560MW added to national power generation capacity

Five power turbines designed to generate 560 MW were put into operation to increase the national electricity generation capacity in the first six months of the year, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

The turbines include four at Trung Son hydro power plant and one in Thai Binh thermo power plant.

Currently, the EVN is speeding up construction of power generation facilities to ensure sufficient electricity for the southern region by 2020, especially the expansion of Duyen Hai 3 and Vinh Tan 4 thermo power plants, the expanded Thac Mo and Da Nhim hydro power plants, and new projects at Quang Trach and Tan Phuoc power centres.

During the six-month period, the state-owned group completed and put into use 56 100-500 kV transmission projects, adding 360 kilometres of transmission lines and 3,990 MVA in capacity of transformation stations.

The group is focusing on building the 500kV Vung Ang-Doc Soi-Pleiku 2 transmission line and other works to assure adequate power for southern localities, the capital city of Hanoi and other areas with high electricity demand.

The group’s total investment in construction in the first six months of the year reached 55 trillion VND (2.4 billion USD), accounting for 40.13 percent of yearly plan. Total disbursement was estimated at 49 trillion VND (2.15 billion USD) or 35.75 percent of the set plan.

By the end of this year, the EVN will add 1,075 MW to the national power capacity by operating five more turbines. The expanded Thac Mo hydropower plant will be put into operation in July, Song Bung hydropower plant in August, the second turbine of Thai Binh thermo power plant in November and the second turbine of Vinh Tan 4 thermo power plant in December.

The company is striving to complete 238 transmission projects, prioritising comprehensive construction for key projects to provide stable power for APEC 2017 in Da Nang city.

Bình Dương’s enterprises require over 20,000 workers

Bình Dương enterprises registered to recruit more than 20,000 workers at the provincial job introduction sesssion on Sunday.

Nguyễn Thanh Phương, deputy director of the provincial Centre for Job Introduction, said that more than 60 enterprises were in need of 22,964 employees, including 21,540 unskilled and over 1,400 skilled workers.

In the first six months of 2017, Bình Dương Province organised eight employment sessions to address the needs of 55,528 workers and the participation of 1,276 enterprises, of which more than 42,000 employees directly attended the recruitment consultancy. Some 2,300 employees were directly recruited by the firms through the trading session, the People’s Committee of Bình Dương reported.

The province also created jobs for more than 25,690 employees since the beginning of 2017, reaching over 57 per cent of this year’s target of 45,000 jobs.

Provincial labour demand is forecast to increase as both domestic and foreign investment capital has increased recently.

According to a representative of Leading Star Việt Nam Garment Joint Stock Company, due to expanding production orders from foreign partners, the company needs to employ 60 skilled workers, with an income of VNĐ7-10 million (US$308-440) per month.

In addition, employees of the company will receive 21 per cent of their wages during the probationary period and the 13th month salary under current law. Notably, the company also sponsors two meals per day, or workers get VNĐ7,000 per meal as allowance if they do not receive meals.

Wonderful Sài Gòn Electrics Company Limited, a 100 per cent foreign-owned company belonging to Sun-S Group of Japan, said the company is currently looking to recruit 200 unskilled workers and 46 professional workers, of which professional employees require a graduate degree in electrical engineering, such as electronics, mechatronics, electrical industry or auto power.

Bình Dương’s tax report shows that in the first half year of 2017, up to 2,327 new enterprises were operating with total registered capital of VNĐ25 trillion. In particular, there were some 2,240 domestic investment enterprises with total capital of nearly VNĐ15 trillion and 83 foreign direct investment enterprises with total capital of VNĐ10 trillion, a year–on-year increase of 45.1 per cent in number of enterprises and 89.4 per cent in registered capital.

Thua Thien-Hue attracts several foreign aid projects

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has attracted several projects funded by foreign aid, according to Director of the provincial Department of External Affairs Tran Cong Phu.

He cited as an example a project on combining livelihoods with the management of depression which receives non-refundable aid of the UK’s BasicNeeds organisation. It will be implemented from 2017 to 2019 at total cost of nearly 600 million VND (26,400 USD).

The project aims to increase the provision and use of community-based mental healthcare services so as to gradually improve the life of depression patients in Thua Thien-Hue.

It will set up a community-based mental healthcare system while raising public awareness of mental health and provide quality services for depression patients through community-based approaches.

