Wirtschaft - Umwelt / Economy - Environment  (2015)

Startschuss für Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft AEC

31.12.2015 (dw) - Die südostasiatische Staatengemeinschaft ASEAN feiert den Start des gemeinsamen Binnenmarktes AEC. Er umfasst zehn Länder mit mehr als 600 Millionen Menschen. Im Vergleich mit der EU werden aber Unterschiede deutlich.

Dabei geht es um mehr Zusammenarbeit in Sicherheitsfragen, kulturellen Austausch und - als Herzstück - um den gemeinsamen Binnenmarkt (AEC).

ASEAN umfasst zehn Länder in Südostasien mit mehr als 600 Millionen Einwohnern: das bevölkerungsreichste muslimische Land der Welt, Indonesien, den winzigen, aber reichen Stadtstaat Singapur, das kommunistische Vietnam sowie Myanmar, Thailand, die Philippinen, Brunei, Kambodscha, Laos und Malaysia. [Weiterlesen]

Chopsticks made in Vietnam found to be tainted: FDA

31.12.2015 (Taipei Times) - About 17,000 tonnes of disposable chopsticks made in Vietnam could contain biphenyl or hydrogen peroxide, as the harmful chemicals were found by random inspections nationwide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.

“The nation imports about 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of disposable chopsticks every year,” administration official Yang Chien-Hui (楊千慧) said, citing statistics of the past five years.

About 86 percent of disposable chopsticks are imported from China, 12 percent from Vietnam, 1.8 percent from Indonesia and the rest from various other countries, she added. [read more]

Vietnam food poisoning leaves hundreds hospitalised

29.12.2015 (Channel NewsAsia) - HANOI: Hundreds of workers at a Hong Kong-owned garment factory in Vietnam which makes lingerie for labels like Victoria's Secret and Wacoal have been hospitalised with food-poisoning, state media reported on Tuesday (Dec 29). Most of them suffered from dizziness, stomach pain and headaches after eating a lunch of rice, fish, meat, vegetables and yoghurt in the factory canteen.

More than two-thirds of the 650 victims, mostly female workers at Regina Miracle International Vietnam Co. Ltd, were rushed on Monday to hospitals and clinics in Hai Phong City, 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Hanoi, Thanh Nien newspaper said.

Most of them suffered from dizziness, stomach pain and headaches after eating a lunch of rice, fish, meat, vegetables and yoghurt in the factory canteen.

"By Tuesday noon, 223 workers remained in hospital, but with minor symptoms (of food poisoning)," Pham Thu Xanh, director of Hai Phong's health care department said in an interview with state-run Vietnam Television. [read more]

Neue Freihandelsabkommen in Kraft getreten

27.12.2015 (KBS) - Am Sonntag letzter Woche sind die Freihandelsabkommen, die Südkorea jeweils mit Vietnam, China und Neuseeland geschlossen hatte, in Kraft getreten. Es wird erwartet, dass in den kommenden zehn Jahren durch den zollfreien Handel mit diesen Ländern das Bruttoinlandsprodukt Südkoreas um einen Prozentpunkt wachsen wird.

Für Vietnam erwartet das Ministerium für Industrie, Handel und Energie einen Anstieg bei Exporten von Produkten kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen wie Kosmetik und elektronischen Haushaltsgeräten. [Weiterlesen]

World Bank Debars SFC Vietnam Investment Development for Environment Corporation for Sanctionable Misconduct Relating to Two Projects in Vietnam

18.12.2015 (World Bank) - WASHINGTON — The World Bank Group this week announced the debarment of SFC Vietnam Investment Development for Environment Corporation and its affiliates for a minimum of 10 years and its General Director, Mr. Nguyen Phuong Quy and any entity that he directly controls for a minimum of 11 years. The decision announced by the World Bank Independent Sanctions Board is based on evidence of fraudulent and collusive practices under the Vietnam Project Preparation Technical Assistance Facility Project and the Vietnam Danang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project.

The World Bank investigation revealed the company has engaged in repeated patterns of misconduct which involved the General Director. [read more] -

Vietnam-EU-Handelsabkommen: Startschuss für EU-Schiedsgericht?

14.12.2015 (JUVE) - Während der Streit über das TTIP-Handelsabkommen sich im grellen Scheinwerferlicht der öffentlichen Aufmerksamkeit abspielt, verkündete Cecilia Malmström kürzlich eine weniger beachtete Einigung vom anderen Ende der Welt: „Done deal with Vietnam“. Dieses Statement der EU-Handelskommissarin birgt möglicherweise den Beginn einer stillen Revolution im internationalen Investitionsschutz.

Das jüngste Freihandelsabkommen mit Vietnam soll – gemäß der neuen Transparenz-Selbstverpflichtung der EU – in den nächsten Wochen vollständig veröffentlicht werden, bevor es dann dem Ministerrat und dem EU-Parlament zur Ratifizierung vorgelegt wird. Vietnam, das mehr als 90 Millionen Einwohner zählt, ist bereits das zweite Land aus dem Verband Südostasiatischer Nationen, kurz ASEAN, mit dem Europa ein Freihandelsabkommen ausgehandelt hat. Im letzten Jahr schloss die EU ein solches bereits mit Singapur. Doch dessen Umsetzung lässt noch auf sich warten. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam : Centrale nucléaire de Ninh Thuan

11.12.2015 (Business France) - Suite à l’accident nucléaire de Fukushima (Japon) en mars 2013, le gouvernement vietnamien avait mis en veille le projet de construction de la centrale nucléaire de Ninh Thuan et demandé un renforcement des mesures de sécurité.

Le Premier ministre vient d’approuver la reprise de ce projet d’un coût estimé entre 8 et 10 Mds USD dont la Russie serait le principal pourvoyeur de fonds. Les travaux de construction ont débuté et la centrale devrait entrer en activité en 2020.

El humo de las motos asfixia las ciudades vietnamitas

09.12.2015 (WRadio) - (EFE) - Las motos, símbolo del imparable crecimiento económico de Vietnam en las dos últimas décadas, son hoy la principal causa de la elevada contaminación atmosférica en sus dos mayores ciudades, la capital Hanoi y Ho Chi Minh (antigua Saigón).

Aunque influyen otros factores como el creciente consumo de energía o la laxitud en las normas medioambientales a la industria, la polución del tráfico rodado es determinante para que Vietnam ocupe el puesto número 170 de 178 en el índice de calidad del aire elaborado por la Universidad de Yale en 2014.

"Las motos son la gran fuente de contaminación ambiental en las ciudades vietnamitas porque son el vehículo más numeroso y porque además sus motores no son eficientes, emiten muchas partículas dañinas", explica a Efe Aron Szabo, director en Vietnam de la empresa de purificadoras de aire IQAir.

En cuanto a la emisión de compuestos orgánicos volátiles -principal causa de la niebla tóxica- es 124 veces más elevada en esos motores que en los de los automóviles. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam Heads for Paris with Dirty Hands

04.12.2015 By Calvin Godfrey (Asia Sentinel) - Vietnam belongs to the sad club of countries whose small carbon footprints offer no protection against bleak climate futures. Only the low-lying Netherlands—a country with a GDP five times Vietnam’s—stands to lose as much land from a slight rise in sea levels.

Its Paris presentation is filled with cheap and dirty coal plants that closely resemble the clinker that closed the national highway this spring when the residents of Vinh Tan literally stopped traffic and refused to disperse when provincial riot police arrived.

Chinese interests built a coal-fired plant in their sleepy fishing village that spewed black coal dust into their rice. When local authorities failed to take action, they rose up. The violent fracas (which included reports of Molotov cocktail attacks) caused the authorities to begin wetting down trucks transporting slate to previously uncovered ash mounds.

After lofty promises to clean up their act, authorities now look like they are planning to relocate whole hamlets. Three other coal plants remain under construction in the same fishing village, which sits on the edge of a province that is home to at least a dozen wind power projects caught up in red tape. [read more]

New subject at school: climate change

04.12.2015 Claudia Delpero (ICSU / Road to Paris) - Island nations are on the frontlines of climate change, more vulnerable than other countries to extreme weather and sea level rise. Many are preparing their younger generations to deal with the changes of their local environment, and of those the Dominican Republic has become a champion of climate education. Some 3,000 teachers have been trained in the country and the causes and effects of global warming are now taught in schools of all levels. Other countries with strong climate education programmes are Costa Rica, Mauritius, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu, the Philippines and Vietnam. Not surprisingly, they are all natural paradises, with vital resources for their inhabitants but highly exposed to changing weather patterns.

New learning needs are emerging with climate change. Rich countries such as Sweden and Denmark, Germany and Japan first pioneered environmental education, but the concept has now been embraced across the world. “Only ten years ago, this area was completely unknown. Now almost every country is including climate change in national curricula,” explains Julia Heiss, Education Programme Specialist at UNESCO. [read more]

EU and Vietnam rubberstamp free trade deal

02.12.2015 by Daniela Vincenti (EurActiv) - The EU and Vietnam ticked the last box for a free trade agreement on Wednesday (2 December) after roughly three years of negotiations.

“The deal is good news for both sides,” said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström after President Jean-Claude Juncker and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng signed the deal, formally concluded in August.

Until the last minute there were a number of pending issues that put the deal at risk but Malmström said Vietnam has agreed to the EU's new approach to investment protection with a permanent tribunal rather than ad-hoc arbitration panels.

Prompted by massive opposition, the Commission has come in September with a new way of resolving disputes between investors and states. The new system is supposed to replace the old ISDS model in all ongoing and future negotiations.

The agreement includes a chapter on sustainable development, which covers both labour and environmental issues. This includes commitments to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on issues such as the right to organise and the abolition of forced labour. [read more]

Freihandelsabkommen EU-Vietnam steht - Erster Vertrag mit Investitionsgericht

02.12.2015 von René Höltschi, Brüssel (NZZ) - «Done deal with Vietnam», frohlockte die EU-Handelskommissarin Cecilia Malmström am Mittwoch in ihrem Blog. Die beiden Partner haben gleichentags anlässlich eines Besuchs einer hochrangigen Delegation unter Leitung des vietnamesischen Ministerpräsidenten Nguyen Tan Dung in Brüssel die Verhandlungen über das Freihandelsabkommen formell abgeschlossen. Schon Anfang August hatten sie eine politische Grundsatzeinigung gemeldet, mit dem Zusatz, es seien noch «einige offene technische Fragen» zu klären.

Im Rahmen dieser Klärung ist nun aber ein Punkt dazugekommen, der über das Technische hinausgeht und für die EU erhebliche politische Bedeutung hat: Laut Malmström hat Vietnam dem neuen EU-Ansatz für die Beilegung von Konflikten zwischen Staaten und ausländischen Unternehmen zugestimmt. Hierfür soll ein permanentes, zweistufiges Gerichtssystem anstelle der bisher in vielen solchen Verträgen vorgesehenen privaten Ad-hoc-Schiedsgerichte eingerichtet werden.

Die EU-Kommission hat ihre einschlägigen Vorstellungen im September präsentiert und bekundet, den neuartigen Investorenschutz in alle laufenden und künftigen Verhandlungen mit Drittstaaten einbringen zu wollen. Der Hauptadressat sind die USA, weil die Schiedsgerichte zu den Hauptkritikpunkten der europäischen Gegner des geplanten Freihandelsabkommens der EU mit den USA (TTIP) zählen. Die Kommission hat den Vorschlag im November auch den USA offiziell vorgelegt. [Weiterlesen]

EU-Vertrag mit Vietnam: Handelsabkommen ohne Privatgerichte - gibt's doch

30.11.2015 (Spiegel Online) - Der erste Profiteur der Anti-TTIP-Bewegung steht fest: Vietnam will in dieser Woche ein Freihandelsabkommen mit der EU unterzeichnen. Anders als üblich sind dabei keine privaten Schiedsgerichte vorgesehen - ein Erfolg der TTIP-Kritiker.

