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Hanoi-based enterprises and experts shared with The Hanoi Times about their initiatives to ensure smooth operation with anti-pandemic prevention measures in place. Do Thanh Tam, Deputy General Director of Son Ha Group: Uniting to overcome challenges Do Thanh Tam, Deputy General Director of Son Ha Group. HNT Photos: Hoang Anh As Hanoi's authorities have eased the anti-pandemic restrictions, we have built safe operation plans at production facilities, which strictly complied with the 5K protocol (in Vietnamese) Khau tran g (facemask) - Khu khuan (disinfection) - Khoang cach (distance) - Khong tu tap (No gathering) - Khai bao y te (health declaration). We also tightened the implementation of anti-disease measures according to the Prime Minister's Directive. The “three on-site”option continues to be applied at some factories in high-risk areas to ensure the safety of all employees as well as uninterrupted production activities. Logistics units …

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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The ADB has revised down Vietnam's 2021 GDP growth forecast from 6.7 percent to 3.8 percent due to a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic that has tightened the labour market, lowered industrial output, and disrupted agricultural value chains, according to a report released by the bank on September 22. At a virtual press conference, ADB country director Andrew Jeffries said the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and extended lockdowns have weakened consumption and investment, hampering Vietnam’s growth prospects. “But the Vietnamese economy will bounce back if the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control by the end of 2021 and 70 percent of the country’s population are vaccinated by the second quarter of 2022," he said. ADB remains bullish on the country’s prospects in the medium and long term. Growth could be aided by a revival of domestic demand, an acceleration in the disbursement of public investment, and an expansion to new export …

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As the capital relaxed its coronavirus restrictions starting Tuesday, thousands of residents flooded the streets at night to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Streams of vehicles closely packed together could be seen on downtown streets like Trang Thi, Dinh Tien Hoang and Ly Thai To. "If there was any person infected with the Delta variant among the crowds in Hanoi last night, transmission is extremely likely. Once it happens, authorities would find it difficult to contact trace, as they have no idea who's made contact with whom," said Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center. While the capital city authorities had advised people to only go out if necessary despite the relaxed restrictions, the gathering large crowds like Tuesday night without adequate coronavirus control measures may severely impact efforts to fight Covid-19. Even if most people were wearing masks, close proximity can still allow infections to happen, Phu said. However, he …

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Vu Thu Hang, head of sales with TNI Holdings Vietnam, enumerated several problems with land clearance at a recent webinar on "Identifying new trends in Industrial Park development." She said infrastructure investors were forced to pay site clearance compensation in stages and the process was prolonged even further because of legal and procedural hassles. This, in turn, interferes with enterprises' planning process and reduces project duration for investors, she added. "Businesses have lost many opportunities, especially when there were many orders that could not be met because site clearance did not happen in time," Hang said. A wave of factory relocations from China has heated up Vietnam's industrial real estate market generating high demand and increasing rentals. While investors are willing pay a premium to sign leases, complete licensing procedures and begin operations, land clearance continued to be a bottleneck for industrial real estate investment enterprises, Hang …

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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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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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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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From September 21, Hanoi has relaxed its anti-epidemic measures, with many activities and services resuming. Many streets were busy on the first day of the capital city easing social distancing measures. The city has allowed the reopening of some non-essential services across the city. It has also removed the requirement of travel permits for inner city commuters. There are no longer three-colored zones (red, yellow and green). Stores providing essential goods and services are allowed to open, along with traditional markets, shopping centres, stores for stationery, textbooks, and other learning equipment, mechanics, electronics, and home appliances and in-door hairdressing salons. Restaurants and food and drink establishments are permitted to reopen for delivery only and must close before 9pm every day. Motorbike delivery services, including those using ride-hailing apps will continue to operate from 9am to 10pm but shippers must be vaccinated with at least one dose, make …

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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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