16.03.2014 (Reuters) -  Two power plants in southern Vietnam were shut down at the weekend due to a leaking valve on a gas pipeline, state-run Voice of Vietnam radio said on Monday.

The problem on the pipeline, owned by state oil and gas group Petrovietnam, took place on Saturday. The power plants in Ca Mau province have a combined power capacity of 1,500 megawatts and supply about a tenth of the country's electricity. [read more]

Vietnam's child workers number 1.75m

16.03.2014 (ANN) - Viet Nam had 1.75 million child labourers aged between five and 17, equal to 9.6 per cent of that age group in the country, according to the first National Child Labour Survey.

The survey, released yesterday by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), said that two out of every five of them were under 15 and worked in conditions that the report defined as child labour, such as bars, construction sites, workshops and quarries. Findings from the survey showed that about one-third of child labourers had to work an average of more than 42 hours per week. This meant most of them did not attend school.

The survey was carried out in 2012 by the General Statistics Office with ILO technical support, and covered 50,640 households. [read more]

Asia - Pacific, fewer and fewer natural forests and pastures. Eco-system at risk

15.03.2014 (AsiaNews) - Ulaanbaatar - The nations of the Asia-Pacific region are failing to curb the progressive loss of natural forests and areas devoted to pasture. Experts from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warn that populations are increasingly being robbed of their livelihoods. The problem is exacerbated by "desertification and climate change". FAO senior official Patrick Durst confirms that forests and grasslands cover about 58% of the territory, but every year at least two million hectares (about 20 thousand km2) are degraded or are rendered unusable.

A few days ago a conference was held on food and nutrition in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia, during which it the problem of deforestation strongly emerged. Across the Asia-Pacific region, about 400 million acres (4 million km2), an area equal to the sum of the areas of India and Myanmar, is in critical condition and requires immediate action. "We can already see - adds Durst - the first negative impacts". [read more]

Bitter taste brewing in Vietnamese coffee

15.03.2014 Authors: Pham Thu Huong & Dao Ngoc Tien, FTU (East Asia Forum) - Vietnam is now one of the largest coffee producers and exporters in the world — with a 20 per cent global market share. It exports coffee beans to more than 70 countries all over the world, and the US, Germany and Spain are its main importers. Although roasted and instant coffee exports have increased steadily year on year,the industry faces risks due to its low capacity to deal with world price fluctuations.

But Vietnam’s coffee bean price fluctuates depending on crops, weather, quantity and supply and demand. Export and domestic prices also follow international market fluctuations. Vietnam’s export price is lower than that of other exporting countries because the quality of Vietnamese coffee beans is neither high nor stable, and green coffee beans are exported without a trademark. The main reason for the lower quality is that farmers often pluck all the coffee berries from the branches when harvesting, so there are more green berries than ripe berries. Still, the gap between Vietnamese export prices and international export prices is narrowing. [read more]

Asia y el Pacífico, cada vez menos bosques naturales y pastizales. Eco-sistema en riesgo

15.03.2014 (AsiaNews) - Ulaanbaatar (AsiaNews / Agencias ) - Las naciones de la región Asia -Pacífico no logran frenar la progresiva pérdida de los bosques naturales y las áreas dedicadas a pastos. Hacer sonar la alarma los expertos de la Organización para la Agricultura y la Alimentación de las Naciones Unidas (FAO), según la cual la población está cada vez más despojada de sus medios de subsistencia. Para agravar el problema, advierten, combinado con otros factores, "la desertificación y el cambio climático". Patrick Durst, alto funcionario de la FAO confirma que los bosques y los pastizales cubren aproximadamente el 58 % del territorio, pero todos los años al menos dos millones de hectáreas (cerca de 20 mil km2) se degradan o son inutilizables.

Hace unos días ha habido una conferencia sobre alimentación y nutrición en Ulánbator, capital de Mongolia, durante el cual se puso de manifiesto con fuerza el problema de la deforestación. En toda la región de Asia y el Pacífico, a unos 400 millones de acres (4.000.000 km2), una superficie igual a la suma de las áreas de la India y Myanmar, se encuentra en estado crítico y requiere una acción inmediata. "Ya podemos ver - añade Durst - los primeros impactos negativos" [seguir leyendo]

Foreign Indirect Investments Must Use Vietnamese Dong

15.03.2014 (Bernama) HANOI -- Foreign indirect investments must be transacted in Vietnamese dong, with related transactions being made through accounts in authorised banks, noted a new State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) circular.

Issued on March 12, Circular No 05/2014/TT-NHNN will go into effect on April 28, replacing an SBV circular on foreign exchange management for foreign investors contributing capital or buying stakes in domestic enterprises, Vietname News Agency (VNA) reported. [read more]

Pflege-Notstand: Fachkräfte aus Fernost sollen helfen

14.03.2014 (merkur-online) - Hannover - Zurzeit gibt es in Deutschland etwa 2,4 Millionen pflegebedürftige Menschen, 2030 sollen es bereits 3,4 Millionen sein. Seniorenheime benötigen dringend qualifiziertes Personal. Fündig werden sie in Vietnam oder China.

Rund 30 000 Fachkräfte fehlen in deutschen Pflegeheimen, bis 2030 werden sogar mehr als 94 000 Fachkräfte und fast 200 000 Hilfskräfte zusätzlich benötigt. Wegen der geburtenschwachen Jahrgänge gibt es zu wenig geeignete Bewerber. „Egal wie groß die Anstrengungen sind, die wir unternehmen, wir können den Bedarf durch Bewerber aus Deutschland nicht alleine decken“, sagt Thomas Greiner, Präsident des Arbeitgeberverbands Pflege. Ist Zuwanderung ein Ausweg aus der Misere? [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam buys crude oil from Azerbaijan

13.03.2014 (today.az) - Petrovietnam (PVN) will purchase crude oil from Azerbaijan over the next two years to ensure stable supply.

Petrovietnam Oil and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical, both of which are under direct control of state-owned PVN, signed a purchase agreement with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) earlier this month. [read more]

'Too many' seaports in Vietnam

14.03.2014 (Bangkok Post) - Robert Hambleton wants to hear more noise from the huge container port outside his office near Ho Chi Minh City. Towering cranes at the next-door competitor are silent, without a ship on the horizon.

“It’s a brand-new terminal without any customers,” said Mr Hambleton, general director of Cai Mep International Terminal Co. “You get a sense of how dire the situation is. The whole terminal industry is oversupplied.”

With companies from Intel Corp to Samsung Electronics building billion-dollar factories in Vietnam, regional governments have established competing ports capable of handling overseas traffic, causing plunging rates and losses for operators estimated at US$1.5 billion (48.5 billion baht) or more, according to Seaport Consultants Asia. [read more]

Amerikas Mühen mit dem Freihandel

14.03.2014 Christoph Eisenring, Washington (NZZ) - In den Freihandelsgesprächen der USA mit pazifischen Staaten wird um Arbeitnehmerrechte gerungen, mit der EU um nichttarifäre Handelshemmnisse.