Was die EU mit den USA noch nicht geschafft hat, wird sie in dieser Woche mit Vietnam vereinbaren. Am Mittwoch will EU-Kommissionspräsident Jean-Claude Juncker in Brüssel den vietnamesischen Premierminister Nguyen Tan Dung empfangen, anschließend soll EU-Handelskommissarin Cecilia Malmström ein Freihandelsabkommen mit dem südostasiatischen Staat unterzeichnen.

Das besondere daran: Erstmals wird in dem Vertrag ein neuartiger Investorenschutz vereinbart, der auch als Vorbild für die Verhandlungen mit den USA über das Transatlantische Handelsabkommen TTIP dienen soll. Die EU reagiert mit dem Verfahren auf die massive Kritik der TTIP-Gegner.  [Weiterlesen]

ASEAN hat Defizite in der Wirtschaftsintegration

20.11.2015 Thomas Kohlmann (DW) - Beim ASEAN-Gipfel in Malaysia spielt der Kampf gegen den Terror eine zentrale Rolle. Doch es geht auch um die weitere wirtschaftliche Integration - und da hat der Staatenbund Nachholbedarf, meint Experte Daniel Müller.

Immer wieder wird der ASEAN-Staatenbund mit der Europäischen Union verglichen und viele ihrer Repräsentanten blicken regelmäßig nach Europa. Doch im Gegensatz zur EU stand seit dem Start des ASEAN-Projekts Ende der 1960er Jahre nie die Vision eines staatlich vereinigten Südostasien ernsthaft zur Debatte. [Weiterlesen]

Steigender Meeresspiegel gefährdet 500 Millionen Menschen

09.11.2015 (SZ) - Eine Studie der US-Forschungsorganisation Climate Central warnt vor den Folgen des Meeresspiegelanstiegs für Städte und Bevölkerungen weltweit. Je nach Intensität der Erderwärmung sind demnach bis zu 760 Millionen Menschen gefährdet. Derzeit steigt der Meeresspiegel mit einer Geschwindigkeit von mehr als drei Millimetern pro Jahr.

Eine Klimaerwärmung um vier Grad Celsius wird einer neuen Studie zufolge weltweit zwischen 470 und 760 Millionen Menschen gefährden.

Am stärksten trifft es demnach China, wo 145 Millionen Menschen in überflutungsbedrohten Regionen leben.

In zwölf weiteren Nationen - darunter Indien, Bangladesch und Vietnam - müssten jeweils mehr als zehn Millionen Menschen vor dem Wasser fliehen. [Weiterlesen]

In Pacific Trade Deal, Vietnam Agrees to U.S. Terms on Labor Rights

05.11.2015 By Jackie Calmes (The New York Times) - WASHINGTON — The Communist government in Vietnam has agreed to American terms to grant potentially far-reaching labor rights to the country’s workers, including the freedom to unionize and to strike, in return for expanded trade between the former adversaries, according to the newly released text of a vast Pacific trade agreement.

Those terms were disclosed early Thursday, along with all 30 chapters and side agreements that make up the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pact reached a month ago by 12 Pacific Rim nations that would be the largest regional trade accord in history. The agreement would end most tariffs and other trade barriers among countries that account for 40 percent of the global economy.

With the release of the text, Congress begins months of review and then debate. Votes for approval in the House and Senate next spring, amid a presidential contest in which the trade pact is an issue in both parties, are likely to be close. [read more]

Die letzten Kragenbären der Halong-Bucht

03.11.2015 Anemi Wick (DW) - Nach wie vor werden bedrohte Tierarten in Vietnam als Delikatessen oder Heilmittel gehandelt. Der Schutz von Bär, Tiger und Schuppentieren ist ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit.

Ein Team der Tierschutzorganisation "Animals Asia" hat in den vergangenen Monaten in der vietnamesischen Provinz Quang Ninh unweit der berühmten Touristenattraktion Halong-Bucht insgesamt 33 Kragenbären befreit. Die unter Artenschutz stehenden Tiere werden in Vietnam und China gehalten, um ihren Gallensaft abzuzapfen, der als traditionelle Medizin verwendet wird. [read more]

Mekong dams 'a grave threat to river'

02.11.2015 Nirmal Ghosh (The Straits Times) - BANGKOK • Experts are warning that the Lower Mekong Basin may soon face depleting fish stocks, further erosion of the coastline and rising salinity that will make rice fields uncultivable.

"The facts are stronger than ever," said Mr Marc Goichot, an expert on sustainable hydropower and river basin management, who works with the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam.

The mighty Mekong, dammed in the far north in China, and with 11 more dams planned or under construction, mostly in Laos, is delivering less of the nutrient-rich sediment that stabilises the coast and supports fish breeding. [read more]

Buddhist Leaders Around The World Join Call To End Climate Change

31.10.2015 By Rina Marie Doctor (Tech Times) - Buddhist leaders called on world heads to act now and end climate change through a letter released on Thursday, Oct. 29. Dalai Lama together with 14 other officials signed the letter, which urges the eradication of fossil fuels and promotion of total use of renewable energy.

The letter, entitled "Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders," is said to be the first time that Buddhist heads came together to address a global issue. [read more]

Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy: The Case of Vietnam

26.10.2015 By Oliver Thränert for Center for Security Studies (ISN ETH Zurich) - For many years, the international nuclear non-proliferation regime has been in deep crisis. This became apparent most recently when the ninth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in May 2015 ended without a common final document. At the same time, a number of threshold countries are planning to begin using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes....

In a country with single-party rule such as Vietnam, no major public protest movements against the construction of nuclear reactors are to be expected. There is no freedom of speech or press. Moreover, there are no reliable public opinion polls. While the government’s nuclear intentions are given more coverage in the state-controlled Vietnamese media, debates on this topic remain limited in the broader society – not least because social media are under government surveillance in Vietnam. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to assume that the government’s plans for nuclear power are certainly viewed very critically at least among parts of the population. [read more]

TÜV testet Leder und Schuhe in Vietnam

22.10.2015 (SchuhMarkt) - Der TÜV Süd erweitert sein Testangebot für Lederprodukte und Schuhe um eine Station in Vietnam.

Der deutsche Prüfkonzern TÜV Süd bietet nun Test-Dienstleistungen für Schuhe und Lederwaren in seinem Softlines-Prüflabor in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt in Vietnam an.

Rund 90 Prozent der globalen Schuhproduktion werden in China, Indien und Vietnam gefertigt. [Weiterlesen]

Why the TPP Trade Deal Isn't All Good for Vietnam's Factories

18.10.2015 By Kathy Chu (NASDAQ) - The landmark 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal could bring more business to Vietnamese manufacturers, but there is a potential downside: higher labor costs and strained production at the country's factories.

"Costs will go up and it'll be harder for everybody to get capacity" at factories, says Mr. Szeto, a former investment banker who took over the family business from his father in 2000. "Labor (procurement) is going to be more competitive."

Avery Dennison, a Glendale, Calif.-based producer of labels and packaging materials that opened a 300,000 square- foot facility in southern Vietnam this year, says it doesn't see the trade pact as a way to cut its costs in the country. [read more]

Historic floods show true cost of Vietnam's cheap coal

15.10.2015 By Tan Qiuyi (Channel NewsAsia) - Vietnam’s coal industry was hit by one of its worst environmental disasters this year after torrential rain flooded its coal hub in the northeast Quang Ninh province, causing landslides and toxic coal ash spills.

The deluge came from the mountain of coal waste right next to the neighbourhood, and questions remain over the cause of the spill. Residents say the dump site did not have a visible dam or retaining wall.

Mong Duong is one of the many towns across Vietnam’s vast Quang Ninh province where coal is at the heart of the local economy.

Activists call for a switch to renewable energy like wind and solar, but energy experts say there are no easy answers to Vietnam's exponential need for electricity. [read more]

Even faith can be wiped out by belief in nuclear power

14.10.2015 Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - Dokeiji, an ancient temple of the Soto sect, stands on land owned by the Soma clan since the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). Das Hotel liegt im Stadtteil Odaka Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, sitzt es fast in den Schatten des betroffenen Fukushima No. 1 Kernkraftwerk.

We were there for a session of "Societies of Sustainability and Sufficiency: Learning from Fukushima & Building Green Temple Communities," a study tour organized this past April by the Japan Network of Engaged Buddhists, a nonprofit organization...

Last month, I visited Ninh Thuan province, the planned site of a nuclear power plant in Vietnam.

"We now live in a time when we no longer know the location of Po Ryad."

The holy place of the deity is the planned site for the No. 1 Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant that Russia will build. [read more]

Einigung auf Pazifik-Freihandelsabkommen

06.10.2015 von Christian Mihatsch (Badische Zeitung) - Nach jahrelangen Verhandlungen haben sich am Montag die USA und elf andere Pazifik-Anrainerstaaten auf ein Freihandelsabkommen geeinigt. Dadurch werden unter anderem Zölle auf 18 000 Produkte abgeschafft. Die neue Transpazifische Partnerschaft (TPP) umfasst Länder, die 40 Prozent der globalen Wirtschaftsleistung erarbeiten.

Die Handelsminister loben das Abkommen, weil es nicht nur Zölle auf Güter senkt, sondern auch den Handel mit Dienstleistungen vereinfacht – besonders für junge, internetbasierte Leistungen.

Zudem umfasst TPP "die strengsten Regeln zum Schutz von Arbeitnehmern in der Geschichte der Handelsabkommen", meinte Froman. Dies war während der Verhandlungen vor allem für Vietnam ein Problem. Dort gibt es bislang keine unabhängigen Gewerkschaften. Doch der vietnamesische Handelsminister Vu Huy Hoang versicherte, sich an die TPP-Regeln halten zu wollen [Weiterlesen]

Deal reached on giant 12-nation trade pact

05.10.2015 By Doug Palmer (Politico) - ATLANTA - Negotiators from the U.S., Japan and 10 Pacific Rim nations on Monday cinched a sweeping trade pact, setting the stage for President Barack Obama to send the deal to a divided Congress early next year.

"We, the trade ministers... are pleased to announce that we have successfully concluded the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiation," United States Trade Representative Michael Froman declared shortly after 9 a.m. to a loud round of applause.

The pact is expected to tear down trade barriers and establish rules in areas like labor, the environment and e-commerce.

As part of the agreement, all 12 TPP member nations would have to abide by international standards that allow for the right to collective bargaining, prohibit child labor and prevent employee discrimination. Vietnam would be required to allow independent unions and Malaysia would have to address human trafficking concerns. [read more]

Pazifik-Anrainer einigen sich auf Freihandelsabkommen

05.10.2015 (Blick) - Atlanta – Zwölf Pazifik-Anrainerstaaten haben sich auf die Gründung der grössten Freihandelszone der Welt geeinigt. Die Unterhändler brachten die jahrelangen Verhandlungen über die Transpazifische Partnerschaft (TPP) am Montag in Atlanta zu einem erfolgreichen Ende.

Neben den Wirtschaftsmächten USA und Japan umfasst die angestrebte Freihandelszone Australien, Brunei, Kanada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexiko, Neuseeland, Peru, Singapur und Vietnam. Zusammen stehen diese Länder für rund 40 Prozent der weltweiten Wirtschaftsleistung. Nicht dabei ist China, die zweitgrösste Volkswirtschaft der Welt.

Der Freihandelsdeal umfasst 30 Kapitel, in denen ein Abbau von Zöllen sowie anderer Barrieren für Handel und Investitionen festgelegt sind. Das Abkommen deckt dabei Bereiche wie die Textilindustrie, Finanzdienstleistungen, die Telekommunikationsbranche und den digitalen Handel ab. Ausserdem wurden Regeln zur Vergabe von öffentlichen Aufträgen sowie Standards bei Umweltschutz, Korruptionsbekämpfung und Arbeitnehmerrechten vereinbart. [Weiterlesen]

Report: Plastic Pollution in the Ocean Is Reaching Crisis Levels

01.10.2015 (Time) - There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic trash in the world’s oceans, and each year, 8 million tons of plastic are added to the count. According to a new report by the Ocean Conservancy, in partnership with the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, by 2025, the ocean could contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of finfish.

