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[Hurricane88]

Japanese carmakers may leave Vietnam: JETRO


TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/15/2017 10:39 GMT + 7

Japanese carmakers are likely to leave Vietnam for other regional markets to improve profit, the chief representative of the Ho Chi Minh City office of the Japan External Trade Organization said on Tuesday.

The automobile sector is all about production capacity, and Vietnam cannot compete with regional peers Thailand and Indonesia, Takimoto Koji told reporters at a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City.

The more cars a company can make, the lower the production cost becomes, explained the JETRO chief representative.

Car production capacity in Vietnam is around 250,000 units per year, compared to more than 2 million in Thailand.

“This makes it likely that Japanese carmakers will leave Vietnam for Thailand or Indonesia, produce cars there and import them back for sale to Vietnam,” Koji said via a translator.

Koji also explained that a car plant can only be profitable with a minimum capacity of 200,000 units per year.

Vietnam’s total capacity of 250,000 units per year is a combined figure of all carmakers, meaning each company fails to reach the minimum profitable capacity, leading companies to consider relocating their production outside of Vietnam, Koji underlined.

Four Japanese carmakers, Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Suzuki, are currently operating in Vietnam but may well exit, the JETRO official warned, not considering tax cuts on car imports between ASEAN countries as per a trade agreement signed by the ten-country bloc in 2009.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Koji also attributed the limited production capacity of the Vietnamese automobile sector to its weak supporting industries and low localization ratio, which is the proportion of materials sourced domestically in the production of automobiles.

“Supporting industries are the foundation of local automobile industries, and there has been little improvement in Vietnam in recent times,” Koji said.

Off-setting this news, the JETRO official said that while Japanese carmakers may leave Vietnam in the near future, Japanese businesses are likely to increase investment in Vietnamese consumer goods and services.

[Hurricane88]

Vietnam’s tech firms yet to overcome domestic challenges

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/14/2017 17:00 GMT + 7

Several local tech startups have followed the phenomenal success of mobile game Flappy Bird, winning over millions of users worldwide, but industry insiders have conceded that there remains a tough road ahead for firms based in Vietnam to really thrive internationally.

Hanoi developer Rubycell has had some early success in 2017, with two of its mobile apps for Android featured in the Editors’ Choice list on Google Play.
Both of the apps, Piano+ and Violin, have generated millions of downloads and won positive comments from users.

“Piano+ and Violin are not only entertainment apps, but give users tutorials to help them learn these two musical instruments,” Rubycell deputy chairman Dinh Van Hung told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“With these apps, users can practice playing the guitar or piano anytime and anywhere on their smartphones.”

Piano+ has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play, and Violin over 5 million times, according to Hung.

Rubycell has another app with more than 10 million downloads on Google Play called Guitar+, which is also a musical tutorial app.

Hung said Rubycell makes money from in-app purchases of these apps, while refusing to disclose their specific revenue.

“We target users worldwide for these apps, with a focus on countries where users are willing to pay for in-app purchases such as in the U.S.,” he elaborated.

continue reading here
http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/39549...tic-challenges

[Hurricane88]

Ho Chi Minh City to operate 11 inland ports

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/14/2017 21:01 GMT + 7




The construction of 11 inland wharves throughout Ho Chi Minh City has been completed, with each expected to facilitate local tourism after they become operational.

Developers of the project have finished building the docks, which will be used to serve tourism in the southern hub, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Inland Waterway Port Authority.

The construction of the ports began in 2013, with total capital investment estimated at VND20 billion (US$882,250).

Six of the wharves are under the management of the Inland Waterway Port Authority while the other five are proposed to be administered by local authorities.

The project was first suggested by the municipal Department of Planning and Architecture, the Department of Transport, and the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and was later approved by the municipal People’s Committee.


The Phu Xuan Port in Nha Be District. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Inland Waterway Port Authority

Local tourist companies and investors have been provided with guidelines on the criteria and standards for each of the ports.

According to the authorities, Ho Chi Minh City is suitable for the development of waterway tourism because of its over 1,000 kilometers of rivers and canals.

The ports will be a link between the southern hub and locations in the southern provinces, the Mekong Delta, and Cambodia.They will also help relieve traffic pressure.