Wer schon einmal ein Auto über den Atlantik schicken wollte, kann das Potenzial einer Freihandelszone der USA mit der EU nachvollziehen. Ein Berliner Garagist erklärt, dass die Umrüstung des in den USA gekauften Mazda 1800 € kosten würde – ohne dass sich damit die Sicherheit verbessern würde. Diese Woche fand in Brüssel die vierte Verhandlungsrunde zur transatlantischen Handels- und Investitionspartnerschaft (TTIP) statt. Grosse Hoffnungen werden beidseits des Atlantiks denn auch auf die Beseitigung nichttarifärer Handelshemmnisse gesetzt. [Weiterlesen]

Le café vietnamien victime des conditions météorologiques

14.03.2014 (Romandie) - Hanoï (awp/afp) - Des conditions météorologiques extrêmes ont frappé la production de café au Vietnam, premier exportateur mondial de robusta de qualité médiocre utilisé pour le café instantané, a indiqué un responsable de l'industrie vendredi.

Le froid extrême et la sécheresse a provoqué une baisse de la production totale de café de 8% entre la récolte 2013-2014, à 1,37 mio tonnes, et celle de l'année précédente, a précisé à l'AFP Do Ha Nam, vice-président de l'Association vietnamienne Café-Cacao (Vicofa). [en savoir plus ...]

Commission seek to boost EU trade with ASEAN countries

14.03.2014 By Karafillis Giannoulis (New Europe) - The European Commission is seeking to boost EU trade with the South East Asian region (ASEAN), and the European Commissioner for trade Karel De Gucht will visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar in the coming week.

Commissioner De Gucht said ahead of the visit, “I'm looking forward to constructive talks with our partners in South East Asia…Experience is showing how opening up to trade is helping these dynamic countries raise living standards. At the same time, their markets provide opportunities for European exporters, so we really do have a win-win situation.” [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

New Zealand Government Builds Asean Links With Visit To Indonesia, Vietnam

14.03.2014 (Bernama) - WELLINGTON - New Zealand Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce will visit Indonesia and Vietnam next week in a bid to drum up new trade opportunities with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) bloc and highlight links in energy and education, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

"In the past five years, New Zealand's trade with Asean countries, including Indonesia and Vietnam, has grown at a rate greater than with any other of our major trading partners except China," Joyce said in a statement Friday. [read more]

Lower Mekong Countries Urge Halt to Lao Dam Project

13.03.2014 (VOA) - Officials from the Mekong countries of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are urging Laos to halt development of a dam project that could have a significant impact on downstream communities and ecosystems along the river.

Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese delegations visited the site of the planned dam on Wednesday. All three countries have expressed their concerns over the project. [read more]

Strengthening The Financing Framework for Municipal Infrastructure in Vietnam

11.03.2014 (World Bank) - HANOI, March 11, 2014 – New Report, led by Cuong Duc Dang of the World Bank Office in Hanoi, highlights key constraints, opportunities and options for enhancing government access to financing for infrastructure development.

A fundamental challenge for Vietnam is to improve the affordability and efficiency of infrastructure investment and yet within this challenge there is a silver lining.

“This challenge also represents an opportunity for Vietnam, in that a significant part of the investment needs can likely be met by more efficient use of available resources,” said Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Broadcasters export shows to Asia with Japanese ads attached

13.03.2014 (The Asahi Shimbun) - Vietnam's state-run Vietnam Television (VTV) has been airing TV dramas produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS) Inc. during a one-hour time slot on weekday evenings since last fall. The high school drama "Boys Over Flowers" and "Bloody Monday," a psychological thriller about a brilliant hacker, and other programs have received favorable ratings.

Thanks to the positive reception, even amid strong competition from popular South Korean dramas, VTV has decided to continue airing Japanese shows from April. [read more]

Vietnam foreign ownership laws to be loosened

12.03.2014 (OPP Connect) - The Vietnamese Ministry of Construction wants to make it much easier for overseas Vietnamese to own property in the country.

The Ministry has proposed amendments to the housing law which would mean that overseas Vietnamese (or Viet kieu) would face virtually no restrictions on buying houses in Vietnam once they got permission to enter the country. Currently they can only buy one unit (house or apartment) after they’ve lived in Vietnam for six months. [read more]

Vietnam declares Bitcoin transactions illegal

28.02.2014 (Today) - HANOI — Vietnam’s communist government said trading in Bitcoin and other electronic currencies is illegal, and warned its citizens not to use or invest in them.

A central bank statement late yesterday (Feb 27) didn’t spell out penalties for those who disobeyed the instruction, but it said that virtual currencies are linked to money laundering and other illegal activities. [read more]

Vietnam to build aerospace center

28.02.2014 by Arno Maierbrugger (investvine) - Vietnam is carrying on with plans to build its own aerospace center which would serve as the “launching pad” for the Vietnam’s aerospace industry.

Clear goals have been set up for the space technology programme, according to local media reports. As a start, Vietnam strives to build satellites with the weight of less than 1,000 tonnes and utilise them. By 2020, the government said Vietnam aims to become the leading aerospace infrastructure and technology nation in ASEAN, a title which is now held by Malaysia and Indonesia. [read more]

Project blends Rotterdam knowhow with Ho Chi Minh City street smarts

Flood defence and water management are top of the agenda in this unique cross-planet collaboration between river delta cities

28.02.2014 Beth Gardiner (The Guardian) - Rotterdam is Europe's largest port, a gritty Dutch metropolis with a long history as a commercial hub and a flair for modern architecture. Ho Chi Minh City, half a world away in Vietnam, is a fast-growing megacity clogged with motorbikes; an extraordinary mixture of old and new, rich and poor.

Different as they seem, the two cities have something crucial in common. Both sit on river deltas, and are defined – and increasingly threatened – by their relationship with water. Perched near coasts astride major rivers, with tributaries running through neighbourhoods, these two port cities are on the front lines of climate change. [read more]

Russia saved European arrivals from collapse in Vietnam in 2013

27.02.2014 Luc Citrinot (TravelDailyNews) - HANOI- Vietnamese authorities can be highly satisfied about the evolution of Europe in 2013: looking at data, Europe recorded a growth of 12.9% last year with over a million travellers. This looks better than the average growth of all arrivals which reached “only” 10.6% at 7.57 million. Europe represented 13.8% share in 2013, down however from 16.6% a year earlier.

But the growth of Europe is mainly due to rocketing figures from Russia. In the last three years, the total number of Russians progressed from 102,000 in 2011 to almost 300,000 arrivals in 2013, almost tripling total arrivals. Russian travellers have jumped as more of them enjoy beach holidays, especially Danang and increasingly Nha Trang. The latter is regularly linked by charter and leisure flights to Russia. [read more]

Korea scrutinizes U.S. nuclear deal with Vietnam

27.02.2014 (Korea JoongAng Daily) - President Barack Obama this week approved an agreement for civilian nuclear cooperation between the governments of the United States and Vietnam that is raising eyebrows in Korea because of uncertainty surrounding whether it will allow Vietnam to engage in sensitive fuel-production technologies.

The Korean government is keeping a close eye on whether the new nuclear pact includes the “gold standard” of nonproliferation, which is a prohibition of uranium enrichment or plutonium processing.

The U.S.-Vietnam nuclear deal has not yet been made public.

