This figure marked a 40 percent increase from the same period last year and brought four-month sales to 123,931 units, up 33 percent, said VAMA, which does not incorporate data of VinFast and TC Motor (assembler of Hyundai cars). Most top selling brands posted a double-digit increase in sales compared to March last year. Truong Hai auto remained the top seller with 14,569 units, up 41.5 percent year-on-year. It was followed by Toyota with a 55.3 percent growth to 8,694 units. Honda and Suzuki saw a tripling in their sales, with the former rising by 216 percent to 6,100 units, and the latter by 173 percent to 1,111. Ford’s sales bucked the trend with a 25 percent drop to 1,933 units. With data from all brands included, the sedan Honda City was the top selling model in Vietnam last month at 3,013 units. It was followed by the sedan Toyota Vios and the SUV Toyota Corolla Cross. … [Read more...] about Auto sales extends growth
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Domestic car market maintains sale growth in April
In April, sales of domestically-assembled cars and completely built-up (CBU) cars surged by 16 per cent and 13 per cent per month, respectively. — Photo laodong.vn Members of the Viet Nam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) sold 42,359 autos in April, up 14 per cent on the month and 40 per cent on the year, according to a recent VAMA report. This was the second consecutive month of this year when VAMA members had witnessed an auto sales growth. In March, the growth rate was 60 per cent. In April, passenger car sales surged 18 per cent on month to 33,588, while 7,795 commercial vehicles found customers, up 2.6 per cent, and 776 special-use cars were sold, up 15 per cent, according to a VAMA report released on May 12. Sales of domestically-assembled cars and completely built-up (CBU) cars surged by 16 per cent to 25,269 units and 13 per cent to 17,090 units in the month, respectively. Apart from VAMA members, non-member automakers Thanh Cong Motor and VinFast sold … [Read more...] about Domestic car market maintains sale growth in April
Localities clamp down on land hoarding and speculation
For-sales signs put up along a road in a district in Tay Ninh Province. Industry experts have voiced concern over the recent land fever as a result of the pandemic. —VNA/VNS Photo Authorities in Ha Noi halted processing on all land partition applications of agricultural land or made up of agricultural areas and non-residential land in a move joined by other localities across the country to combat real-estate speculation and hoarding. The move was announced in a recent memo by the capital city's authority to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Last week, the Vietnam News Agency reported a large number of land partition applications were received by southern Tay Ninh Province's Department of Natural Resources and Environment. A majority of the applications were for Hoa Thanh and Trang Bang townships as well as border districts such as Ben Cau, Tan Chau and Duong Minh Chau. According to local sources, a hectare of land in the areas is typically purchased at … [Read more...] about Localities clamp down on land hoarding and speculation
Young Vietnamese turn to mortgages, installment plans to secure dream homes
Le Thi Bao Tran, a young white-collar worker in Ho Chi Minh City, has spent the past eight years moving between rented rooms, doing her best to save up enough money to purchase a home of her own. Like other young, white-collar workers who have moved to Ho Chi Minh City to pursue their careers, Tran hopes to eventually purchase a home in the city, but the rising cost of real estate has kept that dream out of reach. A lifelong dream Tran spent her college years moving between rental apartments in Binh Thanh District. At one point, she shared a tiny 10-square-meter apartment with a friend for just VND1.1 million ($47) per month, including utilities. During the dry season, the apartment would heat up like an oven, and the putrid smell from a nearby garbage dump would waft through the windows. "If you closed the door, you could hardly breathe. If you opened the door, you still couldn’t breathe because of the horrible smell," she shared. Things were not much better in the … [Read more...] about Young Vietnamese turn to mortgages, installment plans to secure dream homes
U.S. FDA approves Eli Lilly’s treatment for type 2 diabetes
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration said on Friday it had approved Eli Lilly's injected drug tirzepatide, which has the brand name Mounjaro, to help improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. The FDA said Mounjaro, along with diet and exercise, improved blood sugar levels and was more effective than the other diabetes therapies with which it was compared in clinical studies. Mounjaro is designed to activate receptors for hormones involved in blood sugar control. It is administered by injection under the skin once weekly, with the dose adjusted as tolerated to meet blood sugar goals. Lilly reported last month that a late-stage trial of tirzepatide showed that it helped obese patients lose more than 20% of their weight, leading Wall Street to boost sales forecasts for the drug. Analysts currently project 2026 sales of tirzepatide to reach $4.7 billion, according to Refinitiv. Similar diabetes drugs include Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, which is also approved by … [Read more...] about U.S. FDA approves Eli Lilly’s treatment for type 2 diabetes
