Wirtschaft - Umwelt / Economy - Environment (2017)

Bizarre Tierwelt am Mekong: Forscher entdecken 115 Arten

19.12.2017 (SZ) - Berlin (dpa) - Echsen, Schildkröten, Fische, Maulwürfe und eine Fledermaus: Am Mekong haben Forscher im vergangenen Jahr 115 bislang unbekannte Tier- und Pflanzenarten entdeckt.

Der WWF stellte am Dienstag den Bericht "Stranger Species" (etwa: kuriose Arten) vor, in dem die Entdeckungen von hunderten Wissenschaftlern aus aller Welt versammelt sind. Zu den spektakulärsten Funden des Jahres 2016 gehören eine Krokodilschwanzechse (Shinisaurus crocodilus vietnamensis), eine skurril aussehende Hufeisennasen-Fledermaus (Rhinolophus monticolus), eine Schneckenfresser-Schildkröte (Malayemys isan) und zwei Maulwürfe (Euroscaptor orlovi und E. kuznetsovi). [Weiterlesen]

Taiwan steel firm behind toxic dump in Vietnam fined again

17.12.2017 (Business Standard) - A Taiwanese steel firm behind a toxic spill that killed tonnes of fish in central Vietnam last year was fined for a second time for illegally burying "harmful" waste, official sources said today.

The deadly dump from Formosa's USD 11 billion steel plant in Ha Tinh province sparked one of the country's worst environmental catastrophes, decimating livelihoods along swathes of coastline and prompting months of rare protests in the authoritarian country.

The firm was initially fined USD 500 million for pouring toxic chemicals -- including cyanide -- into the ocean in April 2016, and has now been ordered to pay an additional USD 25,000 on separate charges of burying harmful solid waste in the ground, according to the official Cong Ly newspaper. [read more]

The good and bad of Vietnam’s banks

14.12.2017 By Peter Janssen (Asia Times) - Poorly managed big state banks have traditionally drowned out competition, but a new class of private banks is slowly floating to the top.

Vietnam Prosperity Bank raised more than 6.4 trillion dong (US$280 million) in a mid-August initial public offering (IPO) on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, with 23% of the 164.7 million shares floated snapped up by foreign investors. [read more]

Changement climatique : l'élevage de crevettes envahit le Mékong, au sud du Vietnam

11.12.2017 Dominique André (France Culture) - Le delta du Mékong, dans le sud du Vietnam, est l’une des régions au monde les plus menacées par le changement climatique. 19 millions d'habitants y vivent. La montée du niveau de la mer touche les rizières, ce qui contraint les agriculteurs à passer du riz aux crevettes !

Le Vietnam a d'abord construit des digues pour bloquer l'eau de mer. Mais cela ne sert à rien. Le gouvernement a décidé d'utiliser l'eau salée plutôt que de lutter contre. Un concept officialisé en septembre dernier. [en savoir plus]

Exploited and Endangered: Female Factory Workers in Vietnam Open Up About Their Work Conditions

08.12.2017 by Sarah Alexander (Ms. Magazine) - 45 women in Vietnam divulged the harsh and inhumane factory conditions they face at Samsung plants in a landmark report conducted by IPEN, a Sweden-based organization dedicated to the elimination of environmental toxins, and the Hanoi-based Research Centre for Gender, Family and Environment in Development (CGFED).

Factory workers spend, on average, 8 to 12 hours a day on their feet, and often rotate between night and day shifts—resulting in persistent joint pain and fatigue. According to women’s testimonies, employees frequently succumb to nose bleeds, dizziness and stomach aches. The women surveyed also reported an alarming prevalence of miscarriages amongst factory employees, and suspect overtaxing may be the culprit—pregnant employees often refuse breaks for fear of remunerative wage deductions. [read more]

USA belegen Stahl-Importe aus Vietnam mit Strafzöllen

06.12.2017 (cash) - Im seit Monaten ungelösten Stahlstreit mit mehreren Ländern gehen die USA gegen Vietnam und China in die Offensive. Das US-Handelsministerium kündigte am Mittwoch an, auf bestimmte Stahlprodukte aus Vietnam, die aus von China bezogenen Vorprodukten hergestellt werden, Strafzölle in Höhe von bis zu 265 Prozent zu erheben. Betroffen seien kalt gewalzte Stahlprodukte. [Weiterlesen]

US hits Vietnam with huge duties on steel made with Chinese materia

06.12.2017 (France24) - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday imposed huge duties on some steel imports from Vietnam, saying they were produced with Chinese material already subject to retaliatory penalties.

US imports from Vietnam have skyrocketed since the US imposed duties on the Chinese product two years ago, indicating companies are circumventing US duties by passing through Vietnam, the Commerce Department said. [read more]

Vietnam’s ex-president admits Fukushima disaster played role in ditching foray into atomic power

03.12.2017 (The Japan Times) -  Vietnam last year abandoned plans to build its first nuclear power plants with Japanese and Russian assistance due to heightened concern over the safety of atomic power following events including the Fukushima disaster, according to former President Truong Tan Sang.

“The situation in the world had changed,” Sang, 68, said in an interview in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday. “Due to the fluctuations of the world situation, the Vietnamese people were very worried, especially the people in the area where the nuclear power plants were to be located. They had reactions. Therefore, we had to temporarily halt (the plans).”

In scrapping the plans to build two multibillion-dollar nuclear plants in November last year, the government cited the country’s tight financial situation, claiming at the time that safety was not an issue. [read more]

Vietnamese brewer Sabeco aims to raise over $4 bn with divestment

29.11.2017 (Nikkei Asian Review) - Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Wednesday that it will hold a public auction of more than 343 million shares (53.59%) in Saigon Alcohol Beer And Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), a large state-owned brewer, on Dec. 18 through the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange. The ministry owns 89.6% of the shares.

With an offering price of 320,000 dong ($14.10)  the government hopes to raise $4 billion with Bao Viet Securities, Ernst and Young Vietnam, and Southern Information and Valuation Corporation advising. [read more]

Der Sand wird knapp

27.11.2017 Von Willi Germund (Frankfurter Rundschau) - Nach Trinkwasser ist Sand die weltweit im größten Umfang ausgebeutete Ressource. In Vietnam wird der Rohstoff bereits knapp - und kriminelle Händler machen die Körnchen zu Geld.

Aufgereiht wie Perlen auf einer Schnur tuckern tief im Wasser liegende Frachtschiffe Vietnams „Roten Fluss“ hinab und legen an den Hafenpieren der Hauptstadt Hanoi an. Wächter passen auf, dass sich kein gerade beladener Lastwagen heimlich aus dem Staub macht. Selbst die Polizei ist mit von der Partie und prüft, ob alle vorgelegten Dokumente echt sind. Im Verlauf der vergangenen Monate haben sie mehrfach Schmuggelschiffe aufgespürt, bis zum Rand mit Asiens neuem Gold beladen: Bausand. [Weiterlesen]

U.N. plan strengthens women's role in climate action

22.11.2017 by Lorena Aguilar and Melanne Verveer | International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Last week marked a milestone in the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. In Bonn, world leaders at the United Nations climate negotiations (COP23) under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed and adopted the first ever Gender Action Plan to not only recognize but also strengthen and empower the role of women throughout climate action and policy.

This robust plan is the culmination of 12 years of advocacy that has been led by women from all over the world. From Peru to France and Morocco, and with support from numerous countries in hosting and facilitating international dialogue on pushing this agenda forward, the final text was tabled by a coalition of eight countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. [read more]

Tierschützer retten 114 Pangoline in Vietnam vor dem sicheren Tod

22.11.2017 (RTL Next) - Die Tierschutzorganisation 'Save Vietnam's Wildlife' hat im Norden Vietnams 114 Pangoline aus dem illegalen Wildtierhandel gerettet, darunter ein Jungtier, das noch an der Nabelschnur der Mutter hing. Ohne das Eingreifen der Tierschützer wären die seltenen Tiere ausnahmslos verkauft und getötet worden.

Obwohl sie kaum einer kennt, sind Pangoline, auch Schuppentiere oder Tannenzapfentiere genannt, die meistgejagten Säugetiere der Welt. In Afrika und Asien gelten die schuppigen Wildtiere als Heilmittel und Delikatesse. [Weiterlesen]

Researchers attack Mekong malaria superbug on multiple fronts

21.11.2017 Marwaan Macan-Markar (Nikkei Asian Review) - BANGKOK -- Medical researchers are inching their way across the fringes of five Southeast Asian countries to test a triple combination therapy of antimalarial drugs. Results from the trial, being conducted in rural corners of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, are due by mid-2018, according to the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), the Bangkok-based group conducting the tests.

Arjen Dondorp, head of malaria at MORU, said the triple therapy is urgently needed to treat patients stricken by a killer strain of the malaria parasite spread by mosquitoes around the Mekong River, Southeast Asia's largest body of water. [read more]

As Malaria Resists Treatment, Experts Warn of Global Crisis

21.11.2017 By Mike Ives and Donald G. McNeil Jr. (NYT) - ... a new, drug-resistant strain of the disease, impervious to artemisinin and another popular drug with which it is frequently paired, piperaquine, threatens to upend years of worldwide eradication efforts — straining health care systems and raising the prospect that the death toll could increase again.

In recent years, public health officials have tracked the spread of deadly falciparum malaria parasites from western Cambodia to Thailand and Laos, and most recently into Vietnam. The parasites’ presence in Binh Phuoc was reported  in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, a British medical journal. [read more]

Pazifik-Handelsabkommen soll auch ohne USA kommen

11.11.2017 (Handelsblatt) - Da Nang Nach dem Rückzug der USA aus dem Handelsabkommen TPP (Transpazifische Partnerschaft) wollen die verbleibenden elf Partner jetzt allein weitermachen. Am Rande des Asien-Pazifik-Gipfels in Vietnam verständigten sich die Staaten am Samstag im Grundsatz auf ein Folgeabkommen in veränderter Form. Allerdings müssen verschiedene Punkte noch geklärt werden, bevor es unterschrieben werden kann. Zugleich soll den USA die Tür für eine Rückkehr zu späterer Zeit offengehalten werden. [Weiterlesen]

Wastewater in Vietnam’s cleanest city spotlights country’s infrastructure deficit

06.11.2017 By Tan Qiuyi (Channel NewsAsia) - According to the 2016 Vietnam State of Environment Report, 95 per cent of Vietnam’s urban centres do not have proper wastewater treatment facilities. While several waste treatment projects are underway, progress is slow and construction for tourism is whizzing ahead. [read more & watch video]

Taifun beschert Vietnam den zerstörerischsten Sturm seit Jahren

06.11.2017 Manfred Rist, Danang (NZZ) - Der Wirbelsturm «Damrey» hat in Vietnam, wo demnächst der Gipfel der Asiatisch-Pazifischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft stattfindet, Dutzende von Toten gefordert. Und eine weitere Sturmfront kündigt sich an.

Die Küstengebiete Zentralvietnams sind von einem der schwersten Tropenstürme seit Jahren heimgesucht worden. Der Taifun «Damrey», der am Wochenende Windgeschwindigkeiten von bis zu 135 Kilometer pro Stunde erreichte, kostete mindestens 61 Personen das Leben. Wegen des Dauerregens sind auch im Landesinnern zahlreiche Abhänge ins Rutschen gekommen. [Weiterlesen]

At least 19 dead as Typhoon Damrey sweeps into Vietnam

04.11.2017 Mai Nguyen (Reuters) - HANOI - Typhoon Damrey killed at least 19 people in central and southern Vietnam on Saturday, the government said, after the storm swept into the country just days ahead of the APEC summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.

Damrey reached land at 4 a.m. local time (2100 GMT on Friday) with winds gusting at up to 90 kmph (56 mph) that tore off more than 1,000 roofs, knocked down hundreds of electricity poles and uprooted trees. [read more]

Le typhon DAMREY frappe le sud du Vietnam

04.11.2017 Par Patrabeson  (cyclone océan indien) - Le Vietnam a été frappé directement par le typhon DAMREY dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi. Le système a impacté la partie sud de ce pays de la péninsule indochinoise à une intensité comparable à celui d'un cyclone tropical.

DAMREY qui est le 22e système baptisé de la saison des typhons 2017, pourrait être selon le MET OFFICE (service météorologique britannique) le cyclone le plus violent à frapper la partie sud du Vietnam depuis 16 ans. [en savoir plus]

Taifun "Damrey" erreicht Vietnam vor wichtigem Gipfeltreffen

04.11.2017 (euronews) - Taifun “Damrey” ist mit Windgeschwindigkeiten bis zu 170 Stundenkilometern auf die südvietnamischen Städte Nha Trang und Ho Chi Minh City hereingebrochen.

Vielerorts riss der Sturm Dächer weg und entwurzelte Bäume. [Weiterlesen]

Call for effective management of Mekong amid threats from projects and climate change

04.11.2017 By Supalak Ganjanakhundee (The Nation) - SCHOLARS AND environmental conservationists from Thailand and Vietnam called for better and effective management of the Mekong River as Southeast Asia’s longest river was in danger due to climate change and development projects, notably hydropower dams in its mainstream.

While the Mekong runs through six countries, only countries in the lower part of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are members of the MRC.

People in the Mekong region need to be well aware of the transboundary impacts of development projects in the river on their livelihood, said Withoon Permpongsacharoen, director of Energy Network for Ecology in the Mekong Basin. [read more]

Vietnamese University Plans to Accept Bitcoin Despite Central Bank Ban

31.10.2017 Samburaj Das (CryptoCoinsNews) - FPT, a private Vietnamese university is planning to accept tuition fees in bitcoin with a workaround of the central bank’s ban on using cryptocurrencies as payment instruments.

FPT University is a private academic institution with campuses in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang, Vietnam’s three major cities. [read more]

State Bank of Vietnam bans cryptocurrency

31/10/2017 (AtoZ) - Following the footsteps of Chinese imposed ban on ICOs, Vietnam is now against the use of cryptocurrency in the country. Thus, State Bank of Vietnam bans cryptocurrency by announcing it as illegal in the country.

The State Bank of Vietnam also revealed that it will impose a fine on anyone caught using cryptocurrencies. The punishment for offering and accepting payments in Bitcoin can lead to a fine over £6,000. The ban will go into effect at early 2018. The bank doesn’t reveal the reason for banning the use of Bitcoin. But it highlights regular forms of payment: cheques, credit cards, etc as acceptable. [read more]

Vietnam prohíbe el uso de criptomonedas como medio de pago

30.10.2017 Zuleika Salgado (CriptoNoticias) - El gobierno de Vietnam reafirmó su posición en contra del uso de las criptomonedas en su territorio a través de la actualización de leyes específicas que regulan su uso como medio de pago en el país.

