The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some 95.81 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 percent.

Vietnam’s trade balance posted positive, 1.29 billion USD, in the first two months of the year, the General Department of Customs said on December 28.

The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some 95.81 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 percent. Of the total, exports amounted to 48.55 billion USD, a yearly hike of 23.2 percent, while imports were estimated at 47.26 billion USD, or 25.9 percent higher than the same time last year.

Foreign-invested companies accounted for 76.4 percent, or 37.07 billion USD, of Vietnam’s total export turnover. Meanwhile, the domestic sector shipped abroad 11.48 billion USD worth of products.

There were nine commodities joining the billion-USD export club, including telephones and parts (9.3 billion USD, up 22.8 percent year-on-year); electronics, computers and parts (6.9 billion USD, up 27.3 percent); equipment, machines and parts (5.5 billion USD, up 72.6 percent); footwear (3.2 billion USD, up 15.4 percent); and wood and wooden products (2.4 billion USD, up 51 percent). They made up 73 percent of the country’s export turnover.
Vietnam also saw strong surge in shipments of several agricultural products, such as fruits and vegetables (610 million USD, rising 14.6 percent), rubber (516 million USD, increasing 109.7 percent), cashew (442 million USD, up 21.5 percent), and cassava (256 million USD, hiking 78.2 percent).

The US was Vietnam’s biggest importer as it splashed out 14.2 billion USD on Vietnamese products, or 38.2 percent higher than the amount it spent the same time last year. China came second with 8.5 billion USD, followed by the EU with 6.3 billion USD, ASEAN 4.2 billion USD, the Republic of Korea 3.4 billion USD, and Japan 3.2 billion USD.

Meanwhile, the country spent big (47.26 billion USD) on imports, with foreign-invested sector purchasing 31.64 billion USD worth of products from abroad for production, up 31.4 percent, while that of the domestic sector surged 16 percent to 15.62 billion USD.

In the two-month period, China was the largest exporter of Vietnam, with revenue estimated at 17.3 billion USD, up 85.7 percent year-on-year, followed by the Republic of Korea with 8.4 billion USD, ASEAN 5.6 billion USD, Japan 3.1 billion USD, EU 2.3 billion USD, and the US 2.1 billion USD.

In a bid to support local firms in promoting production and exports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that it will work to capitalise on opportunities from the signed free trade agreements to seek measures for market development. Additionally, it will keep close watch on the global market to identify key export products, while paying due heed to penning measures for market development./.

Switzerland-Vietnam business group debuts

The Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland has recently held a ceremony to launch the non-profit Switzerland-Vietnam business group (SVBG), which aims at promoting exchanges and investment and trade cooperation between enterprises of the two nations.

Based in Lausanne, the SVBG, the first of its kind founded by Vietnamese expatriates in Switzerland, has been set to focus on offering trade information via workshops, forums, and internal bulletins; providing legal consultations and guidance; developing links for technological transfers and improvement; and introducing quality human resources. It will also make recommendations for more favourable business climate to competent agencies of both nations, while organising socio-cultural activities serving its goals.

Speaking at the debut ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan stressed the group came into being at a special time as Vietnam has placed the COVID-19 pandemic under control and prepared best conditions possible to welcome Swiss investors.

In 2020, Vietnam’s economy grew 2.91 percent, making it one of the few countries that have maintained positive GDP growth while many others in the world fell into severe recession. Also in August last year, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement took effect, opening up huge trade and investment opportunities for both sides. In last November, as the Chair of the ASEAN, Vietnam successfully pushed the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), establishing the biggest free trade area worldwide.

According to the diplomat, Switzerland is the 6th largest European investor in Vietnam, with its investment totaling 2 billion USD, mostly in manufacturing – processing and electricity. Currently, close to 100 Swiss firms are operating in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is the four biggest trade partner of Switzerland in ASEAN, with bilateral trade exceeding 3.6 billion USD in 2019. Since 2012, Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – began negotiations for a FTA, which is expected to be signed this year.

As scheduled, the SVBG will make debut to its Swiss partners at the Webinar Market Focus Vietnam that the group co-hosts with the embassy and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services./.

Shopping online, a new trend amid COVID-19 pandemic

Online shopping has been increasingly welcomed by Vietnamese consumers since the outbreak of COVID-19. Even though the pandemic has now been largely brought under control, many have continued with this way of shopping due to its convenience.  