The new report calls for a focus on improving waste management systems in a handful of developing countries that are most responsible for the plastic leakage into the ocean. China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam contribute more than half of the oceans’ plastic since their waste infrastructure hasn’t kept up with rapid industrialization. “We can concentrate on the places where the plastic is hitting the ocean,” Merkl says. “Five countries would solve half the problem.” [read more]

Was ein iPhone in Arbeitstagen kostet

26.09.2015 (derStandard) - Teils große Unterschiede – in Österreich muss man acht Tage für das Gerät arbeiten, in Vietnam 87. Die Preise des Smartphones schwanken dabei teils stark von Land zu Land. Gleichzeitig gibt es in vielen Staaten unterschiedliche Währungen und Einkommensniveaus.

In Japan und Singapur arbeitet man einen Tag länger. In China, wo das Gerät mit umgerechnet 830 Dollar den höchsten Preis in ganz Asien erzielt, liegt der Gegenwert bei 19 Arbeitstagen. In Indonesien sind es 59. Am längsten muss man in Vietnam für das Handy arbeiten, nämlich 87 Tage. [Weiterlesen]

Rule of origin puts Vietnamese garment industry in a spot

15.09.2015 (Fibre2Fashion) - The inking of a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is likely to have a clause on the origin of goods, presenting a challenge to Vietnam's textile and apparel industry. The point was brought up at the recently concluded Vietnam-Republic of Korea scientific seminar on garment technology, which was held in Ho Chi Minh City, as per Vietnamese media reports.

Vietnam, even after being one of the world's largest garment exporters, still imports raw materials from countries like China and Korea. The lack of weaving, dyeing, and fibre manufacturing units impose challenges on Vietnam's garment sector. [read more]

China and the Deep Blue Sea

08.09.2015 James Borton & Nguyen Chu Hoi (Project Syndicate) - HO CHI MINH CITY – Since December 2013, China has added more than 1,200 hectares to islands in the South China Sea. The geopolitical implications of these land reclamation efforts are well documented: The majority of the activity has taken place on the Spratly Islands, an archipelago in the waters between Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, all of which – along with China, Taiwan, and Brunei – have competing claims to the region.

Thousands of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other shallow-water ecosystems are rapidly being destroyed and buried as China’s leaders rush to stake their claim to the region. The land reclamation project is undermining the ecological connection between the Spratly Islands and the South China Sea, choking off the supply of nutrients upon which these ecosystems depend. [read more]

Rosneft and Japan Drilling partner to drill offshore exploration wells in Vietnam

07.09.2015 (EBR) - Rosneft Vietnam and Japan Drilling have inked an agreement for drilling offshore exploration wells in Vietnam.

Under the agreed terms, the companies will use the Hakuryu-5 marine drilling rig for the exploration wells in Rosneft's projects in Vietnam.

Rosneft management board chairman Igor Sechin said: "We have always welcomed participation of high technology partners from Japan in implementation of the Company's projects. [read more]

Russian tourists defect from Vietnam as Western sanctions take toll on rouble

06.09.2015 Matthew Clayfield in Nha Trang, Vietnam (ABC Radio Australia) - Nha Trang, a resort town on the South China Sea 300 kilometres north-east of Ho Chi Minh City, is the epicentre of Russian tourism in Vietnam.

About 190,000 Russians visited the city in the first 10 months of last year, with the results of their patronage evident everywhere.

But Nha Trang's status as Moscow-on-the-South China Sea is under pressure. Between January and March, the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam was down 27 per cent on the same period last year. [read more]

China wants great power, not responsibility

23.08.2015 by William Pesek, Bloomberg (The Japan Times) - Forty-three years after Richard Nixon made his famous visit to China, that country has seemingly decided to take a page from the former U.S. president’s Treasury Department. As China lowers the value of the yuan, the country’s economic policymakers are mimicking the blase attitude of Nixon-era Treasury chief John Connally, who dismissed international complaints about U.S. monetary policy with a curt remark: “It’s our currency, but it’s your problem.”...

Beijing still believes money can buy the trust and soft power it craves, which explains the new $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank it has sponsored. But as long as analysts don’t feel the Chinese government’s pronouncements are genuinely reliable, skepticism about the yuan will only grow. [read more]

Vietnam, other emerging markets caught in currency bind

20.08.2015 Wataru Yoshida (Nikkei Asian Review) - SINGAPORE -- It isn't easy being a monetary authority in an emerging market these days, stuck with the choice of weakening one's currency to compete on exports or reinforcing it against capital flight.

Vietnam's central bank picked the former option Wednesday morning, widening the band in which its currency, the dong, floats against the dollar and lowering the reference exchange rate. This in effect devalued the dong, which tumbled without warning to nearly 22,400 to the dollar, its weakest on record going back to 1994. The bank had loosened the currency's leash only a week earlier. It seems to have committed fully to seeking a more favorable exchange rate. [read more]

Inquiet, le Vietnam dévalue à son tour sa monnaie

19.08.2015 (Les Echos) - Hanoï a dévalué sa monnaie de 1 %, mercredi, afin de stimuler ses exportations menacées par la dévaluation chinoise de la semaine dernière.

C’est le deuxième pays d’Asie dirigé par un parti communiste à user de l’arme monétaire cet été : dans le sillage de la Chine, le Vietnam a dévalué mercredi de 1 % sa monnaie nationale, le dong, tout en élargissant à 3 % la bande de fluctuation autour de son cours pivot.

Le décollage économique du Vietnam tient en partie à son secteur industriel, qui représente 38% du PIB du pays. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam devalues dong currency, matching Beijing's yuan move

19.08.2015 (CBC) - Vietnam allowed its currency to weaken by at least 1 per cent Wednesday following the devaluation of the Chinese yuan and the expectation of a possible U.S interest rate hike.

The central bank-set reference rate weakened to 21,890 dong to the U.S. dollar and the trading band within which the dong can be traded was widened to 3 per cent from 2 per cent, the State Bank of Vietnam said. [read more]

Vietnam: plus de 700kg de cornes de rhinocéros et de défenses d'éléphants saisis

14.08.2015 (Charente Libre) -  Plus de 700 kg de cornes de rhinocéros et de défenses d'éléphants en provenance du Mozambique et arrivés par bateau dans le centre du Vietnam ont été saisi par la police, selon la presse officielle vendredi.

La cargaison a été découverte dans deux conteneurs d'un navire transportant des pierres arrivé jeudi dans un port de la ville de Danang (centre), a précisé le quotidien Tuoi Tre.

"593 kilos de défenses d'éléphant et 142 kilos de cornes de rhinocéros ont été confisqués", a indiqué le journal, ajoutant que le navire avait transité par la Malaisie et que sa destination finale était le port de Hai Phong (nord du Vietnam). [en savoir plus]

Vietnam - Eine Tonne Elfenbein und Nashorn-Hörner beschlagnahmt

14.08.2015 (Kleine Zeitung) - Der Zoll hat in Vietnam fast eine Tonne Elfenbein und Nashorn-Hörner beschlagnahmt. Die illegale Fracht kam aus Mosambik in Afrika, berichtete der Direktor der Zollbehörde am Hafen von Danang in Zentralvietnam am Freitag. Die Ladung der beiden Container war als "Marmor" deklariert.

Der Zoll wurde misstrauisch, weil der Wert nur mit ein paar Tausend Dollar angegeben war. Auf dem Schwarzmarkt hätte die Ladung nach Schätzungen 4,5 Millionen Euro eingebracht. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Regierung nimmt Fabriken unter die Lupe

13.08.2015 Redakteur: Anke Prokasky (Textilwirtschaft) - Das Ministerium für Arbeit, Kriegsinvalide und Soziales in Vietnam hat eine Kampagne zur Inspektion von Bekleidungsfabriken im Land gestartet. Nach Angaben aus einem vietnamesischen Pressebericht, sollen Fabriken in zwölf Städten inspiziert werden. Im Oktober soll die Untersuchung abgeschlossen sein.

Nach Angaben von Tran Nogc Son, stellvertretender Dirketor des Amts für Arbeit, Kriegsinvalide und Soziales in Ho Chi Minh, hätten frühere Kontrollen ergeben, dass die meisten FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)-Unternehmen, also Fabriken mit ausländischen Investoren, die relevanten Regularien befolgen. „Aber viele andere haben keine entsprechenden Sicherheitsvorkehrungen“, [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam: Les pluies intenses qui touchent le nord du Vietnam ont entraîné de graves inondations toxiques issues de plusieurs mines de charbon et qui s'écoulent dans la baie d'Ha Long, site du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO

02.08.2015 (Nature Alerte) - Les pluies historiques des derniers jours dans la province de Quang Ninh, allant jusqu'à 600 à 800 mm de précipitations, entraînant les pires inondations depuis 40 ans,  ont causé l'érosion de nombreuses montagnes qui ont détruit de nombreuses maisons. Ces nombreux glissements de terrain ont déjà laissé 18 morts derrière eux. Six personnes sont toujours portées disparues.

Mais la situation s'est gravement amplifiée avec les graves inondations dans la zone portuaire de Lang Khanh et de la rivière Dien Vong où des fuites toxiques sont en cours depuis la centrale au charbon de Quang Ninh. [en savoir plus]

Leaping Vietnamese markets spark bubble worries

02.08.2015 Atsushi Tomiyama (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Vietnam's stock and real estate markets are riding high on an optimistic economic outlook as Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations get closer to the finish line and the country mends fences with the U.S. Some fear, however, that hot investment could be a sign that a bubble is looming.

Sale prices per sq. meter on core properties in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City during the April-June quarter were 30-40% higher than those seen in October-December of last year, says the Vietnam unit of CBRE, a U.S.-based real estate services company. Real estate demand is outpacing even the 20-30% jump in supply the market has seen since the beginning of the year.

Vietnamese citizens reacted quickly to the change. Middle-class and wealthy citizens are snapping up real estate alongside foreign investors in anticipation of capital inflows and an economic boom when the TPP is settled. [read more]

Japan recommends new reactor for Vietnam

02.08.2015 (Nikkei Asian Review) - TOKYO -- The Japanese government is recommending that Vietnam buy a new type of pressurized water reactor developed by Atmea, a Japanese-French joint venture, sources told The Nikkei.

Industry observers were paying close attention to which reactor the Japanese government would choose from among three nuclear plant developers -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba and Hitachi.

Japan hopes to export two reactors to the energy-hungry Southeast Asian nation. The two-reactor plant would cost 1 trillion yen ($8 billion). [read more]

Keine Einigung bei Pazifik-Freihandelsabkommen

01.08.2015 (Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten) - Am Ende reisten sie ohne eine Einigung ab: Das Freihandelsabkommen TTP zwischen zwölf Pazifikanrainern wird vorerst nicht in Kraft treten. Dennoch sprechen die Teilnehmer von "entscheidenden Fortschritten".

Die Vertreter der an den Verhandlungen über ein umfassendes Pazifik-Freihandelsabkommen beteiligten Nationen haben sich vorerst nicht auf ein Abschlussdokument einigen können. Der US-Unterhändler Michael Froman erklärte am Freitag (Ortszeit) stellvertretend für die zwölf beteiligten Länder, nach tagelangen Gesprächen in Hawaii gebe es noch immer "offene Fragen". Differenzen gab es vor allem im Automobilhandel zwischen Japan und Nordamerika, im Handel mit Milchprodukten sowie bei der Festlegung von Monopolphasen für neue Medikamente. Um diese zu klären, werde es nun Verhandlungen auf bilateraler Ebene geben, erklärte er zum Abschluss des Treffens. [Weiterlesen]

No final deal in TPP trade talks

01.08.2015 by Eric Johnston (Japan Times) - OSAKA – Efforts to conclude the framework for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement ended in failure Saturday, with negotiators unable to bridge differences over issues ranging from pharmaceutical patents to expanded imports of agricultural, and particularly dairy, products.