The model of this project is expected to be popularised if it proves effective, Phu said.

He added Association Bretagne-Vietnam also offered non-refundable aid for a project on building biogas tanks for 23 households in Vinh Phuc commune and Phu Da town in Phu Vang district.

The project, invested with nearly 400 million VND (17,600 USD), aims to treat waste from animal farming to help improve the environment and increase income for target households. It is also intended to promote the project management capacity of district and communal officials and enhance public awareness of environmental protection.

Meanwhile, the Danish Demining Group (DDG) and the provincial People’s Committee inked a memorandum of understanding on a project to minimise the risk of bombs and mines left from wartime in Thua Thien-Hue.

Funded with some 1.2 million USD by the Japanese Embassy and Denmark’s A.P. Møller Support Foundation, the project will be implemented from 2017 to 2019 in 10 communes of A Luoi district and other prioritised areas proposed by the provincial administration.

The official said the DDG and the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee will cooperate to handle post-war explosive materials, thus helping to improve the safety for local residents and socio-economic development in beneficiary communities.

Vietnam woos EuroCham pharmaceutical businesses

Vietnam encourages international pharmaceutical businesses, including members of EuroCham, to extend their investment and establish research centres in the country, said Nguyen Van Binh, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the committee’s Economic Commission. 

At a reception for a delegation of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham)’s Pharmaceutical Sector Committee (Pharma Group) in Hanoi on June 22, Binh said that Vietnam attaches importance to implementing social policies comprehensively and pays attention to providing easy access to health care services and medicines at reasonable prices. 

Binh briefed the delegation on major orientations and solutions of the Vietnamese Party and Government in order to improve business environment, raise competiveness and encourage enterprises to roll out their operation on a larger scale, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. He added that Vietnam wants to become a pharmaceutical production centre in ASEAN. 

Pharma Group Vice President Nicholas Jones, who is in charge of the Vietnamese market, expressed his optimism about Vietnam’s socio-economic development prospects as well as the country’s policies and measures to improve business climate.  

He spoke about challenges facing the pharmaceutical and health care sector, saying he hopes that Vietnam will make more improvements in legal framework, mechanisms and policies, to better accommodate firms operating in pharmaceutical industry. 

The participating businesses shared the views that Vietnam is an important market and has potential to become a pharmaceutical production centre of ASEAN. 

They also talked about pharmaceutical development models and sustainable access to medicines of people, along with issues regarding Government bidding and procurement, property rights and investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Bac Giang attracts some 1,200 investment projects

The northern province of Bac Giang is home to 1,205 investment projects operating with total registered capital of 7.76 billion USD, according to Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Trinh Huu Thang.

Of the total number, there are 289 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects valued at more than 4.26 billion USD.

From the beginning of this year, the province has attracted 57 new domestic projects worth nearly 26.5 trillion VND (1.16 billion USD) and 29 FDI projects with total capital of more than 512 million USD.

The large-scale projects include An Khanh-Bac Giang thermal power plant with investment of 22.5 trillion VND (990 million USD), DNP Bac Giang water plant with nearly 1.3 trillion VND (57.2 million USD) and Lan Son infrastructure development and Khai Hong plastic plant with 150 million USD.

The capital is spread across the industrial and manufacturing sector (82.6 percent), trade and services (17.3 percent) and agriculture (0.1 percent).

The province will create conditions to encourage businesses to boost investment and compensation for land clearance and hasten infrastructure construction.

It will enhance transparency of administrative procedures and strictly punish officials hampering enterprises in the locality.

Along with supporting investors in land clearance in some key products like An Khanh-Bac Giang thermal power plant and Bac Giang city international logistic centre, the province will maintain dialogue with investors to address difficulties.

Binh Dinh promotes Quy Nhon tourism

The south central province of Binh Dinh has launched a three-month summer tourism festival to promote its Quy Nhon city and attract tourists.

The festival, running from June 17 to September 2, aims to improve Quy Nhon’s tourism trademark.

Quy Nhon city has favourable conditions for tourism development, located in the East-West Corridor and as a gateway to the Central Highlands, southern Lao localities and northeastern Cambodian provinces.

The city has diverse terrain including plain land, hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, sea and islands, with 42km of coastline spanning and four island communes and archipelagoes.

