A startup festival (Techfest) for the south-central and Central Highlands region is being held in Khanh Hoa province, aiming to promote the startup spirit of research institutes, universities, colleges, the business community, organisations and individuals, and encourage innovation in production and business.

The festival, the first of its kind to be held in Khanh Hoa, is intended to create and promote the innovative startup ecosystem in the province and the south-central and Central Highlands regions at large, and connect it with the national and global ecosystems.

It will also offer an opportunity for State management agencies and all-level authorities to review policies for startups and innovation.

The two-day event, which is part of Techfest Vietnam 2022, is being co-organised by provincial People’s Committee and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

It will feature seminars with the participation of domestic and foreign experts on topics such as digital transformation in healthcare and education, a contest seeking startup and innovation talents, and an exhibition displaying 500 technology and OCOP products.

Plenty of opportunities for trade expansion with South Africa: Official

There are plenty of opportunities for Vietnamese goods to enter South Africa and the regional countries, and for the two sides to boost business in multiple areas, Pham Thanh Hai, head of the Trade Office in South Africa, told Vietnam News Agency on August 19.

South Africa has been the African country with the largest two-way trade volume with Vietnam, he said on the sidelines of a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vietnamese trade offices overseas.

The annual bilateral trade stood at over 1.3 billion USD, with Vietnam’s exports to South Africa exceeding 800 million USD and imports, nearly 500 million USD.

Hai outlined three fields that the two countries should focus on in order to strengthen bilateral relations – trade of fruits, investment, and trade of fuel and materials.

To boost fruit exports to South Africa, he advised Vietnamese exporters to pay more attention to processing and selling high value-added products, such as canned juices, dried fruits, jams, and fruit teas.

Vietnam has imported a large volume of coal from South Africa as input for thermal power plants over the last several years, he said, adding that the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy will sign a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in mining in the coming time.

He noted that it is the highest official agreement in mining between the two governments, expected to facilitate bilateral trade in mining and energy.

South-central provinces promote tourism with India

Tourism regulators from five south-central coastal provinces of Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa and travel agencies from both Vietnam and India gathered in the resort city of Nha Trang for a tourism promotion conference on August 19.

Jointly held by the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism and the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, the event promoted destinations of the south-central region and India; and discussed the possible launch of a direct air route between Khanh Hoa’s Cam Ranh International Airport and India, and ways to strengthen bilateral ties in the field.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Pham Van Thuy highlighted great potential for Vietnam and India to develop partnership in tourism, saying by the end of 2022, there will be 21 direct air routes connecting the two countries, with more than 60 flights available weekly.

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Hai said the Vietnam-India connectivity is now stronger than ever. Given that tourists from Vietnam and India are showing increasing interest in each other’s destinations, both countries should take measures to boost travel and push for the opening of direct air routes, he said.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verman, for his part, said Khanh Hoa and other south-central provinces hold great potential to become favourite destinations to Indian visitors and the strong connectivity are providing opportunities for accelerating tourism promotion between the two sides.

Vietnam to soon apply Logistics Competitiveness Index

There will be rankings and evaluations of competitiveness designed for the logistics industry and its businesses as an effort to make it a high value-added service sector, according to Le Duy Hiep, Chairman of the Vietnam Logistics Association (VLA).

One of those is the Logistics Competitiveness Index (LCI), a tool recently launched to measure the growth level, quality and infrastructure of the logistics and assess policies of provincial administrations to develop the industry.

The LCI will provide a ranking for each unit and local administration and show where they need to improve, giving policymakers a much-needed overview of the sector, said Le Thanh Ha from the VCCI’s Legal Department.

Hiep said the index will offer a panorama of the sector in different cities and provinces, on the basis of which policymakers can design policies for local development.

It will provide an insight and an explanation of why there are gaps among cities and provinces in the growth of logistics, he noted, adding that regulators can refer to the LCI indicators for evaluation of various economic reforms and, in the long run, the index will help cut down logistics costs and support production for export.