The latest round of talks in Hawaii between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam had been called a make or break moment for the controversial pact due to concerns over the U.S. political calendar.

Following the meeting in Hawaii, the TPP ministers issued a statement saying they were close to a deal, but that more work was needed. [read more]

Pas d'accord à Hawaï sur un accord de libre-échange pour le Pacifique

01.08.2015 (L'Express) - afp.com/Mandel Ngan - Washington - Les 12 pays engagés dans les négociations sur un accord de libre-échange trans-pacifique ne sont pas parvenus à un accord lors de leur réunion à Hawaï qui s'est achevée dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi.

Cet échec pose un problème de calendrier pour le président américain Barack Obama, qui voulait conclure les négociations commerciales avant que la campagne présidentielle de 2016 ne vienne polluer le débat sur la priorité économique de son second mandat. [en savoir plus]

La ronda de negociaciones del TPP en Hawai termina sin acuerdo definitivo

01.08.2015 (El Confidencial) - (Actualiza con la confirmación oficial del fin de la ronda de negociaciones en Hawai)

Washington(EFE).- La última ronda de negociaciones sobre comercio que mantienen 12 países de la cuenca del Pacífico para el Acuerdo de Asociación Transpacífico (TPP) terminó este viernes sin un acuerdo definitivo, pero con "progresos significativos", informaron los ministros de Comercio de las 12 naciones.

En un comunicado conjunto, los ministros de Comercio de los 12 países anunciaron el fin de la presente ronda de negociaciones celebrada durante los últimos cuatro días en Maui (Hawai, EEUU) en la que quedaron pendientes "un número limitado de cuestiones". [seguir leyendo]

Flooded Vietnam coal mines leaking toxic slurry into World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay: environmentalists

01.08.2015 (ABC News) - Heavy rainfall in northern Vietnam has killed at least 17 people and inundated major coal mines, causing concern among environmentalists about the contamination of the nation's top tourist attraction and World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay.

A week of persistent rain in Quang Ninh province has displaced thousands of people as houses and roads deluged by floodwater runoff from 16 open pit coal mines and three coal-fired power plants escaped inadequate holding ponds.

In a statement, international clean water resources environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance said the runoff was filled with a potentially hazardous toxic slurry including heavy metals arsenic, boron, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, selenium and thallium. [read more]

Deadly rains deluge Vietnam mines, spark contamination fears

31.07.2015 By Reuters (Daily Mail) - HANOI - Heavy rainfall in northern Vietnam has killed 17 people and inundated major coal mines, causing concern among environmentalists about contamination of local communities and the waters of a top tourist attraction, Halong Bay.

Six days of rain in Quang Ninh province have displaced thousands of people, with houses and roads deluged by floodwater that environmental groups said is filled with potentially hazardous coal dust.

The region is also a major source of coal, thousands of tonnes of which were swept away in the floods, according to the country's top mining firm, state-owned Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Corporation (Vinacomin). [read more]

Malaysia, Vietnam just saying no to parts of TPP

31.07.2015 CK Tan, Nikkei staff writer (Nikkei Asian Review) - LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Malaysia and Vietnam, the Trans-Pacific Partnership's two emerging economies, have offered compromises regarding service sector liberalization but remain steadfast in other "sensitive" areas.

With hours to go before ministerial-level talks are to wrap up at a resort hotel here Friday at noon, negotiators are scurrying between meeting rooms to finalize a deal and tie up differences over intellectual property protections, market access and other matters.

Meetings are being held bilaterally and collectively at both official and ministerial levels among trade representatives of the 12 TPP countries. The goal is to finalize an agreement this week. [read more]

An Avalanche of Toxic Coal Waste Slammed Vietnam, and More Are on the Way

30.07.2015 Written by Brian Merchant (Motherboard) - Days of intense rainfall in northern Vietnam led to flooding that has killed 17 people so far, according to the New York Times. Some 1,500 tourists had to be evacuated, and the national guard was sent in.

The floods also loosed an avalanche of coal ash, a toxic waste product generated by power plants, onto nearby villages, sending hundreds fleeing, knee-deep in polluted muck. The photos are harrowing, especially knowing that the sludge contains dangerous metals like arsenic, barium, cadmium, and selenium.

The poisonous sludge now also threatens to contaminate one of the nation's most popular landmarks, Ha Long Bay [read more]

TPP puts Vietnam's top garment producer on the defensive

30.07.2015 (Nikkei Asian Review) - HO CHI MINH CITY -- Vinatex, Vietnam's largest state-owned textile company, is rushing to secure new revenue streams and improve its internal supply chain ahead of a final agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Despite widespread excitement about the TPP and the business it may bring, the pending trade deal's fine print could cause complications.

The U.S. and Japan, both of which are parties to the TPP negotiations, take in some 60% of Vietnam's total garment and footwear exports. Duty on many such products will be slashed to zero, from the 7-32% range, over three years from when the partnership takes effect.

However, there is a catch -- a "yarn forward" rule of origin will require apparel producers to use yarn made inside the TPP bloc if they want to export without paying duty. [read more]

Countless deaths in the ‘cancer villages’ around Ho Chi Minh City

29.07.2015 by Thanh Thuy (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – Some 40 “cancer” villages dot the landscape around Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s economic capital. The land, air and water in these sites are highly polluted as a result of the indiscriminate use of chemicals in farming as well. One of the consequence is that 150,000 new cancer cases are recorded each year, and about 70,000 deaths.

According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development data, tens of thousands of companies and enterprises (some from China and Taiwan) use chemicals near these villages, turning them into landfills for recycling lead, mercury , timber, iron, paper, plastics, fertilisers and textile dyes. [read more]

Ho Chi Minh, aumentan los “pueblo del cáncer”: una masacre infinita

29.07.2015 de Thanh Thuy (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – Cada año cerca de 150 mil enfermos de tumores mueren en más de 40 pueblos, llamados “pueblos del cáncer” en la periferia de la capital económica de Vietnam. Aquí se registran tasas altísimas de contaminación en la tierra, el aire y el agua, debidas sobre todo al uso indiscriminado que las compañías agrícolas hacen de sustancias químicas.

De acuerdo a los datos brindados por el Departamento de Agricultura, en Vietnam existen decenas de miles de empresas (provenientes incluso de China y Taiwan) que hacen uso de sustancias químicas cerca de estos pueblos, transformándolos en vertederos para el reciclaje de plomo, mercurio, madera, hierro, papel, plástico, fertilizantes y colorantes textiles. [seguir leyendo]

Halong-Bucht überschwemmt: mehrere Tote

28.07.2015 (Südtirol Online) - Bei den schwersten Überschwemmungen im Nordosten Vietnams seit Jahrzehnten sind mindestens 14 Menschen in der Halong-Bucht ums Leben gekommen.

Drei weitere Menschen würden noch vermisst, sagte ein Vertreter der Katastrophenschutzbehörde in der Provinz Quang Ninh nahe der chinesischen Grenze. Tausende Häuser standen unter Wasser.

Heftiger Regen hatte die Überschwemmungen in der berühmten Halong-Bucht ausgelöst, einer bei Touristen beliebten Gegend, die zum UNESCO-Welterbe zählt. Den Angaben zufolge war die Urlaubsinsel Co To von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten. Angaben über möglicherweise festsitzende ausländische Touristen lägen nicht vor, sagte der Behördenvertreter. [Weiterlesen]

Grösste Errungenschaft Obamas ist bald Realität

28.07.2015 (Handelszeitung) - Die USA wollen mit der «Trans-Pazifischen Partnerschaft» fast die Hälfte der Weltwirtschaft in einer Freihandelszone vereinen – und so China in Schach halten. Die Gespräche gehen in die heisse Phase.

Noch bis Freitag verhandeln auf Hawaii zwölf Pazifikstaaten über den Abschluss eines Freihandelsabkommens. Bei einer Einigung entstünde eine gemeinsame Zone, die fast die Hälfte der Weltwirtschaft umfassen würde. Doch die Hürden, die es noch zu meistern gilt, sind hoch.

Zentraler Knackpunkt ist unter anderem die Frage, wie sehr einzelne Länder ihre Märkte für bestimmte Produkte öffnen müssen.

Malaysia, Singapur und Vietnam stehen unter Druck, die Unterstützung staatseigener Firmen zurückzufahren und ausländischen Unternehmen gleiche Chancen einzuräumen, wenn sie sich um Regierungsaufträge bemühen. [Weiterlesen]

Freihandelsabkommen TPP: Weltwirtschaftliche Integration um jeden Preis?

27.07.2015 Axel Berger und Dominique Bruhn (EurActiv) - Mit der Transpazifischen Partnerschaft TPP steht ein mega-regionales Handelsabkommen kurz vor dem Abschluss. Was bedeutet die Unterzeichnung für Entwicklungsländer wie Vietnam? Antworten von Experten des Deutschen Instituts für Entwicklungspolitik.

Die Transpazifische Partnerschaft (TPP) befindet sich auf der Zielgeraden. Im Anschluss an mehrtägige Verhandlungen der Chef-Unterhändler treffen am morgigen Dienstag die Handelsminister in Hawaii zusammen. Mehrere Zeichen deuten auf einen Abschluss der Verhandlungen zwischen den USA, Vietnam und zehn weiteren pazifischen Anrainerstaaten. [Weiterlesen]

POLLUTION AU VIETNAM – Vers une prise de conscience du problème ?

27.07.2015 Marielle Capelle (Lepetitjournal) - Une touriste occidentale accroupie sur une plage du nord du Vietnam pour ramasser des déchets… Une autre, l’eau à la taille, un sac plastique à la main, en train de collecter des cannettes de bière et des sacs plastiques flottants dans la mer… Loin des clichés habituels du Vietnam, ces photos révèlent une triste réalité: la plupart des sites touristiques sont en train de devenir de véritables poubelles…

Une touriste occidentale accroupie sur une plage du nord du Vietnam pour ramasser des déchets… Une autre, l’eau à la taille, un sac plastique à la main, en train de collecter des cannettes de bière et des sacs plastiques flottants dans la mer… Loin des clichés habituels du Vietnam, ces photos révèlent une triste réalité : la plupart des sites touristiques sont en train de devenir de véritables poubelles… [en savoir plus]

Formaldehyde, anyone? More contamination in fish from Vietnam/China

24.07.2015 Hembree Brandon (DeltaFarmPress.com) - A report by NBC-TV Charlotte noted that formaldehyde-laced Vietnamese swai (a catfish-like species also known as pangasius, basa and tra) was found in three North Carolina stores.  Formaldehyde-tainted Chinese tilapia was also found in three stores.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was alerted and conducted blind testing of fish found in supermarkets nationwide and found similar results.  The FDA, which is responsible for imported seafood safety in the U.S., does not routinely test for formaldehyde, so there's no limit on how much of the toxic chemical can be added to fish, NBC Charlotte reported. [read more]

Vor- und Nachteile der Trans-Pazifischen Partnerschaft

22.07.2015 Interview: Gabriel Domínguez / mgr, ef (DW) - Neben TTIP verhandeln die USA auch über ein Freihandelsabkommen mit 12 pazifischen Staaten. Wer von der TPP letztlich am meisten profitieren soll, erklärt Handelsexperte Gary Hufbauer im DW-Interview.