En la página oficial del Banco Estadal de Vietnam, puede leerse que, de acuerdo con las disposiciones de la ley que ha desarrollado, llegó a la conclusión de que el bitcoin y otras criptomonedas similares no pueden calificarse como un medio legal de pago en Vietnam; por lo que la emisión, el suministro, el uso de bitcoin y otras monedas virtuales similares como medio de pago quedan totalmente prohibidos en Vietnam. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam erklärt Bitcoin für illegal

30.10.2017 (deStandard) - Nachdem China Bitcoin-Plattformen geschlossen hat, erklärte nun die vietnamesische Zentralbank Bitcoin und andere Kryptowährungen für illegal. Ab 2018 ist es in Vietnam daher verboten, mit Bitcoin und Co zu handeln oder diese zu benutzen. Die Zentralbank hat ein Gesetz veranlasst, das klarmacht, dass die einzig legalen Währungen des Landes jene sind, die von der Zentralbank ausgegeben oder kontrolliert werden. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam may 'run out of sand in 5 years'

26.10.2017 (The Straits Times) - HANOI • The Vietnamese authorities are looking at producing artificial sand amid warnings by experts that the country could run out of sand within five years due to over-exploitation of the natural product, local media reported.

Scientists from the country's Institute of Transport Science and Technology warned last week that the domestic supply of natural sand was nearing an end and could be depleted in five years due to excessive exploitation.

Vietnam needs about 100 million cubic metres of sand every year for construction projects across the fast-growing country.

Sand along the country's local rivers have long been exported to many foreign countries. [read more]

Asia-Gemüse: Höchst­werte für Pestizide über­schritten

25.10.2017 (Stiftung Warentes) - Die Schweizer Verbraucherzeitschrift Saldo ließ 20 frische asiatische Gemüse und Kräuter aus Thai­land, Vietnam und Sri Lanka im Züricher Kantons­labor auf Pestizide untersuchen: zwölf über­schritten Höchst­werte einzelner Pestizide, eines davon erheblich. [Weiterlesen]

Pêche illégale : le carton jaune de l'Europe au Vietnam

24.10.2017 (Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes) - La commission européenne a adressé ce lundi un « carton jaune » au Vietnam au sujet de la pêche illégale. Sans réaction positive, le pays pourrait être identifié comme « non coopératifs » et se voir interdire l’exportation de ses produits de pêche vers l’Europe, un marché important.

« Le Vietnam n’en fait pas assez pour combattre la pêche illégale », écrit dans un communiqué la commission, qui appelle Hanoï à mieux contrôler l’activité des navires du pays « dans les eaux des pays voisins ». [en savoir plus]

EU gives Vietnam 'yellow card' over illegal fishing

23.10.2017 (Daily Mail) - The European Union said Monday it has given a "yellow card" to Vietnam, warning the Pacific country it could ban seafood exports unless Hanoi did more to tackle illegal fishing.

The European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, said Vietnam should fix the problem "within a reasonable timeframe" but did not set a deadline. [read more]

Vietnam’s last chance: Sustainable tourism

23.10.2017 By Alistair Denness (Asian Corresponden) - DESPITE being a cautionary tale dating back to the Industrial Revolution, the economy-versus-ecology dilemma continues to plague many developing countries to this day. Vietnam is no exception, with Hanoi boldly exploiting its natural resources in its quest to achieve economic growth. But faced with worsening pollution levels, the government in Hanoi is now in dire need to find a national strategy that threads the needle between environmental protection and socio-economic development.

Last year’s massive fish kill in the province of Ha Tinh, blamed on toxic wastes released from the Taiwanese-owned Formosa Plastics steel plant, decimated tourism and fishing across four provinces– an unintended yet predictable consequence of the government’s aggressive push for development. [read more]

Vietnam emerging as the next outsourcing powerhouse

20.10.2017 (Nikkei Asian Review) - Ho Chi Minh City -- Vietnam wants to be the next big thing in business process outsourcing -- an ambition that was clear for all to see at an industry conference in the country's commercial capital on Thursday and Friday.

On the agenda for the second such event: turning what is already one of Southeast Asia's hottest outsourcing destinations into a true go-to hub.

Vietnam's IT sector is benefiting from government policies and incentives, coupled with a young and tech-savvy workforce. The population under 35 is estimated at more than 50 million. [read more]

Umweltschäden durch Sandabbau - Strand aus Glaskieseln

15.10.2017 Thomas Nitz (taz) - Sand wird weltweit knapp. Recycling und Wüstensand sollen die Abhängigkeit der Baubranche von der endlichen Ressource verringern.

Nach Wasser ist Sand der meist verbrauchte Rohstoff überhaupt. Ob in Glas, in Kunststoffen, in Pharmazeutika, Autoreifen oder als Putzhilfe in Zahnpasta und Reinigungsmitteln, Sand ist allgegenwärtig. Ohne aus Sand gewonnene Minerale wäre unsere digitale Gesellschaft undenkbar.

Singapur. Der Stadtstaat hat seine Fläche seit den 1960er Jahren durch Aufschüttungen vor seiner Küste um 20 Prozent vergrößert. Den Sand dafür lieferten Indonesien, Kambodscha und Vietnam. Mit fatalen Folgen: Ohne Sandstrände als natürliche Barriere gegen die Brandung wirkt sich der Anstieg des Meeresspiegels noch verheerender aus. [Weiterlesen]

Der Jangtse spült am meisten Plastik ins Meer

13.10.2017 (SZ) - Zehn Flüsse befördern weltweit mit großem Abstand den meisten Plastikmüll ins Meer. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommen Forscher des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Umweltforschung Leipzig und der Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf in einer umfassenden Studie.

In der Hitliste der Schande sind acht asiatische Gewässer vertreten. Das meiste Plastik spülte der Jangtse-Fluss in die Weltmeere, schreiben die Wissenschaftler im Fachmagazin Environmental Science & Technology. Der längste Fluss Asiens fließt vom Hochland Tibets aus ins Ostchinesische Meer, dabei passiert er Megastädte wie Chongqing oder Shanghai.

Am zweitschlimmsten für die Plastikbelastung der Weltmeere ist der Indus, der in Pakistan ins Arabische Meer mündet, auf Platz drei folgt der Gelbe Fluss Chinas. Die einzigen nichtasiatischen Flüsse in der Liste sind der Nil und der Niger. Die übrigen der zehn schlimmsten Flüsse sind der Haihe (China), der Meghna in Indien und Bangladesch (zu diesem Flusssystem werden auch Ganges und Brahmaputra gerechnet), der Perlfluss (China), der Amur (Russland, China), und der Mekong (u.a. Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Kambodscha). [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam has a debt problem

27.09.2017 By Khai Nguyen (Asia Times) - Country's communist leadership has failed to arrest a rising budget deficit rooted in government inefficiency and waste.

Last month, Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) proposed a plan for raising various taxes to curb rising budget deficits and public debt. It’s not immediately clear, though, the plan will work.

Since 2000, the Vietnamese government has consistently overspent its budget. The budget deficit forecast for 2017–2018 is about 5.8% of GDP per annum. Government revenue had increased over the last 15 years, partially due to economic growth of over 6% on average over the period. However, this growth cannot keep up with the government’s expenditures. [read more]

Malaria: Resistente Parasiten erreichen Vietnam

24.09.2017 (Deutsches Ärzteblatt) - Bangkok – Ein resistenter Stamm von P. falciparum, der sich seit einigen Jahren in Kambodscha ausbreitet, hat jetzt Vietnam erreicht. Britische Tropenmediziner sprechen von einer bedrohlichen Situation.

Schon seit einigen Jahren hat die Artemisinin-basierte Kombinationstherapie in Kambodscha ihre Wirkung verloren. Grund sind verschiedene Mutationen im Gen „PfKelch“ des Erregers. Die größten Probleme bereitet derzeit die Punktmutation C580Y, die zuerst in Pailin im Westen Kambodscha nahe der Grenze zu Thailand entdeckt wurde. [Weiterlesen]

Malaria warning as resistant strain spreads to Vietnam

22.09.2017 (France24) - BANGKOK (AFP) - A form of malaria that is resistant to standard treatment has spread to Vietnam for the first time, researchers warned Friday.

The strain was originally detected in Cambodia in 2007, and experts are calling for action before it reaches other areas such as India or Africa.

"It spread like a wildfire to Vietnam," professor Arjen Dondorp, head of malaria department at the tropical medicine research unit at Mahidol University in Bangkok, told AFP. [read more]

Vietnamese Protesters to Maintain Blockade of Polluting Textile Factory

22.09.2017 (RFA) - Protesters in northern Vietnam’s Hai Duong province have vowed to continue blocking the entrance to a textile factory that has polluted local water supplies, despite threats from local authorities, until the company ceases operation and moves from the area.

For more than two years, Hong Kong-owned Pacific Crystal has been discharging smoke into the air which people have described as “horrible” and smelling like “burnt plastic.” Noise from its production operations has prevented residents from sleeping at night, and water in the vicinity has turned black, protesters said. [read more]

China's projects in Vietnam earn reputation for poor quality, delays

20.09.2017 (Nikkei Asian Review ) - Hanoi stuck with rising costs on 'cheap' projects with poor expectancies .

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Hanoi's first elevated railway line has had its trial run in September cancelled without an alternative being proposed by the builders from China.

On Monday, Vietnamese authorities told reporters that further work on the project is not possible until China disburses $250 million in official development assistance (ODA) promised last year.

The delayed test run is the latest problem on the controversial project, which has been dogged by accidents, fatalities, and injuries to passersby.

Poor quality materials, faulty installations, and untrained workers have raised safety concerns. [read more]

Death by dam for the Mekong

14.09.2017 (Asia Times) - The sleepy town of Pak Beng, best known as a stopover for slow boats connecting the Laos-Thailand border to the ancient Lao capital of Luang Prabang, will be transformed later this year by the launch of a third major hydro-dam on the lower Mekong River.

The dam’s plan came under heavy fire during the six-month consultation process concluded in June organized by the Mekong River Commission – an intergovernmental body that brings together the four riparian states of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam towards the goal of sustainable development of the region’s water resources.

The MRC’s panel of experts found many flaws in the dam’s design and a lack of credible environmental impact studies, Le Anh Tuan, a Mekong expert at Can Tho University located in Vietnam’s Mekong delta, told Asia Times. [read more]

Vietnam will Autos bauen

09.09.2017 Von Christoph Hein (FAZ) - „Vinfast“, eine Zusammensetzung aus Vietnam und dem englischen „schnell“, lautet der Name des jüngsten Automobilprojektes Asiens. Er könnte passen: Denn ein Konglomerat in Vietnam will in nur zwei Jahren ein eigenes Automobil für die mehr als 90 Millionen Vietnamesen entwickeln und bauen.

Die Vietnamesen haben für den Bau der Autofabrik einen Kredit der Schweizer Bank Credit Suisse über 800 Millionen Dollar zugesichert bekommen. Allerdings scheint noch offen, ob sie ihn ziehen werden. Ihr Ziel lautet, den Bau so weit wie möglich aus eigenen Mitteln zu finanzieren. [Weiterlesen]

‘Passive’ Vietnamese exporters struggling to cope with US regulations

04.09.2017 By RJ Whitehead (FoodNavigator-Asia) - Vietnamese food exporters remain “passive and sluggish” in complying with the demands of their target markets, especially America.

Under US Food and Drug Administration rules, all foreign firms exporting food and beverages must re-register for food-safety approval every two years.

Yet even though Vietnamese businesses have “tried hard” to comply with the FDA’s Food Safety Modernisation Act, an increasing number have been put on America’s alert list. [read more]

Vietnam may scuttle Trans-Pacific trade

30.08.2017 (SBS) - Vietnam may be reluctant to undertake tricky reforms to be part of a controversial Pacific free trade deal if there is no sweetener of better US market access.

Vietnam could be shaping up as the weakest link on the prospects of salvaging a controversial Pacific-wide free trade deal.

US President Donald Trump pulled America out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement earlier this year, but the remaining 11 countries are in talks to push ahead. [read more]

In Vietnam poverty and poor development, not just floods, kill the most marginalised

29.08.2017 (The Conversation) - Flooding and landslides in northwest Vietnam have caused widespread devastation since the start of August. The disaster crippled the provinces of Son La, Dien Bien, Yen Bai and Lai Chau, situated within one of the most disadvantaged regions of the country.

Disasters are widely misunderstood in Vietnam – as they are elsewhere – as “natural” occurrences. As a consequence of this, there is little open discussion about the social, political and economic factors that are inextricably linked to the issue. [read more]

Vietnam's Rural Areas Face Environmental Pollution

29.08.2017 (Bernama) - HANOI -- The use of pesticides and chemical fertiliser in farming and the discharge of solid waste from craft villages and households are the main causes of rural environmental pollution in Vietnam where nearly 67 per cent of the population live in rural areas, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

According to the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA), a lot of waste is generated in dense-population regions such as the north central and central coastal areas (25 per cent), the Red River Delta (23 per cent), the Mekong Delta (22 per cent) and the south eastern region (15 per cent).

The rural environment is under pressure from manufacturing at industrial parks and clusters, daily activities of residential and adjacent urban areas, and impacts from climate change, such as rising sea levels, and natural disasters. [read more]

High costs and new taxes burden Vietnamese business enterprises

25.08.2017 (The Nation) - HANOI - According to the World Bank’s 2017 World Business Environment Survey, the costs of running a business in Vietnam are much higher than those in its regional neighbours.

Private Vietnamese businesses are bearing the burden of high business expenses and struggling with increased pressure from new taxes and fees already adopted or being planned by authorities, which hinder competitiveness and reduce business efficiency.

The survey said Vietnamese enterprises have to pay taxes at 31.9 per cent of profit, two times higher than in Singapore. In addition, export-import costs in Vietnam are four times higher than in Singapore and three times higher than in the Philippines. [read more]

Wind energy in Vietnam – blowing in the right direction?

23.08.2017 by David Foxwell (Offshore Wind Journal) - To encourage the development of wind power projects the Vietnamese government introduced a feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme back in 2011. The FIT of VND1,614/kWh (excluding VAT, equivalent to US$0.078) was seen at the time as an important step towards realising the country’s renewable energy ambitions.