National action plan on anti-money laundering approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has signed a decision on the National Plan of Action on prevention and control of money laundering, terrorism financing and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction for the 2021-2025 period.

The overall aim of the plan is building an effective mechanism against money laundering, terrorism financing and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, for the sake of peace, stability, development and integration, thus improving Vietnam’s prestige and position in the international community and fulfilling Vietnam’s responsibility for being a member of the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).

It is to best protect interests of the nation, organisations and individuals, thus strengthening stability of financial organisations, contributing to ensuring social security, safety and order, and promoting economic growth. 

Accordingly, it advocates perfecting the legal framework and building relevant legal documents that match realities at home and meeting international standards; improving the efficiency of assessing risks of money laundering, terror financing and financing of the proliferation of mass destruction weapons; and enhancing inspection toward taking a risk-based approach and continuing to strengthen investigation, prosecution, trials and reclamation of assets, especially in high-risk fields.

Under the plan, ministries concerned will propose regulations on administrative fines related to virtual assets as well as enhance inspection in fields under their management.

Core5 Hai Phong to offer 96,000 sq.m of warehouses for lease

Indochina Kajima Development Company, a joint venture between Vietnam's Indochina Capital and Japan’s Kajima Corporation, on August 19 began the construction of Core5 Hai Phong at the Deep C2 Industrial Zone in the northern port city of Hai Phong.

Core5 Hai Phong is expected to provide 96,000 sq.m of warehouses for lease that meet international standards. The handover the warehouses is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.

Indochina Kajima officially launched Core5 Vietnam, a Vietnam based industrial real estate investment and development platform focused on the nationwide roll-out of world class factory and warehouse properties for lease throughout Vietnam’s key manufacturing and logistics markets, on July 6.

Peter Ryder, Chairman of Wink Hotels and CEO of Indochina Capital, said Kajima and Indochina Capital plan to invest 1 billion USD in Core5 Vietnam in the next five-seven years.

Bac Giang ships first batch of late-ripening longan to Australia

A conference was held in Yen The district, the northern province of Bac Giang on August 19 to announce the first shipment of Yen The late-ripening longan to Australia this year. 

At the event, the People’s Committee of Yen The district also presented a decision recognising VietGap-standard longan area to Hao Thanh cooperative. 

Bac Giang is now home to about 3,400ha of longans with a total output of nearly 20,000 tonnes, mostly in Luc Ngan, Luc Nam, Yen The and Lang Giang district. Of which, late-ripening longan covers over 600ha. 

The province has so far granted 47 codes for 514ha with 4,000 tonnes for export to China, and 52.92 ha with some 450 tonnes for export to Australia. 

PM chairs teleconference with trade representative offices abroad

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a teleconference with Vietnamese trade representative offices abroad on August 19 linked with 62 locations.

The PM affirmed that in the first seven months of this year, Vietnam continued to see positive results in socio-economic development. Import-export turnover topped 433 billion USD, up 15.3% annually, and is expected to reach nearly 800 billion USD this year. Social welfare as well as social safety and order have been guaranteed while external affairs and global integration have been promoted.

He partly attributed that to foreign trade activities that are directly conducted by the industry and trade sector with a network of trade offices abroad.

Amid complicated and uncertain developments in the region and the world, he asked the sector and trade representative offices to study markets, offer policy consultations, and provide support for domestic firms in building and adjusting plans to tap opportunities from new-generation free trade agreements of which Vietnam is a member.

The PM suggested ministries, agencies and trade representative offices examine policies in their host countries, and offer suggestions to help localities, sectors and domestic firms diversify goods, expand exports and diversify supply chains.

They were also asked to offer solutions to difficulties as well as share their aspirations related to policies, living and working conditions.

Moon cake brands prepare for upcoming mid-autumn festival

Moon cake producers are launching many new products ahead of the mid-autumn festival next month. The market this year is forecast to be a special year as last year's festival was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic so sellers could not set up booths to sell moon cakes as usual.

Food producer KIDO Group this year plans to sell over 300 tonnes of moon cakes under KIDO’s Bakery brand. The company said that KIDO’s Bakery moon cakes will hit the market from the beginning of this month. The cakes will be sold in both online and offline channels. Online, the cakes will be available on Lazada, Tiki, and Shoppe, and offline at nearly 600,000 KIDO stores and the Chuk Chuk tea and coffee beverage chain in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam announced that to ensure its moon cakes reach consumers easily, safely, and conveniently, this year, the company expanded to nearly 1,000 points of sale, bringing the total number of moon cake distribution points to 13,500 stores nationwide. Now consumers can buy their favourite moon cakes from any Kinh Do store, supermarket, convenience store, or buy from major online shopping channels such as Lazada, Tiki, Shopee, and food delivery app Grab.

Starbucks Vietnam is also ready for the mid-autumn by launching the “Mid-Autumn Festival” collection which is now is available at Starbucks stores and at the online Starbucks Flagship store at LazMall and Shopee.

The products will be four cakes of green tea, roseberry, coffee with egg yolk and Monthong Durian with egg yolk, at a cost of 680,000 VND (28 USD). Meanwhile, the box of two cakes will have green tea and coffee with egg yolk at 380,000 VND (16 USD).

For the mid-autumn this year, companies are focusing on products that are healthy for customers.

PM directs export growth plan to RoK

Ministries, agencies and localities have been asked to seek solutions to diversify products and boost exports to the Republic of Korea (RoK), especially via Korean companies in Vietnam. It was part of the announcement made by the Government Office on August 19 about the Prime Minister’s conclusions on his working session with the RoK Embassy and Korean enterprises in Vietnam.

The announcement stated that after hearing opinions from the Korean Ambassador to Vietnam, representatives of Korean firms in Vietnam and leaders of ministries, agencies and localities, as well as suggestions by the RoK Embassy and Korean firms in Vietnam, the PM assigned ministries, agencies and localities to promptly deal with difficulties and problems that could be solved immediately under their authority.

For complex and unsolved issues, they must promptly outline orientations in the spirit of harmonising interests and sharing difficulties and submit them to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) before August 30 to report to the PM.

The MPI will collect suggestions to send to ministries, agencies and localities, and at the same time, regularly update and report the settlement of suggestions to the PM in October.

CIEM launches report on circular business models

The Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) in collaboration with the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam hosted a launch workshop for a report on “Circular Business Models: International Experience and Application in Vietnam” in Hanoi on August 19.

The event announced the findings of a study on the current status of circular business models and recommendations to facilitate the development of these models in Vietnam.

Discussions focused on the importance of circular business, international experience in developing circular businesses and the current situation of this type of business model in Vietnam. A number of recommendations were also put forward to improve the regulatory framework.

PM to chair conference promoting development of northern midland, mountainous regions

A conference announcing the Government’s Action Programme implementing the Politburo’s Resolution No.11 on directions to intensify socio-economic development and ensure national defence and security in the northern midland and mountainous regions by 2030, with a vision to 2045 will be held on August 27 in Lao Cai province.

With the theme of “Potential – Opportunities – Development Cooperation”, the conference is expected to attract the participation of around 600 delegates, who are representatives from ministries, sectors, localities, international organisations, and the business communities both at home and abroad.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh plans to chair the event.

Rice exports up but prices down in seven months

Vietnam exported roughly 4.08 million tonnes of rice in the first seven months of 2022 to earn over 1.99 billion USD, up 17.3% and 6%, respectively, against the same period last year, customs data shows.

Despite a hike on export turnover, the average export price dropped 9.6% during the period to 488.9 USD per tonne. It is likely that rice prices will not increase in the coming time as a result of low demand and abundant supply from major exporters.

Generally, the market is currently weak, with low purchasing power, said Nguyen Van Don, Director of Viet Hung Co., Ltd, a food exporter based in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang. Since the start of this year, Vietnam mostly exported to the Philippines while shipments to China declined significantly.