Along with relic sites and beautiful natural landscapes, visitors to Quy Nhon can explore traditional art and festivals, craft villages and Binh Dinh martial art as well as local food.

In 2015, UK tourism magazine Rough Guides listed Quy Nhon as one of the top nine places off the normal tourist trail in Southeast Asia.

In recent years, the number of tourists to Quy Nhon has increased more than 20 percent per year, higher than the average growth of 17 percent in the southern coastal area and 15 percent nationally.

With its tourism potential and strengths, Quy Nhon aims to serve 4.67 million tourists, including 720,000 foreigners in 2020, while lengthening the average visitors’ stay to 3-4 days.

To reach the target, Quy Nhon has focused on developing unique and competitive tourism products, including sea and island tourism, resort, eco-tourism, sight-seeing, homestay, cultural, historical and gastronomic tourism.

It has also targeted investors by offering favourable conditions for projects and upgrading the province’s tourism infrastructure.

In summer 2016, Binh Dinh welcomed 3.2 million visitors. In the first six months of 2017, the province served more than 1.9 million tourists, a year-on-year rise of 19 percent, with total revenue of 990 billion VND, up 38 percent year on year.

100-million USD solar power plant to be built in Long An

A 100MW solar power plant worth 100 million USD will be built in the Mekong Delta province of Long An under the cooperation between BCG Bang Duong Joint Venture and Hanwha Group of the Republic of Korea (RoK). 

The project will cover an area of 125 ha in Thanh An commune, Thanh Hoa district, according to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Can.

Construction of the plan is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2018, and it is expected to be operational in 2019.

The plant is hoped to increase electricity supply to the national grid, reduce climate change, protect the environment while promoting the local socio-economic development.

BCG Bang Duong Joint Venture is specialising in developing infrastructure, real estate and renewable projects, while Hanwha is working in petrochemical, project construction, finance, tourism and entertainment, and renewable energy.

Vietnam, RoK to hold seminar on sustainable textile industry

The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) will hold a seminar on “Smart manufacturing system for sustainable textile industry” in Hanoi on July 13.

The seminar aims to help textile businesses in Vietnam meet the requirement of the digital era and join the fourth industrial revolution, said the organisers on June 23.

Six leading experts on textile and smart manufacturing of the Republic of Korea (RoK) will deliver lectures at the seminar. Some models, 3D machines and textile products from several businesses will be introduced.

"Seminar on sustainable textile industry to be held in Hanoi"

Smart manufacturing solutions in textile industry are expected to benefit textile businesses in productivity, cost reduction, efficient human resources management and working climate improvement.

The seminar, to be held annually by VITAS and KITECH, seeks to improve the capacity of Vietnam’s textile businesses.

New Gov’t decree targets labeling violations

Labels must be displayed directly on goods or their commercial packaging in easy-to-spot positions, clearly and fully showing compulsory information about the item.

This is the thrust of Government Decree No 43/2017/NĐ-CP on labeling of Vietnamese and imported goods, which came into effect on June 1.

Under the decree, a label’s compulsory information must include the name of the goods, name and address of the organisation or individual responsible for the goods, origin of the goods and other information depending on the characteristics of the goods.

Accordingly, organisations and individuals responsible for the labeling are required to present the information truthfully, clearly and precisely. In case such organisations or individuals authorise others to label their goods, the former will continue to remain responsible for following labeling regulations.

The new decree also requires goods imported into Vietnam, which have original labels that are noncompliant with this decree or lack certain prescribed compulsory information, to have extra labels in Vietnamese enclosed with the original ones.

With these new regulations, the decree has created legal corridors to prevent vague labeling.

According to the Hanoi Industry and Trade Department, lack of production date and place, and vague and inaccurate labeling are popular ways to swindle customers in the Vietnamese market.

It is easy to catch violations, including labels of the wrong size or incorrect font size of letters, in addition to many types of imported goods not having an extra label.

As a result, many production establishments have taken advantage of this situation to sell fake products. The violations have mainly been found in food items, clothing and electronic products.

Pham Van Thanh, a resident of Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district, said he bought a gas stove labeled “Rinai – Japan’s leading brand name gas stove” at a trade centre in the capital city and supposed that it had been produced in Japan. When he returned home, he discovered “Made in China” printed below the stove.