The first five routes to be put into operation include Bach Dang Port in District 1 – Long Hoa Pagoda in District 8, Bach Dang Port – Binh Quoi Tourist Village in Binh Tanh District, Bach Dang Port – Cu Chi Tunnels, Bach Dang Port – Hoi Son Pagoda in District 9, and Phu Xuan Port in Nha Be District – Can Gio Biosphere Reserve in Can Gio District.

[Hurricane88]

Saigon to revitalize downtown riverside park

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/14/2017 20:16 GMT + 7



A weekly market will be held at a park along the Saigon River in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, as municipal authorities look to revitalize the weather-beaten historical site.

The plan, masterminded by the administration of District 1, is set to carry out a complete makeover of the park, which is bordered by Ton Duc Thang Street in the district on one side and the Saigon River on the other.

The park is linked to the historical site of Bach Dang Wharf where tenth-century Vietnamese general Ngo Quyen destroyed a fleet of invading Chinese warships by erecting a maze of sharp stakes on the riverbed, concealed by high tides.

The market will assemble every weekend, promoting Vietnamese brands to international friends and creating a new cultural rendezvous for locals as well as tourists, according to District 1's administration.

As many as 100 stalls are expected to be assembled each week, selling different locally-made goods depending on the week’s theme, including food, fashion, and tourism.

The weekly activity is the city’s move to revitalize the park after it has decayed over the past two years without proper care and management.

The park used to house a parking lot and terminal for the now-defunct Thu Thiem Ferry that transported passengers between District 1 and District 2 before the completion of the Saigon River Tunnel in 2011.

In 2013, state-owned travel company Saigontourist took over management of the location with plans to renovate and turn the ferry station into a park.

Little progress had been made on the project as of 2015 however, and since last September the park has once again been under the management of District 1’s administration.

The upcoming beautification project will be carried out by Saigontourist, which plans to build a riverside square resembling the looks of the city of Saigon, the previous name of Ho Chi Minh City.

[Hurricane88]

Province home to 3 Samsung plants must be Asia’s electronics hub: Vietnam PM

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/13/2017 14:04 GMT + 7



Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has tasked authorities in a northern province home to three major production plants of South Korean tech giant Samsung with becoming Asia’s hub of electronics production.

The premier set the goal during a visit to Bac Ninh to attend a ceremony to mark the province’s 20th anniversary of reestablishment on Sunday.

Bac Ninh was first established in November 1831, before being merged with its neighbor, Bac Giang, to form the erstwhile Ha Bac province in 1962.

In 1996, Ha Bac was divided into Bac Ninh and Bac Giang again, marking the reestablishment of each of the provinces.

Over the last 20 years, Bac Ninh has thrived in terms of socio-economic development, becoming the locality with the second-highest Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) per capita in Vietnam.

Speaking with provincial leaders on Sunday, PM Phuc underlined that from these initial achievements, Bac Ninh should “continue evolving into the symbol of Vietnam’s vibrant development in the fields of electronics and hi-tech.”

“Bac Ninh should exert concerted efforts to be able to emerge as Asia’s electronics production base in the next ten years,” the premier said.

PM Phuc also approved of the province’s master plan to meet all criteria to join Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho as a centrally administered metropolis by 2022.

The Vietnamese head of government has every reason to set such a goal for Bac Ninh, given the recent economic results released on its 20th reestablishment anniversary.


Impressive economic performance

Though being the smallest locality by area among 63 Vietnamese cities and provinces, Bac Ninh last year reported a GRDP per capita of US$4,847, only behind Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2016, Bac Ninh also ranked second in terms of industrial production output, topping VND765.62 trillion ($34.18 billion), and export turnover that hit $22.8 billion.

In the last two decades, Quang Ninh has attracted 935 foreign direct investment projects, worth a combined $12.3 billion, with such major names among its investors as Samsung, Microsoft, Canon and PepsiCo.

Samsung currently has six plants in Vietnam, three of which are in Bac Ninh. The South Korean electronics behemoth is expected to finish disbursing a total of $4 billion in registered investment in Bac Ninh by the end of this year, and has plans to increase its investment by $2.5 billion.

The total registered investment of six Samsung facilities in Vietnam is $15 billion, with $10 billion already disbursed.

Samsung Vietnam, employing some 136,700 local workers, posted $40 billion in export revenue in 2016, accounting for 22 percent of the total figure.

As part of his working agenda in Bac Ninh on Sunday, PM Phuc also visited the Samsung plant in Yen Phong Industrial Park.

The Vietnamese premier hailed Samsung’s contribution in generating jobs for nearly 140,000 local workers and attracting 198 businesses to join its supply chain in the country.

PM Phuc underscored that Bac Ninh authorities and the Vietnamese government will continue supporting Samsung so the company will be able to meet its $50 billion export revenue target for 2017

[Hurricane88]

Female restaurateurs run bistros in style in Ho Chi Minh City

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/12/2017 14:25 GMT + 7



Two Vietnamese women and their French partner have enriched Ho Chi Minh City’s foodie scene with a chain of bistros specializing in an array of exotic culinary delights.

Among the bistro-like restaurants run by Do Kim Ha, also known as Quynh, Vo Thi Dong Suong, and French national Noelle Carr-Ellison is The Refinery, nestled in an alley off Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1.

Built in a lesser-known historical location, Saigon’s former opium manufacturing workshop from the French colonial era (1884-1945), The Refinery prides itself on Continental gourmet food, mainly French delicacies, and an extensive wine list.

The restaurant, tucked away in a quiet courtyard amongst other eateries, opened in 2006 with a stunning indoor seating area adorned with custom-made furniture and lighting typical of Paris bistros.

The eatery also features walls yellowed by time, a mosaic tiled floor, and other architectural features left over from the opium ‘den’ era, as well as black-and-white photos depicting Saigonese lifestyle and the former opium manufacturing workshop.

Diners can also delight in the tiny wooden poppy blossoms printed on the restaurant’s napkins.

continue reading here
http://tuoitrenews.vn/features/39525...-chi-minh-city

[Thom07]

Originally Posted by snipeshot08

So where did you spent your CNY???? with birds that dun lay eggs???

Cheerios......SS08 ^_^

Wah... So smart.

So how's your cny trip?
Come come. Time to tell ah boi storiesss.

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by Thom07

Wah... So smart.

So how's your cny trip?
Come come. Time to tell ah boi storiesss.

he dun tell me will tell you meh....

[Thom07]

Maybe, hoping, praying, he will thuong this ex little boy.

[asiancigar]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

Female restaurateurs run bistros in style in Ho Chi Minh City

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/12/2017 14:25 GMT + 7



Two Vietnamese women and their French partner have enriched Ho Chi Minh City’s foodie scene with a chain of bistros specializing in an array of exotic culinary delights.

Among the bistro-like restaurants run by Do Kim Ha, also known as Quynh, Vo Thi Dong Suong, and French national Noelle Carr-Ellison is The Refinery, nestled in an alley off Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1.

Built in a lesser-known historical location, Saigon’s former opium manufacturing workshop from the French colonial era (1884-1945), The Refinery prides itself on Continental gourmet food, mainly French delicacies, and an extensive wine list.

The restaurant, tucked away in a quiet courtyard amongst other eateries, opened in 2006 with a stunning indoor seating area adorned with custom-made furniture and lighting typical of Paris bistros.

The eatery also features walls yellowed by time, a mosaic tiled floor, and other architectural features left over from the opium ‘den’ era, as well as black-and-white photos depicting Saigonese lifestyle and the former opium manufacturing workshop.

Diners can also delight in the tiny wooden poppy blossoms printed on the restaurant’s napkins.

continue reading here
http://tuoitrenews.vn/features/39525...-chi-minh-city

Take good care of yourself my friend...

I miss HCM so much......

Cheerz
AC

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by Thom07

Maybe, hoping, praying, he will thuong this ex little boy.

you must hv frigthened bro SS08 away...see no posts today...

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by asiancigar

Take good care of yourself my friend...

I miss HCM so much......

Cheerz
AC

Definitely will do....dun say miss...just buy a ticket and we go...

You take good care too...

[Hurricane88]

Vietjet posts $1.2bn revenue from serving 14mn passengers in 2016

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/16/2017 07:06 GMT + 7



Vietjet continued to post positive growth through 2016 with a revenue of VND27.53 trillion (US$1.21 billion), having flown nearly 15 million passengers last year, the low-cost Vietnamese carrier said Wednesday.

The hefty revenue results in a profit of VND2.39 trillion ($105 million), Vietjet said in a statement, adding it also achieved a load factor of 88.9 percent with more than 14 million passengers carried.

The healthy performance indicates the airline’s commitment to tapping increasing demand for air-travel, greatly contributing to the development of Vietnam’s aviation industry and economic growth in Vietnam in the process, according to Vietjet.

Vietjet also boasted a high performance in terms of safety and reliability compared to other airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, with a total of 84,535 flights operated, or 121,213 flight hours, last year.

The airline said its technical reliability stood at 99.56 percent, the highest rate obtained to date by any airline operating A320/A321 in the region. On-time performance for the year stood at 83.6 percent.

The airline’s training center, which opened in early 2015, has so far trained 8,287 staff and provided 655 training courses for a total of 25,249 training hours with 3,351 certificates presented.

Last year also saw Vietjet continued to increase flight frequency for domestic flights while also constantly expanding its international network.

The airline now operates 63 routes, including 26 international ones, with a fleet of 45 new and modern aircraft aged 3.3 years old on average.

[Hurricane88]

Dollar rises to one-month high in Vietnam

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/16/2017 14:37 GMT + 7

Banks in Vietnam increased U.S. dollar prices to a one-month high on Wednesday, reaching the VND22,820 mark and resting just below the ceiling set by the State Bank of Vietnam.

In the early afternoon, ACB and Eximbank both quoted the greenback at VND22,820, VND90 and VND110 higher than their respective rates earlier this week.

Vietcombank set an asking price of VND22,790 to the dollar before increasing the rate to VND22,800 at 4:00 pm.

The State Bank of Vietnam fixed the Wednesday mid-point rate at VND22,236 to the dollar, up one dong from Tuesday. With the dollar/dong trading band set at +/- 3 percent of the mid-point rate, the ceiling price for the dollar yesterday was VND22,903, meaning the greenback was selling at just VND83 to VND113 below the ceiling.

Local economic experts say increased dollar prices are due to the rising demand of businesses in need of foreign currency to complete import orders.

The rise might also be caused by Vietnamese businesses stockpiling dollars in preparation for excess pressure to be put on foreign exchange rates in the near future due to an expected interest rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve System.

On Thursday, the central bank set the mid-point rate at VND22,234, down VND2 from yesterday, the first drop in eight days.

With the new ceiling price of VND22,901, banks were still trading the dollar above the VND22,800 mark in the morning session.

As of 10:00 am, Vietcombank, BIDV, ACB and DongA Bank were selling the greenback at VND22,800 while Vietinbank quoted the dollar at VND22,820.

[Hurricane88]

Hundreds fined as Saigon puts the brakes on sidewalk driving

TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/16/2017 16:00 GMT + 7



Over 100 motorbike riders in Ho Chi Minh City were fined on Wednesday for driving on sidewalks as the local administration looks to reestablish order on its streets.

The administration of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City is cooperating with traffic police and urban order management in its campaign to put an end to sidewalk-driving in the city’s downtown area.

Local police camped out on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street and the Ly Tu Trong-Nguyen Trung Truc intersection in District 1 between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm on Wednesday, looking to book anyone riding on sidewalks to avoid traffic congestion.

A total of 108 riders were stopped over the course of two hours, with each violation carrying a VND350,000 (US$15.63) fine and a temporary driver’s license confiscation.

Some violating riders got off their motorbikes or made a U-turn upon seeing law enforcers, while others pretended to stop by a nearby house to justify their offense.

Doan Ngoc Hai, deputy chairman of the District 1 People’s Committee, said district authorities would continue their campaign until order is restored to the city’s streets and the sidewalks are returned to their initial purpose of serving pedestrians.

“It is a danger to pedestrians and an eyesore to foreign tourists for motorbikes to roam freely on the sidewalk,” Hai said. “Some violators asked to be let go without a fine as it was their first offense, but we insisted on using the law as deterrence. Only when each citizen is aware of and follows the law can our city become civilized.”

The municipal Department of Transport stirred debate earlier this month when it installed fences and anti-motorbike barriers on multiple pedestrian walkways in District 1.


A woman gets off and pretends to sit on her motorbike upon seeing authorities ahead. Photo: Tuoi Tre


A violator signs his fining report. Photo: Tuoi Tre


A motorcyclist tries to break away from law enforcement, arguing that he did not not drive on the sidewalk. Photo: Tuoi Tre


A traffic police officer pulls over a violating motorcyclist. Photo: Tuoi Tre


Authorities book violators. Photo: Tuoi Tre


Some motorcyclists persist despite the presence of authorities. Photo: Tuoi Tre