The roundabout in downtown Nha Trang, a top beach destination in the central province of Khanh Hoa, stands idle, allowing a breath of fresh air to pass through the usually congested intersection. Since July 9, the 252-square-kilometer beach town of over 500,000 people entered a 14-day social distancing campaign under government Directive 16, which bans gatherings of more than two people in public and asks people to only leave home for emergencies, buying food and medicine, along with working in factories, production facilities and businesses involved in "essential" goods and services. April 2 Square in front of the 12-kilolometer-long beach on Tran Phu Street is virtually deserted, contrary to crowded scenes during previous holidays. The central square, surrounded by luxury hotels and high-rise buildings, is one of the iconic spots in town. A sanitation worker cleans up the deserted coast along Tran Phu Street, a … [Read more...] about Lockdown in Nha Trang leaves beach town desolate
Essential goods
Assessing Japanese M&A deals in a turbulent period
There have not yet been many mega deals involving Japanese investors on a par with pre-pandemic levels. What factors are currently affecting Japanese M&A trends in Vietnam? Masataka “Sam” Yoshida, head of the Cross-border Division of RECOF Corporation and CEO of RECOF Vietnam Co., Ltd. First of all, deals as large as VPBank’s sale of its stake in FE Credit to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group do not occur frequently. In fact, the M&A story in Southeast Asia is largely written by mid-cap companies rather than the large ones, as the region is home to a significant number of companies with enterprise values between $50 million and $500 million. The same is true in Vietnam, where middle market M&A has been a major driver of deal activity. Many smaller Vietnamese enterprises have proven resilient and successful in the face of recent global crises, and they have become desirable acquisition targets. As borders reopened, we got off to a solid start this … [Read more...] about Assessing Japanese M&A deals in a turbulent period
Vinamilk brand in top of most valuable global brands
Vinamilk brand in top of most valuable global brands According to the annual report of the ‘Food and beverage’ industry of Brand Finance 2022, the Vinamilk brand has been valued at $2.8 billion, an impressive increase of 18 percent compared to 2021, and ranked in many major rankings in brand value. For this year's report, the UK’s Brand Finance has assessed more than 5,000 brands in 29 industries in 39 countries. With an integrated measurement method from many factors and indicators such as brand impact, brand health, and reputation, brand investment, combined with financial and market survey, the annual 'Food and beverage' report published by Brand Finance has helped provide brand health assessments transparently and fairly. In the field of ‘Food and beverage’, this year Vinamilk continues to “set a new record” when increasing its brand value by 18 percent, reaching US$2.8 billion, rising to the position of a potential brand. in the global dairy industry. This is also a … [Read more...] about Vinamilk brand in top of most valuable global brands
Leader of petroleum smuggling ring receives 14-year jail sentence
The People's Court of Binh Thuan Province gives sentences to nine accused related to the largest petroleum smuggling case in Binh Thuan Province. (Photo: SGGP) After five days of trial, the People's Court of Binh Thuan Province, on the afternoon of August 19, gave sentences to nine accused related to the largest petroleum smuggling case in Binh Thuan Province, with a total value of more than VND2.03 trillion from Singapore to Vietnam. Of these, the accused Luyen Xuan Trang, 49, a resident in Hung Yen Province, considered the leader of the largest petroleum smuggling ring in Binh Thuan Province, worth more than VND2.03 trillion, was given a 14-year jail sentence for smuggling. Eight other people were sentenced for consuming property acquired through the commission of the crime by other persons, including Trinh Dinh Thanh with five years in prison, and Tran Van Son with two years in prison. The accused Nguyen Thanh Trang, Le Hong Son, and Do Minh Thu received three years of … [Read more...] about Leader of petroleum smuggling ring receives 14-year jail sentence
Central, Central Highlands localities strengthen industry-trade cooperation
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA) Ninh Thuan (VNA) – 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. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai affirmed that the ministry will give maximum support to localities in dealing with their difficulties. He asked the localities to promptly roll out measures to facilitate industry and trade production. He advised … [Read more...] about Central, Central Highlands localities strengthen industry-trade cooperation
Lang Son eyes to beef up cooperation with Belarus