Many online shopping apps were introduced during the COVID-19 outbreak, creating fierce competition between e-commerce platforms despite the market being relatively new.

Online shopping platforms are forecast to redefine Vietnamese people’s shopping habits even after the pandemic. Experts, however, have recommended that people follow prestigious brands to avoid counterfeit goods./.

Kien Giang keen to become sea-based economic powerhouse by 2025

Boasting 200 km of coastline and 143 islands, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is striving to branch out its maritime sector and become a sea-based economic powerhouse by 2025.

The move aims to contribute to realising the “Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy by 2030 with a Vision to 2045”.

According to Standing Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Mai Van Huynh, the province is prioritising building its maritime sector to boost economic development while protecting the environment and strengthening national defence at sea and on islands.

Major investments have been made in several spearhead industries, such as seafood, tourism-marine services, energy, and maritime industry, among others, helping the province rank second among the 13 Mekong Delta localities in terms of maritime economic development in 2020.

The sea-based economy accounted for 79.75 percent of the local gross regional domestic product (GRDP) during the year, he added.

High-capacity fishing vessels have been built to bolster off-shore fishing, contributing to sustainable fisheries and the protection of the nation’s sovereignty over sea and islands.

With vast fishing grounds and a strong fleet, the province’s annual seafood output tops 500,000 tonnes and its aquaculture yield was estimated at more than 264,100 tonnes in 2020. 

Kien Giang is working to secure a total seafood catch and aquaculture output of 800,000 tonnes by 2025.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, farming areas in Phu Quoc city, Kien Hai island district, the island commune of Tien Hai in Ha Tien city, and Son Hai and Hon Nghe in Kien Luong district will focus on farming groupers, cobias, yellow-fin pompanos, and seabass, as well as blue lobster, mantis shrimp, crab, and oysters for pearl farming.

Meanwhile, coastal areas in Ha Tien city and the districts of Kien Luong, Hon Dat, An Minh, and An Bien will develop zones for farming molluscs such as blood cockles, saltwater mussels, green mussels, and oysters.

Furthermore, due attention will be paid to high-tech aquaculture, the development of quality staples with high economic value, and measures to prevent illegal fishing.

Local maritime tourism has become a locomotive for growth of the tourism sector, with renowned destinations like Phu Quoc Island. A huge amount of capital has been injected into Phu Quoc city for years, most of which comes from strategic investors like Vingroup, Sun Group, BIM Group, and CEO Group.

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, the province welcomed over 5.2 million visitors in 2020, accounting for 55.8 percent of the plan but down 40.7 percent year-on-year. Revenue from tourism services was put at more than 7.8 trillion VND (339.8 million USD), or 39.3 percent of the target, and down 57.7 percent compared to 2019.

Local tourism is seeing a sound recovery thanks to supportive stimulus measures.

The province will sharpen its focus on tourism infrastructure at key attractions, including Phu Quoc Island, which is to become a world-class marine eco-tourism services hub.

Vice Director of the Department of Tourism Bui Quoc Thai said the province encourages all economic sectors to build and diversify local tourism products, as well as join in efforts to form a major tourism centre.

Regarding energy development, the province prioritises investment in wind power, electrification, solar power, and many other sources of renewable energy.

In the meantime, it has plans to build coastal roads and improve logistics services, while working to preserve ocean biodiversity and restore ocean ecosystems, in particular protecting mangrove forest in tandem with the effective and sustainable exploitation of marine resources./.

Cargo throughput at sea ports posts positive growth in January

More than 62 million tonnes of goods were handled at Vietnam's sea ports in the first month of 2021, up 17 percent on year despite COVID-19.

Of the total figure, container throughput exceeded 2.2 million TEU, an annual increase of 27 percent.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province recorded the highest growth in cargo throughput, at 29 percent, followed by the Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City ports, at 26 and 27 percent, respectively.

According to a representative from the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, the volume of goods shipped by sea was affected by not only the pandemic, but also the shortage of ship space and empty containers, and a slowdown in the Vietnamese export market and the global supply chains./.

High-tech farming needs investment and proper policies

Vietnam’s agriculture sector is aiming to be among the 15 most developed countries in the world, in which the agricultural processing sector ranks among the top 10 countries by 2030.