Seoul has been seeking to lift the ban on enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in its civilian nuclear pact with Washington written in 1974, but it hasn’t made much progress in three years of negotiations. [read more]

Foreign investors leave the Vietnam auto market

26.02.2014 (SteelGuru) - A series of large investors such as Toyota, Madaz and Ford have abandoned auto projects in Vietnam, or do not intend to invest more because of concerns about the underdeveloped support industries.

Nissan said that it would invest USD 100 million more in an automobile factory in Indonesia to increase production capacity from 100,000 vehicles to 250,000 vehicles in 2014.

Honda said that it would consider building a new car factory in Jakarta (Indonesia) with an investment of about USD 337 million and an annual production capacity of 180,000 vehicles.

Economists said that foreign investors leave the Vietnam’s auto market not only because of a lower market volume than other countries but also the underdeveloped supporting industries in Vietnam. [read more]

Obama genehmigt Atomkooperation zwischen USA und Vietnam

26.02.2014 (FVN21) - US-Präsident Barack Obama hat am Montag ein Abkommen zur zivilen Atomkooperation zwischen den USA und Vietnam genehmigt, es handelt sich um den Verkauf der US-Reaktoren an den ehemaligen Kriegsfeind.

Das amerikanische Parlament hat nun 90 Tage Zeit, um das Abkommen zu überprüfen. Sollte das Parlament es nicht ablehnen oder keine Änderung beantragen, tritt das Abkommen nach Ablauf dieser 90 Tage in Kraft.

Berichten zufolge wurde das sogenannze „123 Abkommen" im Oktober 2013 von den USA und Vietnam ausgearbeitet und am Rand des Ost-Asien-Gipfels in Brunei letzten Oktober unterzeichneten. Mit dem Abkommen erklärt sich Vietnam dazu bereit, auf Urananreicherung und -wiederaufbereitung zu verzichten und die notwendigen Kernbrennstoffe auf dem Weltmarkt zu kaufen.

Das kommunistisch regierte Land hat bereits ein Abkommen über nukleare Zusammenarbeit mit Russland. Die vietnamesischen Kernkraftwerkgegner und Energieexperte im In- und Ausland befürchten, dass der Aufbau von AKW in Vietnam zu Katastrophen infolge von Erdbeben oder Tsunamis führen kann. - [tiếng Việt]

Bird Flu Hits 21 Provinces In Vietnam

26.02.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI - Bird flu has hit 21 provinces and cities across Vietnam with around 64,000 infected chickens culled, according to latest statistics from the Animal Health Department.

The number of birds killed in the central province of Khanh Hoa and the northwestern province of Lao Cai has reached almost 20,000, members of the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control heard at a meeting here on Wednesday. [read more]

No end in sight yet for Trans-Pacific trade pact

25.02.2014 By Rachel Armstrong and Masayuki Kitano SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Tariffs, market access prove difficult issues in talks * No time frame for next meeting to secure trade pact * No breakthrough in Japan-U.S. differences over import tariffs.

Ministers in 12-nation Trans-Pacific trade talks said on Tuesday they had yet to reach agreement on tariffs and other market access issues, with the timing of a completed deal looking increasingly unclear. Ministers said they had made significant progress during four days of meetings in Singapore, but the talks ended with no clear indication of a time frame to clinch the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreements. [read more]

Oxfam Climate Change Response Project Benefits Vietnam's Ben Tre

24.02.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI - A climate change response project launched by United Kingdom's (UK) charity, Oxfam, has benefited 15 communities in the southern province of Ben Tre since 2012, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Funded by the New Zealand Government, the five-year project, "Building resilience to disasters and climate change risks for men and women", is improving the capacity of local people in disaster management and climate change adaptation.

The project supports livelihoods for poor and vulnerable groups like the elderly, children and the disabled along with adding the supply of clean water and local hygiene. [read more]

Vietnam fest im Griff der H5N1-Vogelgrippe

24.02.2014 (aho) - Aktuell sind in Vietnam elf Provizen von der H5N1-Vogelgrippe betroffen. Nach Angaben des Agrarministeriums in Hanoi wurden in den zurückliegenden Wochen 20.000 Proben von Geflügel von 147 Märkten in 44 Städten genommen. Dabei konnte in mehr als 60% der Proben das H5N1-Virus nachgewiesen werden.

Wie das Ministerium weiter mitteilte, sind es im Norden die Provinzen Nam Dinh und Lao Cai, in der Zentralregion die Provinzen Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Kon Tum, and Dak Lak. Im Süden sind es Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An, Tay Ninh und Ca Mau.

Da Ministerium forderte die örtlichen Behörden auf, Seuchenfälle umgehend zu melden und warnte gleichzeitig vor der Einschleppung des H7N9-Vogelgrippevirus aus China. Auch dieses Virus sei hochinfektiös [Weiterlesen]

Obama approves Vietnam nuclear deal

24.02.2014 (Yahoo News) - Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama Monday approved a civilian nuclear pact with Vietnam which could lead to the sale of US reactors to Washington's energy-hungry former war foe.

The move by the president formally opened a 90-day review process in Congress. If no legislation is passed contravening the accord, it will then come into force. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Feu vert d'Obama à un accord nucléaire civil avec le Vietnam

24.02.2014 (Romandie) - Washington - Le président Barack Obama a annoncé lundi avoir approuvé un accord sur le nucléaire civil avec le Vietnam, étape vers la fourniture éventuelle de réacteurs par les Etats-Unis à leur ancien ennemi aux grands besoins en énergie.

Le feu vert du dirigeant américain ouvre une période de 90 jours pendant laquelle le Congrès pourra examiner ce texte. Si aucune loi n'est introduite pour l'empêcher, l'accord entrera en vigueur.

Au terme de ce texte, Hanoï s'engage à ne pas produire des éléments radioactifs nécessaires à l'élaboration d'armes nucléaires et adhèrera aux critères de non-prolifération américains. [en savoir plus...] - [tiếng Việt]

In light of Fukushima disaster, Vietnam delays construction of 1st nuclear power plant

21.02.2014 Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - Concern over the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan has caused Vietnam to delay construction of its first nuclear power plant.

The project was initially scheduled to start this year, but the work may now be postponed until 2020.

The decision was announced by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Jan. 15.

According to the Vietnamese newspaper Tuoi Tre one day afterward, Dung also said, "Building nuclear power plants will be done with the highest safety and efficiency, and the project will not go ahead unless standards are met."

... I hadn't lived in Fukushima, but I suppose they wanted to hear about Japan from a Japanese person who can speak directly to them in their own language. I met many artists and people affiliated with Vietnamese universities and the mass media, and I got the impression that a good number of them are skeptical about the quest for nuclear power. [read more]

Beijing’s Hydroelectric Policies: Tensions on the Mekong

17.02.2014 by Michael T. Aiken (The Diplomatic Courier) - Territorial disputes between China and its neighbors over oil and gas resources are prominent flashpoints, as evidenced by China’s recent declaration of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea. However, another important point of contention has received relatively little media attention: China’s construction of dams along several key rivers in South and Southeast Asia.

Though most media attention on Chinese dam construction centers on the Three Gorges Dam, China’s unique geographic role as the gatekeeper of the Tibetan Plateau’s headwaters allows Beijing to control the flow of the Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Salween, and Mekong river systems. China’s potential “hydro-hegemony” is best seen in the Mekong River.

