How participating in fintech markets increase risks within the firm

Jesse Choi, CEO of Sunwah Innovations and director of Sunwah Vietnam talked about Vietnam's market entry opportunities and strategy The webinar received around 100 participants including experts and representatives of corporates, startups, universities, incubators and accelerators, venture capital firms, and business associations from Vietnam and neighbouring countries and territories including Cambodia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong. Vietnam has seen significant improvements in developing a dynamic and open business environment. In the post-pandemic period, the country stands firm as one of the most attractive destinations in the Southeast Asian region for foreign investors and businesses including venture capital firms and startups. Realising an increasing need from overseas startups and supporting organisations to explore and gain footholds in the market, Sunwah Innovations organised the Vietnam Market Entry Opportunities and Strategy webinar. It was … [Read more...] about International webinar on Vietnam’s Market Entry Opportunities and Strategy

According to the Petroleum Securities Company, Vietnam’s stock market has been in a downtrend since June 15 when it fell more than 20 per cent from its all-time high and around 19 per cent since the start of 2022. The VN-Index has also continuously broken important support levels, notably the highly-expected support test area of 1,200 points. This left investors unable to understand the cause, with some in a state of panic when the stock reached the lowest point last week and plummeted steeply again this week. At a talk show named “Taking action in the eye of the storm” held by VIR on June 23, Ngo The Hien, analyst director of Hanoi Securities Company explained the sharp decline was based on three factors. “The market is impacted by negative signs, particularly news that US inflation is reaching peaks, which prompted the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 0.75 percentage points, thus producing market volatility in the global and domestic market,” Hien said. “Secondly, … [Read more...] about Spooked investors keep tabs on market turbulence

A historic agreement The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started negotiations for a region-to-region free trade agreement in 2007. After negotiations were suspended in 2009, the EU decided to pursue bilateral trade agreements with the individual ASEAN member states. Negotiations between the EU and Vietnam on a free trade agreement were launched in 2010. Following the completion of technical discussions, talks were finalized in December 2015. In February 2016, the full text of the EVFTA was published. However, the official signing of the trade deal was delayed due to the pending judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on jurisdiction for the conclusion of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. To take the 2017 CJEU opinion into account, the original deal was split into the EVFTA and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in June 2018. Both agreements were signed on June 30, 2019 in Hanoi. The European … [Read more...] about EU trade deal offers opportunities to increase exports

Ring road plan to transform market - Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) The government has asked the National Assembly (NA) to consider and decide on the policy for investing in the ring roads to be located in the country’s two biggest cities. Tran The Anh, sales director of Thang Loi Group, said that the land fund in inner cities is increasingly exhausted and prices are high, with investors turning to suburban real estate. “There is a thirst for houses for those living and working in Ho Chi Minh City in particular,” The Anh said. “The shifting trend of investors and individual financiers is also creating a new vitality for the real estate market in the suburbs.” One of the issues discussed by NA delegates and experts is how to exploit the land fund around the two ring roads, which will soar in value. Already in many places, the price of land in the area has increased dozens of times over. “Because the two routes will open up a vast land fund, the management of auctions of … [Read more...] about Ring road plan to transform market

Inside a wood production line of Truong Thanh  Furniture Corporation. (Photo truongthanh.com) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - As wood export turnover is rebounding with rising demand in the domestic market , the revenues of wood enterprises are expected to advance. However, skyrocketing prices of raw materials and logistics costs will weigh on these companies’ gross profit margin in 2022. VNDIRECT Securities Corporation (VNDIRECT) estimated that the total revenue of listed wood and wood products companies in the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 rose by 10.2% year-on-year thanks to the recovery of wood producers in the south. After the social distancing order was lifted, most wood companies in the southern region resumed operations at 90% capacity in the first quarter of 2022, while in the second half of 2021 it was only 60-65%. The export wood enterprises achieved better business results in Q1 of 2022. Specifically, Truong Thanh Furniture Corporation (HoSE: TTF) and Phu Tai JSC (HoSE: … [Read more...] about Rising costs cast doubt on wood companies growth prospects