To realise the goal, the Government issued a resolution in 2019 on measures to encourage businesses to invest in effective, safe and sustainable agriculture as part of efforts to help the sector integrate globally.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) recently submitted to the Government a project of export promotion of agro-fishery products by 2030.

The export turnover is expected to reach 50-51 billion USD by 2025 and 60-62 billion USD in 2030.

To implement the target, the MARD will review and propose policies for investment attraction from private and foreign investors into the agro-fishery product processing industry.

For the last five years, there has been a wave of investment into agricultural production with 52,000 businesses, of which the firms directly participating in production hit 13,300, triple the figure of 2015.

The businesses’ participation not only contributed improve the value of agricultural products but also helped farmers access international standards.

In 2020 alone, 18 new factories for agro-product processing opened, a positive signal in improving Vietnam’s agricultural sector.

However, according to experts, although investment in agriculture has flourished in recent years with the participation of many new tycoons, it has not become a strong wave.

Notably, the majority of agricultural enterprises are still small, of which 90 percent are small and super small with capital of less than 10 billion VND (430,000 USD) while the number of enterprises investing in high-tech agriculture is even more modest.

Tran Van Tan, Chairman of Safe and Organic Businesses’ Association of Thanh Hoá Province in central Vietnam, said: “Agricultural businesses had many difficulties in accessing preferential policies leading to difficulties in seeking assistance.”

“Capital was also a big problem. To have the capital to buy agricultural land from farmers was a difficult problem,” said Tan.

“Access to capital from banks was not easy due to many procedures that agricultural enterprises struggled to meet,” he said.

“The accumulation of land to invest in setting up high-tech agricultural zones was also difficult so it required the help from local governments,” he added.

Similarly, Nguyen Thi Diem Hang, Director of the Vietnam Organic Farm Company, said initial expenses for high-tech farming were always higher than traditional farming while high-tech production did not bring immediate economic benefits.

Access to capital and land were also tough problems for agricultural enterprises, Hang said.

“It is necessary to increase the number of businesses taking part in the processing industry to become a kernel for 8.6 million farmers nationwide,” the director said.

“On the other hand, promoting science and technology to produce hi-tech agro-product is an inevitable trend,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ha Van Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Agriculture Businesses’ Association, said the thing most businesses needed was a legal framework for high-tech farming development.

There was a need for incentive policies such as simplifying loan procedures and completing criteria of high-tech agricultural enterprises to easily access bank loans.

Policies on land accumulation and granting land use right certificates, houses and properties attached with land ownership must be improved, according to Thang.

According to experts, to attract investment in agriculture it was necessary to cut 40-50 per cent of current administrative procedures, improve the business environment and develop businesses substantially.

At the same time, reviews are needed to avoid overlaps in management and inspection and not let one product be subject to the management of too many units. Management methods should change to post-check from pre-check.

Besides, there must be clear planning of material zones connecting with businesses as well as support for the training of human resources for high-tech farming./.

Viet Nam aviation is among fastest growing markets
 
One slide from Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) ranks Viet Nam in the top 5 countries which add the most airlines capacity between 2010-19.

Southeast Asia will need 4,400 new airplanes valued at US$700 billion to support expanding demand for air travel over the next 20 years, said Darren Hulst, Boeing vice president of Commercial Marketing.

In an online conference yesterday, Hulst quoted Boeing’s 2020 Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), saying: “The intra-Southeast Asian market will become the fifth largest in the world by 2039, and the vast domestic and regional air-travel network across the region positions it well for a post-pandemic recovery.”

With low-cost carriers providing affordable service and added capacity, CMO estimated traffic growth in Southeast Asia to grow by 5.7 per cent annually in the next 20 years, making the region the second largest aviation market in the Asia-Pacific region after China.

Boeing, at the same time, projected the region’s commercial airplane fleet to grow 5.3 per cent annually during the period while the demand for aftermarket commercial services could reach US$790 billion.

Hulst said: “Southeast Asia’s fundamental growth drivers remain robust. With an expanding middle-class and growth in private consumption, the region’s economy has grown by nearly 70 per cent over the last decade, which increases propensity to travel,” adding: “Governments in the region continue to recognise the travel and tourism sectors as important drivers of economic growth.”