Currently, Chinese engineers are building eight dams along the Mekong—most notably, Xiaowan and Nuozhadu. These dams are an important source of hydroelectric power and freshwater for a rapidly developing, resource-hungry China. They also give Beijing the ability to alter the flow of nutrients, silt, and fish downstream, potentially threatening the livelihood of 60 million people in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam who depend on the Mekong for their income, fishing commerce, agriculture, and freshwater. Additionally, these dams give Beijing the ability to upset the hydroelectric viability of downstream dams in Cambodia that will serve as an important future source of electricity for the region. [read more]

Japanese companies lobby against Vietnam's plan to restrict motorcycles

21.02.2014 By Manabu Sasaki (The Asahi Shimbun) - HANOI--Japanese motorbike makers are lobbying against a move by the Vietnamese government to impose regulations on the vehicles in urban areas.

Local subsidiaries of Honda Motor Co., Yamaha Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp. joined Italian company Piaggio and Taiwanese firm SYM on Feb. 19 to establish the Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (VAMM) to reach out to the country’s lawmakers. [read more]

How can Asia protect its water resources?

20.02.2014 Author: Justine Doody, ECFR (East Asia Forum) - Asia’s economic growth has been one of the success stories of the 21st century. But the economic rise of countries such as China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia has created serious pressure on their environmental resources, particularly their water supplies.

A recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation suggests that countries tend to prioritise economic growth over environmental protection. It is only after countries reach high levels of economic development that they begin to invest time and money into safeguarding environmental resources. Upper-middle-income China and India, as well as lower-middle-income Vietnam and Indonesia, have all begun the task of creating policy regimes to secure the safety of their water resources. [read more]

New TV Campaign Aims to Save Vietnam's Wild Tigers

20.02.2014 Marianne Brown (VOA) - HANOI — Conservationists in Vietnam have launched a new public service announcement aimed at tackling the use of tiger paste as an impressive gift. While the move has been widely welcomed, some say it is already too late for the country’s last wild tigers.

“Using tiger bone paste won’t impress anyone, don’t embarrass yourself” - is the message of a new public service announcement released by Vietnamese conservation group Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) this week.

The announcement - to be broadcast on national television - depicts a new corporate board member giving his colleagues gifts of tiger bone paste during a meeting, which they leave on the table in disgust. [read more]

Vietnam steel industry facing hard times

20.02.2014 (SteelGuru) - It is reported that Vietnam’s steel industry is facing difficulties as domestic producers are operating at 40% to 50% capacity due to oversupply.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued a decision imposing a preliminary anti dumping measure against cold rolled stainless steel products imported from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan from January 25th 2014. [read more]

Moody's sees Vietnam's bad debt at 15 pct of loans

19.02.2014 (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service kept unchanged its negative outlook on Vietnam's banking system, saying the problem assets comprise at least 15 percent of total assets, the Vietnam News daily reports.

The assessment compares with the State Bank of Vietnam's bad debt estimate at 3.79 percent of loans at the end of 2013, the report said. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

The EU supports Civil Society engagement in the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade process in Vietnam

18.02.2014 (Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam) - Hanoi, – Today, three European Union – newly funded projects, worth of 3 million EURO, were officially launched, aiming to support Vietnam and other neighbouring countries in combating illegal logging and to promote trade in legal timber and timber products as well as to improve sustainable use of forests in Vietnam.

These projects will be implemented by European and Vietnamese Civil Society Organisations.

At the launching ceremony, Ambassador – Head of European Union Delegation to Vietnam Dr Franz Jessen said "The EU Timber Regulation which came into force on 3rd March 2013 and Voluntary Partnership Agreements are two parts of the EU Action Plan of Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade

(FLEGT) - the European Union’s initiative to combat illegal logging and improve forest governance and Vietnam is one of EU's pioneer FLEGT partners in Asia." [read more]

In Vietnam's capital, old town braces for makeover

15.02.2014 By Mike Ives (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- Tourists, hawkers and motorcyclists rub shoulders every morning in the congested alleyways of Hanoi's low-rise Old Quarter, which seems generations away from the office towers and electronics megastores springing up in other parts of the capital. The quarter's street grid, laid out in the 15th century, is still dominated by dilapidated shops selling everything from brass gongs to bamboo scaffolding.

It is now among Asia's best-preserved urban hubs of traditional commerce - thanks largely to decades of inattention. The 82-hectare (203-acre) downtown area is crammed with Buddhist temples, pagodas and French colonial shophouses, whose original tiles and peeling yellow paint have become a draw for foreign visitors. [read more]

Labor-Rights Violations Found in Apple’s Supply Chain

13.02.3014 By Adam Satariano & Tim Culpan (The Jakarta Globe) - Workers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam are tricked into paying excessive fees to recruiters in exchange for a job with Apple’s suppliers. The workers are then forced to work to pay off the debt, a violation of Apple’s policies that limit how much money recruiters can collect.

Apple uncovered labor violations in its supply chain, including the use of underage workers and abuses of migrant laborers lured by recruiters to work in factories making its devices.  [read more]

Vietnam buys up Australian buffalo

11.02.2013 Neda Vanovac (Yahoo!7 News) - Australia's live animal export industry has taken a new turn, with the first ever shipment of buffalo heading to Vietnam from the Northern Territory.

Vietnam is the second largest importer of NT cattle after Indonesia, but it has never before been an export destination for buffalo, which is relatively popular meat across South-East Asia.

A growing middle class and an appetite for high-quality meat is driving demand, which will continue to rise, said Chief Minister Adam Giles.

He said the livestock industry was a key part of the government's plan to develop the NT into the "food bowl of Asia". [read more]

Airbus profitiert von Milliarden-Auftrag aus Vietnam

Von dieser Bestellung der VietJetAir profitiert das Hamburger Werk. Airbus sieht noch große Wachstumschancen in Asien

11.02.2014 (Hamburger Abendblatt) - Singapur. Der europäische Flugzeugbauer Airbus hat zum Start der Luftfahrtmesse in Singapur einen Großauftrag eingesammelt. Die junge Fluggesellschaft VietJetAir bestellt 63 Mittelstreckenjets aus der A320-Familie, wie die Verkehrsflugzeugsparte der Airbus Group mitteilte. Zugleich sicherten sich die Vietnamesen Kaufrechte für 30 weitere Maschinen dieser Klasse.

Bei den fest georderten Jets handelt es sich um 42 Exemplare der auf Spritsparen getrimmten Neuauflage A320neo sowie 14 A320 und 7 der Langversion A321 mit den herkömmlichen Triebwerken. Damit zurrte Airbus einen Vorvertrag aus dem vergangenen Jahr fest.

Laut Preisliste kommen die 63 Maschinen auf einen Gesamtwert von 6,2 Milliarden US-Dollar (4,6 Mrd Euro). Allerdings sind bei Flugzeugbestellungen Nachlässe im zweistelligen Prozentbereich üblich. VietJetAir hat ihren Betrieb im Jahr 2011 aufgenommen und ist bisher mit elf geleasten A320 unterwegs. Die "Singapore Airshow" ist die größte Luftfahrtmesse in Asien. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

VietJetAir finalises major A320 Family order

11.02.2013 (airbus) Vietnam’s VietJetAir has finalised a major order for the A320 Family to meet its future expansion plans. The purchase agreement covers firm orders for 42 A320neo, 14 A320ceo and 7 A321ceo, plus 30 purchase rights. In addition the airline will lease eight more A320 Family aircraft from third party lessors.