Duo served death for transporting 100 kilos of meth
The court in central Nghe An Province on Friday handed out the sentence to Giang Seo Hoa, 33, and Vang Seo Su, 25, both residing in the province, for "illegally transporting narcotic substances." According to the verdict, on Jan. 17 last year, Hoa called Su on the phone to talk Su into a business of transporting meth from Nghe An to northern Lao Cai Province that borders China. The payment for the trip would be VND500 million. Hoa offered Su VND450 million. Su accepted the deal. After receiving VND30 million in advance, Su drove a car to an address in Nghe An’s Thanh Chuong District to pick up the meth, as instructed by Hoa. After receiving the drugs packed in six backpacks, Su drove away and was caught red-handed by police. In those backpacks, police seized a total 111 kilos of meth. Su and Hoa both admitted to the crime in court and asked permission to live. With meth becoming a substance favored by hard-partying youth, drug busts and convictions have been increasing … [Read more...] about Duo served death for transporting 100 kilos of meth
South Korean and Japanese streets still quiet in HCM City
Many streets home to Japanese and South Korean restaurants and shops in HCM City are still quiet although the city has fully reopened after successfully containing the Covid-19 pandemic. A Japanese restaurant in District 1 While the Bui Vien Street in HCM City's District 1 which is a popular nightlife place for foreign tourists has quickly revived after local restaurants, bars and clubs were allowed to resume operation two months ago, some areas home to Japanese and South Korean communities in District 1 and District 7 remain quiet with many closed shops and restaurants. The Japanese area runs some 300 metres on Le Thanh Tong Street in District 1. Formed in the early 2000s with the openings of just a few Japanese restaurants, the street soon became busy with hundreds of restaurants, bars and massage venues serving Japanese foods and products until it was suspended for Covid-19 pandemic prevention activities in 2021. Since then, many shops have been closed … [Read more...] about South Korean and Japanese streets still quiet in HCM City
Fine dining at Le Beaulieu
FLAMING GOOD: The waitress cooks the lobster bisque at the table. VNS Photos Mỹ Hà by Mỹ Trang It was a special occasion, and we all wanted to celebrate it at Le Beaulieu. The usual restaurant has been under renovation for a while and we could not have a table looking out onto the street, instead, its temporary location had been moved further inside Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, which has a cosy interior. It's always a pleasure to look at the menu, carefully crafted with dishes that have ingredients in season, varied, but not too many that it blows your mind. Nevertheless, it is hard to nail one dish down. If you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, its menu can last for pages, and you leaf from beginning to end, perplexed among so many dishes cooked in so many different ways, and you end up picking a few things and you are not sure you made a good choice. It's different at Le Beaulieu where you see familiar dishes that you know are delicious. You are also open to exploring new … [Read more...] about Fine dining at Le Beaulieu
HCM City: Hot demand for air conditioners
Electronic goods shops and supermarkets in HCM City are offering big promotions on air conditioners, refrigerators and fans as hot temperatures have arrived earlier than usual this year. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - Electronic goods shops and supermarkets in HCM City are offering big promotions on air conditioners , refrigerators and fans as the hot season approaches. Shops and supermarkets in HCM usually offer discounts of only 10 or 15 percent, but as the peak hot season is near, they are now discounting fans and air conditioners by 15 to 50 percent and offering free delivery and installation, as well as a zero percent interest rate on installment payments. A survey conducted at a number of large electronics stores such as Nguyen Kim and Thien Hoa found that demand for air conditioners and fans had skyrocketed with the onset of summer. Nguyen Trong Tuan, a representative of Nguyen Kim Electronic Appliance Centre, said the sales of air conditioners, refrigerators, … [Read more...] about HCM City: Hot demand for air conditioners
Hoa Phat Group, four Vietnamese banks among world’s 2,000 largest companies
Hoa Phat Group and four commercial banks of Vietnam have been named in this year’s Forbes list of the world’s 2,000 largest companies (Global 2000). Customers conduct transactions at a branch of Vietcombank in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) In the latest ranking, Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) ranks at the 950th position while Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank) stands at 1,874th. This year, Hoa Phat Group is named on the list for the first time with revenues of 1.5 billion USD and market value of 8.53 billion USD. The total capitalisation of the four Vietnamese banks on the list reached 46.84 billion USD, in which the market value of Vietcombank accounted for more than 36 percent.. Forbes said that despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict, the world’s top companies still managed to boost sales and profits last year. Besides, the stock values of … [Read more...] about Hoa Phat Group, four Vietnamese banks among world’s 2,000 largest companies