An online home appliances shopkeeper in Hanoi, said: "There are Rinai stoves made in Japan, made in Vietnam, and made in China in the Vietnamese market at different prices. The customers should study this carefully before making a decision to buy one."

He gave the Napolis gas stove imported from Italy as an example. The stove is being sold for more than 6 million VND (263.5 USD) but there is another stove named Napoli whose label is similar to the Italian one which is priced at 3 million VND. This stove is made in China.

Tran Viet Hung, deputy head of the Hanoi Market Watch Department, said all goods in the market must be properly labelled. Goods with vague labels were often found to be fake or counterfeit.

“The new regulations will serve as a deterrent and strictly penalise violations on labeling and stamps,” Hung said.

Vietnam leads Asia in women leadership: Deloitte Global

Vietnam has the highest percentage of women leadership in Asia, according to the report “Women in the boardroom: A global perspective” of the Deloitte Global.

The analysis is based on a dataset covering nearly 7,000 companies in 64 countries.

Vietnam takes the lead in Asia with 17.6 percent of female board members in a sample of 50 Vietnamese companies, higher than the global average of 15 percent.

The figure is 13.7 percent for Malaysia and 10.2 percent for Singapore.

The report also stated that percentage of women leadership in Asia remains low, only higher than Latin America. Meanwhile, Europe has the highest ratio, with 22.8 percent of women in boards.   

In April, Vietnam was also ranked among top 10 countries which is most suitable for women-founded start-ups in a report of Mastercard.

Vietnamese firms urged to boost branding

Up to 80 percent of enterprises invest less than 5 percent of sales revenue in branding development, undermining the domestic and foreign market share for Vietnamese products. 

This was one of the issues discussed at a conference in Hanoi on June 21 on improving competitiveness through branding development.

The conference, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), was designed to discuss the current situation and trends and solutions in the development of Vietnamese brands, trends in consumption and the role of geographical indications in brand development.

Dang Thuy Ha, Director of Nielsen Vietnam, said that 80 to 90 percent of consumers say brand origin is more important than other product characteristics. Enterprises should therefore focus on consumer trends with specific customer groups and devise long-term development strategies.

"Enterprises should pay attention to increasing the advertisement of products and firms’ brand names on mass media, especially on the internet. At the same time, firms must also concentrate on domestic and international trademark registration,” Ha recommended.

Declan P Bannon, senior lecturer at British University Vietnam, said Vietnamese businesses should priortise researching and setting targets for better strategies than their competitors, and more importantly, to focus on the intrinsic customer-side of the business.

"Building branding creates a huge advantage in sales. However, to develop a brand, the products must be of high quality. Good branding will help boost sales. If consumers are happy with the quality of the products, they will buy more. When customers are favoured, even medium-quality products combined with good branding will help build the brand into the desired product," Declan analysed.

The Vietnam National Trademark Programme was launched in 2003 with the aim of building Vietnam’s reputation for diversified goods and services in order to improve competitiveness of Vietnamese brand names in domestic and international markets.

The programme also promotes the awareness of distributors and consumers of Vietnamese brand name products, builds the image of Vietnam as associated with the values of "quality, innovation, creativity, leadership". In addition, the programme helps raise the country’s prestige, pride and attractiveness, contributing to promoting tourism and attracting foreign investment.

Do Kim Lang, Deputy Director of the MoIT’s Trade Promotion Agency, affirmed that the strategy for brand development for major export products, on the basis of coordination between the product brand names and geographical indications for local brands, will create a favourable environment for branding development activities of enterprises.

At the same time, the promotion of national brands and national branded products through mass media channels or international trade events will help raise awareness of and national pride in domestic brand products.

JICA, Construction Ministry help improve construction management

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Construction Ministry co-hosted a training conference for the project “Strengthening capacity of cost estimation, contract management, quality and safety of construction works” in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on June 23. 

The project was launched in April 2015 and is scheduled to last till March 2018. 

According to JICA, Vietnam has maintained sustainable economic growth over the past years with the construction of major infrastructure works. However, accidents at construction sites and conflicts during project implementation still occurred due to limited management. 

Masajumi Yamauchi, chief of JICA project delegation, stressed the need to issue a system to evaluate contractors’ capacity to raise their awareness of construction management, quality and safety. 