The order was finalised today at the Singapore Airshow by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vice Chairwoman and CEO, VietJetAir and Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO, Airbus. The signing was witnessed by Dinh La Thang, Minister of Transport of Vietnam and Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN.

“The A320 has proven to be extremely efficient in service with VietJetAir and is a favourite with our passengers,” said Luu Duc Khanh, Managing Director, VietJetAir. “Based on this experience, we look forward to developing our business across the Asia-Pacific region. Airbus will be our strategic partner and provide us with the most economic and comfortable aircraft and coordinate with VietJetAir in relevant training programs.” [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Petrovietnam to import coal from 2017 for power plants

10.02.2014 (Reuters) - Feb 10 (Reuters) - State oil and gas group Petrovietnam is looking to buy around 10 million tonnes of coal a year, mostly from Australia and Indonesia, to feed domestic thermal power plants from 2017, a company official said on Monday.

Vietnam, a net coal exporter, has been cutting its annual export volumes of the fossil fuel in recent years to fill growing demand from coal-fired power plants at home. Domestic output has also been falling after decades of mining activity.

"We have to feed three thermal power plants, with operation slated to start from 2017," said the official at Petrovietnam Power Coal Import and Supply Co (PV Power Coal), the importing arm of the state group. [read more]

Vietnam's illegal trade in rhino horn

09.02.2014 By Sue Lloyd Roberts (BBC) - Record numbers of rhinos are being poached and killed in South Africa for their horn. Many of those horns end up being sold illegally for their supposed medicinal properties - in countries such as Vietnam.

On 30 December 2013, a park ranger on patrol in South Africa stumbled across the body of a two-tonne, 3m-long dead rhino. Its horn had been torn from its face and it had almost certainly died in slow agony. The ranger used his radio to contact the park HQ saying simply, "Another one gone."

They knew immediately what he meant.

Vietnam became a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 20 years ago. The Cites secretariat has been urging the Vietnamese government for some years to tighten the laws and penalties against those selling horns. They were expected to have new laws in place in time for a conference on illegal wildlife trading being held in London this week. [read more]

Des fèves aux tablettes, les pionniers du chocolat de luxe au Vietnam

09.02.2014 Par Cat Barton | AFP (Yahoo News France) - Au fin fond du delta du Mékong, deux Français plongent le nez dans un sac de fèves de cacao, avant de refaire surface, visiblement séduits. Ces fins connaisseurs sont les premiers artisans chocolatiers du Vietnam. Les deux entrepreneurs, qui ont créé en 2011 leur chocolaterie, Marou, sélectionnent avec un soin tout particulier la matière première de leurs tablettes.

Odeur, couleur, texture, goût. Chaque élément a son importance pour imaginer la qualité du futur chocolat. "Quand nous avons commencé, les agriculteurs pensaient que nous étions fous", raconte en mordillant un morceau de fève Vincent Marou, l'un de ces deux "faiseurs de chocolat". [en savoir plus...] 

Raising the bar: Vietnam's luxury chocolate pioneers

09.02.2014 By Cat Barton | AFP (Yahoo News France) – Deep in the Mekong Delta, two Frenchmen have their heads buried in a sack of cacao beans. The pair -- co-founders of Vietnam's first artisan chocolate maker -- resurface, murmuring appreciatively.

The sweet-toothed entrepreneurs -- who quit their day jobs to set up award-winning chocolate company Marou -- buy three out of four of 64-year-old farmer Vo Thanh Phuoc's sacks of dried, fermented cacao, paying a premium on the market price for the better-than-average beans.

"When we started, the farmers thought we were crazy," Marou's co-founder Vincent Mourou told AFP as he nibbled on a cacao nib. Every sack of beans is individually checked as the smell, colour, texture and taste give a good indication of the chocolate to come.

"Now, they try the beans too."

Cacao was likely first introduced in Vietnam by French colonialists in the late 19th century, but never took off as a cash crop.  [read more]

TATA Steel exits from USD 5 billion Vietnam project

08.02.2014 (steelguru.com) - After 5 years of waiting, TATA Steel has completely exited from its USD 5 billion steel project in Vietnam because of the delay in approvals and challenging business environment there.

An executive close to the development said that “The company had communicated it to the Vietnam government last year and the chapter has been closed recently.” In the last Annual General Meeting of TATA Steel last year, Mr Cyrus Mistry chairman of TATA group had hinted about the exit, while answering to shareholders’ questions. [read more]

Communist Vietnam gets first taste of McDonald's

08.02.2014 (RTÉ) - Four decades after the Vietnam war ended, US fast-food giant McDonald's has opened its first restaurant in the communist country, aiming to lure a rising middle class away from rice and noodles.

The arrival of one of the most potent symbols of US capitalism in southern Ho Chi Minh City is the result of a partnership with the son-in-law of Vietnam's powerful Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

McDonald's is following US rivals Burger King, KFC and coffee giant Starbucks into Vietnam, a country many Americans associate more with an unpopular war than a newly wealthy middle class. [read more]

Big Mac hält Einzug in Vietnam

08.02.2014 (Südtirol Online) - Als junger Mann hat er in den USA bei McDonald's Hamburger zubereitet, jetzt ist er „Entwicklungslizenznehmer“ des ersten Lokals der Fast-Food-Kette in seiner Heimat Vietnam.

Bei der Geschäftseröffnung am Samstag in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt, dem früheren Saigon, dirigierte Henry Nguyen die zahlreichen Fahrzeuge – überwiegend Mopeds und Motorrikschas – gezielt in sein Drive-In.

Der auch als Nguyen Bao Hoang bekannte Geschäftsmann ist der Schwiegersohn des mächtigen Regierungschefs Nguyen Tan Dung.

Tatsächlich ist ein Big Mac zum Preis von umgerechnet zwei Euro in Vietnam eher etwas für Besserverdiener. [Weiterlesen]

Un premier McDonald's au Vietnam

08.02.2014 (20 minutes) - Quarante ans après la fin de la guerre du Vietnam, le géant américain y a ouvert samedi son premier restaurant, espérant convertir au Big Mac la classe moyenne du pays.

La chaîne aux plus de 35.000 restaurants à travers plus de cent pays fait figure de petit dernier au Vietnam: ses concurrents comme KFC, Burger King et Pizza Hut se disputent déjà les 90 millions de consommateurs vietnamiens.

Des centaines d'entre eux ont néanmoins fait la queue dès samedi matin à Ho Chi Minh-Ville, la capitale économique du pays, certains bien avant l'heure d'ouverture.

Son entrée sur le marché vietnamien est aussi révélateur de la façon dont se font les affaires au Vietnam: la franchise a été remportée l'an dernier par le beau-fils du puissant premier ministre, Nguyen Tan Dung. McDonald's a assuré qu'il avait été choisi après «un processus rigoureux de sélection». [en savoir plus...]

War on bear bile farms in Vietnam continues

CRUEL bear bile farms in Vietnam are being increasingly shunned by tourists following a campaign by Brit charity Animals Asia.

