EY’sGlobal Banking Outlook 2018 shows that 85 per cent of banks name the implementation of a digital transformation programme as a business priority for 2018. Digital transformation, according to EY’sGlobal Banking Outlook, will see banks pouring resources into investment in technology to drive efficiency, manage evolving risks, and benefit from growth opportunities. Banks see this as critical for sustainable success. Meanwhile, addressing cybersecurity is the top priority for global banks (89 per cent) in 2018, replacing last year’s managing reputational, conduct, and culture risks, which fell to the sixth place this year. Recruiting, developing, and retaining key talent (83 per cent) also garners significant attention as banks strive to integrate cyber experts into their organisations amidst a skillset shortage. The report also reveals that banks are seeking to become digitally mature, completing the transition from regulatory-driven transformation to … [Read more...]

The Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 Plus phones being launched in Ha Noi. — VNS Photo Giant mobile phone retailer The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World) has said it targets sales of 500,000 Nokia phones this year. The company’s chairman, Nguyen Duc Tai, revealed this at an event held in Ha Noi on Wednesday to launch the new Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 Plus phones. Mobile World promises to revive the Nokia brand in a market where it used to be the most popular once upon a time. The company also announced a tie-up with HMD Global, which owns the Nokia brand, Google, Qualcomm, and Home Credit. Under the deal, the two new phones will be sold at Mobile World’s 1,800 stores around the country together with a number of promotion programmes including zero-interest instalment schemes. Buyers will also get an additional year’s warranty and a chance to win a Vespa LX 125 scooter. The Nokia 6 retails at VND5.99 million (US$262) and the 7Plus at VND8.99 million ($394). … [Read more...]

Representatives of SolarGATES joint-stock trading company and SCG Roof Viet Nam, a member of Siam Cement Group (CGS) Thailand, ink an agreement on distributing family solar power solutions in Viet Nam. — VNS Photo Ngo Thao Huong SolarGATES Joint Stock Trading Company and SCG Roof Viet Nam (a member of Siam Cement Group Thailand), have agreed to distribute solar power equipment, including concrete roof tiles and solar power panels, to families in Viet Nam and around Southeast Asia. SolarGATES, a member of HCM City-based SolarBK Holdings Group, said the deal will help provide combined solar power panels and concrete roofs for households in Thailand market, as well as elsewhere in Asia via SCG’s agents and showrooms. SolarGATES will provide made-in-Viet Nam solar power panels for renewable power from 2kWp (Kilowatt photovoltaic) to 10kWp, solar-powered water heaters and solar cells for solar power-generated backpacks, suitcases and umbrellas. A roof solar power system is … [Read more...]

4G services of Viettel have been provided to remote and mountainous areas. — VNS Photo Military-run telecom provider Viettel on Thursday announced that its 4G subscribers reached 10.6 million by the end of March 2018, one year after its official launch of the service. Viettel said the growth rate of 4G subscribers was 10 times higher than that of 3G services. The number of 4G subscribers accounted for around 20 per cent of its total customers—higher than the average rate of 10 to 15 per cent in Asian countries after one year of launching. The group said the speed of the Vietnamese people in updating new technologies has been on the rise. 4G has become a familiar service to people not only in urban areas, but also in the mountainous and remote regions. In addition, 4G has also been a foundation for implementation of many 4.0 projects of the society and the Government. It was surprised that the southernmost province of Ca Mau has the highest Viettel 4G subscriber rate in … [Read more...]

Luong Minh Huan, deputy director of the Enterprise Development Institute at the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said firms will need to shape up their acts to meet world standards at a meeting on intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement in Ha Noi on Wednesday. — Photo dantri.com.vn As international economic integration proceeds, Vietnamese firms will encounter many new business opportunities by gaining access to broader markets, but will also have to face many challenges, such as more pressure from competition and the need for compliance with international guidelines and rules, including those relating to intellectual property. Luong Minh Huan, deputy director of the Enterprise Development Institute at the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said firms will need to shape up their acts to meet world standards at a meeting on intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement in Ha Noi yesterday. The meeting is co-organised by VCCI, the National … [Read more...]