Boeing’s vice president said: “Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia and the Philippines are the markets that most contribute to the growth in the global aviation market. They are also places with more room for expansion because of the emerging middle class, which could be 60 million new passengers in the next 15 years.”

Hulst also considered Viet Nam as the fastest growing market in terms of growth of air travel in the region with the advantage of a strong domestic market and the recent control of the pandemic.

Mentioning the demand for airplanes in the region, he said though the near-term airplane deliveries were impacted as a result of the pandemic, Boeing estimated operators would need more than 3,500 new single-aisle airplanes in the region by 2039 as the low-cost-carriers have the highest market penetration globally.

The airplane maker said twin-aisle airplanes such as the 777X and 787 Dreamliner still remain foundational to Southeast Asia’s air travel industry, adding one in four twin-aisle airplanes delivered to the broader Asia-Pacific region would go to a carrier operating in Southeast Asia. It forecast the region would need 760 new widebodies by 2039.

As the region’s commercial aviation services growth remained promising in the long term, said the CMO, Southeast Asia commercial services were valued at $790 billion over the next 20 years, a slight increase from last year’s projection, driven largely by growth in freighter conversions and digital solutions and analytics. With such estimation, Southeast Asia expected to require 183,000 more commercial pilots, cabin crew members and aviation technicians.

Globally, Boeing forecast the demand for 43,110 new commercial airplanes and the demand for aftermarket services to be equivalent to US$9 trillion over the next two decades when world air cargo traffic was projected to grow 4 per cent annually due to solid industrial production and world trade. The CMO said freighters would remain the backbone of the cargo industry with the need for 930 new and 1,500 converted freighters during the same span. 

High-tech farming needs investment and proper policies

Viet Nam’s agriculture sector is aiming to be among the 15 most developed countries in the world, in which the agricultural processing sector ranks among the top 10 countries by 2030.

To realise the goal, the Government issued a resolution in 2019 on measures to encourage businesses to invest in effective, safe and sustainable agriculture as part of efforts to help the sector integrate globally.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) recently submitted to the Government a project of export promotion of agro-fishery products by 2030.

The export turnover is expected to reach US$50-51 billion by 2025 and $60-62 billion in 2030.

To implement the target, the MARD will review and propose policies for investment attraction from private and foreign investors into the agro-fishery product processing industry.

For the last five years, there has been a wave of investment into agricultural production with 52,000 businesses, of which the firms directly participating in production hit 13,300, triple the figure of 2015.

The businesses’ participation not only contributed improve the value of agricultural products but also helped farmers access international standards.

In 2020 alone, 18 new factories for agro-product processing opened, a positive signal in improving Viet Nam’s agricultural sector.

However, according to experts, although investment in agriculture has flourished in recent years with the participation of many new tycoons, it has not become a strong wave.

Notably, the majority of agricultural enterprises are still small, of which 90 per cent are small and super small with capital of less than VND10 billion (US$430,000) while the number of enterprises investing in high-tech agriculture is even more modest.

Tran Van Tan, chairman of Safe and Organic Businesses’ Association of Thanh Hoa Province in central Viet Nam, said: “Agricultural businesses had many difficulties in accessing preferential policies leading to difficulties in seeking assistance.”

“Capital was also a big problem. To have the capital to buy agricultural land from farmers was a difficult problem,” said Tan.

“Access to capital from banks was not easy due to many procedures that agricultural enterprises struggled to meet,” he said.

“The accumulation of land to invest in setting up high-tech agricultural zones was also difficult so it required the help from local governments,” he added.

Similarly, Nguyen Thi Diem Hang, director of the Viet Nam Organic Farm Company, said initial expenses for high-tech farming were always higher than traditional farming while high-tech production did not bring immediate economic benefits.

Access to capital and land were also tough problems for agricultural enterprises, Hang said.

“It is necessary to increase the number of businesses taking part in the processing industry to become a kernel for 8.6 million farmers nationwide,” the director said.

“On the other hand, promoting science and technology to produce hi-tech agro-product is an inevitable trend,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ha Van Thang, chairman of the Viet Nam Agriculture Businesses’ Association, said the thing most businesses needed was a legal framework for high-tech farming development.

There was a need for incentive policies such as simplifying loan procedures and completing criteria of high-tech agricultural enterprises to easily access bank loans.

Policies on land accumulation and granting land use right certificates, houses and properties attached with land ownership must be improved, according to Thang.