Head of the Construction Ministry’s Department of International Cooperation Pham Khanh Toan said the event is expected to improve the use of public investment in construction and capacity of parties concerned, issues regarding construction bidding such as dumping and fraud.

Mekong Delta seeks ways for greener Tra fish industry

Mekong delta localities sought to achieve sustainable development for Tra fish farming in Vietnam at a conference in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on June 23.

At the conference, the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department introduced to participants Vietnam’s set of standards on frozen tra fish filets and the US’s guidelines on catfish inspection programme.

Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), presented an overview on Vietnam’s tra fish export, export barriers and solutions to these problems.

He recommended a need to issue certificates for goods traded through borders and to publicise information on China’s food safety standards and quarantine regulations.

In order to build a sustainable Tra fish industry, VASEP urged sides involved to focus on improving production management, expanding the market and diversifying products.

Enterprises were suggested to build brands and promote trade, while localities with concentrated tra fish farming areas were asked to invest in environmental examination, disease prevention, and materials quality.  

The Government has issued Decree 55/2017/ND-CP, which consists of specific regulations on registering identification number for ponds farming tra fish and regulations on quality and food safety for commercial tra fish products.

According to the Directorate of Fisheries, tra fish farms in Vietnam currently span 3,100 hectares in total.

As of June 15, Vietnam shipped over 582 million USD worth of tra fish products overseas, up 2.7 percent year on year.-

Policies hinders trading of local agricultural products

Policies continue to discourage the production and trade of local agricultural products, research findings by the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development show.

Policies concerning investment, land, business prerequisites, quarantine control and quality control, all have acted as barriers for business, said Tran Thi Thanh Nhan, a researcher from the institute.

“These problems are causing a lot of difficulties in management and discouraging firms from expanding production,” she said.

Nhan, using the meat industry as an example, said that consumer confidence in locally-produced products is lower than imported products and often has higher prices.

She said that the procedures for licences in animal husbandry and slaughter are complicated, while there are conflicts between relevant regulations and inconsistent translations between different State management agencies.

She added that there is a shortage of regulations in the following areas: criteria for safe and clean products, organic products and management of imported ones. This in turn makes it difficult to prevent fraud and ensure fair competition.

“Detailed instructions about origin tracing of agricultural products are needed,” Nhan said.

Nhan said that investment procedures must be further simplified for agricultural production projects, while land policies and regulations about quality standards and quality control must be transparent.

Ta Va Tuong, Director of Hanoi Husbandry Development Centre, said that it is necessary to cut intermediaries and develop an agricultural production value chain.

“The sector’s planning must focus on developing the value chain from production to processing and distribution,” Tuong said.

Experts said that it is also important to tighten management towards quality of agricultural products at traditional market.

Statistics show that more than 80 percent of pork, for example, is sold at traditional markets, where there lacks much regulation of slaughter and processing.

VEAM steps up manufacturing of machines for export

The Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM) said it will continue cooperating with domestic enterprises to produce machines for export. 

According to VEAM General Director Tran Ngoc Ha, the corporation will work with the Tran Hung Dao Mechanical Company to manufacture diesel engines for export. 

VEAM will also cooperate with the Agricultural Machine and Tractor Manufacturing Company to produce two-wheel diesel engine tractor platforms under export orders.

Other partners of VEAM will be the One-member Diesel Song Cong Co., Ltd, and the Southern Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. 

VEAM’s export revenue mainly comes from Sri Lanka, where VEAM set up links with many big partners. The Vietnamese firm is exporting handheld two-wheeled tractors to the market. 

Additionally, VEAM also has exported milling machines to Myanmar, and rubber rollers to Indonesia.

Vinalines Container launches first lighterage service in northern region

The Vinalines Container Shipping Company, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Shipping Lines (Vinalines), on June 23 launched its first-ever waterway lighterage service in the northern region, focusing on the Hai Phong-Viet Tri route.

The firm will operate 2-3 lighters per week from Hai Linh port in Viet Tri city of Phu Tho province to Hai Phong city.

Dinh Hai Bac, Director of Vinalines Container, said the company will provide trucking service for customers in Viet Tri before the containers are transported to Hai Phong and then central and southern localities.

Bac said that the service aims to diversify services, expand markets and reduce container trucks operating in Viet Tri area.

The Ministry of Transport assessed that currently, the domestic waterway transport is half cheaper than road transportation. Meanwhile, it is suitable for container transport, helping ease road transportation overload.