Es ist ein Abkommen, dass das Bruttoinlandsprodukt der Welt um mehr als 200 Milliarden US-Dollar steigern könnte. Und seit US-Präsident Obama vom Kongress die Erlaubnis erteilt wurde, solche Deals abzuschließen, stehen die Chancen sehr gut, dass das Freihandelsabkommen mit den pazifischen Staaten (Trans-Pazifische Partnerschaft, TPP) noch dieses Jahr kommen wird.

Die TPP betrifft 12 Nationen, die am Pazifik liegen: Australien, Brunei, Kanada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexiko, Neuseeland, Peru, Singapur, die USA und Vietnam.

Gary Hufbauer ist Experte für internationalen Handel beim Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Im Gespräch mit der DW spricht er über die Risiken des Abkommens - und wer letztlich am meisten davon profitieren wird. [Weiterlesen]

Schooling Vietnam: How tech companies are training the next wave of workers

22.07.2015 by Shara Tibken (cnet) - "What you learn in school isn't for the real world," instructor Pham Khoa told me over banh xeo (Vietnamese pancakes) and noodle soup after the class. The reason? Classes here focus more on the theoretical than on the practical.

"The training program in universities in Vietnam is not suitable for working after graduation," said Pham Dong Phong, plant director of LG's factory in Haiphong, a port city in northeastern Vietnam. "After university, just having general knowledge to make it in an actual job is really difficult." [read more]

China zu teuer: Microsoft plant offenbar Lumia Herstellung in Vietnam und Taiwan

16.07.2015 von Daniel (WinTouch) - Microsoft strukturiert sich aktuell um und verkleinert in diesem Zusammenhang den von Nokia übernommenen Geräte-Bereich erheblich. Teil dieser Strategie ist wohl offenbar auch von einem Hardwareproduzenten zu einem Hardwaredesigner und Entwickler zu werden. Konkret sollen wohl die Fabriken in China geschlossen und bestehende Anlagen in Vietnam ausgelastet werden. Microsoft plant ferner auch Lumia-Produktion an in Taiwan ansässige Unternehmen auszulagern, im Gespräch sind Compal Electronics, Wistron, Pegatron und Foxconn Electronics. Die Quellen dieser Infos stammen wohl von diesen Zuliefern, wie DigiTimes berichtet.

Bis jetzt gibt es noch keine offizielle Aussage dazu, allerdings passt das ganz gut zu den Äußerungen von Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner auf der Worldwide Partner Conference von Microsoft: [Weiterlesen]

Location of Vietnam's nuclear power project extended

16.07.2015 (individual.com) - Construction on Ninh Thuan 1 and 2 nuclear power plants, the first of the kind in Vietnam, will be extended southwest as required in new changes to their master plan approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, local media reported Friday.

The Ninh Thuan 1 power plant in Vinh Truong village, in the south central coast region, will sprawl over 443.11 hectares of land and 440.57 hectares at sea. The Ninh Thuan 2 power plant in Thai An village will spread 380.91 hectares of land and 337.63 hectares at sea, according to online newspaper Vietnamnet. [read more]

Asien wird zu teuer - Textilindustrie sucht "Made in Africa"

16.07.2015 (n-tv) - Vietnam, China, Bangladesh: In der Nähstube der Welt steigen Lebensstandards und Löhne. Gut für die Menschen vor Ort, schlecht für den Verbraucher im Westen, der es zumeist einfach billig haben will.  "Afrika bietet eine enorme Gelegenheit, zu demonstrieren, wie die Branche zusammenarbeiten kann", sagte Colin Browne, der als Managing Director bei VF für Warenversorgung und die Zulieferung aus Asien verantwortlich ist.

Die US-amerikanische VF Corporation verfügt über Marken wie Lee, Wrangler und Timberland. Er verdeutlichte den Fabrikbesitzern einen Schlüsselvorteil von Afrika: Es sei einer der wenigen Standorte, wo es möglich sei, vor Ort von der Faser bis zur Fabrik alles aus einer Hand zu bekommen. Und noch etwas: Afrika bietet noch günstigere Löhne als Asien. [Weiterlesen]

La guerre du litchi, révélatrice de la dépendance du Vietnam envers le marché chinois

15.07.2015 (Le Courrier de l'Ouest) - Des ouvriers conditionnent soigneusement une gigantesque pile de litchis dans une usine du nord du Vietnam. Destination: la Chine, gros marché pour les producteurs vietnamiens, las de l'impact sur leurs ventes des tensions diplomatiques avec Pékin.

"La Chine est de loin notre marché le plus important", explique Tran Van Sang, un grossiste en fruits de 42 ans. Son entrepôt se situe au nord de Hanoï, à Luc Ngan, cœur de la région de production des litchis, dont la saison s'achève bientôt.

Environ 60% de la production vietnamienne de litchis est exportée en Chine, avec une marge importante de fluctuation en fonction des disputes entre les deux frères ennemis communistes. [en savoir plus]

Hanoi Leaders Admit Shortcomings in Massive Tree Felling, Still Defend Project

08.07.2015 By Vu Quoc Ngu (Defend the Defenders) - Leaders of Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi have admitted some shortcomings in its massive tree felling in April-May, however, they still insist that the project is much needed.

Speaking at a meeting of the city’s People’s Council Tuesday [July 7], Vice Chairman Vu Hong Khanh of the People’s Committee said the city had not supply suitable information about the project to local residents, causing misunderstanding among citizens.

In March-April, Hanoi city’s People’s Committee allowed the Department of Construction to carry out the massive tree-chopping project which aims to fell 6,700 aged trees in some main streets.

After cutting around 2,000 aged trees, mostly healthy and planted by French over one hundred years ago, the project was suspended due to strong protest from local activists who rallied in the city’s center for weeks. [read more]

Japan to provide 750 billion yen in ODA to Mekong region

04.07.2015 By Hajimu Takeda (The Asahi Shimbun) - Japan will provide 750 billion yen ($6.1 billion) in official development assistance for the construction of infrastructure in five nations in the Mekong region under the "New Tokyo Strategy 2015.”

The assistance will be for a three-year period starting from 2016 and was one of the main pillars of the strategy agreement reached in a July 4 meeting between Japan and the five Mekong region nations--Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. This was the seventh Mekong-Japan summit meeting.

"(The Mekong region) is of strategic importance for land and sea transport, and is a partner for affluent growth," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the start of the meeting. [read more]

Scientists Seek To Preserve Champa Architecture

30.06.2015 (Bernama) - QUANG NAM (Vietnam) -- A wide range of ways to preserve Champa architecture were discussed at a conference on the application of advanced technologies in preserving Champa relics in Quang Nam province, Monday, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Russian scientists' research and sample analyses revealed that the materials used to build the temples have different origins and characteristics from baked materials and the bricks are unevenly baked and contain sand and plant matter.

Prof Sergey Nefedkin said My Son is not only Vietnam's heritage but the world's heritage and therefore, conducting research for its preservation and restoration is critical.

The main goal of the research team, the professor said, is to prevent decay from natural elements and uncover materials that can be used to restore the original form of the temples. [read more]

Vietnam hebt Grenzen für ausländische Investoren auf

28.06.2015 (deutschland-today) - Hanoi (AFP) - Die vietnamesische Regierung will die Beschränkung ausländischer Investitionen in einheimischen Unternehmen aufheben. In einem auf der Website der Regierung eingestellten Erlass hieß es, Ausländer dürften künftig auch mehr als 49 Prozent der Anteile an vietnamesischen Unternehmen halten.

Für staatliche Firmen sei der Prozentsatz der von Ausländern gehaltenen Anteile von nun an "unbegrenzt", außer die Unternehmensstatute widersprechen einer solchen Regelung, hieß in dem Erlass des formell kommunistischen Landes. [Weiterlesen]

Chinesische Behörden finden 40 Jahre altes Fleisch

25.06.2015 (WAZ) - Peking. 800 Tonnen wurden sichergestellt – seit den 70er Jahren wurde es immer wieder aufgetaut, transportiert und eingefroren. Das ist aber kein Einzelfall.

Der Zoll hat in der südchinesischen Stadt Changsha eine Ladung von 800 Tonnen Gammelfleisch beschlagnahmt. Teile einer Lieferung, die die Behörden in der Provinz Guangxi sichergestellt haben, waren seit den frühen siebziger Jahren tiefgefroren. Noch ist unklar, wo die Ekel-Ware ursprünglich herstammt. Doch vermutlich haben Schmuggler sie über Hongkong und Vietnam ins Land gebracht.

Jetzt berichten die Staatsmedien von 100 000 Tonnen Fleisch, die Polizei und Zoll in den vergangenen Monaten landesweit sichergestellt haben. Das gefrorene Hühner-, Rind- und Schweinefleisch soll dem Zoll zufolge einen Wert von umgerechnet 430 Millionen Euro haben. [Weiterlesen]

Tierschützer befreien in Vietnam Bären aus Galle-Farm

25.06.2015 (Donaukurier) - Tierschützer haben in Vietnam sieben Kragenbären aus einer Anlage befreit, in denen ihnen Galle für den illegalen Handel abgezapft wurde. Die Bären wurden nach Angaben der Tierschutzorganisation Animals Asia Anfang der Woche in extrem schlechtem Gesundheitszustand in der Küstenprovinz Quang Ninh gerettet. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam approves controversial $16 bn mega airport

25.06.2015 (The West Australian) - Hanoi (AFP) - Lawmakers in Vietnam voted Thursday to build a controversial new $16 billion airport near Ho Chi Minh City, as the country vies to become one of the world's busiest aviation hubs.

The project aims to ease airport congestion in Vietnam's business hub and cater to an ambitious 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo a year by 2050.

But the plan, first mooted decades earlier, has sparked vigorous public debate in the authoritarian country, with many questioning why the existing airport could not be expanded.

The problem appears to be a large golf course, owned by Vietnam's powerful military, that sits right next to the existing Tan Son Nhat Airport. The government has ruled out expanding onto this land. [read more]

"Paving paradise": Scientists alarmed over China island building in disputed sea

25.06.2015 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - HONG KONG (Reuters) - Concern is mounting among some scientists that China's reclamation work in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has done severe harm to one of the most important coral reef systems in Southeast Asia.

China's use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands on seven reefs had also damaged reef systems beyond the outposts, meaning the affected area could be greater than first thought, several scientists who have studied satellite images of the Spratlys told Reuters.

John McManus, a prominent University of Miami marine biologist who has worked with Philippine scientists to research the South China Sea, told fellow experts this month that China's reclamation "constitutes the most rapid rate of permanent loss of coral reef area in human history".

In a study in April for Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, marine science and law expert Youna Lyons found that beyond the seven reefs, other unoccupied shallow features had been dredged to provide building material for the nearby reclamations.  [read more]

In China, Stomachs Turn at News of 40-Year-Old Meat Peddled by Traders

24.06.2015 By Dan Levin and Crystal Tse (The New York Times) - From rat meat masquerading as lamb to tainted milk to exploding watermelons, Chinese consumers have become inured to stomach-churning food scandals. But on Tuesday, countless people were forced to ponder the benefits of vegetarianism after news reports emerged that unscrupulous meat traders had been peddling tons of beef, pork and chicken wings that in some cases had been frozen for 40 years.

The Chinese news media announced that the authorities had seized nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of smuggled frozen meat this month across China, some of it dating to the 1970s. The caches of beef, pork and chicken wings, worth up to 3 billion renminbi, or $483 million, were discovered in a nationwide crackdown that spanned 14 provinces and regions, the state news agency Xinhua reported. [read more]

En Chine, saisie de viandes congelées vieilles de 40 ans

24.06.2015 (Libération) - Des tonnes de viande congelée périmée --dont certains stocks pourrissant et vieux de plus de quatre décennies--, ont été saisis par les autorités chinoises, rapportait mercredi la presse locale.