According to experts, to attract investment in agriculture it was necessary to cut 40-50 per cent of current administrative procedures, improve the business environment and develop businesses substantially.

At the same time, reviews are needed to avoid overlaps in management and inspection and not let one product be subject to the management of too many units. Management methods should change to post-check from pre-check.

Besides, there must be clear planning of material zones connecting with businesses as well as support for the training of human resources for high-tech farming.

Thai conglomerate SCG now dominates Viet Nam's plastic production industry 
     
After buying Duy Tan Plastic Corporation, Thailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG) is cementing its domination of Viet Nam’s plastic production industry.

Under the contract signed on February 9 via a virtual conference, Duy Tan will sell 70 per cent of its shares in five of total twenty-two subsidiary companies, including Duy Tan Plastic Manufacturing Corporation and Duy Tan Long An Corporation, to SCG’s SCG Packaging, Duy Tan said.

Duy Tan Plastic is a leading company in the plastic goods market in Viet Nam with revenue of VND4.7 trillion in 2020. It has nearly 1,000 commodities units and 16,000 distribution agents across the country. The company’s annual capacity reaches 116,000 tonnes of hard plastic packaging and plastic goods.

SCG, Thailand’s largest cement producer, will buy the stakes over three years, starting from 2021. The deal takes a long time as it is based on business results, Duy Tan Plastic said.

Through the deal, SCG and Duy Tan Plastic want to create a solid foundation for a completed supply chain.

Duy Tan Plastic aims at developing hard plastic packaging products, plastic goods and expanding export markets, while the investments help SCG Packaging broaden its hard plastic packaging businesses in ASEAN, especially strengthen capacity to serve FMCG producers and consumers in Viet Nam.

The deal is a part of SCG’s investment plan worth 10 billion baht (US$334 million) to extend its businesses in Viet Nam that has big and growing demands in plastic packaging products.

Wichan Jitpukdee, CEO of SCG Packaging, said that the company will keep investing in Viet Nam, resulting in revenue growth of over 10 per cent each year.

Dominating Viet Nam’s plastic production industry

The plastic production industry in Viet Nam has around 3,300 enterprises with total value of approximately US$18 billion.

The upstream sector of this industry includes petrochemical refineries and chemical enterprises whose main activities are to convert fossil materials into raw plastic beads.

Meanwhile the downstream sector is turning raw plastic beads into plastic products. The downstream can be divided into four main segments, including plastic packaging products, plastic building materials, plastic goods and engineering plastics.

With the deal for Duy Tan Plastic’s shares, SCG is dominating Viet Nam’s plastic industry, especially in plastic packaging products and plastic building materials. These two segments account around 61 per cent of the total market value.

In 2019, SCG Packaging founded Vina Kraft Paper in Binh Duong Province to produce paper packaging products with total capacity of 500,000 tonnes/year.

The company continued to invest in Tin Thanh Packing JSC (BATICO) in 2015. And recently SGC bought 94 per cent of Bien Hoa Packaging JSC’s stakes, with the deal worth of VND2.07 billion (US$89 million).

SCG also owns stakes in many plastic companies including Binh Minh Plastics JSC, Vietnam Construction Materials JSC, Prime Group, Viet Thai Plastchem Joint Venture Company Ltd, TPC Vina Plastic and Chemical Corporation Ltd, Viet Nam Chemtech Company Ltd and Minh Thai Plastic Material Company Ltd.

In 2018 June, SCG signed a contract to buy 29 per cent of Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam)’s shares in Long Son Petrochemical Complex Project, raising its equity from 71 per cent to 100 per cent with total investment value of 8.5 billion baht per year. 

HCM City to ensure transparent, fair and competitive environment for property market

The chairman of the HCM City People Committee has pledged to review all housing projects in the city and work out solutions to create a “more transparent, fair and competitive business environment”.

Speaking at an annual meeting with the HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA) last weekend (Feb 27), Nguyen Thanh Phong said the city would work with agencies to address delays in “the issuance of investment policy approval for developers and ownership certificates for homebuyers”.

Le Hoang Chau, chairman of HoREA, said over the past years, the association has submitted numerous petitions and proposals to the Government and local authorities to resolve problems related to investment and construction.

Businesses have frquently petitioned the People’s Committee to speed up procedures for investment approval for commercial housing projects, he added.