07.02.2014 By: John Ingham (Scottish Daily Express) - It warned the main customers, Korean tourists, they could be arrested for buying the banned bile.The number of tour firms and tourists visiting bile farms in Halong Bay has plunged by more than half in three years.

Animals Asia has a £1 million sanctuary in a Vietnamese national park where it is caring for 107 bears rescued from the living hell of bile farms.

In the farms the bears are kept in cages for up to 30 years with catheters permanently inserted into their bellies to "milk" their bile. [read more]

Sustainable development project in Vietnam

02.02.2014 (ANN) In two northern provinces of Vietnam, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh, more than 60,000 households are suffering from poverty. Around the country, poverty levels are particularly high in the upland areas, especially amongst ethnic minorities - and land degradation is a serious threat to their livelihoods.

The "Sustainable Rural Development for the Poor Project" has been launched to help them, with US$22.5 million and a grant of $500,000 from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Of the total project cost of $46.24 million, $10 million will come from the Spanish Food Security Cofinancing Facility. [read more]

Lunar New Year Has Dark Side for Vietnam Economy, Say Critics

30.01.2014 By Tran Thi Minh Ha (Jakarta Globe) - Hanoi. Packed shops, traffic chaos and kumquat trees everywhere can only mean one thing in Hanoi: a new lunar year is approaching. But not everybody is feeling festive.

Known locally as Tet, the celebration of the lunar new year is Vietnam’s most important holiday and triggers a surge in consumption and travel ahead of an extended nationwide shutdown.

But this year, critics are arguing that the beloved, protracted Tet holiday is actually hurting the already fragile economy.

“The long holiday and low productivity for weeks around Tet is causing problems for Vietnam’s development,” prominent economist Pham Chi Lan was quoted in a controversial interview in the state-run DanViet paper. [read more]

Vietnamese households prosper more when women hold land title - study

30.01.2014 By Stella Dawson (Thomson Reuters Foundation) -  WASHINGTON -  When women hold land title in rural Vietnam, their households are more prosperous, poverty is less and capital investment levels higher than in households where a man holds sole title, new research has found.

While family economic security improves under private land titling regardless of gender, the benefits are more marked when a woman’s name is on the document than only a man’s, researchers at Rutgers and Brandeis University found.

The findings are among the first to provide strong evidence of the economic benefits of women having documented legal rights to use of land. [read more]

Moratorium on wildlife consumption issued for Vietnamese New Year

27.01.2013 By Jeremy Parker (Phys.org) - The Central Party of Vietnam has issued a condemnation of wildlife consumption prior to the Vietnamese New Year of Tet. 

With the rise of a middle class with more disposable income, Vietnam has become a centre for wildlife trade, as reported in the Asian Journal of Criminology. The consumption of rare species, traditionally considered medicinally beneficial or valuable for their scarcity in Sino-Vietnamese culture, appreciably rises during Tet, a holiday during which lavish displays of wealth are commonly displayed.

By serving guests rare or unusual species, a host may show his largess, displaying his fortune and hopefully increasing his luck for the coming year. The reasons for the consumption of products from wildlife such as tigers, bears, sharks, primates, and snakes are varied, with claims including aphrodisiac effects, medicinal benefits, and in some instances, purely as gourmet delicacies. One thing is certain: an upwardly mobile population in Vietnam is now able to consume animal and plant products that were previously not affordable. This in turn has had a devastating effect on species both within Vietnam and abroad. Rhino horn alone sells for more than $100,000 per kg, and is in extremely high demand. [read more]

Vietnam. Exports down 11.5% in January

26.01.2014 (Business Times) - The General Statistics Office (GSO) has announced Vietnamese exports fell 11.5% in January to an estimated US$10.3 billion.

Domestic businesses contributed US$3.5 billion, down 17.2% from the previous month’s figure and 13.8% compared to the same period last year.

The foreign direct investment (FDI) sector, including crude oil, accounted for US$6.8 billion of the total, down 8.2% monthly and 9.2% in annual terms. [read more]

Vietnam inflation up in January

25.01.2014 (New Age) AFP Hanoi - Vietnam’s monthly inflation rate picked up slightly in January, official data showed Friday, with consumption rising as the country prepares to celebrate the lunar new year holiday.

Month-on-month, consumer prices increased by 0.69 per cent in January, the General Statistics Office said in a statement posted on its website, after a 0.51 per cent increase in December.

Consumer prices were up 5.45 per cent year-on-year in January, according to the GSO figures. The lunar new year holiday, known as Tet, falls next Friday and is the most important annual festival for the Vietnamese. [read more]

Ship with 100,000 bags of Vietnam rice grounded in La Union

25.01.2014 (inquirer.net) - DAGUPAN CITY—More than 100,000 bags of rice imported from Vietnam by the government remained in a cargo ship that ran aground near the port of San Fernando City in La Union province last month.

Carlito Co, director of the National Food Authority (NFA) in the Ilocos region, said huge waves had prevented workers from unloading some of the rice to lighten the ship’s load and make it float.

“As of now, the ship cannot dock because of the heavy load. The waves are strong. We are hoping that sea condition will get better so we can unload some of the rice,” Co said on the phone on Friday.

The ship, MV Vinh Hoa, was loaded with 140,000 bags of rice when it ran aground about a kilometer from the   port of San Fernando on Dec. 28. [read more]

Vietnam expected to see 100 mln USD trade deficit in January

24.01.2014 (Shanghai Daily) - HANOI - Vietnam is expected to sustain a trade deficit of 100 million U.S. dollars in January, the country' s General Statistics Office said Friday.

Vietnam is forecast to earn 10.3 billion dollars from exporting garment, computers and accessories, seafood, crude oil, wood and its products, steel and rubber in January, down 10.8 percent year- on-year, said the office. [read more]

Vietnam: A delay in nuclear power raises energy security concerns

24.01.2014 (The Manila Times) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has announced that the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant, the 4,400-megawatt Ninh Thuan 1—slated to begin this year—will be delayed until 2020 due to concerns about safety and efficiency. Dung said national energy company Petrovietnam will need to build a 5,000-megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant complex to provide electricity in place of the nuclear plant.

The delay would undermine the energy security that nuclear power is eventually supposed to bring to Vietnam. Hanoi will increase imports of hydropower, coal and liquefied natural gas to make up for the share of future power supply that was ultimately projected to come from nuclear sources. This energy profile will put pressure on Vietnam’s ability to maintain trade balances and secure its maritime supply chain. Nevertheless, Hanoi hopes that buying time now will give it a greater capability to pursue nuclear power in future. [read more]

Primera muerte humana por el virus H5N1 de la gripe aviar en Vietnam en 2014

21.01.2014 (lainformacion) - (EFE).- Un hombre de 52 años se ha convertido en la primera víctima mortal del virus H5N1 de la gripe aviar en Vietnam en 2014, informan hoy los medios locales.

El fallecido residía en la provincia de Binh Phuoc, en el sur del país, y llevaba enfermo desde el 11 de enero, cuando ingresó en el Hospital General Bu Dang con fiebre, tos y problemas respiratorios  [seguir leyendo] - [tiếng Việt]

Ein Toter durch Vogelgrippe in Vietnam

21.01.2014 (derStandard) - In Vietnam ist erstmals seit neun Monaten wieder ein Mensch an Vogelgrippe gestorben. Bei einem 52-jährigen Mann sei das Virus H5N1 nachgewiesen worden, berichtete das Gesundheitsministerium am 21. Jänner.