In the coming time, Vinalines Container will continue expanding its lighterage services in the Mekong Delta region, thus creating a service chain connecting economic zones, industrial parks and major commercial ports to improve productivity and reduce transport fees.

Earlier, a Vinalines’ port has cooperated with Hyundai Merchant Marine and ZIM International Shipping Line to connect major Asian ports to the Cai Lan international container port in the northern province of Quang Ninh, welcoming ships of up to 5,000 TEU to the port.-

SOE equitisation targets transparency

The equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) should be stepped up towards transparency in line with the market mechanism, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on June 23. 

Le Trong Sang, head of the HCM City department of business renewal and management, underlined the need to intensify inspection and supervision in order to avoid losses of State capital and assets. 

Besides, it is necessary to set up mechanisms to control capital for merger & acquisition activities and attract strategic investors, he said. 

Huynh An Trung, Director of Cholimex Food JSC, listed a range of bottlenecks in SOE equitisation like unreasonable labour policies and businesses’ embarrassment in solving arising problems during the process.

Additionally, enterprises have faced difficulties in identifying their business advantages and assessing land use rights, he said. 

Other delegates highlighted major challenges regarding the hand-over of assets, especial property in joint ventures.  

The workshop heard that by the end of 2016, businesses in HCM City had divested a total of 3.5 trillion VND (154 million USD). Ten SOEs are expected to divest capital this year.

RoK investors explore chances in Can Tho’s health care, construction

Officials of Can Tho city on June 23 met with a delegation from the Republic of Korea (RoK) which came to the Mekong Delta locality to enhance cooperation in health care and construction.

Haeseung Shin, Director of the RoK’s Gumi Gangdong Hospital, who led the delegation, said this was their fifth destination in an investment promotion trip to Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh and Soc Trang provinces, Can Tho city and Ho Chi Minh City.

The delegation had working sessions with the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee and People’s Council, the Can Tho General Hospital, the Hoan My Cuu Long Hospital, and some construction companies, through which they learned about local mechanisms and policies on attracting foreign investment, especially in these two fields, he noted.

He expressed his hope that the city will support RoK businesses in building medical equipment factories, and distributing medical equipment and materials. He added they also want to invest in construction, building material supply, and construction consultancy and supervision.

Valuing the sound cooperation between Can Tho and the RoK, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam said the RoK currently ranks first among foreign investors in his city.

To create an optimal investment climate for foreign firms, especially Koreans, aside from administrative procedure reforms, Can Tho has also paid attention to upgrading “hard” and “soft” infrastructure, particularly for big health care and education projects.

Nam noted in the first half of 2017, the city also sent many investment promotion delegations to step up cooperation with the RoK in smart city building, hi-tech agriculture, and education-training.

As of May 2017, Can Tho accommodated nine RoK investment projects with total registered capital of 247 million USD, along with the 17.7 million USD Korea Vietnam Incubator Park, which uses official development assistance (ODA) from the RoK. Another ODA project on supporting the mechanisation of Vietnam’s agriculture in Can Tho is being considered by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, according to the municipal Department of External Affairs.

Four other projects sponsored by RoK non-governmental organisations are also underway in the Vietnamese city. They provide health care for children and woman and training on the Korean language and culture for women who prepare to marry Korean citizens.

In 2016, Can Tho posted 9.5 million USD in exports to and 6.9 million USD in imports from the RoK. The respective figures were 2.1 million USD and 1.7 million USD in the first four months of this year.

Enabling Boat: ICT training for coastal youth empowerment     

Microsoft Viet Nam, Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development, and other stakeholders on Friday launched project “Enabling Boat” in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The project aims to support disadvantaged youth in the coastal area get access to information, communication and technology (ICT), adapting to the digital era, improving their livelihood and increasing awareness about marine conservation.

In 2017, the project will target local youth of the resettled fishing villages and others who live in remote coastal areas without much access to learning facilities. The project is jointly implemented by a group of diverse partners working toward the benefit of the coastal community. Key activities include ICT and computer sciences training, organising events to raise awareness about marine conservation, environmental protection and climate change adaptation.

It is expected that 150 local trainers and NGO staff will be engaged in training. Some 200 youths will be trained and at least 2,000 people will be benefited through training and awareness raising events.