Exports to other markets, though stable, remained small, he continued, so the rice market will probably stay stagnant until the end of the summer-fall crop.

Inventory of importers are rising so it is unlikely that prices would improve, said Do Ha Nam, Vice President of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). Meanwhile, bumper harvest is forcing exporters to boost sales, he added.

According to VFA, 5% broken rice fetched 393 USD per tonne and the 25% broken rice, 378 USD per tonne on August 17. The prices were lower than those of Thailand, but higher than India’s and Pakistan’s.

The Philippines was biggest buyer of Vietnam's rice, accounting for 48.6% of total export volume and 46.6% of total value in the seven-month period. It imported 1.98 million tonnes of rice, worth nearly 924.9 million USD, from Vietnam, up 67% and 40%, respectively, year-on-year.

It was followed by China that made up over 11.4% of the total volume and 12.2% of the total revenue. Exports to the neighbouring country slid 28% year-on-year in both volume and value.

Nam anticipated that Vietnam will ship abroad some 2 million tonnes of rice in the remaining months to raise total export volume of the entire year to over 6 million tonnes, worth about 3 billion USD.

Central, Central Highlands localities strengthen industry-trade cooperation

Industry and trade officials of 15 provinces and centrally-run cities in the central and Central Highlands region met in Phan Rang-Thap Chap city in Ninh Thuan province on August 19 to discuss measures to enhance cooperation to complete their tasks in the rest of the year.

Participants highlighted a number of difficulties they are facing, and made a number of requests to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, including those related to industrial clusters, supporting industries, industrial explosives, industrial promotion, minerals, chemical environment, food safety, trade, and energy.

This year, the central and Central Highlands region aims to maintain an industrial production growth higher than the national average rate and a year-on-year 11.5% increase in the retail sales of goods and services. The region also targets a 6.7% rise in export revenue, and a reduction of 2% in import value.

The central and Central Highlands region is home to 11 economic zones that host 726 investment projects, along with 50 industrial parks with 1,834 projects. Alongside, 196 out of 242 industrial clusters have been put into operation, drawing 2,168 projects.

At the event, participants agreed to organise the next meeting in 2023 in Dak Nong.

Workshop helps fresh fruit exporters learn about China’s new regulations

Exporting fresh fruit in the context of China implementing Decrees 248, 249 and strengthening cold-chain food imports control were the topics of discussion at a workshop in the south central province of Binh Thuan on August 19.

The event was co-organised by the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (Vietnam SPS) and the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

According to the Vietnam SPS, China is currently the main market for Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export. However, it is setting higher requirements for agricultural imports, especially regarding traceability, food safety and hygiene, and COVID-19 prevention and control.

China’s Decree 248 on regulations on the registration and administration of overseas producers of imported food requires that all overseas food manufacturers, processors, and storage facilities be registered with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to export product to the country.

Meanwhile, under Degree 249 on administrative measures on import and export food safety, exporters are responsible for food safety even if their products have been shipped to China. Both decrees took effect on January 1, 2022.

Vietnam SPS Director Le Thanh Hoa said the workshop aims to inform local firms on the decrees so that they can come up with suitable solutions and orientations to ensure export to this big and potential market.

Reports presented gave information on a series of matters, including fresh fruit exports, food safety management, plantations, packaging and plant quarantine, among others.

Currently, Vietnam has 11 kinds of fruits that are exported via official channels to China. Of these fruits, Vietnam has signed with China protocols on phytosanitary requirements for three kinds, including mangosteen, passion fruit and durian.

Last year, Vietnam exported 3.55 billion USD worth of vegetables and fruits, up 8.6% from a year earlier. Of the figure, 1.9 billion USD came from shipments to China, an increase of 3%.