Plus de 100.000 tonnes d’ailes de poulets, de morceaux de bœuf et de porc --d’une valeur marchande totale estimée à 3 milliards de yuans (435 millions d’euros), ont été saisis à l’occasion d’une campagne de répression nationale, indiquait le journal étatique China Daily.

D’après les médias d’Etat, les trafiquants achetaient de la viande «très bon marché» à l’étranger, puis la faisaient transiter par Hong Kong et le Vietnam. [en savoir plus]

Länder und Kommunen: Kritik an Berufsbekleidung aus Vietnam

23.06.2015 Von Axel Schröder (Deutschlandfunk) - Länder und Kommunen kaufen jedes Jahr für mehrere Millionen Euro Warnschutz- und Regenjacken, Hemden für die Feuerwehr und andere Berufsbekleidung. Die Ware kommt zum Teil aus Vietnam, wo die Arbeitsbedingungen ausbeuterisch sind und nicht den Kriterien der Internationalen Arbeitsorganisation entsprechen.

Duong Thi Viet Anh arbeitet für das vietnamesische Center for Development and Integration. Auf Einladung der gewerkschaftsnahen Christlichen Initiative Romero war sie heute nach Hamburg gekommen. Und berichtete darüber, unter welchen Bedingungen Kleidung und Computer-Hardware in Vietnam produziert werden, um dann von den deutschen Ländern und Kommunen eingekauft zu werden. [Weiterlesen]

Sorgen um Strahlenbelastung: Japan streitet um Einfuhrverbote für Lebensmittel

22.06.2015, von Patrick Welter, Tokio (FAZ) - Fünf Jahre nach Fukushima bemüht die Regierung in Tokio sich um Normalität für die japanischen Lebensmittelexporte. Das führt zu Reibereien vor allem mit den Nachbarn.

Ein halbes Jahrzehnt nach dem Reaktorunfall in Fukushima verschrecken Lebensmittel aus Japan immer noch ausländische Verbraucher und Regierungen, die sich um eine mögliche Strahlenbelastung sorgen. Japan wirbt mit strengen Kontrollen und der Zusicherung, dass nur in Ausnahmefällen Lebensmittel Radioaktivität über den Grenzwerten aufwiesen. Das Land streitet vor allem mit seinen Nachbarn darum, Importverbote aufzuheben oder zu lockern. Gerade hat Japan dazu Gespräche mit China, einem der wichtigsten Handelspartner, begonnen. China verbietet die Einfuhr von Lebensmitteln aus 10 der 47 japanischen Präfekturen.

Nach dem Reaktorunfall, bei dem es in drei Reaktoren zur Kernschmelze kam, verboten zeitweise rund 50 Staaten die Einfuhr von Lebensmitteln aus Japan. Dreizehn Länder, darunter Kanada und Mexiko, aber auch Malaysia, Vietnam und Australien, haben die Restriktionen mittlerweile aufgehoben. [Weiterlesen]

Übel an der Wurzel packen: Nachfrage senken

16.06.2015 (AZ) - Windhoek/Berlin (AZ) - Wie das Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau- und Reaktorsicherheit (BMUB) in Deutschland unlängst in einer Presseerklärung mitteilte, wird es nun im Kampf gegen Wilderei auf Elefanten und Nashörner verstärkt auf Maßnahmen zur Reduzierung der Nachfrage setzen. Neue Projekte etwa in China und Vietnam sollen dabei helfen, dem Schwarzmarkt für Elfenbein und Nashornhorn dort entgegen zu wirken, wo die Nachfrage derzeit am größten ist. Insgesamt stellt das BMUB in diesem Jahr erstmals drei Mio. Euro für den Kampf gegen Wilderei und illegalen Wildtierhandel in Afrika und Asien zur Verfügung.

Ein Schwerpunkt der neuen Maßnahmen liegt daher auf der Nachfragereduzierung in Asien. So soll in China die Öffentlichkeit mit Kampagnen über die dramatischen Folgen des Elfenbeinkonsums aufgeklärt werden. Ein weiteres Projekt richtet sich an Vietnam, das derzeit Hauptzielland für illegales Nashornhorn ist. Dabei sollen die vietnamesischen Behörden dabei unterstützt werden, ihren Artenschutzvollzug zu verbessern und über die geltenden Regeln zu informieren. [Weiterlesen]

Death of the Mekong, River of Buddhism

16.06.2015 Khanh T. Tran (UNDV) - From its origin in the high plateau of Tibet, the Mekong River is 4500 km long and the 12th longest river in the world, flowing through six countries that include China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Mekong River is the lifeline to more than 65 million inhabitants, mainly in downstream countries of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The majority of these inhabitants are Buddhists and all three major Buddhist traditions are practiced: Theravāda in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia; Mahayana in China and Vietnam; and Vajrayana in Tibet. Hence, the Mekong is called the “River of Buddhism”. Their daily life is constantly threatened by floods, deforestation, pollution as well as ill-planned development projects. The biggest threat to their livelihood is the gigantic hydroelectric dams built or planned in Yunnan Province and the smaller dams in Laos and on the Lower Mekong.

In the last twenty years, there has been an active program to build several dams for hydroelectric power on the Mekong River. (Richard Cronin, 2010; Scott Pearse-Smith, 2012). As of 2014, there are 26 dams on the mainstream, 14 on the Lancang River (the name) of Upper Mekong in China in the Yunnan Province of China in the Yunnan Province of China and 12 on the Lower Mekong. [read more]

Achtung: RASFF warnt vor Salmonellen und Bakterien in „black fungus” Pilzen

10.06.2015 (CleanKids-Magazin) - Das europäische Schnellwarnsystem für Lebensmittel und Futtermittel (Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, RASFF) warnt aktuell vor schwarzen Pilzen (black fungus) aus Vietnam, nachdem bei Eigenkontrollen des Inverkehrbringers Bacillus cereus und Salmonella spp. nachgewiesen wurden

Der Meldung aus den Niederlanden zufolge ist das Verbrauchsdatum 25/06/2016 betroffen. Verpackt sind die Pilze aus Vietnam in Kartons zu je 20 Beuteln mit jeweils 100 Gramm [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam to evacuate 1,288 households for construction of nuke power plants

09.06.2015 (Xinhua) - HANOI -- A total of 1,288 households with a population of 4,911 are expected to be evacuated for construction of Vietnam's nuclear power plants.

The authorities have ratified a proposal on evacuation and resettlement of people in areas of Ninh Thuan 1 and 2 nuclear power plants in southern Ninh Thuan province, some 1,100 km south of Hanoi, local VNEconomy online newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Accordingly, the work of evacuation, which costs over 3.2 trillion Vietnamese dong (148 million U.S. dollars), will be completed by 2018.

Ninh Thuan 1, set to be Vietnam's first nuclear power plant, is expected to put into operation by 2024, while that of Ninh Thuan 2 by 2025. [read more]

Vietnam, Germany to set up joint chamber of commerce

08.06.2015 (Fibre2Fashion) - Vietnam and Germany will soon establish a joint chamber of commerce to boost trade of both sides to promote and increase business opportunities, especially when the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement is signed, the Vietnam chamber of commerce and industry (VCCI) said on its website.

Dr Vu Tien Loc, president of VCCI and Jens Ruebbert, president of the Germany business association in Vietnam met at the VCCI headquarters in Hanoi to discuss the issue. [read more]

Die Efta-Staaten forcieren die Gespräche mit Vietnam

04.06.2015 von Yvonne Helble (NZZ) - Bereits die zwölfte Verhandlungsrunde ist zwischen den Efta-Staaten (Schweiz, Norwegen, Island sowie Liechtenstein) und Vietnam vergangene Woche über die Bühne gegangen. Der Prozess läuft schon seit drei Jahren und hätte bereits Ende 2014 einen Abschluss finden sollen; für Oktober ist nun eine weitere Gesprächsrunde vorgesehen.

Das südostasiatische Schwellenland mit einer Bevölkerung von über 90 Mio. ist ein besonders interessanter Handelspartner, hat es sich doch in den zurückliegenden Jahren rasant entwickelt. Das Handelsvolumen zwischen den Efta-Ländern und Vietnam betrug 2014 rund 2,2 Mrd. $, was einer Erhöhung um 20% im Vergleich mit dem Vorjahr entspricht. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Airlines first A350 XWB takes to the sky

02.06.2015 (Airbus) - The first A350 XWB for Vietnam Airlines has completed its first flight in Toulouse yesterday bearing the airline’s distinctive blue and gold lotus livery. The aircraft will now enter the final phase of production, including cabin completion, as well as further ground and flight tests. The aircraft, which will be leased from AerCap, is scheduled for delivery in the middle of the year.

Vietnam Airlines will become the first Asian airline to fly the A350 XWB and the second operator in the world. [read more]

World Bank to help Vietnam’s economic hub with greener transport

29.05.2015 (World Bank) - WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2015 — The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a loan of US$124 million to improve the performance and efficiency of public transport in a high-priority corridor in Ho Chi Minh City.

“To ensure continued strong economic performance and achieve Vietnam’s goal of successfully transitioning to middle-income status, the national government is seeking to address infrastructure constraints as one of its key strategic direction,” said Arturo Ardila-Gomez, the World Bank’s Project Team Leader. “Given HCMC’s pivotal role in the national economy, the project focuses on upgrading a key transport corridor to demonstrate the potential of a sustainable urban transport system.”

The system, once completed, will be able to transport up to 28,300 passengers a day. Its design aims to address the needs of women, children and people with disabilities. Design features include keeping all bus and station doors at the same level, making it easier for passengers to board and exit buses and load strollers and other carriers. [read more]

Vietnam’s May coffee exports fall to 100,000 tonnes

26.05.2015 (Business Recorder) - HANOI: Vietnam, the world's top robusta coffee producer, will export an estimated 100,000 tonnes (1.67 million bags) of the commodity this month, down 27.3 percent from a year ago, the government said on Tuesday, in line with market expectations.

The office revised down the export volume in April to 104,400 tonnes from 120,000 tonnes. Traders had estimated Vietnam's coffee exports in May at 100,000-120,000 tonnes. [read more]

Medvedev Approves Free Trade Zone Deal Between EEU, Vietnam

25.05.2015 (Sputnik) - MOSCOW  – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a free trade zone agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Vietnam, the cabinet announced in a Monday statement.

"The implementation of the agreement will contribute to an increase in the mutual trade turnover and the development of trade and economic relations between its participants, as well as help solve the problem of getting the EEU involved in the integration processes in the Asia-Pacific region," the statement said.

The agreement is expected to be inked on Friday in Moscow. [read more]

Climate change blamed for severe drought hitting Vietnam's coffee crops

22.05.2015 Mark Scialla (The Guardian) - Exports drop 40% as world’s second-biggest coffee exporter suffers rising temperatures and drought, combined with effects of deforestation, land degradation and depleted water resources caused by decades of growth.

Vietnam is the world’s largest producer of Robusta, a tougher, more bitter bean often used in instant coffee and espresso. The industry grew rapidly in the 1990s, making Vietnam the world’s second-largest exporter of coffee and supplying around a quarter of the UK’s coffee.

But success came at a cost. Deforestation, monocropping and intensive pesticide use that helped create the boom now leaves coffee farms more vulnerable to climate change.

But the main problem in Vietnam now is water. Rainfall in Dak Lak Province is 86% less compared to this time last year. In Lam Dong, reservoirs are one meter lower than last year, according to the provincial Bureau of Water Resource Management. [read more]

With Push For Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S. Undermines Public Interest Policies Of Partner Nations

20.05.2015 By Cole Stangle (International Business Times) - The country of Vietnam wants to make baby formula more affordable for its citizens. American trade negotiators think that’s a bad idea. The measures are among more than a dozen public interest policies adopted by governments involved in talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that the U.S. considers “barriers to trade,” according to the latest annual National Trade Estimate Report On Foreign Trade Barriers, a document prepared by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

Among the highlights, food labeling policies: A new law in Peru, not yet finalized, that would mandate warning statements on prepackaged foods with excessive amounts of sugar, sodium and saturated fats; similar laws in Vietnam and in Mexico, the latter of which recently overtook the U.S. as the world’s most obese country; another law in Chile, approved though not yet in effect, that would require warning icons on foods that exceed specified thresholds in fat, calories, sugars and sodium. [read more]

Agrarrohstoffe: Schätzungen für die diesjährigen Kaffeeernten in Brasilien und Vietnam klaffen weiterhin auseinander

20.05.2015 (Rohstoffecheck) - Frankfurt - Die Schätzungen für die angelaufene brasilianische Kaffeeernte 2015/16 gehen weiter stark auseinander: Verschiedene Beobachter platzieren ihre Prognosen im Bereich von 49 bis knapp 52 Mio. Sack, so die Analysten von Commerzbank Corporates & Markets.

Unsicher sei der Blick auf 2015/16 auch für Vietnam: Hier lägen die Erwartungen zwischen über 30 Mio. Sack auf der oberen Seite und nur gut 22 Mio. Sack.

Abzuwarten würden die Auswirkungen des Klimaphänomens El Nino bleiben, das die Gefahr von Dürre in Vietnam mit sich bringe. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam - Lost generations

16.05.2015 (The Economist) - The Communist Party back-pedals on pension reform. Foreign firms love Vietnam for its cheap electricity and docile workers. On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s economic hub, hundreds of drab factories hum with quiet efficiency. Uniformed employees file by impassive security guards; shoes, garments and widgets leave by the truckload for nearby ports.

Yet the calm occasionally shatters. In March perhaps 80,000 workers at a giant factory owned by Pou Yuen, a Taiwanese firm, walked off the job in protest at mooted changes to Vietnam’s social-insurance system—suspending the supply of shoe soles to companies such as Adidas, Converse, Nike and Reebok. The employees returned to work only after a top official, Nguyen Van Nen, hinted at a U-turn. He said that a government meeting scheduled for May 20th would look for solutions to the protesters’ concerns.

But Vietnam’s youthful population (more than two-fifths are under the age of 25) struggles to see the benefit of locking away some 8% of their monthly salary throughout their working lives. [read more]

Vietnam Faces Uphill Battle to Harness Renewable Energy

15.05.2015 Lien Hoang (VOA) - HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM— With sunshine throughout the year and exposure to ocean winds, Vietnam would seem like an obvious candidate for renewable energy projects. Yet it has just three big wind farms and no significant solar investment, putting it far behind neighboring Indonesia, Thailand and others in Asia.

The reason, critics say, is obvious: price controls. Vietnam keeps a ceiling on electricity prices — on average, about 7 cents per kilowatt hour. Investors say they need a feed-in tariff that’s at least twice as much so they can recover the cost of generating clean energy. [read more]

Vietnam Under Pressure to Reform State-Owned Enterprises (Video report)

15.05.2015 (Bloomberg) - Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises were once its biggest employers, the largest revenue earners, the main growth drivers. Now, in criticism rarely seen since Ho Chi Minh’s Communists unified the nation 40 years ago, their dominance in the economy is being debated. Bloomberg's Oanh Ha has more on "Trending Business. [read more]

Rage Against the State: Discontent Grows in Vietnam

15.05.2015 by Uyen Nguyen (Bloomberg) - Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises were once its biggest employers, the largest revenue earners, the main growth drivers. Now, in criticism rarely seen since Ho Chi Minh’s Communists unified the nation 40 years ago, their dominance in the economy is being debated.

Dissatisfaction with state companies has been simmering in recent years, particularly after the global financial crisis when they were blamed for amassing piles of bad debt that crimped lending. As the government tries to spur economic growth, lawmakers are pressing for a rethink of these firms and greater support for private-sector businesses, instead.

While the number of state companies has more than halved to about 5,600 now from 12,000 in 1990, they still take up almost half of public investment, tie up 60 percent of bank lending and make up more than half the nation’s bad debt. [read more]

Vietnam Sees Increased Incidences Of Malaria

15.05.2015 (Bernama) -- HANOI - Malaria hospitalisations are on the rise in Vietnam, particularly in the south, revealed the General Department of Preventative Medicine under the Ministry of Health on Thursday, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

There are four major types of the virus in Vietnam and one can suffer from more than one type simultaneously, the department stated.

Immigration, poor sanitation and the habit of storing water in tanks across the country, especially rural areas, has long created favourable conditions for malaria, medical establishments said. [read more]

Problems remain for Taiwanese business in Vietnam

14.05.2015 By Joseph Yeh (The China Post) - TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Many Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam have not received proper compensation one year after suffering damage from a series of anti-Chinese protests in the Southeast Asian country, Taiwan's top envoy to the country said.

Taiwan's representative to Vietnam Huang Chih-peng (黃志鵬) told the Central News Agency that the central government in Vietnam and other government units have promised a series of measures to compensate Taiwanese businesses that suffered during weeks of nationwide anti-Chinese protests that erupted on May 13 last year.

Now, one year after the outbreak of the violent riots, almost all Taiwanese businesses in the country that suffered in the protests have resumed operations.

He called on related authorities in Vietnam to speed up the process of offering compensation and incentives to the companies as was promised by the central government a year ago.

In doing so, Vietnam can show the world that it deeply values foreign investment, Huang said. [read more]

Statement from "For a Green Hanoi" group on the attack against Nguyen Chi Tuyen

13.05.2015 (Dân Làm Báo) - At 7:30 a.m. May 11, 2015, Nguyen Chi Tuyen (Facebooker Anh Chi), a member of "For a Green Hanoi," was suddenly attacked by five masked men on Ngoc Thuy Street, Long Bien district, Hanoi, after taking his child to school.

Those five men used iron tubes to hit him brutally and dangerously slammed on his head causing severe injuries. Learning the attack, some members of the group called in an ambulance to rush him to a hospital. Doctors performed a 6 cm long suture on his head and he is recently discharged.

"For a Green Hanoi" group announces the statement as follows:

- We are not afraid and will not back down in the fight for common interests such as protecting the environment and trees in Hanoi and promoting government transparency and accountability. [read more]

Vietnam Devalues Dong for 2nd Time This Year on Trade Deficit

07.05.2015 By Ho Binh Minh (Jakarta Globe) - Hanoi. Vietnam devalued the dong currency for the second time this year on Thursday to support exports and curb import demand which has left it with a trade deficit.

The move had been widely expected after Vietnam recorded a $3 billion trade deficit in the first four months of the year, compared with a surplus of $2 billion in the same period last year.

The central bank said it had lowered the mid-point rate for the currency on the interbank market by 1 percent to 21,673 dong per dollar.

Dollar/dong transactions can move in a band of plus or minus 1 percent around the mid-point, which the central bank sets daily [read more]

Reverse Logistics entsorgt Altgeräte für Apple und HP in Vietnam

06.05.2015 (EUWID) - Das erste Rücknahmeprogramm für Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräte in Vietnam wird von der deutschen Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) betrieben. Im Auftrag der Hersteller Apple und Hewlett Packard (HP) soll die Sammlung und Behandlung von Altgeräten in dem südostasiatischen Land sichergestellt werden. In einem ersten Schritt wurden bereits 15 Sammelstellen im Gebiet der Millionenmetropole Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt eingerichtet, teilte RLG mit.

Laut RLG geht man in Vietnam von einem deutlichen Anstieg des Altgeräteaufkommens aus. Gleichzeitig sei aber das Bewusstsein für die Entsorgungsproblematik dieser Abfälle in der Bevölkerung noch sehr begrenzt. [Weiterlesen]

Expert Slams Mega Airport Proposal For Vietnam’s Commercial Capital

06.05.2015 (RFA) - Lawmakers in Vietnam should not approve the construction of a massive new airport outside of the country’s commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City based on flaws in its current design, according to an expert reviewing the project ahead of a legislative session scheduled for the end of the month.

Nguyen Bach Phuc, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh Association of Consultants in Science Technology and Management (HASCON), said that his group was unable to recommend the Long Thanh International Airport project to the National Assembly based on seven concerns, including its socio-economic efficiency.

Other issues HASCON found during a review of the airport project included whether it was legal according to the constitution, how it fit with the country’s larger development scheme, its lack of a preliminary design plan, and the “obvious risks” associated with it.

“Those are seven issues … that made us recommend to the National Assembly not to approve the project yet,” he said. [read more]

Vietnam, South Korea Ink New Pact

06.05.2015 By Prashanth Parameswaran (The Diplomat) - On May 5, South Korea and Vietnam signed a bilateral free trade agreement. The FTA, which was officially inked by the country’s trade ministers in a ceremony held in Hanoi, puts the finishing touches on a pact which the two sides have been negotiating for years and is a further boost to their strategic partnership.

According to reported figures from South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, under the FTA, Vietnam will completely remove its import duties on 89.9 percent of all products from South Korea over a 15-year period following its implementation, while South Korea will do the same on 95.4 percent of all products imported from Vietnam. [read more]

The Cham and the Nuclear Power Project

29.04.2015 Inrasara, translated by Thục Quyên & Melissa Ryzek (Save VietNam's Nature) - 1. Pangdurangga (nowadays includes Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan Province ) is a geographic region - the southernmost of --- four historic areas in the ancient kingdom of Champa. During the tumultuous history of the kingdom, this area has always had to suffer the most, in all aspects.

Being far away from the major cultural center Amaravati during Champa's flourishing time, Pangdurangga had not been much favored. So many times invaded by the army Khmer, the people of Pangdurangga always had to face the enemy alone, and then, when the kingdom weakened, Pangdurangga had to take a stand for the whole nation to outlast, in accordance with the character of Pangdurangga. Geographic location and life circumstances forced the people to equip themselves with an independent spirit. This spirit of independence and resistance, forged generation after  generation, gave rise to its extreme endurance, some could even say stubbornness. ...

Cham Culture Gallery Inrahani is my newly erected center in 2010 in the village of Caklaing, considered as a "humble grasp to hold Cham back to the land." Furthermore, I also completed the novel Tcherfunith in April 2012, acronym for Fukushima+Tchernobyl+Ninh Thuan. ...

On August 23, 2013, driven by the one way propaganda campaign, Mr Bao van Tro,  ethnic Cham, confirmed the "absolute safety" of the nuclear power. Another person, Mr Ngo khac Can, a Kinh and president of  the Local Senior Association of Thai An, back from his trip to visit a Japan Nuclear power plant, "explained" that only "atom" would explode but "nuclear power" is quite safe. Making the Chams lose entire trust in the matter. [read more]

Anti-nuclear activists soldier on in nuclear energy powerhouse France

28.04.2015 Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - France, smaller than either the United States or China, has solidly embraced nuclear power. Its 58 nuclear reactors deliver 75 percent of the country's electricity. I visited France in March, my first trip there in two and a half years.

Arriving in Saint-Quentin, a small rural town of only 60,000 people about 150 kilometers northeast of Paris, the opening ceremony for a photo exhibition on the Fukushima nuclear crisis was under way. It was the fourth anniversary of the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan.

On display was a work by Tibo Dhermy, a French photographer who began making annual trips to Fukushima soon after the triple meltdown triggered by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Around 100 prominent local citizens had gathered to hear Dhermy deliver a passionate speech in the exhibition hall.

Nguyen Khac Nhan, screamed out, "Everyone who promotes nuclear energy, they're all big liars!"

Nhan's opposition to nuclear power goes beyond mere casual interest.

Nhan replied: "The nuclear power projects will most certainly be stopped. Five reactors have melted down in the first 50 years of nuclear power's use in the world. Three Mile Island had one, Chernobyl had one, and Fukushima had three. That's one reactor every decade. Unfortunately there will be another accident at a reactor within the next decade. We don't know if it'll be in France, China, Japan, or some other country. And when it happens, I think they'll put a stop to the Vietnamese projects. I don't intend to die until I've seen those projects killed." [read more]

EU und Asean wollen über Freihandelsabkommen sprechen

26.04.2015 (Donaukurier) - Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Die Europäische Union und die südostasiatische Staatengemeinschaft Asean wollen ihre Verhandlungen über ein Freihandelsabkommen wieder aufnehmen. Beide Seiten verkündeten am Rande des Asean-Gipfels in Malaysias Hauptstadt Kuala Lumpur in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung ihre Absicht, die Gespräche wieder auf den Weg zu bringen. Die Verhandlungen waren 2007 begonnen, aber aufgrund von Unstimmigkeiten 2009 abgebrochen worden. Insbesondere hatte sich die EU an Menschenrechtsverletzungen im Asean-Mitgliedstaat Myanmar gestört. Im Jahr 2011 leitete Myanmar politische und wirtschaftliche Reformen ein.

Während die Gespräche mit Asean auf Eis lagen, handelte die EU gesonderte Freihandelsabkommen mit den Asean-Mitgliedstaaten Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand und Singapur aus. Neben diesen vier Staaten gehören Myanmar, Indonesien, Brunei, Laos, die Philippinen und Kambodscha der südsostasiatischen Staatengemeinschaft an. [Weiterlesen]

Einbußen bei Vietnams Tourismus

24.04.2015 Anemie Wick (dw) - In Vietnam ist die Zahl internationaler Besucher rückläufig: Im ersten Quartal kamen 13,7 Prozent weniger Gäste als im Vorjahreszeitraum. Der Minus-Trend hält seit zehn Monaten an.

"Timeless Charm" lautet Vietnams offizielles Tourismus-Motto, aber die für das Land wichtige Branche macht gerade schwierige Zeiten durch.

Der frühere stellvertretende Chef der vietnamesischen Tourismusbehörde, Luong Hoai Nam, nannte in einem Kommentar in der vietnamesischen Zeitung Tuoi Tre das komplizierte Prozedere, das Touristen für ein Vietnam-Visum durchlaufen müssen, als einen der Hauptgründe für sinkende Gästezahlen. "Urlauber werden stattdessen dorthin reisen, wo sie kein Visum brauchen oder dieses bei Ankunft erhalten können."

Vietnam-Marketing überzeugt nicht. Der Bekanntheitsgrad von Vietnam, sagt Edens von Diethelm Travel, sei im Vergleich gering, es bestehe keine klare Markenbildung. An der Tourismusmesse ITB in Berlin im März habe sich das Land entsprechend kalt und unzeitgemäß präsentiert, während die Nachbarn Kambodscha und die ehemalige laotische Königsstadt Luang Prabang mit "wunderbaren Ständen" vertreten gewesen seien. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese Farmers Block Highway to Protest Pollution

21.04.2015 (VOA) - Hundreds of angry farmers in central Vietnam dumped dead fish and shrimp onto the highway in front of a local government office Tuesday to protest pollution.

In the latest in a series of public environmental protests, the farmers in Cam Ranh town, Khanh Hoa province, protested against sand dredging that pollutes a bay whose marine life they count on to make a living.

The protest came after thousands of people took to the streets across Vietnam to raise concerns about environmental issues.

The rare public protests in the tightly controlled nation has led some activists to believe a new wave of civil disobedience, like the one seen in Hong Kong last year, has spread to Vietnam.

Lawyer Nguyen Van Dai said Vietnamese people were learning from nonviolent movements in other countries. [read more]

Freihandelsabkommen TPP - Obama schielt auf asiatische Märkte

18.04.2015 Von Nicolas Richter, Washington (SZ) - Die Vereinigten Staaten öffnen sich nach Asien, wenn auch mit einigem Widerwillen: Ein umfangreiches Abkommen mit einem Dutzend Ländern soll Freihandel zwischen Pazifik-Anrainern ermöglichen und neue Standards für Arbeitsrecht und Umweltschutz festlegen.

Das Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) wäre eines der umfangreichsten Handelsabkommen in der Geschichte der USA. Obama erhofft sich davon, dass amerikanische Unternehmen damit auf den internationalen Märkten konkurrenzfähiger sind, ihre Waren und Dienstleistungen also zu besseren Bedingungen anbieten können.

Zur TPP-Gruppe gehören mehrere Länder auf dem amerikanischen Kontinent, die USA, Kanada, Mexiko, Peru und Chile; auf der anderen Seite des Pazifiks wiederum Australien, Neuseeland, Malaysia, Singapur, Brunei, Vietnam und Japan. Nach Angaben der US-Regierung bilden diese Länder bereits heute den größten Exportmarkt für amerikanische Firmen, im Jahr 2013 verkauften sie dort Waren im Wert von knapp 700 Milliarden Dollar, beinahe die Hälfte aller US-Warenexporte. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam customs make massive seizure of rhino horns, elephant tusks

17.04.2015 (asiaone) - Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnamese customs have seized elephant tusks and rhino horns worth millions of dollars on the black market from a flight arriving from France, officials said Friday.

The haul weighed around 65 kilogrammes (143 pounds) and included 18 pieces of elephant tusk and three rhino horns, which are believed to have come from Africa, a customs official told AFP.

"The shipment was seized Thursday at Noi Bai international airport (in Hanoi) on a Vietnam Airlines flight arriving from France," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Some shops in the communist country still sell products made from ivory illegally despite a 1992 ban which outlawed the trade.

Environmental groups have long accused Vietnam of being one of the world's worst countries for trade in endangered species, and there have been a number of campaigns to warn Vietnamese not to use products from endangered animals. [read more]

Hunt for Rare Indochina Wildlife Yields Results

17.04.2015 By Luke Hunt (The Diplomat) - In a rare win for environmentalists, a new study suggests a remote park is not yet an “empty forest.”

Way out on the remote borders that divide Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam sits the Virachey National Park (VNP), one of the last bastions for endangered Indochinese wildlife and the focus of scientific attention for groups like HabitatID.

Greg McCann, a field coordinator with HabitatID, said his latest field trip into the region to retrieve photos from a batch of 21 camera traps hidden in the forests had been a success, with his finds countering arguments that the park had been poached into an “empty forest.”

Twenty-five different species of mammals and six species of birds were photographed – among them gibbons and hornbills – which he said were indicators of a healthy forest, along with evidence of elephants, leopard cat, gaur, the duoc langur, and sun bears. [read more]

Villagers block traffic to protest pollution from power plant in central Vietnam

16.04.2015 (U.S. News & World Report) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Hundreds of villagers in central Vietnam blocked traffic on the country's main artery for hours to protest pollution from a coal-fired thermo power plant, a local official said Thursday.

Nguyen Thanh Sang in Binh Thuan province said Thursday that the villagers threw rocks, bricks and gasoline bombs at riot police who were trying to direct traffic Wednesday night. About 10 policemen suffered minor injuries. [read more]

Vietnam, centenares de personas bloquean una autopista contra la contaminación: enfrentamientos con la policía

16.04.2015 (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City - Centenares de habitantes de un pueblo a sudeste de Vietnam han manifestado bloqueando por horas una de las principales autopistas, para protestar contra una fábrica de la zona que habría contaminado casas y campos. Las demostraciones callejeras iniciaron el 14 de abril y continuaron por toda la jornada de ayer, después de que una nube de polvo y partículas contaminadoras salidas de la central eléctrica han recubierto las habitaciones. Fuentes oficiales- pero no hay confirmaciones independientes- refieren que los manifestantes habrían lanzado piedras, y bombas molotov, hiriendo al menos a 10 policías, que habían intervenido en uniformes anti-revueltas.

Según los habitantes, todo el pueblo de Vinh Tan, en la provincia costera de binh Thua, fue cubierto por polvos emitidos por la Vinh tan 2, un establecimiento eléctrico alimentado a carbón. Ellos temen que los agentes contaminadores, un problema que viene ya de hace tiempo, puedan tener efectos nocivos contra la salud de las personas [en savoir plus]

Russia to compete for ASEAN market with China and United States

16.04.2015 (Russia Beyond The Headlines) Statements made during Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s recent visit to the region underlined Russia’s intentions to fight for a share of the ASEAN market with the U.S. and China.

Russia is aiming to double trade with three countries in Southeast Asia by 2020 – with Thailand and Indonesia to $10 and $5 billion, respectively, in 2016; and with Vietnam to $10 billion, according to statements made during a recent official visit to the region by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. [read more]

EU to support Vietnam's sustainable energy development

15.04.2015 (Individual.com) - The European Union (EU) plans to offer 346 million euros (nearly 370 million U.S. dollars) worth of non-refundable aid to support Vietnam in sustainable energy development during 2014-2020 period, said Franz Jessen, EU ambassador to Vietnam on Wednesday.

Ambassador Jessen, head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Vietnam, made the announcement at an inception workshop on EU support to the development of sustainable energy in Vietnam co- held by the EU and the country's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in Hanoi on Wednesday. [read more]

Developing East Asia and Pacific slowing

14.04.2015 Mayuko Tani, Nikkei staff writer (Nikkei Asian Review) - SINGAPORE -- Despite low oil prices, the World Bank predicts that growth in the developing economies of East Asia and the Pacific will slow to 6.7% because of China's weaker economy and uneven recovery in more developed economies.

The Washington-based financial institution released its East Asia Pacific Economic Update on Monday, with a growth projection that was 0.2 percentage point lower than in its October forecast. The bank expects the region to maintain the revised 6.7% growth rate in 2016.

Developing East Asia and Pacific comprises 14 economies: Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Thailand and Vietnam. [read more]

Man Stopped From Flying to Moscow With Highly Radioactive Clock

13.04.2015 (The Moscow Times) - A Vietnamese man has been stopped after trying to fly from Kiev to Moscow with a radioactive clock, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service said Monday.

The clock, discovered as the man was passing through security at Boryspil Airport, was found to be emitting radiation of 2.5 milliSieverts per hour (mSv/h), the country's border guard service said in an online statement. [read more]

Making a water society

12.04.2015 Rahul Goswami (Khaleej Times) - There is in Vietnam a dense and complex network of hydraulic works comprising man-made canals, dykes and sluices. These were designed (and continue to be) to provide protection against floods, to prevent the intrusion of salinity, and to control irrigation for agriculture and aquaculture in the sprawling delta of the great Mekong.

Economic growth alone, however, does not a country make, and many a culture does it unmake. And so the limits of natural systems became evident already a decade ago.

Home to about 60 million people, the basin of the lower Mekong has experienced rapid ‘development’ (expressed in purely conventional terms), rapid urbanisation and quick population growth. These factors have had adverse effects on the resources of the Mekong, plentiful as they are, and naturally on the populations that depend on them. Climate change has increasingly placed burdens on the environment and the people - rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall are bringing drought to some areas and flooding to others. Moreover, the gigantic deltaic region is also experiencing sea level rise and increasing saltwater intrusion to its ecosystems and farmland. [read more]

European Parliament Delegation assesses Vietnam's readiness to conclude trade deal with the EU

08.04.2015 (EEAS) - Vietnam’s readiness to conclude the free trade agreement, currently being negotiated with the European Union, is being assessed by a Delegation of Members of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee (EP) that is having a working visit to Vietnam between 6 and 9 April. The negotiations with Vietnam are currently in the final phase and the European Parliament will have to give its consent to the deal for it to enter into force.

The EU is Vietnam's second largest trade partner while Vietnam is the EU's 32nd trading partner. Negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the two partners were launched in June 2012 and are expected to conclude this year. Garment and textile industry is both Vietnam's largest single source of employment and largest export sector.

In a resolution MEPs adopted in 2014 they note that respect for workers' and trade union rights needs to be improved in Vietnam, with core International Labour Organization conventions yet to be ratified there. [read more]

Dose mit radioaktivem Material in Vietnam verschwunden