Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company to sell shares, seek out experienced investors

Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited, the operating and managing unit for the Dung Quat Refinery, has sent invitations to 15 domestic and foreign investment funds in preparation for IPO in the third quarter of 2017.

Clean farming method benefits needy people

 Unlike in previous years, thousands of farming households in Triệu Phong district of central Quang Tri province see organic farming as offering a sustainable livelihood and a way out of poverty.

VN macadamia growers advised to be cautious

 The planting of Macadamia trees is expected to help the Central Highlands provinces in general and Dak Lak province in particular to reduce poverty.

It’s time to have a law on controlling air pollution: experts

VietNamNet Bridge - Air pollution is getting more serious in large urban areas, with pollution in the north more serious than the south. 

BUSINESS NEWS 15/5

 Development gap hinders linkages in APEC auto industry, Striving for 1.2 percent GRDP contribution rate, Doosan Vina exports cranes to India, Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway investor grieves over lack of support

$87.6 million project stops after 3 years of operation

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Education and Training's (MOET) project on applying VNEN (the Vietnam Escuela Nueva) model at general schools has not succeeded. 

The back-up plan of domestic automobile manufacturers

Contrary to all predictions, automobile manufacturers have set modest targets for this year’s business plans. After a two-year boom, the automobile market is expected to be more quiet in 2017.

Da Nang student invents flood warning system

VietNamNet Bridge - At the Da Nang University of Technology, Nguyen Huynh Nhat Thuong is a famous student. His early warning system for floods has won top prizes at scientific research contests.

Old fisherman with burning passion for innovation

 Despite being born into a poor family, Huynh Tien has had a thirst for invention. Realising farmers tend to stick to low-productivity traditional farming techniques, he worked to devise an automatic seeding machine in 2013 and a ridger in 2015. 

President takes trip to China’s Fujian province

 President Tran Dai Quang on May 13 toured Fujian province, a coastal locality in south-eastern China, as part of his State-visit to the country.

Vietnamese cuisine wins increasing popularity in Czech

The crowds of visitors around booths selling Vietnamese food at the Embassies Food and Culture Festival in the Czech Republic’s Prague on May 13 reflected the increasing popularity of the Southeast Asian country’s cuisine in Prague.

A glimpse of France in Da Nang

Those who haven’t had a chance to set foot in France yet, or who want to recall some memory of this European country, may want to visit the French village within the Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort in Da Nang.

Vietnam grabs bronzes at Asian wrestling championships

 Dao Thi Huong won a bronze medal at the 2017 Asia Wrestling Championships which took place from May 10-14 in New Delhi, India. 

Salmon farming in Vietnam

 Hoang Van Ta, 53, was the first person to farm salmon in his commune in the mountainous province of Lang Son in 2007 and now he earns as much as 4-5 billion VND (180,000-220,000 USD) a year from salmon.

Work starts for big tourism complex in Cat Ba Islands

 Work started on May 14 on the first phase of a big ecological tourism complex on Cat Ba Islands in the northern port city of Hai Phong, which is projected to be Vietnam’s first carbon-free tourism area.

VN President holds bilateral meetings on fringes of Belt and Road Forum

 President Tran Dai Quang on May 14 met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawar Sharif and Secretary General of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Toshihiro 

Social News 14/5

 Youngest Vietnamese heart transplant patient goes home, Vietnamese lass wins national letter writing contest, APEC moves to boost sustainable urbanisation amid globalisation, Khau Pha paragliding festival kicks off in Yen Bai

Viettel 4G subscribers increase 1.5 times after launch

 Military-run telecom group Viettel’s 4G subscribers increased by 1.5 times following its official launch on April 18 and reached nearly three million by the end of April, the company announced.

Non-performing loans at banks vary

 The ratio of non-performing loans (NPLs) at banks in the first quarter of this year is was varied, according to a daily report by Bao Viet Securities Corp (BVSC).

APEC App challenge to knock down trade hurdles

Eleven teams of developers from APEC member economies will be in Hanoi from May 18 to 19 to participate in a 24-hour app challenge.

Travel firms’ revenues outstrip profits

 Viet Nam’s tourism industry recorded a successful year with VND400 trillion (US$17.6 billion) of total revenue in 2016. However, the travel companies’ profits are not commensurate with their revenue, vneconomy.vn reports.

Revolution 4.0 challenges Asian countries seeking inclusive growth

 The optimism appears justified given that 95 per cent of the Asia’s population now lives in middle-income economies, while as recently as the 1990s, more than 90 per cent of Asians were low-income earners.

Red tape hindering VN's power plant projects

 Substandard investment procedures and regulations hinder investors in major power plant projects, baodautu.vn reported.

Spec Go Green Int’l Awards invites all Asian architecture contestant

 All Asian architectural students and architects aged under 40 have been invited to join the Spec Go Green International Awards 2017, which aims to honour environmentally friendly architecture.

Chefs to test skills of cooking Cao Lau

 Chefs from 12 countries will compete at the international Cao Lau (a Vietnamese dish made with noodles, pork, and greens) cooking challenge in Hoi An on June 12-14.