However, vegetable and fruit exports plunged 9.6 percent year-on-year to 508 million USD in the first two months of 2022 due to a sharp decrease in shipments to China, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Shipments to China fell nearly 26 percent year-on-year to worth 261 million USD in the period as a result of the neighbouring country’s stricter rules on imported food, causing severe backlogs at shared borders in the north.

Vingroup CEO dreams of a ‘silicon valley’ for Vietnam

Vingroup, the largest private economic conglomerate of Vietnam, is expected to build a global innovations centre in Khanh Hoa to serve as a ‘silicon valley’ in Khanh Hoa province in the next three years.

Vingroup CEO Nguyen Viet Quang revealed the group’s ambitious plan at a national conference on the labour market hosted by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 20.

“In the next three years, Vingroup will open a global innovation centre in Cam Lam district of Khanh Hoa province to bring together the world’s leading experts who own patents and in-depth research,” Quang said at the event as quoted by local media outlets.

“We will offer optimum conditions to turn the centre into a silicon valley of Vietnam,” he went on to say.

According to the CEO, Vingroup currently has 45,000 employees, and the figure is expected to rise to 150,000 in the next three years.

“Vingroup is in dire need of recruiting up to 100,000 employees for development projects in Vietnam, and we will offer best treatment policies to help them work with peace of mind,” he said.  

Nearly 1,000 experts from 20 developed economies around the world are working for Vingroup to help implement production development projects, and especially get involved in human resource training to generate international quality personnel.

Vietnam imports 9,906 CBU cars in first half of August

Vietnam spent approximately US$206.25 million on importing 9,906 completely built units (CBU) in the first half of August, according to the latest statistics released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The most imported cars were nine-seater vehicles with import turnover reaching US$147.6 million, representing a surge of 67.9% compared to the second half of July 58.62% against the same period from last year.

Since the beginning of the year to August 15 Vietnam had imported 87,909 CBU vehicles, a sharp fall compared to 105,579 units imported in the corresponding period last year.

This decline can largely be attributed to the shortage of semiconductor chips, along with the supply chain disruption that has resulted in a drop in the production output of automobiles by factories throughout the region.

Thailand retains its leading supplier with nearly 31,800 vehicles, followed by Indonesia and China with 28,109 and 12,104 vehicles, respectively.

Int’l Woodworking Industry Fair 2022 bound for HCM City this October

The Vietnam International Woodworking Industry Fair (Vietnamwood 2022) is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from Oct. 18 – 21, announced Chan Chao International Co., Ltd, an organizer of the event.

VietnamWood 2022 will introduce cutting–edge technologies, solutions, and innovations put forward by exhibitors from 22 countries and regions from around the world, including Germany, Austria, the United States, France, Canada, and Taiwan (China), as well as updating information on new technology developments.

The fair is expected to greatly contribute to promoting the wood processing and furniture manufacturing industry and helping Vietnam grow into one of the leading furniture manufacturing hubs in Southeast Asia.

Upgrading navigation channel to Cái Mép-Thị Vải port cluster approved

The Ministry of Transport has approved a VNĐ1.4 trillion (US$59.6 million) project to upgrade the capacity of the navigation channel leading ships into the Cái Mép – Thị Vải port cluster in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu province, a move that will allow passage of mega vessels (over 18,000 TEU).

The port cluster in Phú Mỹ Township is an important international transit port, contributing greatly to the country’s socio-economic development.

However, the navigational channel leading ships into the port cluster now only has a water depth of 14m which prevents massive ships from docking at the ports.

As a result, when a large vessel arrives at the ports, the number of containers can only reach 45-50 per cent of the vessel’s maximum capacity.

The project aims to enhance the port cluster’s operational efficiency by developing international gateway ports in the southern province to boost trade in the region.

The upgrading of the navigation channel will start from buoy No.0 to the upstream of the Cái Mép International Terminal (CMIT) to facilitate the access of ships of 160,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) with a full load, 120,000 DWT vessels for two-way operation and ships 200,000 DWT/18,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20-foot container) offloaded or larger for one-way operation.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes