Corporate

ADB has reduced its GDP forecast for Vietnam but remains optimistic on its post-pandemic prospects The country’s economy is expected to grow 3.8 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent in 2022, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021 Update . Growth picked up in the first half of 2021, largely because of higher trade volumes, but slowed down in the second half of the year as the fourth wave of the pandemic took a toll on business and the labor market. Inflation will be muted in 2021 and 2022 due to the slower growth. “The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdowns have weakened consumption and investment, hampering Vietnam’s growth prospects," said ADB’s country director for Vietnam Andrew Jeffries. “But the Vietnamese economy will bounce back if the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control by the end of 2021 and 70 per cent of the country’s population are vaccinated by the second quarter of 2022.” The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to drag down 2021’s …

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Manufacturers spread thin trying to reach capacity, Illustration photo After almost 70 days of halting production, Trung Son Corporation’s factory in Tan Tao Industrial Zone based in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan district has resumed production at 10 per cent capacity. Deputy general director Le Minh Tam said that even if the pandemic is managed and the economy runs as usual, the factory’s capacity will be able to reach only about 50 per cent. “The number of available workers is not as abundant as before the pandemic started,” said Tam. “There were 900 workers in the factory but 300 of them were infected with coronavirus during July and August and the remaining had to be isolated, making them worried and upset.” After receiving treatment, many of them left the city to go back to their hometowns. Tam said that the prolonged problems mean the links between the factory and workers is gradually being fragmented, even though the corporation still pays minimum wage and supports …

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The private sector will be integral in Vietnam's recovery from COVID-19. Photo: baodautu.vn The Vietnam Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) report, by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank, says while the private sector has played a frontline role in Vietnam’s outstanding development in recent years, it is now time to fully exploit the potential of the private sector to boost productivity growth so Vietnam can achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. “The private sector has helped propel Vietnam to join the ranks of middle-income economies in just one generation, and the country was preparing for its next economic transformation when the COVID-19 hit,” said Kim-See Lim, IFC regional director for East Asia and the Pacific. “With another wave, it’s all the more imperative for Vietnam to help develop a dynamic, diversified, and innovative private sector for the post-COVID 19 recovery phase, as public resources become scarce.” The …

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Healthy competition crucial for e-commerce logistics The rapid growth of e-commerce is driving unprecedented demand for e-commerce logistics services in Vietnam. However, the growth of the sector is constrained by regulatory obstacles that impede competition in this industry, reducing efficiency and driving up costs for businesses. Ninja Van, established in Singapore, is one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing last-mile logistics companies. After successfully operating in Singapore and Malaysia, Ninja Van entered the Vietnamese market on a trial basis in late 2016 and formally began operations in 2018. The company has quickly scaled up its presence in the country. Despite its success, the group’s Vietnamese CEO Dzung Phan told VIR that the company has encountered a few hurdles related to compliance and following the law in the logistics industry. Some companies provide e-logistics services without registering or registering under a different industry, which causes unfair …

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Thai Gia Han, junior associate at Indochine Counsel Advertising is one of the most effective ways for enterprises to approach their customers. The channel not only allows access to potential customers but also provides cross-marketing to previous and existing clients, enhancing the reach of an enterprise’s products or services. With the rising demand on introducing products and services across borders, several advertising models have earned themselves a good standing in the market, especially digital advertising. Unfortunately, every story has two sides. While many enterprises have tried to use digital advertising for genuine purposes, others made use of it for earning illegal income. Therefore, regulators of many countries have recently taken actions to consolidate their legal frameworks regulating advertising in general, as well as digital advertising in particular. Vietnam is not an exception. With the government’s approval of Decree 70, certain new conditions are now …

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Many restaurants in Hanoi cleaned up overnight to prepare for their business resumption after more than 50 days of lockdown. Photo: Duc Thanh Since early September, Ho Chi Minh City has allowed food and beverage (F&B) businesses to provide takeaway services from 6am to 6pm. To ensure that pandemic prevention measures are met, the city has requested such businesses to also apply the stay-at-work model, with continuous coronavirus tests for their staff every two days. Despite the green light, many F&B businesses in the city remain careful. Harry Ang, founder of the Singaporean restaurant chain Lion City told VIR, “It’s a good decision to extend the lockdown and utilise more time for planning the next steps to prevent another outbreak. We have been preparing well, as we know that life will never be the same again. All plans have to be carefully executed according to prevention protocols.” He added that he agrees with the local authorities on COVID-19 tests as a good way …

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The resettlement area for Long Thanh Airport is coming along slowly The Long Thanh International Airport project is one of the most important transport projects in southern Vietnam for the local and regional socioeconomic development, promoting tourism, and facilitating trade activities. However, since 2018, only 47 per cent of the VND22.85 trillion ($993.7 million) allocated for the airport’s resettlement project has been disbursed and land clearance work has only reached 50.7 per cent of the plan, with nearly 1,250 hectares remaining for handover within 2021. At last week’s online conferences on socioeconomic development and public investment in 2022 between the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the country’s three regions, the People’s Committee of Dong Nai, where the project is located, proposed several measures for the MPI to accelerate the project. In particular, Chairman of Dong Nai People’s Committee Cao Tien Dung proposed cutting two sub-projects on building …

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HCM City to implement third relief package worth 7.3 trillion VND Ho Chi Minh City will carry out the third relief package worth 7.3 trillion VND (around 320.7 million USD) sourced from the local budget to help more households and informal workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee. Speaking at a press conference held by the city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on September 20, Hoan said given complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city and prolonged social distancing, people face more difficulties due to job loss and having no income. Therefore, in addition to the social security relief packages of the city's Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and other organisations and individuals, the municipal People's Committee continues to implement the third relief package to help ease difficulties for local residents. According to reports from the People's Committees of …

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