In 2020 alone, 61 commercial housing projects were delayed because the land they were allotted was a mix of plots with various purposes and uses, he said.

“A number of projects being built on public lands were halted and are being reviewed for compliance,” Chau added.

According to a report from the Department of Construction, procedures for investment approval of commercial housing projects take up to 247 working days, or 50 weeks, excluding 14 public holidays, which is too long.

The association has also urged city authorities to speed up the issuance of home ownership certificates for more than 30,402 housing units in 163 projects in the city.

“The Department of Natural Resources and Environment needs to work with the Department of Finance, the City Land Price Appraisal Council and other agencies to determine land-use fees for the housing projects to speed up the process,” he noted.

“Priority should be given to home-ownership certificates for homebuyers who have fulfilled their obligations under the housing purchase contract,” he added.

A number of apartment buildings have been built in violation of approved plans and designs in the city, delaying the issuance of land-use and home ownership certificates, according to the Department of Construction.

Many developers have even mortgaged their buildings to get loans for other projects, meaning buyers have been unable to get ownership certificates, it said.

New guidelines

Recently, city authorities issued guidelines to speed up the issuance of land-use and home ownership certificates to buyers to prevent disputes with housing developers.

They divided apartment projects into two categories related to collection of land-use fees and issuance of ownership certificates.

For apartments within a compound, the entire project area is identified as “residential land” and is subject to fees for issuance of certificates for land-use rights, house ownership and other land-related assets.

For those without compounds that come with public areas such as parks, schools, hospitals, and main roads connecting to public roads outside the apartment building, only the area of ​​land used for apartment construction is considered "residential land".

For the public areas, the city will organise bids to select investors.

The construction of technical works such as electricity and water supply, drainage, lighting, and telecommunications systems must be done by the developer and handed over to the city. No land-use fees will be collected.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment has been assigned to work with the departments of planning and architecture, construction, and other agencies to classify land areas in each project (both already completed and upcoming) subject to fees for issuance of ownership certificates.

The Department of Construction will be responsible for monitoring compliance with construction norms and penalising violators.

The city has ordered agencies to carefully review investors’ financial capacity before licensing projects. Investors found to have committed violations must be severely sanctioned.

There are 15,000 real estate firms operating in the city.

Experts attributed the challenges facing businesses to inconsistent regulations on housing and land investment. Hundreds of housing projects are under inspection for legal procedures, delaying their progress. 

Modern trade channels, e-commerce to be further thrive: experts

Modern and online shopping channels recorded strong growth last year and will continue to thrive this year, according to experts.  

Nielsen Vietnam’s retail chain consulting said the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted online shopping and more consumers would choose to shop online even after the pandemic ends.

As of December there were around 8,500 stores nation-wide, including 453 supermarkets and 5,566 minimarts with the rest being convenience, health and beauty, drug, and cash & carry stores.

There is a fierce competition in the retail market, and so each chain has to identify its strengths to retain competitiveness.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, average retail sales and consumer services revenue per capita increased from 19.3 million VND in 2010 to 51.2 million VND in 2019, accounting for 8 percent of GDP.

E-commerce, supported by electronic payment, has grown especially strongly in recent years, averaging over 27 percent growth, it said./.

Cargo throughput at sea ports posts positive growth in January

More than 62 million tonnes of goods were handled at Vietnam's sea ports in the first month of 2021, up 17 percent on year despite COVID-19.

Of the total figure, container throughput exceeded 2.2 million TEU, an annual increase of 27 percent.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province recorded the highest growth in cargo throughput, at 29 percent, followed by the Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City ports, at 26 and 27 percent, respectively.

According to a representative from the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, the volume of goods shipped by sea was affected by not only the pandemic, but also the shortage of ship space and empty containers, and a slowdown in the Vietnamese export market and the global supply chains./.

HCM City’s CPI inches up 1.19 percent in February

The consumer price index (CPI) in the southern largest economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City increased 1.19 percent in February from the previous month, according to the city’s Statistics Office.