The low rate, however, has proved unappealing to investors. Despite a range of tax benefits offered to developers, including exemptions from customs duties, a preferential corporate tax rate of 10% and income tax and land use fee exemptions, Vietnam has just four operational windfarms. [read more]

Vietnam's GDP Won't Meet Its Goal This Year -- And That's OK With Most Investors

23.08.2017 Ralph Jennings (Forbes) - Vietnamese officials declared in early August that their legendarily fast-growing economy would gain another 6.7% this year. Dips in mining and agriculture have nipped growth, but new export manufacturing, tourism and consumption can make up for those setbacks and more, economists say. Still the GDP growth rate, often seen as a statement to the world about a country’s economic might, could come in lower than predicted. Economic growth came in a hair lower than its 6.26% forecast in the second quarter, and third-quarter growth is forecast at 7.23% GDP growth despite a historic norm of 6.6%. [read more]

Energy dilemma weighs on Vietnam

21.08.2017 By Dan Southerland (Asia Times) - State planners say more than 50% of national power will be coal-fired by 2030, a big boost in the fossil fuel's use that will worsen pollution and undercut climate change goals

As a rapidly industrializing nation, Vietnam needs more electricity for both industries and homes.In order to reach its goal for 2030, Vietnam will not only build more coal-fired power plants but also is likely to import more of the fuel. Chinese companies appear ready to supply Vietnam with both coal and equipment, even as China closes some of its own coal-fired plants at home. [read more]

How climate change is already disrupting lives in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

18.08.2017 (Climate Change News) - Climate change its causing flooding and droughts that damage agricultural land in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. The "rice bowl" of Asia produces 57 percent of rice production for the country - including 80 percent of its exports. ROBYN WILSON met the farmers facing ruin.

Farmers in the tropical southern region of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta today continue to build dams around their fields to protect the land from severe weather. [read more & watch video clips]

Vietnam battles dengue outbreaks with 42 per cent more cases

18.08.2017 Tran Van Minh (The Globe and Mail) - Vietnam has been battling raging dengue fever outbreaks with more than 10,000 new infections reported over the past week stretching its medical system.

The number of admitted patients represents a 42-per cent increase over the same period last year along with seven more deaths, the Ministry of Health said Friday. A total of 90,626 people have been infected, of whom 76,848 have been hospitalized and 24 have died. [read more]

Mehr als 90.000 Menschen mit Denguefieber infiziert

18.08.2017 (Stuttgarter Nachrichten) - Vietnam hat mit einem Ausbruch des Denguefiebers zu kämpfen. 24 Menschen sind bereits gestorben, mehr als 90.000 sollen verletzt sein.

Hanoi - In Vietnam breitet sich das Denguefieber aus. Das Gesundheitsministerium meldete am Freitag mehr als 10 000 Neuinfektionen in der vergangenen Woche. Das seien 42 Prozent mehr als im gleichen Zeitraum des letzten Jahres. Insgesamt seien 90 626 Menschen infiziert. Fast 77 000 von ihnen würden stationär behandelt. 24 Menschen starben an der Krankheit. [Weiterlesen]

10 000 cas de dengue en une semaine au Vietnam

18.08.2017 (Métro) - HANOÏ, Viêtnam — Quelque 10 000 infections à la fièvre dengue ont été détectées au Vietnam depuis une semaine, et le système de santé du pays croule sous le poids de ce fardeau.

Le nombre de patients hospitalisés représente un bond de 42 pour cent par rapport à la même période l’an dernier, avec sept décès de plus, selon le ministère de la Santé.

Au total, on rapporte 90 626 infections, 76 848 hospitalisations et 24 décès. [en savoir plus]

Church against the pollution of Montagnard water resources in Kon Tum

17.08.2017 Nguyen Hung (AsiaNews) - Hanoi – In Vietnam’s mountainous Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên), water pollution is a serious threat to the environment and to health of the local indigenous population, the Montagnards.

The diocese of Kon Tum, whose territory includes the homonymous province and that of Gialai, is involved in a number of social and charitable activities to counter the problem. [read more]

Hanoi makes sharp U-turn on Japan-built bridge

17.08.2017 Atsushi Tomiyama (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- A dramatic about-face by the Vietnamese government on its assessment of a Japanese-built bridge in northern Vietnam, which went from "major" flaws to no issues at all in a couple of days -- suggests to some involved in the project that the Hanoi government may be playing for time to delay payment.

In early July, as the bridge was nearing completion and its handover to the government approaching, government inspectors performed a check on the span. When local newspapers reported the findings July 11-13, the situation looked grim. Many problems had been found, according to one. The bridge had subsided by as much 5cm in certain sections, claimed another. Yet only a few days later, senior officials from the Ministry of Construction inspected the structure again and declared that the bridge had no safety issues.

The government's odd behavior may have more to do with the strain on its finances than any on the bridge. Excessive borrowing via foreign aid loans and reckless fiscal management have swelled the Southeast Asian nation's public debt, which reached 64.7% of gross domestic product at the end of 2016 -- just shy of an official target of no more than 65%. [read more]

Kontum, la Iglesia contra la contaminación de las reservas hídricas de los Montagnard

17.08.2017 Nguyen Hung (AsiaNews) - Hanoi – En la región montañosa central de Tây Nguyên, la grave contaminación de las reservas hídricas constituye un serio peligro para el ambiente y la salud de la población indígena local, los Montagnard.

La diócesis de Kontum, cuyo territorio comprende la homónima provincia y la de Gialai está realizando innumerables actividades sociales, también caritativas para contrastar el fenómeno. [seguir leyendo]

'We are jobless because of fish poisoning': Vietnamese fishermen battle for justice

14.08.2017 (The Guardian) - A year after Vietnam’s worst environmental disaster, lives remain ruined while the government cracks down on protesters seeking compensation.

“Before the marine disaster happened, I could earn up to 15m Vietnamese dongs [£500],” reflects Nguyen. “But after, I didn’t sell any fish at all. I was sick of my profession.”

He moors and ties his small boat in the dock of Tan An village. Today, he has caught nothing.

Anger has been growing over the government’s handling of what is thought to be the country’s worst environmental disaster – affecting 450 hectares (1,112 acres) of coral reefs, of which about half were totally destroyed.

Slow government response and denials of wrongdoing sparked angry protests not often seen in four decades of Communist party rule. [read more]

Interview: ' We Are in a Very Unfavorable Situation'

14.08.2017 (RFA) - Vinh Diocese Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop led a delegation this month from his coastal region of Vietnam to Taiwan, home to Formosa Plastics Group's headquarters to seek redress for local fishermen affected by a marine disaster of April 2016. The toxic spill from a Formosa steel plant in central Vietnam polluted more than 125 miles of coastline along four coastal provinces and killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless. He spoke to RFA's Vietnamese service about his visit to Taiwan.

RFA: Tell us about your recent visit to Taiwan.

Bishop Nguyen Thai Hop: Our Marine Disaster Victim Support Committee has three or four people and there are also some others who currently live in Taiwan. In Taiwan, we met some lawyers, professors and members of civil society who are also in the process of litigation over the environmental disasters that Formosa caused in Taiwan itself over the years. We explained that the Vietnamese government is cooperating with Formosa to alleviate the impact, moreover that many times the government has repressed supporters of the victims of Formosa. [read more]

Vivir del metal, morir por el metal

04.08.2017 Sheila Torres (El Pais) - DAI BAI (VIETNAM) - En el poblado vietnamita de Dai Bai proliferan los casos de cáncer entre fábricas en las que se trabaja el alumnio sin regulación

Bustos de Ho Chi Min, objetos grabados con motivos religiosos, tuercas y cacerolas... Son el resultado final de las aleaciones, fundiciones y quemas de productos fabricados con aluminio, un trabajo que provoca un desagradable humo inquietante para los habitantes de la localidad vietnamita de Dai Bai, al este de Hanoi. Muchos vecinos creen que tienen un alto índice de cáncer por trabajar este material. El aluminio es uno de los productos más usados para la fábrica de ollas en esta ciudad, un metal considerado con riesgo de cáncer, según una estimación de la Agencia Internacional para la Investigación del Cáncer (IARC) de entre 118 elementos que afectan a humanos. [seguir leyendo]

Millions of cubic metres of toxic mud dumped into the sea

04.08.2017 Thanh Thuy (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – Millions of cubic metres of toxic mud are being “sunk” at sea. Indifferent to the consequences for human health, provincial authorities in Binh Thuận, southern Vietnam, have allowed the Electricity Group of Viêt Nam (EVN) to contaminate the waters off the coast of Vĩnh Tân, through this 'innovative' method of waste disposal.

On 13 July 2017, Mr Phạm, deputy director general of the Department of Sea and Islands at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, told the local People's Council that "the Vinh Tân 1 Electricity Company was authorised to 'sink' about a million of cubic metres of toxic mud into the sea at Vĩnh Tân."

Prof Lê Anh, deputy director of the Institute for Research on Climate Change at Cần Thơ University, slammed the government for its complicity in this.

"The authorities call this system of disposal ‘toxic waste immersion', but in fact it is no more than dumping at sea. The law is very vague on this subject. In the specific case, we are talking about tropical waters, rich in resources, delicate and very vulnerable." [read more]

En Vietnam central, ‘sepultan’ en el mar millones de metros cúbicos de lodo tóxico

04.08.2017 Thanh Thuy (AsiaNews) - Ho Chi Minh City – Millones de metros cúbicos de lodo tóxico son “sepultados” en el mar. Despreocupándose por las consecuencias que esto pueda tener sobre la salud y sobre la vida de los ciudadanos, las autoridades de la provincia centro-meridional de Bình Thuận permiten que las plantas de la empresa Electricity Group of Viêt Nam (Evn) contaminen las aguas del mar de Vĩnh Tân, a través de este ‘innovador’ método de eliminación de residuos.

El 13 de julio de 2017, el Sr. Phạm, vice director general del Departamento del Mar e Islas, del Ministerio de Recursos Naturales y Medio Ambiente, informó al Consejo de pueblo del ámbito provincial  que “se concedió el permiso para que la compañía de electricidad de Vinh Tân 1 pueda ‘sumergir cerca de un millón de metros cúbicos de lodo tóxico en el mar de  Vĩnh Tân”.

El Prof. Lê Anh, vice director del Instituto de investigación sobre cambio climático de la  Cần Thơ University, protesta por la complicidad mostrada por el gobierno y afirma: “A este sistema de eliminación de residuos las autoridades lo llaman ‘inmersión de residuos tóxicos’, pero de hecho, no es otra cosa que una simple descarga en el mar. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam’s tale of two metros, one built by the Japanese and the other by the Chinese

30.07.2017 By Michael Tatarski (SCMP) - Delays and cost overruns are to be expected as the nation tries to recreate the transportion systems of its two largest cities, but accidents and mistakes on the Chinese-led project are feeding into some longstanding prejudices

For the first time in their histories, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are both in the middle of desperately needed major metro-system projects that aim to transform their cities. Both are facing delays, but a series of high-profile accidents has already cast a larger shadow over the Chinese-led effort in the capital.

In contrast, the metro project led by Japanese conglomerates in Ho Chi Minh City has been accident-free. This feeds into longstanding assumptions in Vietnam about the perceived superiority of Japanese workmanship and engineering. [read more]

“We can make a difference,” says Vietnamese Youth

27.07.2017 Peace Parks Foundation (National Geographic) - The continued senseless killing of African rhino for their horn, is driven by the demand for horn in primary consumer countries in Asia, such as Vietnam and China. More than 90% of horn goes to or through Vietnam. With the older generations for the most part set in their ways, much hope lies with changing the hearts and minds of the 10-24 year olds who make up almost 25% of Vietnam’s 94 million population. The Wild Rhino demand reduction campaign focusses on tapping into these young minds and motivating change before it is too late.

Realising the challenge that lies ahead for the next generation of Vietnamese in halting illegal rhino horn trade in their country, the Wild Rhino campaign reaches out to schools in Ho Chi Minh City with initiatives that aim to educate, empower, awaken and inspire. Tweet this

This campaign is implemented in 11 international schools throughout the city by Wilderness Foundation Africa, in partnership with Peace Parks Foundation, Olsen Animal Trust, and Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy. [read more]

Ho Chi Minh City Faces High Risks Of Land Erosion In Rainy Season

27.07.2017 (Bernama) --Ho Chi Minh City faces high risks of land erosion in the rainy season due to invasion of river banks, canals and illegal sand mining, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The threat is compounded with climate change causing rains, storms and rising sea levels, it added.

Fast urbanisation has made the invasion of canals and rivers more severe. [read more]

Taxation desperation in Vietnam

23.07.2017 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - ... While taxation from standard taxi firms accounts for annual revenue of US$91.7 million, according to local media reports, the app-based businesses have contributed a mere fraction of the total tax haul.

Grab paid US$250,000 in taxes last year in Vietnam; Uber paid about US$1.7 million.

To be sure, the Vietnamese government is desperately seeking new sources of tax revenue. Government expenditure has reached unsustainable levels, with a budget deficit of 4.4% of GDP last year and public debt now near the state-imposed limit of 65% of GDP.

Social media businesses are also in the taxman’s sights. Last month, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City’s taxation departments began drawing up plans on how to collect taxes from e-commerce businesses that operate on social media platforms like Facebook. [read more]

With TPP’s demise, Vietnam looks to Europe for free trade

23.07.2017 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Vietnam and the European Union are tentatively set to agree to and ratify a wide-ranging free trade pact, known as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, or EVFTA, by early 2018. The agreement was first envisaged in 2012 and once enacted is expected to accelerate trade between Vietnam and individual EU states.

Recent developments mean that timeframe could be delayed, due namely to a ruling that means each EU member state must individually agree to the deal. Phuc’s visit was to Germany was thus largely a lobbying effort to expedite the deal’s enactment. [read more]

Pollution de l'air : le Vietnam veut interdire les deux roues à moteur à Hanoï

22.07.2017 (Sud Ouest) - Initiative radicale au Vietnam pour lutter contre la pollution de l'air : le 4 juillet, les autorités ont annoncé leur volonté d’interdire les mobylettes et motos d’ici à 2030 à Hanoï. Dans une ville où l’essentiel du trafic se fait à deux-roues, la mesure fait tousser et les réactions, en s'en doute, sont mitigées. Mais ne pas les prendre, ferait tousser la population bien davantage. Au sens propre du terme.

Au Vietnam, l'un des pays d’Asie du Sud-Est qui compte le plus de deux-roues, Hanoï est connu pour ses légions de mobylettes pétaradant aux feux rouges. Dans une ville où les transports en commun sont peu développés, la mobylette fait office de voiture familiale (avec les enfants entassés entre les deux parents).  [en savoir plus]

Vietnam pollution fight hits supplier to global fashion brands

21.07.2017 Mai Nguyen (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnamese villagers blockading a textile plant that serves global fashion brands are seeking the permanent closure of the factory due to pollution concerns, highlighting a growing readiness in Vietnam to campaign over environmental issues.