Plantations dreaming of FSC status for rubber products, Photo: Duc Thanh Nguyen Vinh Phuong, the owner of a 150-hectare rubber plantation area in the south-eastern province of Tay Ninh has recently spent more time studying the process of obtaining the FSC certification. Although he is interested in cultivating sustainable rubber, he remains hesitant to implement this process. Phuong pointed out that the rule of a 10-per-cent conservation area seems to be an infeasible requirement for small operators of plantation areas. The rule would mean that Phuong would lose $1,500 over 10 days of rubber tapping if he saved 10 per cent of his 150-ha plantation area for conservation. Besides state-owned companies like Tan Bien Rubber and Tay Ninh Rubber, there are 12 private firms competing to source rubber. Phuong was certain that he would not lose VND105 million ($4,520) per month during the tough market caused by rising production expenses, the shortage of rubber tappers and the … [Read more...] about Plantations dreaming of FSC status for rubber products

From May 24 to June 30, the Vietnam Private Sector Competitiveness Enhancement Project (USAID IPSC), has organised a 5-week training course called “E-commerce – a must in Industry 4.0”, as part of its cross-cutting market expansion support package for Vietnamese businesses. At the end of the course, participants attended the event “Connecting business with domestic and international e-commerce platforms” to learn from successful, real-world experiences from e-commerce platforms including Amazon Global Selling and Shopee. According to Nguyen Thi To Uyen, head of the building business management capacity at USAID IPSC, the project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with the support of the Ministry of Planning and Investment as the government partner. The expert also showed participants how to use analysis tools from Amazon as well as other platforms for conducting market research and store management. Lasting for five years, the … [Read more...] about USAID IPSC Project connects Vietnamese enterprises with e-commerce giants

Vietnam remains a favorite destination for foreign firms seeking to shield from a combination of geopolitical tensions, rising operational costs thanks to the country’s strong economic performance in recent years. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) commitments in the first half of 2022 reached over US$14.03 billion, equivalent to 91.1% of the same period last year, a report of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment has shown. Production at Rhythm Precision in the Noi Bai Industrial Park, Hanoi. Photo: Pham Hung In the six months, 752 new projects have been approved with total registered capital of $4.94 billion, down 6.5% in the number of projects and 48.2% in capital year-on-year, while 487 existing projects have been injected an additional $6.82 billion, up 5.9% in number and 65.6% in capital. Meanwhile, 1,7077 projects had nearly $2.27 billion contributed by foreign investors, which was down 8% in several … [Read more...] about FDI commitments to Vietnam reach over US$14 billion in H1 2022

Vietnam urged to upgrade to attract big rubber funding, photo Duc Thanh As international purchasers increasingly demand products that adhere to strict ethical, legal, and environmental standards, analysts and foreign buyers, including those from the United States and Germany, warn that a lag in production is likely to jeopardise Vietnam’s rubber sector. Vietnam has the fifth-largest rubber cultivation area in the world with almost 940,000 hectares. However, the country ranks third globally for its output, producing some 1.26 million tonnes in 2020, according to a report by the Vietnam Rubber Association. According to the same report, exports of natural rubber products (rubber blocks and concentrated latex), rubber products (tyres, medical supplies, and shoe soles), as well as rubber timber, have increased dramatically from $2.9 billion in 2015 to approximately $9.5 billion in 2021. According to Jeff Martin, CEO of Yulex – a global company headquartered in the US, … [Read more...] about Vietnam urged to upgrade to attract big rubber funding

Public and private sectors work together to establish a circular business economy in Vietnam, aiming towards the country's 2050 objective of net zero emissions. Photo by: Duc Thanh The conference saw the participation of representatives from the MoNRE, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), SCG Vietnam and BeerCo Limited, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and other international organisations and businesses, as well as the press. During the plenary session, the panellists examined the feasibility of building CE in Vietnam to achieve the net zero emission objective by 2050. They also discussed factors to be considered when implementing a circular approach in the country, taking into account lessons learnt from foreign partners and proposals for the transition to circularity. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha emphasised the importance of revamping the current linear economy in … [Read more...] about Vietnam primed for circular and sustainable advancement