Among 11 groups of products and services in the CPI basket, the group of housing, electricity, water and construction materials had the highest price increase of 2.06 percent. This included a 13 percent hike in power price, 2.65 percent rise in water price, and 0.14 percent fall in housing rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prices of restaurant and catering services showed a big jump of 1.35 percent, with those of foodstuff growing 1.79 percent from January. The strongest surges in this group were seen in the prices of pork (5.28 percent), beef (2.36 percent), poultry (3.99 percent) and aquatic products (3.12 percent) due to high demand during the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday – the biggest traditional festival of Vietnamese people.

Moving in the same trend were groups of beverage and tobacco (0.41 percent), and garment, hats and footwear (0.35 percent).

Affected by the petrol price hikes on January 26 and February 25, transportation fees increased by 1.68 percent.

In contrast, the prices of medicine and medical services dropped by 0.05 percent, and those of the education group decreased by 0.01 percent.

The Statistics Office also said that the gold price went up by 1.1 percent while the price of US dollar expanded 0.02 percent as compared to January./.

Over 18,000 new firms set up in first two months

More than 18,000 new businesses were established in the first two months of 2021, a year-on-year decline of 4 percent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The number of employees registered by the newly-established enterprises rose 9.7 percent to 173,000.

The months saw an addition of over 720.4 trillion VND (32.24 billion USD), in total registered capital, up 12.4 percent. Average level in registered capital per enterprise surged 46.4 percent to reach 18.5 billion VND in the period.

About 11,030 enterprises resumed operations in the first two months, down 7.6 percent while 33,611 others were dissolved, an increase of 18.6 percent.

In February alone, as many as 8,038 new businesses were set up with a combined registered capital of nearly 179.74 trillion VND.

The number of new firms represented a year-on-year drop of 12.3 percent while the amount of capital surged 85.6 percent.

The number of workers registered by these businesses reached almost 57,000, down 22.1 percent./.

Udmurtia keen on boosting bilateral trade with Vietnam

First Deputy Prime Minister of the Udmurt Republic of the Russian Federation Konstantin Suntsov has expressed his belief that its bilateral relations and trade with Vietnam will be enhanced in the coming time.

Talking with a Moscow-based Vietnam News Agency reporter, Suntsov said that two-way trade hit 165 million USD in 2019, which was estimated at 200 million USD last year despite impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that Udmurtia is running a trade surplus with Vietnam, with its exports accounting for up to 70 percent of the total value, mostly metal and forestry products, cellulose and papers. Meanwhile, Vietnam has mainly shipped consumer goods to Udmurtia.

While expressing his interest in Vietnamese coffee, Suntsov said Udmurtia’s Tasty Coffee company accounts for about one-third of Russia’s coffee market share.

According to the official, Udmurtia already exported military technical products, metal and wooden products and medical equipment to Vietnam, and plans to ship more farm produce, light chemical industry products and IT services.

At an online trade promotion forum held in late 2020, Udmurtia introduced unmanned aerial vehicles, medical equipment, food colouring products, bleaches used in agriculture and farm produce to Vietnamese partners.

Mentioning important points in the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, he said the two nations already signed a free trade agreement, thereby raising two-way trade to 6 billion USD in 2018.

He also praised Vietnam for its natural, art and cultural beauty which he felt during his visits to Hanoi, Sa Pa and Ha Long Bay in 2015.

On its capacity as rotating ASEAN Chair in 2020, Vietnam well performed its role in assisting other regional member states in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, Suntsov said.

In his opinion, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, signed in 2020, will become a bridge between Russia and Southeast Asia.

As Vietnam is really a bridge between Russia and ASEAN, Udmurtia will also take advantage of that, he said.

Udmurtia is a federal subject of the Russian Federation within the Volga Federal District. Industry now accounts for over 45 percent of Udmurtia’s economic structure. Its enterprises also manufacture equipment for nuclear power plants, medical and oil-gas equipment, metal and plastic products. Agriculture is also an important priority of its development./.

Vietnamese and Japanese firms receive support to expand operations

The Japan Trade Promotion Organisation (JETRO) will host an online scheme on March 3 in Hanoi aimed at connecting Japanese businesses in the field of manufacturing and production, known as Monozukuri in Japanese to facilitate co-operation amid the negative impacts caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a representative from the JETRO, the business matching programme will see the participation of 40 Japanese companies for the purpose of accelerating the development of the country’s supporting industry.

At present, the scheme has received registration for 50 negotiations from enterprises from Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan (China), whilst it is still receiving registration from businesses wishing to purchase and seek Japanese suppliers in the Monozukuri field until March 1.