Hundreds of people from Hai Duong, 50 km (30 miles) east of Hanoi, have kept watch in shifts day and night since April to stop work at the Pacific Crystal Textiles mill, operated by Hong Kong-based Pacific Textiles. [read more]

Gemüse aus Asien mit wahren Giftcocktails an der Grenze abgefangen

19.07.2017 (Blick) - Gemüse aus Asien enthält mitunter wahre Giftcocktails. Auch 2016 musste bei Kontrollen an der Grenze fast ein Drittel der Proben wegen überhöhten Pestizidgehalts beanstandet werden. Kritisch waren vor allem Produkte aus Thailand und Vietnam wie Koriander und Chilis.

Schon frühere Untersuchungen auf Pflanzenschutzmittel-Rückstände hatten bei Grünzeug aus asiatischen Ländern Beanstandungsraten von 20 bis 53 Prozent ergeben. Das Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen (BLV) hat deshalb erneut eine nationale Einfuhrkontrolle für Frischgemüse und Früchte aus Asien organisiert. [Weiterlesen]

FDP Wirtschaftspolitik - Zusammenarbeit mit Vietnam vertiefen

14.07.2017 (FDP) - In Zeiten von Abschottung und Protektionismus setzen sich die Freien Demokraten für mehr internationalen Austausch und Freihandel ein. In Rheinland-Pfalz etwa engagiert sich Landeswirtschaftsminister Volker Wissing für eine vertiefte Zusammenarbeit mit Vietnam. Hierzu unterzeichneten er und der vietnamesische Industrie- und Handelsminister Tran Tuan Anh einen entsprechenden "Letter of Intent".

"Wir haben vereinbart, eine Arbeitsgruppe einzusetzen, die bis zum Frühjahr 2018 die Möglichkeiten der praktischen Zusammenarbeit für die Zukunft weiter konkretisiert", erklärte Wissing. Er sehe viel Potenzial, um mit Vietnam über eine wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit zu sprechen. [Weiterlesen]

Report: Asia facing dire future toll from climate change

14.07.2017 (AP) - A report by the Asia Development Bank says Asia will endure extreme heat, rising sea levels, growing losses from severe weather and increasing food insecurity in coming decades as climate change raises temperatures and alters weather patterns across the globe.

The survey released Friday by the Manila-based lender paints a grim outlook for many communities in Asia, home to about 4 billion people.

It's based on the latest scientific research, with or without more aggressive efforts to curb carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. [read more]

Unwetter tobt in Vietnam - Überschwemmungen fordern 13 Todesopfer

12.07.2017 (n-tv) - Im Norden Vietnams sind bei schweren Überschwemmungen mindestens 13 Menschen ums Leben gekommen. Unter den Todesopfern ist auch ein Elternpaar mit zwei Kindern im Alter von vier und acht Jahren.

Insgesamt wurden in dem südostasiatischen Staat seit Beginn der schweren Regenfälle am Wochenende mehr als 175 Häuser beschädigt. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam reports outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in north - OIE

12.07.2017 (Reuters) - PARIS - Vietnam has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu among backyard birds in the northern province of Ha Nam, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday, citing a report from the Vietnamese farm ministry.

The virus was detected at a backyard location with 1,135 birds. It directly killed 300 birds, with the rest of the flock slaughtered, the report said. [read more]

China, Vietnam and hard talk about the Mekong: China Daily columnist

27.06.2017 By Asit K Biswas, Cecilia Tortajada (The Straits Times) - Much has been written about the building of hydropower dams in the upper reaches of the Mekong River and their role in causing droughts in the Mekong delta region in Vietnam.

Many environmental and social activists claim Chinese dams have reduced the water flow in the delta, seriously harming rice cultivation and allowing saltwater to seep into soil.

Closer scrutiny of the facts reveals that drought dealt a serious blow to Vietnam’s agriculture and forestry and seafood sectors in the delta region last year. Official data show the growth rate in these sectors was only 1.36 per cent in 2016, the lowest since 2011. The drought also had major economic, social and environmental impacts as it severely affected Vietnam’s coffee, rice and shrimp production and exports.

There are many reasons why Vietnam is facing serious water scarcity. First is climate change. [read more]

Hanoi targets over 13,000 Facebook accounts for tax

22.06.2017 (Nikkei Asian Review) - HO CHI MINH CITY -- Tax authorities in Hanoi on Tuesday advised thousands of social network users to register properly as businesses and pay taxes.

Some 13,400 Facebook accounts with evident advertising and sales activities have been directed to the tax department for further information.

Operations making more than 100 million dong ($4,400) annually are liable for value added tax and income tax according to regulations posted on the tax department website. [read more]

Vietnam sacks senior environment official over toxic leak that caused mass killing of fish

21.06.2017 (The Straits Times) - HANOI (AFP) - A senior Vietnamese environment official has been fired for negligence over a toxic waste dump that killed tonnes of fish in a major environmental crisis last year, according to officials and state media.

Luong Duy Hanh, director of Vietnam's Environment Protection Management Department, is the latest official to be punished over the toxic leak, which was blamed on a multi-billion dollar steel plant run by the Taiwanese firm Formosa. [read more]

Upstream projects risk Mekong Delta disaster

16.06.2017 By Pratch Rujivanarom (The Nation) - FEARS are rising in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam about food and social insecurity caused by hydropower dams and water-diversion projects planned or already started further upstream.

The delta has an extensive system of canals and green paddy fields that stretches for kilometres, creating a part of the world that seems blessed with abundance like a virtual Garden of Eden. Local people are down-to-earth, but troubled by the increasingly frequent and serious saltwater intrusion, which destroys their crops, while the riverbanks and seashore are eroding at an alarming rate.

One farmer in Kien Giang province, who asked to be known just as “Tron”, told reporters on a recent field trip that her farm was threatened by saltwater intrusion and erosion every year – and the problems seemed to be getting worse. [read more]

Vietnam's solar energy push draws investors

16.06.2017 (Nikkei Asian Review) - Vietnam's TTC Group is planning to sink about $1 billion into solar energy projects in a country still dependent on coal-fired thermal and hydro power for its power needs, with national electricity demand growing faster than 10% annually.

TTC Group, a sugar, energy and real estate conglomerate, said it plans to build as many as 20 solar parks with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts by next year. The group executed a number of clean energy projects using sugarcane waste before moving into the solar sector. [read more]

Chemie-Tanker vor Vietnam havariert

12.06.2017 (Heute) - Der 168-Meter-Koloss ist vor der Insel Phú Quý auf Grund gelaufen: Er ist mit 30.000 Tonnen gefährlicher Chemikalien beladen.

Vor Vietnam ist am Samstag der Chemietanker "Chemroad Journey" mit einer Fracht von mehreren Tausend Tonnen gefährlicher Chemikalien vor der kleinen Insel Phú Quý auf Grund gelaufen.

Medienberichten zufolge soll die Chemroad Journey bereits deutliche Schieflage (15,5 Grad) haben. Die Behörden bereiten sich bereits auf eine mögliche Chemiekatastrophe vor, denn im Laderaum des Tankers befinden sich rund 30.000 Tonnen gefährlicher Chemikalien (Butanal, Ethylenglykol, Monoethanolamin und 2-Ethylhexanol), sowie hunderte Tonnen Treibstoff, wie "Der Standard" am Montag berichtet. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese rice labeled with foreign names sells better than domestic brands

12.06.2017 (UkrAgroConsult) - Vietnamese choose foreign rice not because the latter is better, but because Vietnamese enterprises don’t know how to build their brands, experts say.

According to VIBIZ, the market research and analysis website owned by Global Yoilo JSC, 64 percent of rice in the domestic market is Vietnamese but is labeled as foreign rice so that sellers can make higher profits.

Meanwhile, 53 percent of consumers say they like foreign rice grown in Thailand, Cambodia and Japan. [Weiterlesen]

Bad water linked to dialysis deaths in Vietnam, says Health Dept

11.06.2017 (The Star) - Hanoi: Poor water quality used in dialysis machines might have led to eight deaths in the largest fatal medical incident in Vietnam, said the Hoa Binh Province Department of Health.

The incident took place on May 29, when seven of the 18 patients undergoing dialysis at Hoa Binh hospital displayed symptoms of anaphylactic shock and died soon after. Another patient from the same group died last Sunday after multiple organ failure, raising the death count to eight. [read more]

Vietnam’s rice export price hits 3-year high

09.06.2017 (UkrAgroConsult) - The price of Vietnamese export rice has hit a three-year high thanks to increasing import demand and restricted supply.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the demand for Vietnam 5% broken rice has been rising, hitting US$390 per tonne in the first days of June, against US$360 - US$380 per tonne in late May.

This is the highest price since December 2014, the ministry said, attributing it to the rising global demand for rice imports, especially in the Asian region.

The export price rise has also led the paddy price in the domestic market to soar. A tonne of 5% broken rice in the domestic market stood between VND7.65 million (US$340) and US$7.75 million in early June, up by VND550,000 (US$24) per tonne against last month.

The global rice market has been heating up after top importing countries, such as Bangladesh and the Philippines, announced to import roughly 950,000 tonnes of rice recently. [read more]

Can Vietnam reform without the TPP?

08.06.2017 Author: Tran Van Hoa, Victoria University (East Asia Forum) - The withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) under President Donald Trump almost immediately after his inauguration has raised a number of national policy and reform issues for its other members, especially Vietnam.

Conceived first as a signature instrument of former president Barack Obama’s ‘pivot’ to Asia, the TPP — whose then 12 member countries comprise nearly 40 per cent of global GDP — was mandated to benefit all members. But to most analysts it was a strategic political instrument for the rebalance policy of the United States, not just a trade agreement. [read more]

Vietnam conglomerate plans US$1b solar parks project

08.06.2017 (The Business Times) - [HO CHI MINH CITY] Vietnam's TTC Group, a sugar, energy, real estate and tourism conglomerate, is planning to spend as much as US$1 billion on an ambitious plan to build one of the country's largest portfolio of solar projects in an effort to capitalize on the nation's growing power needs.

TTC's interest in solar marks an expansion into clean energy in a country that relies on hydropower for most of its renewable capacity. Vietnam is also facing a power gap. The country will need to invest US$74 billion in coal, gas, wind, solar and hydro power plants through 2025 as power demand doubles, Bloomberg New Energy Finance wrote in a report in March. [read more]

Vietnam Is Losing Economic Ground To China Due To Lack Of High-Skilled Worker

07.06.2017 Ralph Jennings (Forbes) - ... Vietnam has grown at an average 6.2% per year since 2000, gaining fame worldwide as a go-to place for export manufacturing, largely because of cheap labor. The minimum wage in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is just 3.9 million dong ($172) per month. But this advantage from one of the world’s fastest-growing economies looks like less of a good deal when you realize that 78% of the workforce has no academic qualification and just 9% have credentials from a university or higher. The lack of more skilled labor has become an increasingly obvious barrier to growth in value-added exports such as high-tech goods, which require advanced studies for mastery.

“While this has allowed Vietnam to maintain lower labor costs than its neighbors, especially China, it will also restrict the country’s ability to attract investments in high technological manufacturing,” professional services firm Healy Consultants Group says in a May 2017 report on the issue. [read more]

Boomland Vietnam

07.06.2017 (Börse-Online) - Nicht nur als Urlaubsland ist Vietnam einer der heißesten Tipps. Auch die Wirtschaft in dem asiatischen Land boomt. Unter Fondsmanagern gelten vietnamesische Aktien als einer der Geheimtipps. Die stabile ökonomische Entwicklung macht den Frontier Market zunehmend interessant für Investoren.

Allerdings ist die Lage nicht überall rosig. Obwohl die Wirtschaft boomt und einen Leistungsbilanzüberschuss aufweist, beträgt das Haushaltsdefizit sechs Prozent. Die Staatsschuldenquote liegt bei erträglichen 65 Prozent. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam's Social Media Shaping New Environmentalism

06.06.2017 James Borton (Geopoliticalmonitor) - ... It was a turning point for Vietnam’s environmental and social activists, many who became first-time citizen reporters and posted their photos of tons of dead fish swept along a 125-mile coastline, devastating sea life and local economies dependent on fishing and tourism spanning several provinces from Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri. With more than 35 million users, Facebook is rapidly becoming a lighting rod for environmental activism and sparking demands for improved environmental safeguards.

Hundreds of thousands of images of dead fish flooded social media following the incident. During last year’s central Vietnam industrial fish kill, internet censors blocked Facebook over the environmental hash tag, #IChooseFish, or the Vietnamese version, #toichonca. [read more]

Vietnam quickly becoming Asia’s latest property hotspot

06.06.2017 Summer Zhen (SCMP) - Vietnam is fast becoming the region’s hottest property market for Hong Kong and mainland China investors, as prices at home continue to go through the roof.

Alex Shen, a Hong Kong-based finance industry worker, agreed to buy a luxury three-bedroom apartment in a new district of Ho Chi Minh city last month for HK$3 million (US$385,000), and hopes to see his new asset appreciate quickly in value.

He has paid an initial deposit of HK$30,000, and will fly to Vietnam shortly to visit the project for the first time, and decide then if he plans to pay the rest.

“Home prices in Vietnam are still very cheap compared with Hong Kong or mainland China,” said Shen, “and with the local government keen on attracting buyers, through various stimulus measures, this looks like a big chance to win.” [read more]

7-Eleven will open its first Vietnam store in June

05.06.2017 (IGD) - Seven & I Holdings, which operates the largest chain of convenience stores in Japan, will enter Vietnam with its first store in Ho Chih Minh city.

Japanese business model will be applied in Vietnam. The first store will be in District 1, 2, 3 or Binh Thanh. [read more]

Spotify will Asiengeschäft mit Expansion nach Vietnam und Thailand ausbauen

01.06.2017 (IT-times) - STOCKHOM/SINGAPUR - Der schwedische Musik-Streaming-Dienst Spotify will sich den lukrativen Musikmarkt in Asien offenbar nicht entgehen lassen und schmiedet Pläne für einen Markteintritt in weitere Länder.

Die Schweden sollen bereits an Plänen für eine Ausweitung des Geschäftes in Asien arbeiten. [Weiterlesen]

As blast hits newly reopened Formosa Plastics plan, Catholics continue to be threatened and attacked

01.06.2017 (AsiaNews) - Hanoi  – A major explosion stopped production at a steel mill owned by Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group in Ha Tinh province, central Vietnam, the same that saw the worst environmental disaster in the country's history in April 2016. No casualties have been reported.

The deputy chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, Duong Tat Thang, said that the incident was caused by congestion in the dust filter system of a lime kiln at the steel mill, which led to an increase in pressure, causing the blast. The incident occurred at around 9 pm on Tuesday, less than two days after the plant re-opened.

The incident polluted more than 200 kilometres of Vietnam’s coastline, and killed about 115 tonnes of fish. Hundreds of thousands of fishermen in four Vietnamese provinces were left jobless and without a source of income.

The Church has stood by the affected communities and has engaged in a number of actions to defend their rights. As a result, Catholics in the most affected areas have been targeted by Vietnamese authorities because of their protests against the government for failing to help the victims. [read more]

Explosion at Vietnamese Steel Plant

01.06.2017 (Financial Tribune) - An explosion rocked Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group's new steel plant in Vietnam late on Tuesday, a day after it resumed test operations for the first time since causing one of the country's worst environmental disasters.

"The so-called dust explosion was caused by the combustion of fine particles in the air as a result of an equipment malfunction," Chang Fu-ning, an executive vice president of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, told Reuters.

The Formosa Ha Tinh Steel plant spilled toxic waste that polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of Vietnam's coastline in 2016, devastating sea life and local economies dependent on fishing and tourism. [read more]

Explosion in wiedereröffneter Stahlfabrik in Vietnam

31.05.2017 (Westfällische Rundschau) - HANOI.  Kurz nach Wiedereröffnung einer Fabrik im Vietnamesischen Ha Tinh kam es zu einer Explosion. 2016 war aus der Fabrik Abwasser ins Meer gelangt.

Sie war nach einem Fischsterben geschlossen worden, nun hat eine Explosion eine erst kürzlich wiedereröffnete Stahlfabrik in Vietnam erschüttert. In dem Unternehmen Formosa Ha Tinh Steel in der nördlichen Provinz Ha Tinh sei ein Kalkofen explodiert, berichteten örtliche Medien am Mittwoch.

Im Frühjahr 2016 war aus der Fabrik unbehandeltes Abwasser ins Meer gelangt, wie die Behörden später feststellten. Hunderte Tonnen Fisch verendeten damals. Die Fabrik war erst seit Montag wieder in Betrieb. [Weiterlesen]

Police-Hired ‘Thugs’ Beat Vietnamese Anti-Formosa Catholics

31.05.2017 (RFA) - Hundreds of “thugs” hired by authorities in Vietnam’s central Nghe An province over the weekend severely beat a group of Catholic parishioners, including women and children, that had protested the government’s handling of a toxic waste spill, sending dozens to the hospital, according to sources.

Members of Phu Yen and Van Thai sub-parishes, under Song Ngoc parish in Nghe An’s Quynh Luu district, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service they were attacked after gathering at the Son Hai commune People’s Committee on May 28 to retrieve a fellow parishioner who had been detained earlier by police. [read more]

Taiwan steel plant opens in Vietnam after fish deaths

30.05.2017 (Channel NewsAsia) - HANOI: A Taiwanese steel firm behind a toxic waste dump that killed tonnes of fish in Vietnam last year started operations on Monday (May 29), state media in Hanoi reported.

The incident was one of the worst environmental disasters in Vietnam, decimating livelihoods along the central coast and sparking angry protests that continue today.

"If any incident occurs then we will stop operations immediately," said Hoang Duong Tung, deputy director of Vietnam's Environment Administration, quoted by VNA.

Fishermen have continued to protest in central Vietnam, demanding greater compensation for the disaster, while some say they have still not been paid. [read more]

Vietnams Kampf gegen den Klimawandel

28.05.2017 (Inforadio) - Mehr als 245 Millionen Menschen werden weltweit mit Reis aus dem Mekong-Delta versorgt. Das macht Vietnam zum zweitgrößten Reisexporteur der Welt. Doch die Küstenregion kämpft wie kaum eine andere mit den Folgen des Klimawandels, die auch die Reisernte bedrohen.  Im Gespräch mit Gabriele Heuser berichtet Jochem Lange, Landesdirektor der GIZ in Vietnam, über die derzeitigen Herausforderungen und Aussichten für das Land.

Durch den stetigen Anstieg des Meeresspiegels leiden in Vietnam einige Küstenabschnitte inzwischen unter Erosionen von bis zu 30 Metern im Jahr. Die Mangrovenwälder entlang der Küste, die das Hinterland vor Überschwemmungen und Stürmen schützen, gehen dramatisch zurück, unter anderem weil die Bäume als Brennholz genutzt wurden.  Verschärfend kam 2016 im Mekong-Delta die schlimmste Dürre seit 90 Jahren hinzu. Gemeinsam mit dem steigenden Meeresspiegel trug  sie zu einer starken Versalzung in den Reisanbaugebieten bei. [Weiterlesen]

Can Vietnam Maintain Its Economic Success?

27.05.2017 By James Birkett (The Diplomat) - In order to keep up it remarkable progress, Vietnam will need to grapple with pervasive corruption. ... Vietnam’s economic success partly reflects circumstances. The end of the U.S. trade embargo in 1994 and the renewal of diplomatic relations in 1995 was a highly significant event for the country – the United States is now Vietnam’s largest export market. Its proximity to China is also a key asset. Vietnam has begun to be marketed as a cost-effective alternative manufacturing base to its larger neighbor, helped by its easy integration into existing supply chains planned around southern China.

The challenge for Vietnam is to sustain this momentum while dealing with some difficult structural limitations, a task made harder by the withdrawal of certain forms of development funding designed for poorer economies. The foremost issue is corruption, which is consistently ranked as a major problem facing companies doing business in the country. [read more]

Ohne Trumps USA: TPP-Abkommen soll gerettet werden

21.05.2017 (T-Online) - Nach dem Nein von US-Präsident Donald Trump zum weltweit größten Freihandelsabkommen TPP wollen die verbleibenden elf Staaten das Abkommen alleine fortführen. Wie Neuseelands Wirtschaftsminister Todd McClay nach einem Treffen mit seinen Amtskollegen in Hanoi mitteilte, wolle man damit gemeinsam die regionale ökonomische Zusammenarbeit stärken. "Dieses Ergebnis ist besser, als wir erhofft hatten", sagte McClay am Sonntag. Es gehe um mehr Wachstum und um "das Schaffen neuer Möglichkeiten für Arbeiter, Familien, Bauern, Geschäftsleute und Verbraucher". [Weiterlesen]

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Trade ministers commit to go ahead without United States

21.05.2017 (Firstpost) - Hanoi: Pacific Rim trade ministers meeting in Vietnam committed on Sunday to move ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact after the United States pulled out.

New Zealand trade minister Todd McClay said the remaining 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries are open to others joining, provided they accept the trade agreement's high standards on labour and environmental protection. He said the door remains open to the United States, even after president Donald Trump withdrew from the pact in January, saying he prefers bilateral free trade deals.

The 11 countries represent roughly 13.5 percent of the global economy, according to the World Bank. [read more]

Vietnam maintains ban on deep-water fishing in polluted area

18.05.2017 (AP) - HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam is maintaining the ban on deep-water fishing in four central provinces one year after a Taiwanese-owned steel plant discharged toxins into the sea and caused the country's worst environmental disaster.

State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper on Thursday quoted Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh as saying fishermen should not fish for seafood in deep water within 20 nautical miles from the coast in the four provinces until the Ministry of Health finds it safe to eat and maritime resources restored.

The $10.6 billion steel complex, which includes a steel plant, a power plant and a deep sea port in Ha Tinh province owned by Formosa Plastics Group, discharged toxins such as cyanide and phenol that exceeded allowable limits during a test run in April last year. [read more]

Vietnam's low-cost automaker Thaco set for growth spurt

16.05.2017 Atsushi Tomiyama, Nikkei staff writer (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Truong Hai Auto, known as Thaco, is poised to take off as the Vietnamese automobile market's growth accelerates.

The largest local automaker in Vietnam manufactures vehicles for Mazda Motor, Kia Motors and Peugeot using imported parts, as well as building its own trucks and buses.

Vietnam's new-car sales surpassed the 300,000 vehicle mark for the first time in 2016, indicating that full-blown growth is around the corner. [read more]

Asia rice buyers turn to Vietnam

12.05.2017 (UkrAgroConsult) - Buyers of Asian rice turned to Vietnam this week as prices remained firm in Thailand and India, traders said on Thursday.

Thai benchmark five percent broken rice edged up to $387-$392 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, from $380-$390 last week. Prices are expected to remain high for the next one to three weeks, traders said.

Thailand and Vietnam are the world’s second and third biggest rice exporters. [read more]

Vietnams Schweinebauern leiden unter dem Embargo der Chinesen

12.05.2017 (DW) - China war der wichtigste Abnehmer von vietnamesischem Schweinefleisch. Doch es gibt politische Querelen und seit einem halben Jahr ein Importstopp. Viele der Schweinebetriebe kämpfen um ihre Existenz. [Weiterlesen]

Lawmakers Urged To Promote Proper Solutions To Climate Change

12.05.2017 (Bernama) -- HO CHI MINH CITY - Delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Asia-Pacific conference on response to climate change have stressed the need to raise lawmakers' awareness of linkages among climate change, gender inequality and health care, thereby building laws to promote appropriate solutions to climate change response, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Asia-Pacific conference discussing response to climate change and actions of lawmakers to realise sustainable development goals is taking place here from Thursday to Saturday. [read more]

Holz-Schmuggler zahlen Schmiergeld an Vietnam

11.05.2017 (Tageblatt) - Umweltschützer werfen der vietnamesischen Regierung und dem Militär des Landes vor, für Schmiergeldzahlungen über den Schmuggel von Holz aus Kambodscha nach Vietnam hinwegzusehen.

So sollten die landeseigenen Wälder geschützt werden, heißt es in einem Bericht der britischen Organisation EIA, der am Montag veröffentlicht wurde. Seit November 2016 seien in diesem Zusammenhang bereits mehr als 13 Millionen Dollar (11,79 Millionen Euro) an Bestechungsgeldern bezahlt worden.

Schätzungsweise seien im selben Zeitraum 300.000 Kubikmeter Rundholz von Kambodscha nach Vietnam geschmuggelt worden, hieß es in dem Bericht. [Weiterlesen]

Logging Corruption in Vietnam and Cambodia

10.05.2017 By Michele Penna (Asia Sentinel) - In a new report that promises to make waves all the way to Europe, the watchdog Environmental Investigation Agency takes aim at Vietnam’s timber processing industry and the role it plays in the illicit timber trade from Cambodia. The study comes just days before Vietnam and the European Union are meant to finalize their discussions for a Voluntary Protection Agreement (VPA), a deal critics say would spell doom for Cambodia’s environment.

That Cambodian timber ends up in Vietnam’s factories is one of Pnom Penh’s worst kept secrets. Activists and journalists – not to mention the authorities – have always known that business interests hailing from Vietnam scoop up valuable timber across the border, pay a pittance to locals and resell it overseas. [read more]

Das ist der traurigste Bär auf unserer schönen Welt!

10.05.2017 (Heute) - Vier Pfoten enthüllt schockierende Bilder aus vietnamesischen Gallebären-Farmen. Dort werden die Tiere täglich "abgezapft".

Die vietnamesische Regierung hat zwar bereits im Jahr 2005 Maßnahmen gegen diese grausame Praxis ergriffen, indem sie den Verkauf und Konsum von Bärengalle verboten hat, doch es leiden immer noch etwa 1.300 Bären unter schlimmsten Bedingungen auf rund 400 vietnamesischen Bärenfarmen.

Die meisten Tiere fristen ihr Leben halb verhungert und dehydriert in engen Metallkäfigen. [Weiterlesen]

ADB facing pressure to change

09.05.2017 Rintaro Tobita and Jun Endo (Nikkei Asian Review) - TOKYO -- As the Asian Development Bank finds its regional hegemony threatened by the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, members of the ADB are pushing for internal reform.

Although Asia's infrastructure demand amounts to $1.7 trillion annually, ADB member nations are unable to keep pace. Vietnam, which is dealing with growing budget deficits, is approaching a self-imposed borrowing limit. [read more]

Ostdeutsche Firmen wollen Asien erschließen / Germany Trade & Invest organisiert Unternehmerreise nach Vietnam

08.05.2017 (PolitikExpress) - In der Woche vom 08. bis 12. Mai reist eine Gruppe ostdeutscher Unternehmer in Begleitung von Iris Gleicke, der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für die neuen Bundesländer, nach Vietnam. Die Delegationsreise wird von Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) organisiert und durchgeführt. Die Teilnehmer stammen aus den unterschiedlichsten Branchen. Mitunter sind Unternehmen aus den Bereichen Elektronik, Entsorgung, Kosmetik, aber auch Dienstleistungen wie Consulting oder Bildung dabei.

Zwischen Vietnam und Deutschland bestehen seit vielen Jahren enge bilaterale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen. Diese dürften von der 2018 geplanten Umsetzung des Freihandelsabkommens zwischen der EU und Vietnam zusätzlich profitieren. [Weiterlesen]

Asian development lender takes stock as U.S. policy shifts

07.05.2017 (The Asahi Shimbun) - YOKOHAMA--Accelerating growth in Southeast and South Asia can help make up for slowing momentum in China but it requires smart investments in infrastructure and technology, the president of the Asian Development Bank said Saturday as the regional lender started a meeting of its board of governors.

The unstated backdrop to the meeting is Japan's continued strong role in the ADB at a time when the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted an "America first" stance and China is pushing ahead with its own infrastructure initiatives. [read more]

ASEAN Water Partnership - The great Mekong River

06.05.2017 By Ambassador Amado Tolentino (The Manila Times) - THE Mekong River is the twelfth longest river in the world at 4,173 kilometers. The headwaters originate in the Tibetan region of China and the river then flows through Yunan province in China into five Asean countries: Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

It was the United Nations which drew attention to the potential for integrated development in the lower Mekong basin as early as the 1950s. A Mekong Committee was set up by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and the then Republic of South Vietnam in 1957 “to promote, coordinate, supervise and control the planning and investigations of water resource development projects.”

What approach should be taken if and when the water flow from the Mekong River’s source markedly lessened or diminished because of the gigantic dam projects of China to divert the flow for its own use to open up agricultural areas to attain food security for its overgrown population? [read more]

Rising sea level a threat to Vietnamese farmers

05.05.2017 (Al Jazeera) - As sea levels rise, so the salt water is spreading further inland leading to saline intrusion and coastal erosion in Vietnam.

The Mekong River Delta is amongst the most vulnerable regions in South Vietnam. It is home to more than 17 million people and produces around half of the country's rice harvest.

The Vietnamese government has stated that 40 percent of the delta could be submerged if sea levels rise by one meter in decades to come, as levels are currently rising at the rate of 3mm per year. [read more]

Partnership For Green Global Goals Discussed In Hanoi

05.05.2017 (Bernama) - HANOI -- A workshop was held here on Thursday by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and the Danish Embassy as part of efforts to shape the new initiative "Partnering for the Green Global Goals 2030", Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The event gathered policy makers, scientists, businesses and representatives of the public and private sectors in Vietnam and other countries. Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tornaes also attended. [read more]

Formosa to invest US$1bn in Vietnamese subsidiary

05.05.2017 By Kuo Chia-erh (Taipei Times) - Major members of the Formosa Plastics Group (台塑集團), the nation’s largest industrial conglomerate, yesterday said they are planning to invest US$1 billion in its subsidiary in Vietnam.

The fund is to accelerate construction of a US$10.5 billion steel plant owned by the subsidiary, Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp (台塑河靜鋼鐵興業).

The group’s plan was made nearly a year after Formosa Ha Tinh Steel was found to have polluted more than 200km of coastline in four Vietnamese provinces in April last year, which sparked public outrage across the nation. [read more]

Hanoi Health Authorities Warn of Dengue Outbreak Possibility

05.05.2017 (Sputnik) - MOSCOW – The Viet Nam News reported that the Hanoi health authorities called on the relevant agencies to remove waste water and take measures aimed at killing mosquitoes, as well as urged local residents to maintain sanitation and fight against mosquitoes.

According to the media outlet, the health experts warned that a number of unseasonable rains had created conditions for the breeding of mosquitoes and consequently for the spread of the fever. [read more]

Vietnam can leverage the ADB and AIIB to its advantage

04.05.2017 (Nikkei Asian Review) - Asia has two multinational lenders on the scene -- the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a situation some view as a recipe for rivalry. Others, however, see it as an opportunity.

Nguyen Ngoc Dong, deputy minister at Vietnam's Ministry of Transport, recently spoke with The Nikkei about how the Southeast Asian nation can maximize its links with the two banks. [read more]

ADB guides Vietnam, Cambodia to greater growth

04.05.2017 Rintaro Tobita (Nikkei Asian Review) - The Asian Development Bank funds physical infrastructure across the region, but unlocking a country's growth potential takes more than roads and railways. That's why in developing countries, the lender also focuses on education and job training, as well as on introducing state-of-the-art information and technology.

An estimated 1.2 billion people in Asia remain in poverty, defined as living on less than $3.10 a day. We visited Vietnam and Cambodia for a firsthand look at the ADB's ongoing efforts to spread prosperity. [read more]

Lack of water threatens localities in Vietnam

28.04.2017 (UkrAgroConsult) - More than 60 percent of water to Vietnam comes from other countries. Scientists have warned that 45 percent of land area in the southern region will suffer serious saline intrusion in the future.

Nguyen Mai, chair of VAFIEs at the workshop on water resource security, on April 19 in Hanoi, warned that Vietnam is facing big challenges in the context of climate change.

Approximately 63 percent of total flows into Vietnam originate from China, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. Of the 208 rivers in Vietnam, 126 are sourced from other countries. Ninety percent of the Mekong River flow and more than 50 percent of the Red River are from overseas. [read more]

Vietnam will 20.000 Familien im Mekong-Delta umsiedeln

26.04.2017 (derStandard) - Hanoi – Aus Sorge vor weiteren Erdrutschen will Vietnam im Delta des Mekong nach Berichten der staatlichen Presse 20.000 Familien umsiedeln. Demnach besteht in der südvietnamesischen Provinz An Giang auf einer Strecke von 30 Kilometern akute Gefahr, dass Häuser in den Fluss abrutschen. Die Tageszeitung "Thanh Nien" berichtete am Mittwoch, dass insgesamt etwa 100 Immobilien gefährdet sind. Am vergangenen Wochenende wurden bereits 16 Häuser von Erd- und Wassermassen getroffen. -

Der stellvertretende Leiter des Instituts für Klimaforschung an der Universität Can Tho, Le Anh Tuan, sagte der Zeitung "VN Express" (Mittwoch): "Im gesamten Mekong-Delta besteht die Gefahr von Erdrutschen und Erosion."

Die Erosion wird nach Tuans Angaben durch Dämme und Stauseen am Oberlauf des Flusses sowie den Abbau von Sand verschärft. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese houses slide into river after ground collapses

26.04.2017 (9news) - The problems of erosion and unauthorised building in Vietnam was brought home in dramatic fashion when 14 houses slid into a river on Saturday.

An official from the local water drainage department in the south-western province of An Giang captured the dramatic scenes on video, reports Dantri/DTNews.

Footage shows a large villa built by only two years ago collapsing in seconds before sinking beneath the Mekong Delta.

"The slide occurred very fast and houses collapsed and fell into the river in just a couple of minutes," the official said. [read more]

Das unfassbare Leid der "Gallenbären" Vietnams

24.04.2017 (Krone) - Etwa 1400 Schwarz- und Malaienbären vegetieren in Vietnam unter grausamsten Haltungsbedingungen vor sich hin. Meist als Jungtiere in der Wildnis eingefangen, fristen sie in winzigen Käfigen, ohne ausreichend Nahrung und Wasser ein trauriges Dasein zu nur einem Zweck: Täglich wird ihnen Gallensaft abgezapft, um diesen für die traditionelle chinesische Medizin zu verarbeiten.

Dabei sind die grausame Herstellung von Bärengalle und das Halten von Bären auf Farmen zum Zweck der Galleproduktion in Vietnam bereits seit 1992 illegal. Die private Haltung von Bären ist also immer noch erlaubt [Weiterlesen]

Los últimos ciclos a pedales de la antigua Saigón

24.04.2017 Eric San Juan (W Radio) - EFE - Los ciclos a pedales, una de las imágenes icónicas de la antigua Saigón (hoy Ho Chi Minh), se ven empujados a la desaparición por las restricciones legales y la imparable modernización de la ciudad.

En los últimos años, numerosos conductores han ido abandonando el oficio ante la inflexibilidad de las autoridades, que les prohíben acceder al núcleo urbano, y la dureza física que supone pasear a los turistas bajo el tórrido clima tropical. [seguir leyendo]

The trees keeping Vietnam afloat

18.04.2017 By Erin Craig (BBC) - Rising sea levels threaten to drown the Mekong Delta, which produces the majority of Vietnam’s rice. The only thing standing between the country and the ocean is a tree.

Vietnam is in danger. Rising sea levels pose a huge threat to this coastal country. In less than 100 years much of southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta – the heart of the nation’s rice production – could go the way of Atlantis. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment  predicts that the ocean will swallow more than a third of the region by the year 2100, taking a swath of Ho Chi Minh City with it. Halfway up the coast from the Mekong Delta, Hoi An’s prognosis is better, but it’s not immune. The city sits where the Thu Bon River meets the South China Sea. Its inhabitants are already used to hauling furniture upstairs during seasonal floods. [read more]

Anger over Vietnam's poisoned coast

18.04.2017 (Yahoo New Zealand) - "The big fish are all dead," complained 50 year-old Mai Xuan Hoa, picking small fish from a net as he tried to rebuild his livelihood a year after Vietnam's worst environmental disaster.

"Where we caught 10 fish in the past, now we will only catch one or two," Hoa said.

Locals say thousands of fishermen have simply given up and gone to look for work elsewhere. Tourists are wary of beaches that have lost their pristine reputation and businesses are struggling. [read more]

Vietnamese Leader Halts Work on Steel Plant Over Threat of Chemical Spill

16.04.2017 (The New York Times) - Vietnam’s prime minister halted work on a $10.6 billion steel plant on Sunday over environmental concerns, aiming to prevent a chemical spill like the one last year at another steel plant, the local news media reported, citing a government statement.

The steel maker Hoa Sen Group, the plant’s investor, was not immediately available for comment. The company announced plans last year for the project, a complex of more than 4,200 acres that could produce millions of tons of steel a year.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, saying he did not want another “Formosa incident,” asked related parties to clarify market demand and environmental impact, the website of the state-run Vietnam Television said. [read more]

Vietnam Seeks to Calm Waters One Year After Environmental Disaster

11.04.2017 by Gary Sands (Foreign Policy Blogs) - ... The deaths of some 100 metric tons of fish in four central provinces were first recorded on April 6, 2016, and protesters soon gathered to accuse a steel mill in Ha Tinh. The steel mill, being developed by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group, was widely suspected of discharging untreated waste into nearby waters.

The accusations led to organized protests breaking out in several major cities, and resulted in the arrests and detainment of dozens of Vietnamese protesters.

To date, there is some confusion over exactly how much compensation has been paid out. Minister Dung, at last week’s press conference, announced local authorities disbursed 76.8% of the total as of March 6. Afterwards, one newspaper reported just 32%, or VND3.7 trillion ($162 million) of VNĐ11.5 trillion ($500 million) had been paid to support local fishermen and help clean up the polluted marine environment as of April 1. [read more]

Sand exported unethically from Vietnam ends up in Singapore

10.04.2017 Zhangxin Zheng (Mothership) - Earlier this year, two journalists from Vietnamese online news site Tuoi Tre News went into a vigorous investigation on the sand trade between Vietnam and Singapore which was reported in a 3-part series of articles.

The journalists discovered that a large amount of sand — approximately 900 000 cubic metres of sand — was transported from Vietnam to Singapore from Jan 1 to Feb 23 this year.

Despite imposing a ban on sand export in 2009, Vietnam gave an exception to allow companies to be involved in river or sea dredging projects to sell dredged sand to recoup their expenses. [read more]

Vietnam govt to prosecute Formosa protesters, toughening stance

10.04.2017 (Reuters) - Vietnam's government said on Monday it would prosecute protesters who last week blocked the country's main highway, taking a tougher stance against a string of protests over the country's worst environmental disaster.

About 100 people blocked Highway 1A a week ago with fishing nets, bricks and stones, holding up thousands of vehicles, the government said in a statement. It said those identified would be prosecuted for "causing public disorder".

The protest at the town of Ky Anh was against the steel mill being built by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corp's Vietnam unit. The $11 billion Ha Tinh plant last year accidentally spilled toxic waste that polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of coast, sparking a wave of protests not seen during four decades of Communist Party rule. [read more]

Formosa factory restart favors foreign over local interests

10.04.2017 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Vietnam is poised to permit the Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Corp. steel plant to restart trial operations a year after the facility dumped toxic waste into the sea that polluted more than 200 kilometers of Vietnamese coastline spanning four provinces.

The toxic spill, widely considered the country’s worst ever environmental disaster, resulted in massive fish deaths and adversely impacted at least 250,000 workers and others who rely on fisheries for their livelihoods, according to official estimates. Independent analysts put the environmental and human costs even higher.

Last April’s spill sparked rare large-scale demonstrations, including emotive calls for government accountability and punitive measures against Formosa, that some analysts estimated as Vietnam’s largest civil disobedience movement in over four decades of Communist Party rule. [read more]

Vietnam wants to develop organic farming

10.04.2017 (UkrAgroConsult) - Organic farming is one of the new directions that Vietnamese agriculture must take to better respond to the general trend of domestic consumption and exports.

A conference held in Ha Noi examined the various measures to develop the production of organic agricultural products.

According to MARD, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, only 30 of the 63 provinces across the country have implemented a model of organic farming. [read more]

First Vietnamese ginseng seedling and herb centre introduced

09.04.2017 (The Star) - The Nam Tra My district in Quang Nam province has introduced the first ever Ngoc Linh ginseng (Vietnamese ginseng) and medical herbs centre as a major source of seed and sapling in Vietnam.

This would be an initial step towards the district’s ginseng development project in seven mountainous communes, said Ho Quang Buu, chairman of the district’s people’s committee.

Vietnamese ginseng is one of eight precious and endangered flora genes including Ba Kich (poor man’s ginseng or codonopsis), pepper, cinnamon, large-size rattan and white corn in the province’s conservation programme in 2014-20. [read more]

Formosa Plastics clears Vietnam inspection

06.04.2017 Writer: Kuan-lin Liu (Eleven) - TAIPEI (The China Post/ANN) - Several protests were held after April 2016 both in Vietnam and Taiwan over Formosa Plastics' polluting of local water sources in central Vietnam.

Nearly a year after Formosa Plastics Group was found severely polluting the waters along a 200-kilometer coastal stretch in central Vietnam, the Vietnamese government is reportedly considering letting the Taiwanese plastics company resume operations in the country.

According to the latest statement from the ministry, Formosa Plastics Group has complied with the Vietnam government's demands and the central coastline's ecosystem has returned to its former state. [read more]

Vietnamese protest one year after Formosa spill disaster

06.04.2017 (Reuters) - Protests were held at several places along Vietnam's coast on Thursday, a year after the country's worst environmental disaster was caused by a spill from a steel mill, activists said.

Sea life began washing up on April 6, 2016 near a steel plant being developed by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corp. Within weeks, more than 200 km (125 miles) of coast had been contaminated.

After months of rallies and an outpouring of anger not seen in four decades of Communist Party rule, Formosa agreed to pay $500 million in compensation. [read more]

Vietnamese Catholics Demonstrate to Mark Anniversary of Formosa Chemical Spill

06.04.2017 (RFA) - Hundreds of Vietnamese Catholics from various parishes of central Vietnam’s Vinh diocese demonstrated on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of a toxic waste spill that polluted more than 125 miles of coastline in four coastal provinces.

The spill—the country’s largest environmental disaster—began on April 6, 2016 and lasted for 12 days, killing an estimated 115 tons of fish and leaving fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless.

Two months later, Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group acknowledged it was responsible for the release of the chemicals from its massive steel plant located at the deep-water port in Ha Tinh province’s Ky Anh district. [read more]

Formosa Group, la Iglesia apoya a las víctimas del desastre ambiental

05.04.2017 (AsiaNews) - Hanói - A un año exacto del desastre ambiental (6 de abril 2016-6 abril 2017), decenas de miles de víctimas están aún esperando las indemnizaciones y el resentimiento contra el gobierno, acusado de corrupción y políticas fallidas.

El año pasado, la peor descarga de substancias químicas de una fábrica de acero extranjera en la historia de Vietnam había trastornado al país. Un tubo perteneciente a la compañía taiwanesa Formosa Plastic Group había desrramado cada día 12 mil metros cúbicos de líquido tóxico en las aguas del mar. El desastre ecológico causó la muerte de 70 toneladas de peces y puso de rodillas a la población de las provincias centrales, 250 km de costa han sufrido daños gravísimos al ambiente y más de 40 mil pescadores vietnamitas perdieron el trabajo. [seguir leyendo]

Formosa Vietnam steel mill meets conditions for test runs a year after spill

05.04.2017 By My Pham (Reuters) - HANOI- Formosa Plastics Corp's steel mill in Vietnam has met environment ministry conditions to start test runs, state television said on Wednesday, a year after a toxic spill from the plant caused the country's worst environmental disaster.

A year ago, the $11 billion Ha Tinh Steel plant accidentally spilled toxic waste that polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of coastline, devastating sea life and local economies dependent on fishing and tourism. [read more]

Anger burns on Vietnam's poisoned coast a year after spill

04.04.2017 (Reuters) - "The big fish are all dead," complained 50 year-old Mai Xuan Hoa, picking small fish from a net as he tried to rebuild his livelihood a year after Vietnam's worst environmental disaster.

Sea life began washing up on April 6, 2016 near a steel plant being developed by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corp. Within weeks, more than 200 km (125 miles) of coast had been sullied by the accidental release of chemicals including cyanide, phenols and iron hydroxide.

Along the coast, the recovery is slow and anger endures.

"Where we caught 10 fish in the past, now we will only catch one or two," Hoa said. [read more]

Les manifestations des catholiques touchés par la catastrophe environnementale se poursuivent et inquiètent les autorités

23/03/2017 (Églises d'Asie) - Près d’une année s’est écoulée depuis les premiers signes de pollution de l’environnement maritime des provinces du centre du pays et la catastrophe écologique qui s’est abattue sur plusieurs provinces. La population côtière affectée continue de manifester son mécontentement. Pas une semaine ne se passe sans que, ici et là, un groupe de protestataires, le plus souvent des catholiques accompagnés par leurs prêtres, ne manifestent publiquement contre l’absence ou la faiblesse des indemnisations, l’absence de mesures de restauration de l’environnement et la présence sur les côtes vietnamiennes de l’usine taïwanaise Formosa, responsable d’être à l’origine de la catastrophe.

Tout récemment, mardi 21 mars, ce sont des centaines de pêcheurs de la commune de Ky Nam (province de Ha Tinh) qui protestaient contre l’insuffisance de l’indemnisation qui leur a été allouée après la catastrophe écologique. Portant leurs filets de pêcheur, les manifestants se sont rassemblés devant le siège du Comité populaire municipal. On y a exposé les injustices commises dans l’attribution et la répartition des indemnisations. Certaines personnes, appartenant à la parenté de l’administration locale, n’exerçant pas la profession de pêcheurs, obtiennent de fortes sommes, tandis que d’autres, véritables victimes de la catastrophe écologique, sont totalement oubliées. [en savoir plus]

Will the Environment Be the Vietnam Government’s Downfall?

22.03.2017 By David Hutt (The Diplomat) - Environmental protests are proving a tough challenge for the communist regime.

For years, Tran Thi Nga was subjected to harassment and brutalization by the Vietnamese authorities, the details of which emerged in a fresh Human Rights Watch report published earlier this year. She was finally arrested in January for using the using “the Internet to post a number of video clips and articles to propagandize against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” as the state media reported it.

What she had actually done, in fact, was to participate in a number of environmental protests and show solidarity with fellow activists by meeting with them at their homes and attending their trials.

Interestingly, another reason for the surge in environmental protesting is because the environment is one of the few issues that cuts across all divides. It unites poor rural fisherman and relatively wealthy urban liberals; consumers and producers; democrats and socialists. [read more]

Engineering in Vietnam: new projects, opportunities, employers and skills required

17.03.2017 By Sue Weekes (Engineering and Technology) - Like many countries, Vietnam has to plug a huge skills gap when it comes to digital skills in areas such as data and analytics and cyber security. It is predicted to face a shortage of more than 500,000 people in the IT sector by 2020.

According to the Vietnam Briefing, foreign companies in Vietnam have to retrain 40 to 50 per cent of their Vietnamese labour force. It says a key reason for Vietnam’s lack of high-skilled workers lies in the country’s education system, which traditionally focuses on “pure theory” rather than practical skills. It states: “Therefore, if Vietnam wants to attract more foreign investors, an education reform is definitely necessary.” [read more]

Taiwan's Formosa Plastics to boost Vietnam steel plant investment by $346 mln

17.03.2017 (Nasdaq) - TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan'sFormosa Plastics Group will boost investment for a $10.7-billion steel project in Vietnam, hoping to launch production in the fourth quarter, after delays over the plant's role in an environmental disaster, an executive said on Friday.

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel will step up capital by $346 million to invest in enhanced environmental safety measures, raise working capital and buy material, Chang Fu-ning, an executive vice president of the conglomerate, told Reuters. [read more]

Vietnamese workers protest in Taipei against Formosa mill pollution

15.03.2017 (Focus Taiwan) - Taipei (CNA) - Vietnamese migrant workers and human rights activists staged a protest in Taipei on Wednesday to demand that the Vietnamese government compensate the victims of an environmental disaster in Vietnam last year that was caused by a Taiwanese-owned steel factory.

The protesters rallied in front of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, holding placards that read "Formosa get out of Vietnam."

The steel factory was found to be responsible for a chemical spill that killed fish and destroyed marine life along a 200-kilometer stretch of coastline in central Vietnam in April last year. [read more]

EU und ASEAN nehmen Handelsgespräche wieder auf

13.03.2017 (Aktiencheck) - Das vereinbarten am Freitag (10.03.) EU-Handelskommissarin Cecilia Malmström und die Handelsminister der zehn ASEAN-Staaten in der philippinischen Hauptstadt Manila.

EU-Handelskommissarin Cecilia Malmström sagte: "2017 ist der 40. Jahrestag der erfolgreichen Zusammenarbeit zwischen der EU und der ASEAN. Es gibt noch viel zu tun, um das volle Potenzial der EU-ASEAN-Beziehung zu entfalten, und das sich schnell verändernde internationale Umfeld lasst uns nun verstärkt in Richtung Asien schauen ".

Die Parteien sprachen sich auch im Sinne von CETA für einen multilateralen Investitionsgerichtshof zur Beilegung von Streitigkeiten aus. [Weiterlesen]

Bis zu 2000 Euro pro Kilogramm. Wilderer "ernten" die letzten Seegurken

11.03.2017 (n-tv) - Je rarer etwas wird, umso teurer kann es verkauft werden. Das gilt auch für Seegurken. Wilderer aus Vietnam fahren zu einer Inselgruppe im Südpazifik und plündern dort die letzten Vorkommen. Die einheimischen Fischer sind erbost.

"Seit etwa neun Monaten beobachten wir das", sagt Jean-Louis Fournier, zuständig für die Überwachung der neukaledonischen Gewässer. "70 Schiffe haben wir entdeckt, 55 mit einem Bußgeld verwarnt und fünf zum Anlegen gezwungen." Mehrere Tonnen illegal gefischter Seegurken wurden beschlagnahmt und fünf vietnamesische Kapitäne sitzen inzwischen im Gefängnis. [Weiterlesen]

EU, ASEAN ready to restart free trade talks

10.03.2017 (DW) - The EU and the 10-member bloc of Southeast Asian states are to put a trade pact back on the agenda after a 7-year hiatus. Currently only Singapore and Vietnam have free trade deals with Europe.

Trade ministers of the two regional blocs said in a joint statement on Friday they had asked officials to develop a framework for a future free trade agreement (FTA).

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said talks would restart, but there was no so far no targeted time-frame.

"We believe it is important to connect two growing markets and to take away as many obstacles to trade," she told reporters in Manila. [read more]

Vietnam says must be sure Formosa Plastics can operate safely

08.03.2017 (Reuters) - Vietnam will only allow Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics' local unit to dispose of waste once it is completely sure it can do so safely, the government said on Wednesday.

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, which runs an $11 billion steel plant, polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of coastline in April 2016, killing more than 100 tonnes of fish and devastating the environment, jobs and economies of four provinces.

The plant is current suspended from operating while the company seeks to address more than 50 violations identified by the government. [read more]

Pollution maritime : des catholiques manifestent en même temps dans les provinces du Centre et à Saigon

07.03.2017 (Églises d'Asie) - Pour la première fois depuis le début des réactions populaires déclenchées par la pollution environnementale qu’a provoquée le complexe sidérurgique de Formosa, la manifestation qui a eu lieu dans la matinée du dimanche 5 mars se voulait d’une envergure nationale, même si le nombre de participants dans le Sud a été peu nombreux. Ce sont certes les provinces du Centre-Vietnam, les plus touchées par la pollution, qui ont fourni le plus de protestataires, mais plusieurs centaines de manifestants ont aussi marché dans les rues de Saigon et dans quelques autres villes du Sud. [en savoir plus]

Nuclear power in Vietnam: challenges and alternatives

06.03.2017 by Klaus-Peter Dehde, Germany; Kanna Mitsuta, Friends of the Earth, Japan; Dr. David Fig, Biowatch, South Africa; Nguy Thi Khanh, Green Innovation and Development Centre; and Dr. Sonja Schirmbeck, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (EE Publishers) - As nuclear power is one of the most dangerous technologies ever invented, the strictest possible safety laws have to be adopted, and regularly updated, in order to prevent accidents. Beside the two “meltdowns” in Chernobyl and Fukushima, more than 30 accidents have been categorised according to the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), and countless smaller accidents have not been recorded internationally.

Laws and regulations regulating security concerns have to be adopted before the concrete planning phase of nuclear power plants begins. They need to cover the whole nuclear life-cycle, including a comprehensive plan for nuclear waste storage. Special attention needs to be paid to policy coherency, i.e. consistency with other relevant laws. [read more]

Two earthquakes occur near 190-MW Song Tranh hydropower plant in Vietnam

27.02.2017 By Gregory B. Poindexter (Hydroworld) - Two earthquakes occurred Feb. 26 about 50 km southwest of the US$260 million 190-MW Song Tranh 2 hydropower project, according to the Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre at Vietnam’s Institute of Geophysics (IGP).

Song Tranh 2, completed in 2010, is located in Bac Tra My district, Quang Nam province, Vietnam. The epicenters of both events happened in Nam Tra My district, which boarders Bac Tra My district and is also in Quang Nam province. Each earthquake had a focal depth of about 10 km, according to IGP. [read more]

Vietnamese poachers plunder South Pacific sea cucumbers

27.02.2017 Michael Field (Nikkei Asian Review) - AUCKLAND -- Fleets of small and cheap wooden boats from Vietnam are being accused of plundering marine reef resources in Australia and the South Pacific, prompting countries in the region to discuss anti-poaching measures.

"Blue boats," named for the color of their hulls, take lucrative beche-de-mer (sea cucumbers), giant clams and shark fins in waters controlled by Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Caledonia. [read more]

Vietnam names 11 officials over Formosa environmental disaster

22.02.2017 (Reuters) - Vietnam on Wednesday named for the first time 11 government, provincial and industry officials as being responsible for one of its worst environmental disasters, caused by a unit of Taiwan conglomerate Formosa Plastics.

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, which runs an $11-billion steel plant, polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of coastline in April, killing more than 100 tonnes of fish and devastating the environment, jobs and economies of four provinces.

The Communist Party Inspection Commission's announcement, carried by the government news website, is the first time Vietnam has publicly named the officials responsible, 11 months after the accident.

It named ex-environmental minister Nguyen Minh Quang, former vice minister Bui Cach Tuyen and the former head of Ha Tinh provincial people's committee Vo Kim Cu, along with eight more officials, saying they should be disciplined or face review.

More than 50 violations identified at Formosa's steel mill, including the unauthorized use of a dirtier production process, led to the disaster and sparked several public protests, with coordinated rallies in major cities and an outpouring of anger on social media. [read more]

Répression de manifestants catholiques au Vietnam: Réaction du diocèse de Vinh

22.02.2017 par Jacques Berset (cath.ch) - Le diocèse catholique de Vinh dénonce la répression brutale menée par la Sécurité publique contre les manifestants de Song Ngoc, une paroisse de ce diocèse situé au nord du Vietnam. Ces derniers protestent contre la grave pollution commise par le complexe industriel de Formosa.

Les protestataires, des pêcheurs des communes de Quynh Tho et Son Thai, exigent que Formosa indemnise les victimes des dégâts provoqués par les dommages environnementaux dont l’usine est responsable. Le diocèse déplore l’utilisation de la violence par les autorités pour empêcher le peuple de porter plainte. [en savoir plus]

Why Is Asia Returning to Coal?

17.02.2017 By Grace Guo (The Diplomat) - Just a few short years ago, few would have dared to predict that coal could have a future in the energy policies of emerging and developed countries alike. Yet the fossil fuel is undergoing an unexpected renaissance in Asia, buoyed by technical breakthroughs and looming questions about squaring development with energy security.

For Japan, coal has emerged as the best alternative to replacing its 54 nuclear reactors, which are deeply unpopular with the population and seen as symbols of devastation after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster six years ago. [read more]

Vietnam police stop fishermen marching to make claims at steel firm

14.02.2017 (Reuters) - Police in Vietnam stopped hundreds of protesters on Tuesday from marching to present compensation claims against a steel plant over a toxic spill last year, activists said.

Tens of millions of fish were killed in one of Vietnam's biggest environmental disasters, which was caused by a unit of Taiwan conglomerate Formosa Plastics.

Activists said police stopped the protesters' vehicles, and later stopped them, after they had walked 20 km (12 miles) towards their destination. [read more]

Vietnamese Authorities Send ‘Thugs’ to Beat Activists

14.02.2017 (RFA) - Vietnamese authorities appear to be systematically cracking down on activists, as environmentalists and others have been attacked by security forces and thugs associated with local police over the past week, RFA’s Vietnamese Service has learned.

The attacks do not seem to be linked to any one group as they have targeted environmentalists and religious activists.

On Tuesday, police reportedly arrested and beat several demonstrators as about 500 people were marching to protest Hanoi’s handling of the Formosa steel plant toxic waste spill that poisoned much of the central coast last year. [read more]

Apokalypse in der Reisschüssel

10.02.2017 Von Urs Wälterlin Phnom Penh (Tagesanzeiger) - Klimawandel und die Jagd nach billiger Energie bedrohen Reisfelder und Fischbestände im Mekongdelta. Die Folgen für die Nahrungssicherheit von Millionen Menschen sind dramatisch.

Domaden hat Sorgen. Auf seinem Reisfeld wachsen keine satten, grünen Pflanzen heran, sondern stecken vertrocknete Halme in staubigem Boden. Er sagt: «Der Regen ist unzuverlässig geworden, die Winde stark, die Temperaturen immer höher.» Das ist eine tödliche Kombination für eine Pflanze, die darauf angewiesen ist, im Wasser heranzuwachsen.

Noch haben die meisten seiner Pflanzen Wasser. Aber die trockenen Flächen werden grösser. «Ich bin Reisfarmer seit meiner Geburt», sagt der schmächtige Kambodschaner, aber das habe er noch nie erlebt. «Wir können den Klimawandel sehen, mit unseren eigenen Augen.» Der 58-Jährige hat Angst, Angst um seine Zukunft, Angst für seine Familie. [Weiterlesen]

Is Vietnam in for Another Devastating Drought?

08.02.2017 By Nguyen Minh Quang (The Diplomat) - Lessons learned from last year’s disaster can shape a climate-resilient approach in the Mekong Delta.

The Tet Holiday (Vietnamese lunar New Year) has come to an end, marking the commencement of a new dry season in Vietnam’s lower Mekong Delta. Right now in coastal provinces around the Delta, thousands of farmers, especially those who miserably suffered during last year’s historic drought, are mobilizing to prepare for another similarly devastating drought, which is expected to arrive in the Delta in a few weeks.

During last year’s dry season, the record drought, followed by saltwater intrusion, cost Vietnam VND 15 trillion ($669 million) due to the heavy toll on agricultural production. It also caused dire humanitarian and other economic impacts: almost half a million households lacked fresh drinking water and experienced food shortages and thousands of affected people had to migrate to urban areas in search of jobs. The drought was mainly caused by Mekong upstream dams built by China in connection with El Nino effects. [read more]

New Book on Climate Change

05.02.2017 Leander c. Domingo (The Manila Times) - Southeast Asian scientists and researchers have written the book “Learning and Coping with Change: Case Stories of Climate Change Adaptation in Southeast Asia.” Now off the press, it was published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).

the book is a pioneering work of the 1st Regional Knowledge Sharing Writeshop on CCA in Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development participated in by scientists and researchers from Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam as well as international agencies working on agriculture and climate change [read more]

Public Anger Prompts Vietnam to Put the Brakes on Investment

03.02.2017 by Luu Van Dat (Bloomberg) - To Nguyen Tan Phong, a farmer in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the foreign-owned paper mill built upriver from his catfish ponds was an ecological disaster waiting to happen.

Phong feared a repeat of last year’s toxic spill from a steel plant owned by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Corp. that devastated central coast fishing communities and cut annual economic growth by 0.3 percentage point.

Then something happened that Phong didn’t expect: The central government abruptly delayed last summer’s scheduled opening of the $1.2 billion mill owned by Hong Kong’s Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Ltd. It’s now undergoing stringent environmental tests to get final approval. [read more]

Vietnam on the move

30.01.2017 Erich Parpart (Bangkok Post) - People are migrating to cities in big numbers, creating a growing consumer class, big opportunities for investors and more challenges for the government.

The growth of the consumer class has been spurred by a shift to the cities, with the number of urban dwellers expanding from 20% of the population just three decades ago to 34% in 2015. By 2025, half of the country's 93 million people are expected to be living in urban areas.  [read more]

Work in progress

30.01.2017 Erich Parpart (Bangkok Post) - Vietnam is looking to offer shares in some major state enterprises but valuations and control remain major issues.

Merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions have been surging in Vietnam, as steady economic growth and an expanding middle class draw interest from companies in Thailand, Japan and South Korea among others.

"From 2016 forward, we are expecting that by 2020, we may well see US$10 billion worth of M&A transactions in Vietnam which is a pretty healthy number," John Ditty, managing partner of KPMG in Vietnam, told Asia Focus

"We are starting to see much more activity in larger-scale transactions," he said. "Over the last 18 months, Thailand has been the largest M&A spender in Vietnam, not in terms of volume because there is more activity from Japan and South Korea, but in terms of value." [read more]

Trump's economic policies create uncertainty for Asia

26.01.2017 Kotaro Hidaka (Nikkei Asian Review) - SINGAPORE -- The Trump storm is raging through the Asian economy. The new U.S. president touts protectionist policies and has declared that the U.S. will "permanently" withdraw from negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, which covers 12 nations, including the U.S. and many Asian countries such as Singapore and Vietnam.

To find out what impact Trump's economic policies might have on the Asian economy, NQN spoke with Chang Junhong, director of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, an international institution that reviews member economies' fiscal and economic policies. [read more]

Vietnam punishes four officials over Formosa environmental disaster

26.01.2017 (Reuters) - Vietnam said on Thursday it would punish four officials over one of its worst environmental disasters, caused by a unit of Taiwan conglomerate Formosa Plastics, in the first action against government officials ten months after the accident.

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, which runs an $11-billion steel plant, polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of coastline in April, killing more than 100 tonnes of fish and devastating the environment, jobs and economies of four provinces.

In its first measures against government officials 10 months after the event, four environmental officials are to be transferred to other departments and face administrative action, warnings or rebukes, the government said in a statement. [read more]

Australien sieht nach US-Aus Platz für China bei TPP

24.01.2017 (Blick) - Sydney – Nach dem Ausstieg der USA aus dem Transpazifischen Freihandelsabkommen TPP will Australien das Abkommen retten. Der australische Premierminister Malcolm Turnbull sagte am Dienstag, seine Regierung sei in «aktiven Diskussionen» mit den anderen TPP-Staaten.

Der australische Handelsminister Steven Ciobo sagte dem TV-Sender Australian Broadcasting Corporation beim Weltwirtschaftsforum in Davos, sein Land, Kanada, Mexiko und die anderen TPP-Staaten prüften ein Konzept «TPP 12 minus eins». Es gebe «Spielraum für China», wenn wir es schaffen, TPP 12 minus eins für Länder wie Indonesien oder China umzuändern.  [Weiterlesen]

With Growth of Coal Power Plants, Vietnam's Future Is Grim

17.01.2017 By Viet Phuong Nguyen (The Diplomat) - On January 12, 2017, the academic journal Environmental Science & Technology published a study by researchers from Harvard University, Greenpeace, and the University of Colorado Boulder titled “Burden of Disease from Rising Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions in Southeast Asia.” Based on official data on the future installation of coal-fired power plants in Southeast Asia and atmospheric transport modelling, the research group presented a grim picture of regional air pollution due to emissions from these plants.[read more]

Japan, Australia to strengthen defence ties, stress importance of TPP

15.01.2017 By Harry Pearl  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - SYDNEY - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney on Saturday where the pair agreed to deepen defence ties and stressed the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Abe's visit comes amid heightened regional tension in the South China Sea and fears U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will push ahead with his pledge to kill the trade agreement once he takes office on Jan. 20.

Both leaders spoke of their desire to see the TPP ratified, despite opposition from Trump.

The 12-member pact aims to cut barriers in some of Asia's fastest-growing economies, but it does not include China. Without U.S. approval the agreement cannot come to fruition. [read more]

Burden of Disease from Rising Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions in Southeast Asia

12.01.2017 Shannon N. Koplitz, Daniel J. Jacob, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Lauri Myllyvirta, and Colleen Reid (American Chemical Society) - Southeast Asia has a very high population density and is on a fast track to economic development, with most of the growth in electricity demand currently projected to be met by coal. From a detailed analysis of coal-fired power plants presently planned or under construction in Southeast Asia, we project in a business-as-usual scenario that emissions from coal in the region will triple to 2.6 Tg a–1 SO2 and 2.6 Tg a–1 NOx by 2030, with the largest increases occurring in Indonesia and Vietnam. [read more]

Selon le ministère de l’Environnement, la catastrophe écologique du Centre-Vietnam n’est pas un des dix événements marquants de l’année 2016

12.01.2017 (Églises d'Asie) - En ce début d’année, les divers ministères récapitulent les quelques faits saillants de l’année écoulée et publient la liste des événements ayant marqué les esprits. On attendait avec curiosité de savoir comment le ministère des Ressources naturelles et de l’Environnement présenterait la catastrophe écologique du mois d’avril 2016 provoquée au Centre-Vietnam par des substances toxiques rejetées en pleine mer de Chine par l’usine taïwanaise Formosa, située dans la province du Ha Tinh. Or, dans la liste des dix événements les plus marquants concernant les ressources naturelles et l’environnement, aucune allusion n’est faite à la pollution maritime des côtes du Centre-Vietnam.

L’empoisonnement des eaux de la mer de Chine par des substances toxiques a débuté au début du mois d’avril 2016 et s’est prolongée tout au long du mois suivant. Les conséquences sont loin d’avoir cessé. Des milliers de tonnes de poissons morts sont venus s’échouer sur les plages des provinces du Ha Tinh, du Quang Binh, du Quang Tri et du Thua Thien. L’événement a suscité dans la population un bouleversement et une émotion considérable.  [en savoir plus]

Corporate reform in Vietnam is slow going

12.01.2017 Atsushi Tomiyama (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI - As Vietnam marks its 10th anniversary as a member of the World Trade Organization in January, the one-party state has finally begun showing progress on promises to make the country's state-run enterprises more compliant with market principles and less dependent on government largesse.

The government in September announced plans to divest its entire interest in Vietnam Dairy Products, or Vinamilk, Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage, Tien Phong Plastic, Bao Minh Insurance and eight other state-backed companies by the end of 2017.

Against the opportunities, however, investors must weigh the endemic corruption that plagues business in Vietnam and red tape that strangles potentially profitable deals and hinders the country's development. [read more]

Vietnam's Next Environmental Hotspot

10.01.2017 By Nguyen Minh Quang (The Diplomat) - Less than a year after a major pollution crisis, trouble is brewing in the Mekong Delta.

In recent weeks, the public’s deep concerns about the Mekong Delta’s environmental pollution, generated by industrial campuses and export-processing zones surrounding its major rivers, seem to have been overshadowed by the outbreak of a new high-profile case related to state agencies responsible for foreign investment promotion and management. In early December 2016, a debate heated up in Vietnam news media over alleged irregularities concerning the recruitment and placement of a 26-year-old graduate with no work experience, Vu Minh Hoang, into the powerful position of deputy director of Can Tho City’s Investment Promotion Center.

Water, air, and land pollution have become more serious over the years in Vietnam, particularly at industrial complexes that are often equipped with low-quality technologies imported from China. [read more]

Fish Kill Disaster in Vietnam Fails to Make Official Top 10 Environmental Events

06.01.2017 (RFA) - A steel plant disaster that killed more than 100 tons of fish and rained economic devastation on Vietnam’s central coast was conspicuously absent from a list of 2016’s top environmental events last year released on Friday by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

While the government listed its Aug. 31 teleconference on environmental protection and the discovery of copper and uranium ore in the central highlands among the official Top 10.

Vu Minh Son, head of the agency in charge of issuing awards under the environment ministry, said the Formosa disaster didn’t make the list because it was a disaster and because only "positive" news made the list. [read more]

HCM City Export Zone Reports Outbreak Of Chickenpox

06.01.2017 (Bernama) - An outbreak of chickenpox has been reported at Gunze Vietnam Co Ltd in HCM City's Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, with 30 people contracting the disease since Nov 17, Vietnam news agency (VNA) reported the HCM City Preventive Health Centre as saying.

The centre warned that the current weather is favourable for the spread of chickenpox.

The city Department of Health has urged the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority to take preventive measures against contagious diseases at export processing and industrial parks.

Companies there are required to report to district preventive health centres within 14 days when two workers become ill. [read more]

China Everbright eyes more projects to generate power from waste in Asia

05.01.2017 Eric Ng (SCMP) - China Everbright International (CEI), one of the nation’s largest operators of municipal waste incinerators that produce electricity, is in talks to build more projects in southern Asia after it won the region’s first open tender in Vietnam last July.

The Beijing-based company, a unit of state-owned finance-to-industrial conglomerate China Everbright Group, which last year set up an international business unit, is also eyeing opportunities in western and northern Asia, chief executive Chen Xiaoping told reporters in Beijing on Thursday.

“The project in Can Tho, Vietnam we won was southern Asia’s first waste-to-energy project open tender,” he said. “This landmark win will help our effort to find a bigger market to export our equipment and expertise. We are in talks on potential projects in the region.”

To differentiate itself from rivals, CEI announced on Thursday that it has started to disclose its waste-to-power plants’ emissions data on an hourly basis from January 1.

He was referring to the need for the industry to allay public concerns that emissions from waste to energy projects are harmful, which had in some cases led to protests against new projects. [read more]

Weniger Reis, mehr Smartphones

03.01.2017 von Manfred Rist (NZZ) - Die vietnamesische Wirtschaft weist gemäss offiziellen Angaben aus Hanoi das schwächste Wachstum seit 2012 auf, doch die Dynamik bleibt beachtlich. Das südostasiatische Land verzeichnete 2016 demnach einen BIP-Zuwachs von 6,2%. Das liegt unter der Dynamik von 2015, als 6,7% registriert wurden.

Der Agrarsektor, in dem Kaffee, Reis, Fisch und Seafood eine wichtige Rolle spielen, legte um bloss 1,4% zu. Das hat zum einen mit der Trockenheit im zentralen Hochland zu tun, die die Kaffee-Ernte schmälerte, zum anderen mit dem Wassermangel und der Versalzung in Teilen des Mekong-Deltas, was den Reisanbau beeinträchtigte. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese structural reforms still in doubt

02.01.2017 Author: Suiwah Leung, ANU (East Asia Forum) - The Vietnamese economy has shown resilience in the face of global headwinds. GDP growth is projected by the World Bank to be around 6 per cent for 2016 — higher than the large ASEAN economies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.  Yet the economic outlook is mixed, as rising global economic uncertainty challenges Hanoi’s commitment to necessary medium-term structural reforms.

Despite increased focus on efficiencies in government spending and tax collection, the budget deficit remains large at around 6 per cent of GDP. As a result, public debt is now close to the statutory limit of 65 per cent of GDP. Much of this debt is in the form of long-term development assistance loans. These are likely to be rolled over, but a portion will need to be re-financed in the international capital market, at a time when US interest rates are expected to rise. [read more]

Man-made marine disaster in Vietnam - Can the world community do more than look?

01.01.2017 Thục-Quyên (Save Vietnam's Nature) - In early April 2016, tones of dead fish began washing up along the coast of Ha Tinh province and neighboring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces: miles and miles of fishes, countless clams, some occasional whales, seabirds, etc. followed by the death of diver Le Van Ngay after suffering chest pains and breathing difficulties [i], unusual health conditions of his colleagues (tired, chest pain and dizzy after every swim, skin tone changed), illness of hundreds of people from eating seafood, etc. A month later, over 100 tones of dead fishes had been collected.

For nearly a whole month, the Vietnamese government hasn´t showed sign to start any investigation, but instead, on April 23, Deputy chairman of the People´s Committee of Ha Tinh Province Dang Ngoc Son made an irresponsible statement, “We can eat seafood such as squid, shrimp, crab which are still alive, and we can also be reassured to swim in these waters” [v] and deputy environment minister Vo Tuan Nhan said “there is no proof yet to conclude a link between Formosa and the facility to the mass fish deaths.” [read more]