According to Thieu, Lang Son is focusing on building infrastructure at its border gate economic zone towards turning the province into a center of imports and exports, trade, services, and tourism activities, and an important gateway for goods exchange between ASEAN member countries and China. He said the province has focused on developing service industries associated with border-gate economic development, such as commercial services, logistics, processing of exports, and financial and banking services, while developing a synchronous transport infrastructure system to ensure convenient connections between Lang Son and other provinces in the region, and investing in building urban infrastructure and industrial zones and clusters. Thieu hoped that Ambassador Baravikou would help call for Belarusian businesses to invest in areas such as infrastructure construction, logistics and tourism in Lang Son, expressing his belief that cooperation between Belarus and Vietnam in general, and … [Read more...] about Lang Son eyes to beef up cooperation with Belarus
Unilever among Best Companies to Work for in Asia
It is the fourth year in a row that Unilever Vietnam has received HR Asia Awards Focusing on people development With a survey on 46,270 employees from 622 businesses in Vietnam, the award is a meaningful gift for the relentless efforts of all Unilever employees over the past year. Moreover, the award reasserts Unilever's leading position in attracting and developing talent while building an agile, dynamic, friendly, and professional working environment. Unilever takes pride in maintaining its employee engagement metrics even during the difficult time of the pandemic. Trinh Mai Phuong, head of Human Resources at Unilever Vietnam said, “We have committed to developing a generation of young Vietnamese leaders with a vision towards sustainable, future-fit development. Going through a difficult time due to the pandemic, we have realised that people are the most valuable asset of the business. Therefore, we will always focus on personal development with equity and agility, … [Read more...] about Unilever among Best Companies to Work for in Asia
Partnerships key to green transition
While 2020 was one of the warmest years on record globally, Vietnam has just gone through another historical year of climate extremes. Last November was also decisive for the future of the planet as countries officially submitted their climate pledges at the COP26 climate summit. Dao Xuan Lai, head of Climate Change and the Environment at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam We see a skyrocketing demand for natural resources while witnessing the collapse of functioning ecosystems. You only need to drive a couple of hours outside of Hanoi towards Ninh Binh province with its iconic limestone clasts, synonymous with the beauty of northern Vietnam, to see these emblematic features being devoured by machinery to be used for stone mining and cement production. By 2050, global demand for materials such as plastics, steel, or cement is projected to increase by a factor of 2-4. More than 50 per cent of the world’s emissions can be traced back to our … [Read more...] about Partnerships key to green transition
Denmark and Vietnam strengthen co-operation in the agri-food sector
A delegation of Danish firms in agriculture and food sector is paying a visit to Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City from August 16-19 to exchange opportunities for cooperation with their Vietnamese potential partners. The delegation comprises 13 companies who are leading in Solutions for Livestock & Food Production, Food Processing Technologies, Ingredients and Climate Control Solutions. The main purpose of the delegation is to share experiences and introduce world leading and well-proven Danish solutions in agri-food production and to look for opportunities to cooperate with Vietnamese agri-food companies. Speaking at a seminar themed 'Danish experiences and solutions in sustainable agri-food production' held on August 19 in Hanoi, Trade Counsellor of the Embassy of Denmark, Troels Jakobsen, said that Danish agri-food industry for many years had continuously invested in new production equipment and solutions that boost production yield and improve product quality but at the same … [Read more...] about Denmark and Vietnam strengthen co-operation in the agri-food sector
☀️ Morning digest on August 19
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by Vietnam News Agency. -Vietnam and Kazakhstan should enhance cooperation in areas of good potential such as agriculture, tourism and transportation, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a reception for Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi in Hanoi on August 18. He spoke highly of the visit to Vietnam by the Kazakh official on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, and noted his belief that the visit will contribute to consolidating and promoting the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries. Read full story -Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed Vietnam always treasures its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Kazakhstan during his meeting with the Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister the same day. PM Chinh suggested the two sides further promote the exchange of delegations … [Read more...] about ☀️ Morning digest on August 19