Battery-powered cars carry tourists on coastal streets in Da Nang. — VNS Photo Cong Thanh Mitsubishi Motors Viet Nam has handed over four hybrid SUV models including the i-MIEV and Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) as well as two quick chargers to the Central Power Corporation (CPC) for operation in Da Nang city. The corporation said this is a progressive step of a co-operation agreement between them that was signed last year. In 2017, CPC, in co-operation with Mitsubishi Motors Viet Nam delivered the country’s first electric vehicle quick charger system alongside two electric cars in the central city. CPC, under the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN), said that the operation of electric cars aims to boost the utility of ‘green’ vehicle use in the tourism hub and reduce green house gas emissions. CPC also constructed solar panels on the roof of its head office in Da Nang using Mitsubishi solar cells, as part of a campaign promoting renewable energy … [Read more...]

Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) inaugurated an innovative start-up centre in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on Tuesday. On this occasion, VCCI Can Tho also joined hands with Japan’s Brain Works Group to open an ICT (information and communications technology) renovation centre in the city. Nguyen Phuong Lam, deputy director of VCCI’s branch in Can Tho, underlined the urgent demand for technological application in industrial and agricultural development and in other spheres in the Mekong Delta amidst the fourth industrial revolution. He also highlighted the close links between sectors such as industry, agriculture, infrastructure, education, healthcare and ICT, describing them as an important foundation to improve the competitiveness of businesses and the nation as well as living standards. The ICT renovation centre aims to turn Can Tho into a hub of economy, education and science and technology in the Mekong Delta region and in the country as a whole, Lam … [Read more...]

Receiving the support of Scroll Corporation from Japan may help Cat Dong to increase its e-commerce market share in an e-commerce market that has great potential but is a difficult market to crack open with many players running losses and being forced to withdraw. Japanese e-commerce company Scroll Corporation joins Vietnamese market According to information published on Cat Dong’s website, on April 2 e-commerce firm Scroll completed the purchase of a 26.9 per cent stake in the company. The deal value was not disclosed. Besides, on April 16 the two parties signed a business partnership agreement to co-operate with each other. According to the agreement, they will take utilise all their management resources and strengths in various fields ranging from sales to e-commerce solutions and travel operations to increase their market share in Vietnam. Notably, Cat Dong will sell Japanese products provided by Scroll on its websites like CungMua.com, NhomMua.com, and Shipto.vn. … [Read more...]

Visitors at the HCM City Travel Fair.— Photo Thu Hang More than 40 travel firms in HCM City sold 9,000 tour packages worth a total of VND83 billion (US$US$3.64 million) during a four-day travel fair in HCM City that wrapped up on Sunday. The HCM City Travel Fair attracted 320,000 visitors. Travel firms and airlines as well as hotels and resorts in 37 cities and provinces offered discounts of 15-50 per cent, as well as 10,000 gifts to buyers. Revenue surged by 38 per cent compared to last year’s figure, according to the city’s Department of Tourism. Nguyen Thi Nha Quyen, 36, from Binh Thanh District, bought a five-day tour package to Taiwan worth VND 8.3 million ($365) a person. “The tour was discounted at VND600,000 a person so I bought it for seven people in my family. We will travel together next month,” she said. At the fair, the city’s Department of Tourism and the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group launched a tourism app featuring … [Read more...]

Govt to organise national safety drill against coin-miner virus. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications in collaboration with the BKAV Technology Group will organise WhiteHat Drill 05, a network safety rehearsal, on May 9 to tackle the coin-miner virus. All companies and other organisations around the country can register to take part in the rehearsal for free at WhiteHat.vn/DangKy. “The enormous profits from cryptocurrencies is the reason for hackers to circulate the coin-miner virus,” Ngo Tuan Anh, deputy chairman in charge of security at BKAV Technology Group, said. “The situation will worsen in the coming time.” The rehearsal will include various simulated situations in which networks are infected by the coin-miner virus through the SMB gap. Teams in the rehearsal must isolate the virus, stop its spread, analyse it to know the origin of the attack, identify exactly which gap has been penetrated, and fix it to avoid further attacks. The … [Read more...]