How are industry trade and commerce different

Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia's trade surplus hit a record high in April, surpassing its peak in last October amid soaring global commodity prices that boosted exports. The National Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on May 17 that Indonesia had registered a surplus for the 24th consecutive month in April, which had more than tripled to 7.56 billion USD year on year and increased 66 percent month on month. Economists forecast that Indonesia will benefit from rising in global commodity prices due to the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as revenues from the exports of crude palm oil (CPO), coal, and metal ores are higher than the increase in imports. According to BPS, Indonesia ’s exports reached 27.32 billion USD in April, up 47.76 percent year on year. The mining industry had the strongest export growth, almost doubling year on year to 6.41 billion USD.  Meanwhile imports rose 21 percent to 19 billion USD. China remained Indonesia's top export destination, … [Read more...] about Indonesia enjoys largest trade surplus in history in April

Developers clamour for legal clarity, Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Nguyen Manh Ha, vice chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Association, said that tourism real estate needs to break down barriers to development as soon as possible, in order to move alongside the general economic recovery. “Currently, mechanisms and policies for resort real estate are unclear, especially in terms of new types of real estate such as condotels, officetels, and second-home villas in resorts,” Ha said. The legal framework has not kept pace with the reality of hospitality and resort real estate development, thus partly hindering the growth momentum of these types of property, Ha added. They are not given a right use certificate, known as a red book in Vietnam, because they are built on land plots permitted for developing tourism property only, and not for residential projects. Doan Van Binh, chairman of CEO Group, said that supply is scarce not only in Vietnam but worldwide due to the impact of … [Read more...] about Developers clamour for legal clarity

"Even in the very tough environment we are seeing, our employees have maintained a high quality and reliable service for our customers and this is helping us deliver stellar performance year after year," said Jens Lottner, CEO of Techcombank. Last year, the bank continued to reduce costs while focusing on building deposits in its current accounts and savings accounts (CASA), which Lottner described as a "stable and cheap" source of funding. Techcombank’s CASA ratio, which reflects the percentage of the bank’s total deposits that are CASA, jumped from 46.1 percent in 2020 to 50.5 percent last year, on its way to the bank’s target of 55 percent by 2025. Techcombank’s net interest margin (NIM), a measure of the difference between the interest received by the bank and the amount paid out to lenders, also increased 69 basis points to 5.6 percent during the year. "Together, these improving metrics, along with our effective cost management, translated into an excellent profit before tax … [Read more...] about Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table

A visitor uses a remote guide app on her mobile at the National Fine Arts Museum. —VNS Photo Le Huong The tourism sector must apply digital transformation to secure sustainable development, according to dozens of participants at a forum on the topic held in Ha Noi on May 18. Titled "Green Light for Tourism to Take Off Part 2: Digital Transformation: Diving Force for Sustainable Development", the forum gathered dozens of experts from State management agencies, tourism authorities, localities, and IT. The first part of the forum held in March focused on opening doors to international tourists. Hoang Quang Phong, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce Industry, said at the end of 2018, the Prime Minister issued Decision No 1671/QD-TTg approving the “Master plan on applying informatics technology in the tourism field for 2018-2020, with orientation to 2025.” “Informatics technology has been applied in various tourism companies, especially hotels, resorts and big … [Read more...] about Forum held on digital transformation for sustainable tourism

Shannon Leahy, trade commissioner for Austrade, and general director of BRG Retail Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy. Photo: Austrade Australia is one of Vietnam’s major suppliers of beef ad lamb products. Local consumers can enjoy a growing range of Australian products from fresh fruits, dairy, seafood, and beverages including a diverse range of sparkling, red, and white wines. Cherries, citrus, table grapes, milk, yoghurt, cheese, cereals, juices, rock lobsters, and abalone are just some of the beloved Australian products that have made it into Vietnamese stores, restaurants, and homes. General director of BRG Retail Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy said, “Vietnamese consumers increasingly demand clean, fresh, and delicious products with premium quality and transparent origins regardless of if they are eating out or at home. Australian suppliers can offer exactly what they want, including high-quality sustainable meat, delicious fruits, the finest dairy and cereals, and premium seafood … [Read more...] about Vietnamese consumers’ growing interest in Australian F&B products