Die Familie des Mannes habe Hühner und Enten geschlachtet. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam confirms first bird flu death in nine months

21.01.2014 (SCMP) - To Duc Sinh, director of Preventive Medicine Centre in southern Binh Phuoc province, said on Tuesday that a 52-year-old man died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu on January 18 on the way to a hospital in southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

Sinh said the man developed a fever and other symptoms on January 11 after he slaughtered a duck bought in the village where chickens died of unknown reasons several days later.

Health workers have disinfected the village, he said [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

La antigua Saigón se hunde poco a poco por el desarrollo descontrolado

18.01.2014 Eric San Juan (Univision) - Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), 18 ene (EFE).- La antigua Saigón, rebautizada Ho Chi Minh, se hunde poco a poco en la tierra por el desarrollo urbanístico descontrolado y la sobreexplotación de los acuíferos subterráneos.

El Centro Geoinformático de la Universidad de Ho Chi Minh calcula que la metrópoli, la más poblada del país, desciende a un ritmo de entre dos y tres centímetros anuales en numerosas zonas.

El Departamento de Recursos Naturales estima, por su parte, que algunas áreas estarán entre 12 y 20 centímetros más bajas de aquí a 2020. [seguir leyendo]

Nuclear safety concerns in Vietnam could delay Japanese project

18.01.2014 (The Asahi Shimbun) - Growing safety concerns in Vietnam could affect the Abe administration’s strategy of making exports of nuclear energy technology a pillar of Japan’s economic growth strategy.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung indicated that construction of the country’s first nuclear plant scheduled to start this year could be delayed until 2020, the Vietnam newspaper Tuoi Tre reported.

At a Jan. 15 meeting, Dung instructed PetroVietnam to secure a sufficient supply of fuel for power generation to prepare for a possible delay in construction, according to the report. [read more]

Rice farming in Vietnam - Against the grain

17.01.2014 (The Economist) - The prospect from Sam mountain, a rocky outcrop in southern Vietnam’s Mekong delta, is timeless. Paddy fields shine emerald. Irrigation canals reflect the sunlight like mirrors. Three times a year, farmers in surrounding towns put on their rubber boots and plant rice seedlings in the deep soil. A few months later they sell their sacks of grain to traders, who bring it to riverside mills for processing. In its essence, this activity is timeless, too.

Party officials trumpet their “rice first” agricultural policies. Yet, more and more, Vietnam’s rice farmers are being left behind. Part of the problem is that Vietnamese rice strains tend to be of low or middling quality—a contrast to the premium varieties grown in Thailand. The costs of fuel, fertilisers and pesticides are rising. And Vietnam’s rice-export sector is dominated by state-owned firms with links to corrupt officials. Some farmers, especially in the country’s north, are finding it more profitable to let their land lie fallow. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Mekong Countries Call for Ministerial Talks on Don Sahong Dam

16.01.2014 (RFA) - Mekong River-region countries called Thursday for ministerial-level discussions on the proposed Don Sahong dam in Laos after officials disagreed over whether the country should be required to consult its neighbors before moving ahead with the controversial project.   

Representatives to the Mekong River Commission (MRC)—the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating use of the waterway’s resources by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam—made the decision to elevate the level of their discussions during the group’s first talks on the 260-megawatt hydropower project.

During the meeting, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam raised concerns about Don Sahong’s impacts downstream, insisting the project be put through a formal consultation and technical assessment, according to a statement issued after the meeting. [read more]

Bau des ersten AKW um Jahre verschoben

16.01.2014 (NZZ) - Vietnam verschiebt den Bau seines ersten Atomkraftwerks um voraussichtlich sechs Jahre. Grund sind Bedenken wegen Sicherheit und Effizienz, wie staatliche Medien am Donnerstag berichteten. Das Land, das sich im Zuge des Wirtschaftswachstums mit einer steigenden Energienachfrage konfrontiert sieht, benötigt dringend neue Energiequellen, da die Kohle und Wasserkraft den Bedarf nicht mehr decken können. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam may delay first nuclear power plant

16.01.2014 By Ho Binh Minh (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnam may delay construction of its first nuclear power plant to 2020 to ensure safety and efficiency, a step that would mean it needs to find more natural gas to meet rising demand for electricity, according to the country's prime minister.

Talk of the delay comes as Vietnam is already struggling to meet natural gas demand and forecasting insufficient supplies for industrial development plans in its southern provinces.

Vietnam had originally planned to start building the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear plant in 2014 and start operation in 2023, with help from Russia's state nuclear firm Rosatom. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Wirtschaftlicher Boom und Kommunismus

15.01.2014 (euronews) - “Vietnam ging Anfang der neunziger Jahre zur Marktwirtschaft über und erlebt seither einen wirtschaftlichen Boom. Als 2008 die globale Finanzkrise einsetzte, verlangsamte die kommunistische Regierung zur Unzufriedenheit der 90 Millionen Einwohner die Modernisierung des Landes”, so unsere Korrespondentin Isabel Marques da Silva. 40 Prozent der Wirtschaft sind unter staatlicher Kontrolle. 2012 startete die Regierung einen Privatisierungsprozess, um ausländische Investoren anzulocken und die Entwicklung voranzutreiben.

... Eine der Herausforderungen besteht darin, den richtigen Umgang mit den Behörden zu finden. Die Korruption in dem kommunistischen Land ist weit verbreitet. Franz Jessen, EU-Botschafter in Vietnam, sagt dazu: “Was beispielsweise die Meinungsfreiheit anbelangt, ist Vietnam ein sehr schwieriges Land. Wenn Vietnam höhere Investitionen aus Europa will, muss es auch solche Aspekte in Betracht ziehen. Europäische Investoren achten nicht allein auf die wirtschaftlichen sondern auch auf die sozialen und politischen Rahmenbedingungen.” [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam raises $626 mln to clean Vinashin's foreign debt in 2013

14.01.2014 (Reuters) - Vietnam's state-owned Debt and Asset Trading Corp (DATC) raised $626 million through government-guaranteed bonds in 2013 to restructure the foreign debt owed by state ship builder Vinashin, according to a DATC report [read more]

Entweder Strom oder Fisch

13.01.2014 Aus der Provinz Ratanakiri (Kambodscha) Michelle Tolson (IPS) (Klimaretter) - Die Landbevölkerung in Kambodscha hofft darauf, endlich ans Elektrizitätsnetz angeschlossen zu werden. Doch die geplanten Wasserkraftwerke gefährden in dem südostasiatischen Land die Fischbestände, warnen Umweltschützer. Die Betroffenen werden erst gar nicht richtig informiert.

"Der Damm ist mir mehr wert als die paar Fische", sagt der kambodschanische Bauer Ton Noun über das Vorhaben, am Sesan-Fluss ein Wasserkraftwerk mit einer Leistung von 400 Megawatt zu bauen. In dem Gewässer im Nordosten gebe es nur noch wenig Fisch. Dafür sei dieser im Nachbarstaat Vietnam billig zu haben. [Weiterlesen]

Experten: Air New Zealand sicherste Fluggesellschaft

13.01.2014 (FAZ) - Die sicherste Fluggesellschaft der Welt ist Statistikern zufolge die Air New Zealand. Das geht aus der Sicherheitsbilanz des deutschen Unfalluntersuchungsbüros JACDEC für 2013 hervor, die das Magazin «Aero International» in seiner jüngsten Ausgabe veröffentlicht.

Gemessen an Verkehrsleistung und Zwischenfällen verdrängte Airline aus Neuseeland die bisher führende Finnair. Die Lufthansa als beste deutsche Airline fiel vom 11. auf den 18. Platz, Konkurrent Air Berlin von Rang 23 auf 26. Um fünf Plätze verbesserte sich dagegen die deutsche Condor (29). Alle großen Gesellschaften blieben von schweren Unglücken verschont - 2013 gilt so als eines der sichersten Jahre der Luftfahrtgeschichte...

Lion Air wurde zum Schlusslicht der Liste, hinter der brasilianischen TAM Airlines, der Air India (57), der taiwanesischen China Airlines (58) und der Vietnam Airlines (59). [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Grapples with Fraud Risk in State Firm Clean-Up

10.01.2014 (Bloomberg News ) - Vietnam is seeking to deter fraud as it considers a plan that allows state-owned enterprises to sell stakes below book value, part of efforts to accelerate a cleanup of the sector and regain investor confidence.

“Selling stakes below book value is necessary to quicken the restructuring process of state companies,” Nguyen Duc Kien, deputy head of the National Assembly’s Economic Committee, said in an interview yesterday. “However, it needs to be conducted cautiously to avoid loopholes for fraud and losing state money. We can start with stake sales of non-core businesses of SOEs.” [read more]

Vietnam's Rice Exporters To Face Severe Competition In 2014

10.01.2014  (Bernama) HANOI - The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) said the country will face severe competition in 2014 due to reduced prices in the world's rice market as Thailand continues to lower its selling price and competition between Asian exporters remains.

At a meeting to implement a 2014 rice production plan held in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, the VFA warned local rice will now have to compete with Thai fragrant and white rice and Indian basmati, parboiled and broken rice, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. [read more]

Commercial contracts in Vietnam - get your dispute resolution clause right

10.01.2014 (The Lawyer) - The legal enforceability of contracts in Europe and North America is widely regarded as a given. But contracts between foreign investors and Vietnamese entities or with a reference to Vietnam that establishes Vietnamese jurisdiction should always explicitly answer the questions “what institution will decide any disputes and in which language, and what national law is to be applied?”

Without a dispute resolution clause, Vietnamese courts will have jurisdiction over disputes, which could cause significant problems. Besides the unfortunately persistent risk of corruption, the Vietnamese judiciary, despite improvement efforts, continues to struggle with a lack of adequate judicial legal training, paltry salaries, short office terms of five years, and a wider perception of the ‘rule of law’ as the ‘rule of the single-party state’. [read more]

Over 400 Vietnam state-owned firms dissolved or bankrupt in 2013

08.01.2014 (Jakarta Post) - More than 400 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Vietnam declared bankruptcy or were dissolved last year, according to the Ministry of Finance.

A report from the ministry said that around 6,400 units last year across the country were restructured, of which 3,659 businesses were recapitalised, while 1,022 companies were restructured into one-member limited companies. Another 380 companies put themselves up for sale.

The ministry was quoted as saying by the Viet Nam Education newspaper that 83 out of 91 groups and corporations, excluding 18 corporations under the Ministry of Defence, were set for restructuring. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

World Bank suggests to Vietnam more stable, sustainable public finance

08.01.2014 (Shanghai Daily) - HANOI, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Although Vietnam exceeded the set target of collecting state revenue in 2013, the country should keep track on its mid-term objective of ensuring more stable and sustainable public finance, said a representative of the World Bank (WB).

Victoria Kwakwa, country director of WB in Vietnam made the remarks at the meeting with Vietnam's Minister of Finance (MoF) Dinh Tien Dung in capital Hanoi Tuesday, reported MoF's official website on Wednesday. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam raises foreign bank ownership caps

08.01.2014 (Business Times Singapore) - [HANOI] Vietnam will allow foreign investors to take bigger stakes in the nation's lenders in a bid to bolster the ailing banking system.

The limit for foreign so-called strategic investors will be increased to 20 per cent from 15 per cent, while the cap for total foreign holdings at any local bank remains at 30 per cent, according to a statement posted on the government website late on Monday. The prime minister can lift the limits in special cases to help weak banks "restructure and ensure their safety", according to the decree, which takes effect on Feb 20. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam: Back to Organic?

Worried about food safety, Vietnamese look again at small-scale organic farming

02.01.2014 By Elisabeth Rosen (The Diplomat) - For two decades, Thanh was the only fruit vendor on Phan Huy Chu Street, in the heart of Hanoi’s downtown. But last year, a store opened across the street advertising “rau an toan” (safe produce). It was an assurance conspicuously missing from Thanh’s baskets of lychees and mangoes, displayed millimeters from the sidewalk.

Until recently, no one in Vietnam was talking about food safety. In the past year, however, it has become front-page news. Rumors about pesticide-contaminated grapes and rotten pork smuggled across the border from China made consumers aware that they no longer knew how and where their food was produced. [read more]

Vietnam ropes in stakeholders to China territorial dispute

02.01.2014 Author: P. K. Ghosh, Observer Research Foundation (East Asia Forum) - Vietnam’s recent granting of seven oil blocks in the South China Sea for exploration by India is part of a plan to internationalise Hanoi’s territorial dispute with China. Hanoi hopes to create more stakeholders who can withstand hegemonistic Chinese ambitions in the area.

It is well known that the Indian government has made heavy investments in energy exploration in the South China Sea. Awarded through the global bidding process, India earlier had three blocks in the Vietnamese region in which about US$360 million was invested through the state-run ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL). [read more]

Vietnamese Still Spend Big On Luxury Goods In 2013

01.01.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI - Despite economic difficulties, Vietnamese people still spent billions of US dollars this year on luxury cars or mobile phones, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported, citing the Radio Voice of Vietnam, which had quoted a source from the General Department of Customs.

Luxury cars imported from the UK, France, Germany and the US are favourites with Vietnamese consumers. [read more]

Vietnamese 'monk' in ya ice bust

01.01.2014 (Bangkok Post) - Customs officers at Phuket Airport on Wednesday arrested a 64-year-old Vietnamese man dressed as a monk, on charges of smuggling more than two kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, or ya ice, with an estimated street value of 8 million baht.

Paisarn Chuanjit, deputy director-general of the Customs Department, said officials at the airport spotted a suspicious-looking man wearing what looked like a monk’s robe. They asked the man, identified later as Nguyen Van Thiet, to inspect his luggage using an X-ray machine. [read more]

Vietnam Predicted To Become Third Largest Rubber Exporter

01.01.2014 (Bernama) - HANOI - Vietnam's rubber output may rise 1.5 per cent to 995,000 tonnes in 2014, after climbing 14 percent to 980,000 tonnes in 2013, beating Malaysia to become the third largest grower, according to a recent report by the Rubber Economist Ltd, Vietname News Agency (VNA) reported. [read more]