Moreover, 50,000 community members will be provided with access to information and learning opportunities via various communication campaigns.

Vu Minh Tri, general director of Microsoft Viet Nam, shared “With this project, Microsoft offers a new technology approach which is need-based through locally driven activities adapting to the situation of disadvantaged youth living in coastal fishing villages who do not have sufficient access to basic ICT education. Enabling Boat not only brings ICT education to underserved youths, but also connects them to the world.”

Conference discusses development of smart cities     

Around 50 enterprises and State agencies nationwide gathered at a conference to discuss the development of smart cities in Ha Noi on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the ictnews website.

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the US Embassy in Viet Nam and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

Rapid urbanisation has resulted in numerous challenges, such as the aging population growth, environmental issues, budget cuts, health issues and sustainable development, said Nguyen Thanh Phuc, director general of the MIC’s Authority of Information Technology Application, at the event.

These challenges put pressure on the urbanisation process to adjust to become a more sustainable city. This shift will make the city smarter, he said.

Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA acting director, said that an important factor in building smart cities is the rapid urbanisation globally, from Africa to Southeast Asia. The process of urbanisation is causing problems for cities and provinces nationwide.

Phuc also said that one of the factors playing an important role in this shift was information and communication technology (ICT). “ICT is a tool that helps a city address one or more specific issues, not the goal for the development of the city.”

Phuc also emphasised that another key issue to consider when developing smart cities is to ensure sustainable development.

Viet Nam differs from places like Dubai and Singapore, especially in terms of its limited resources, therefore, besides focusing resources on solving urgent issues, it’s necessary to clearly define mechanisms that ensure long term operations, especially finance.

Regarding the implementation of smart cities in Viet Nam, he also noted the research and planning of smart city deployment gives us a general view but it must be closely intertwined with IT applications, e-government and information systems to serve the government and people.

IT applications and e-government systems will help create a smarter government, which is a core element in the development of smart cities.

He also said that since the beginning of last year, the ministry has promoted international co-operation to facilitate learning experiences from developed cities, important technology platforms, technical standards and review of ICT applications to determine the necessary conditions for the development and deployment of smarter cities.

At the same time, provinces such as Ha Noi, Thua Thien Hue, Lam Dong, HCM City, Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc and Bac Ninh also started building and approving planning schemes regarding smart urban development.

Viet Nam gets nod to export poultry to Japan     

Viet Nam will export processed chicken for the first time, starting with Japan, as it has got a go-ahead from the Japanese government and the department of animal health.

On Thursday, Norio Kumagai, director general of Japan’s department of animal health (DAH), sent Letter 29/shoouan/1941 to Viet Nam’s DAH, stating that Japan will now accept the import of poultry and processed poultry products from Dong Nai-based Koyu & Unitek Co. Ltd.

This is the first time that a business has been allowed to export Vietnamese poultry, and that too to Japan, which is known to be one of the most difficult markets in the world.

Pham Van Dong, director of Viet Nam’s DAH, told the Nong Nghiep Viet Nam (Vietnam agriculture) newspaper that since June 2016, the DAH has been guiding and supporting Koyu & Unitek to come up with a scheme to “build a self-contained production chain for processed poultry to export to the Japanese market”. The plan was then submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for approval.

The DAH collaborated with Koyu & Unitek and drew up a surveillance plan for poultry diseases and food safety, ensuring that the company’s processing plant complies with Japanese standards.

On May 29-30, Japan’s DAH sent an inspection delegation to Viet Nam to observe and evaluate Koyu & Unitek’s poultry production chain. Soon after, the delegation determined that the poultry meets hygiene requirements for export to the Japanese market.

“After a year of negotiations with Japan and preparations to meet their requirements, Viet Nam has completed all procedures to export poultry and processed poultry products to Japan, a market which has very strict food safety requirements compared to other countries,” Dong said.

The DAH will continue to help Koyu & Unitek register to export poultry to the European Union and other markets, as well as expand its processing plant in the southeast region of Viet Nam.

Enterprises that want to export poultry and poultry products should contact the DAH, which will guide companies on building processing plants with self-contained production chain that can strictly control all stages of production, from breeding to slaughter, to fulfil the requirements of countries importing the products, Dong said. They will have to use advanced technology to meet importers’ requirements on technique, quality and hygiene, he said.      

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