Vietnam achieved decent growth in the first quarter despite global geopolitical instability. The socioeconomic statistics report for the first quarter of 2022 of the General Statistics Office published on March 29 stated that GDP in the first quarter was estimated to increase by 5.03 per cent over the same period last year. A day before the report, Fitch Ratings forecast that Vietnam’s growth would recover to 6.1 per cent in 2022 and 6.3 per cent in 2023 thanks to increased domestic consumption, exports, and investment inflows. For the nation’s economic progress, the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) is the basis to guarantee the stability of Vietnam’s power source system. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), by the end of 2021, the total installed capacity of renewable energy sources reach around 20,670MW, accounting for 27 per cent of the total installed capacity of the whole system (76,620MW). Finding the spark to ignite energy goals, illustration … [Read more...] about Finding the spark to ignite energy goals

Flexibility is required in handling raw material issues for power plants and easing coal supply pressures, Photo: Shutterstock Thai Binh Thermal Power Plant under Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has been in a coal shortage since the beginning of 2022. Ta Trung Kien, director of the plant, said that the volume of coal delivered “has been reduced significantly” compared to the signed contract. Vinacomin Group and Dong Bac Corporation – two of the coal suppliers for the Thai Binh Thermal Power Plant – delivered only just over 74 per cent of the monthly plan. “The two units of our plant need about 6,400 tonnes of coal per day. Due to a lack of coal, the plant was forced to use backup coal to maintain the operation. By the end of the first quarter, these reserves were at just about 14,000 tonnes, much lower than the required norm of 80,000 tonnes,” Kien said. Many other plants are facing similar problems, including Nghi Son 1, Vung Ang 1, Vinh Tan 2, and Duyen Hai 1, which currently … [Read more...] about Nation lacking coal supply for sufficient power generation

Up to 200 domestic and overseas businesses are joining International Vietbuild Exhibition 2022 in Da Nang. — Photo cafeland.vn The International Vietbuild Exhibition 2022 is underway in the central city of Da Nang with the participation of more than 200 domestic and overseas businesses. The exhibition showcases a wide range of products in construction, building materials, exterior-interior decoration, solar energy machines, and smart home technologies in 1,000 booths. In his speech at the exhibition's opening ceremony on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh praised the event's contribution to supporting the implementation of State guidelines and policies on construction and real estate, trade promotion, technology transfer, brand development and investment co-operation. It would also help connect supply and demand, especially in the context of the country's economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, Sinh said. Meanwhile, organisers said the event … [Read more...] about Da Nang hosts Vietbuild 2022

Freeze-drying food preservation technology of Vietnam Green Industrial Joint Stock Company. (Photo: SGGP) The event aims to support putting products from research institutes, universities, technology enterprises, and start-up groups in HCMC to the market to serve the needs of technology applications in production and business activities. The exhibition attracted nearly 200 technology applications from 87 enterprises and institutions participating in advertising and promoting trade. The exhibition introduces new technology trends suitable to the production situation in Vietnam, especially in the field of preservation and processing of agricultural products and food, hybridization technologies of plants and livestock, including automation technology in the agricultural production process, food sterilization by high-pressure processing technology, controlled atmosphere technology, freeze-drying to prolong the preservation time of agricultural products or the reuse of wastewater from … [Read more...] about Technology applications in agricultural production introduced

At the conference (Photo: SGGP) The Center for linking production, processing, and consumption of agricultural products in Can Tho City was established with the expectation that by 2050, it will become the central transport node in large metropolitan areas with smart technology. The center will be the focal point of the chain of smart production, processing, and consumption centers in the region. In this link chain, about 50 percent - 70 percent of the production processes are done automatically and intelligently. Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the Can City People's Committee Tran Viet Truong said this is an important conference to get opinions from ministries, sectors, and localities in the region, step by step perfecting the project in the most feasible direction before submitting it to the Government. The Center aims to contribute to the construction of Can Tho City into the central city of the Mekong Delta region, contributing to the development of the region’s … [Read more...] about Center hoped to help link, consume agricultural products in Mekong Delta