A recent survey conducted by the JETRO unveiled that Japanese businesses remain keen on the Vietnamese market as the country is viewed as an alternative investment destinations for Japanese enterprises looking to move away from China due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey indicates that approximately half of Japanese enterprises in the nation plan to expand their production activities, while roughly 70% of them seek opportunities to increase revenue in the local market.

Most notably, 46.8% of Japanese enterprises unveiled that they have initiated plans to expand their business in the nation over the course of the next two years, with the expansion rate ranking fourth, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japanese enterprises have therefore attributed their expansion to an increase in revenue in the domestic market and high growth potential. 

Furthermore, Japanese firms are also considering re-establishing some supply chains which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Vietnam able to capture the attention of suppliers and buyers of materials globally.

Air service on HCMC-Van Don route set to resume

Vietnam Airlines will resume flight operations on the HCMC-Van Don route starting from March 3, as the Covid-19 outbreak in Quang Ninh Province, where the Van Don International Airport is located, has been brought under control.

This is the first local carrier to announce its plan to resume flights to Van Don since the outbreak hit Quang Ninh, reported Nguoi Lao Dong Online.

The national flag carrier will operate one weekly flight on the route on Wednesdays between March 3 and 17 and plans to increase it to three flights per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from March 18 to December 31 this year.

The flights will depart from HCMC at 1 p.m. and from Van Don at 3:45 p.m.

The carrier is offering special ticket prices starting from VND33,000 per leg (equivalent to VND507,000 per leg including taxes and fees) for the first three flights on the route between March 3 and 17.

From the fourth flight onward, which will be operated from March 18 to the end of the year, the airfare will start from VND109,000 (or VND590,000 including taxes and fees) for trips taken from March 18 to June 30.

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport decided to shut down the Van Don airport in 15 days from January 29 to February 13 to combat Covid-19, as an airport security staff member tested positive for the coronavirus.

The ministry later extended the airport’s closure to February 21 and then to March 3.

During the recent Lunar New Year holiday, the Vietnam Airlines Group operated 6,050 flights carrying nearly 800,000 passengers, while all of the local airlines operated a total number of 14,400 flights with over 1.7 million passengers.

Construction of US$115 million high-tech dairy farm starts in An Giang

Construction of a large-scale project of high-tech dairy cow farming and milk processing has been kicked off in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. 

Speaking at the kick-start ceremony, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Truong Hoa Binh highly appreciated the provincial government that has created advantages for the implementation of the project, towards the sustainable development associated with benefits of business and the community.

He hoped the project will become a typical dairy farm in the region and asked ministries and State units to support An Giang and the investor, TH Group to complete the project on time.

The project costing VND2,655 billion (US$115 million) will have a herd of around 10,000 cows that are expected to produce 135 tons of milk per day.

Besides, the investor plans to build an eco-accommodation site and focus on organic farming and growing to provide agricultural products meeting Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) standards.

Gas price increases for the third time in 2021

A statement of the Ho Chi Minh City One-Member Limited Liability Oil & Gas Company (Saigon Petro) said that gas price has edged up VND417 per kilogram, equaling to VND5,000 a 12-kilogram cylinder as from March 1.  

With the price spike, a 12-kilogram cylinder costs VND400,500 (US$17.31). The gas prics of Pacific Petro, City Petro, ESGas also surge VND5,000 a 12-kilogram cylinder.

According local gas companies, on March 1, the world gas price is estimated at US$610 per ton, an increase of US$15 per ton in comparison with February. As this reason, they adjusted the domestic gas price.

This has been the third hike of domestic gas price in 2021. 

Indonesian Consulate General works to promote investment in Dong Nai

The Indonesian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City said it will work as a bridge helping Indonesian firms to invest in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Hanif Salim, Indonesian Consul General, on March 1 visited Dong Nai to explore investment projects in the locality.

Speaking at a working session with local leaders, Hanif Salim said Indonesia’s investment in the province remains limited and is yet to match potential of both sides.

Located in the southern key economic region, Dong Nai has posted high, stable economic growth over the past year.

The province has established 32 industrial parks, of which 31 are operational, attracting 1,533 FDI projects from 45 countries and territories, with total registered capital amounting to 31.8 billion USD.

Indonesia contributes two projects worth 12 million USD./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes