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From five grams of toothpaste to 10 millilitres of cooking oil, many Nigerians struggling with soaring prices now buy their basic necessities in small quantities packed in tiny plastic bags to be consumed on the same day. Consumer brands behind this "sachetisation of the economy" see it as a creative innovation, allowing consumption for all Nigerians, the majority of whom live on less than $2 a day. But critics see the development as an economic and ecological aberration, even as Africa's largest economy struggles with the inflationary fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine. In the streets of Lagos, the vibrant economic capital of Africa's most populous country, small sachets are now part of the decor: they colour its streets, packing the wood and tin shops found on the corner of most streets. Sitting on a stool, Ibrahim Atahire has been running his small grocery store for 30 years in a busy area of Obalende, a popular district of the megalopolis. "At my place, you can buy … [Read more...] about From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite

Do Huu Vi (1883-1916) was honored by France as one of more than 300 people of overseas origin with meritorious services to the European country. A small square in the 16th arrondissement of Paris has been named after Vietnamese pilot Do Huu Vi, one of the first pilots in the French military, who died at age 33 in combat in France during World War I (1914-1918). At a ceremony marking the official naming of Do Huu Vi Square. Photo: VNA In late June, a ceremony took place to name a small square in the center of the 16th arrondissement of Paris after Do Huu Vi, in the presence of Paris Deputy Mayor Laurence Patrice, Mayor of the 16th arrondissement Francis Szpiner, representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in France, along with Do Huu Vi's relatives, local officials and residents. Do Huu Vi Square is located at the intersection of Versailles Avenue and Quai Louis Blériot, 16th arrondissement, overlooking the Radio France headquarters and the Grenelle … [Read more...] about Who is the Vietnamese for whom a Paris’s square has just been named?

Vietnam’s supporting sectors continue pushing forward despite the difficulties and extreme competitive pressure caused by a global pandemic and a variety of other geopolitical issues. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises across Vietnam managed to trudge ahead, securing new orders for export and posting increases in purchase requests. Mold production for Tesla At the end of June, Nguyen Van Tri, general director of Lap Phuc Mechanical Company, took reporters to a tour of the company’s 10,000-square-meter factory in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. According to Tri, Lap Phuc began investing heavily in machinery and production quality as part of a push to adapt to global supply chain shifts over the past two years. The company’s goal is to offer a cheaper alternative to Chinese enterprises. Lap Phuc is currently courting Tesla, General Motors, and GS Battery VietNam Co. Ltd as potential clients and is awaiting quality feedback on samples of manufacturing molds and … [Read more...] about Supporting sectors – a highlight of Vietnam’s quest toward self-reliant industry

Illustrative photo. In a pattern that seems to have prevailed for years, a transport project is usually put into operation soon after its inauguration, but then within a short time there is a need for its expansion or upgrade. What is more surprising is that even projects that are still under construction are being reconsidered for expansion or an upgrade. Such as in the case of the Hanoi Highway which has been expanded four times and still not complete. It may be that this Highway may even be further expanded. The Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh to Dau Giay Expressway was started in 2009 with an original design plan of four lanes, then soon after increased to six lanes and now being considered for eight lanes. For all we know it may also be extended to twelve lanes soon. The 17 km long metro line 1 has not yet been put into a trial operation but is being considered for an extension to include the route to Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces. More recently, the 51 km long Trung Luong … [Read more...] about Constant re-planning of transport projects in Vietnam

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh and her team is helping local students in Thap Muoi District to use IT. (Photo: SGGP) “I’m so happy that the street is safer at night, and traffic users can move around conveniently. All of this is thanks to the effort of these young students. We are happily welcoming them, but now feel so sad to say goodbye”, shared Mr. Sau – a local from Tan My Commune. Besides that meaningful project, these young volunteers also organized summer classes to help children here to review their lessons and learn social skills. They built a small bridge and aided the local to decorate exterior walls of public buildings. Anh Thu, a member of the campaign this time, said that since this was her first time, she felt a bit anxious, but then quickly overcame it thanks to the care of local people here. Her voluntary spirit is always high as she is doing such useful activities. Participating for the second time, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh from the Young Scientific Scholar Team to … [Read more...] about HCMC youth wholeheartedly participating in voluntary campaigns

The index closed 8 points higher after rising 10 points Tuesday. It has risen 43 points in the last three sessions. Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) increased by 4 percent to VND17.57 trillion ($751.46 million), highest in seven weeks. The VN-30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 14 tickers gain. HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group rose 3.7 percent to a seven-week high. GAS of state-owned Petrovietnam Gas gained 3.5 percent, and BID of state-owned lender BIDV rose 2.1 percent. Other gainers were STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank, CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank and SSI of leading brokerage SSI Securities Corporation, up 1.5-2 percent. Twelve blue chips fell, with Vietnam International Commercial Joint Stock Bank losing 1.5 percent, and VHM of real estate giant Vinhomes falling 1 percent. Foreign investors were net buyers for the third session in a row to the tune of VND656 billion, mainly buying HPG and VCB of … [Read more...] about VN-Index nears 8-week high

A plan to develop a self-reliant industry put forward by Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO) is winning the approval of many other Vietnamese enterprises and received positive feedback for further improvement. Doan Vo Khang Duy, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Mechanical and Electrical Enterprises (HAMEE) and director of Ameco Industrial JSC, highly appreciated THACO’s initiative, which is called the ‘one-stop’ model. Substantial synergies The model, which encourages cooperation among Vietnamese enterprises to increase Vietnamese industry’s self-reliance, has proved a success in other countries, according to Duy. It brings important synergies to businesses in terms of capital, equipment, technology, and many more by using resources and joining the ecosystem that THACO has built. It helps increase the size of the business, thereby boosting revenue. Enterprises will also be able to improve the quality and stability of their products, and overcome the … [Read more...] about Vietnamese enterprises exhilarated by synergy from cooperation plan

At the meeting (Photo: SGGP) At the meeting with the delegation led by Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Le, Vice Chairman of Cu Chi District People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hang said that since the beginning of the year, the district has recorded 1,205 outbreaks with 1,549 dengue inpatients and 1,001 outpatients. Noticeably, out of a total of 2,500 inpatients and outpatients, many are workers who got the disease at work or in other localities. The district also reported four deaths caused by the dengue virus. In addition, Cu Chi District still has identified 469 vulnerable localities in dengue risk areas. Explaining the reason why Cu Chi District is one of the five localities with the highest number of dengue cases in the city since the beginning of the year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang shared that the district has over 50 percent of agricultural land, focusing on agricultural production. In many industrial zones, there are a large number of immigrants, and the sanitary conditions in the areas … [Read more...] about People’s Council Chairwoman urges Cu Chi to be epidemic-free zone

Billion-dollar strategy While visiting THACO Chu Lai Industrial Zone at the end of March 2022, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned THACO three essential tasks, one of them being to continue developing the mechanical industrial zone to meet foundation industries requirements. To carry out this task, Supporting Industrial and Mechanics Corporation - THACO Industries (under THACO Group) has continued to invest in expanding its scale, improving production capacity, boosting exports, and setting a target revenue of $1 billion by 2025, of which export is $500 million. THACO Industries factory in Chu Lai Industrial Zone. Photo by THACO Industries THACO Industries has identified 2022 as the hinge year for establishing the foundation for a leap forward in mechanical and supporting industry business. The company has set out a comprehensive plan, from investing in core technology, and developing diversified products to digitalizing management... aiming to reach the … [Read more...] about THACO eyes revenue target of $1 bln in 2025

At their meeting, FM Son and his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta agreed on the need to increase delegation exchanges and the promotion of annual mechanisms, striving for 20% growth in annual two-way trade to match the bilateral Strategic Partnership. They concurred to recover collaboration in other fields such as education, tourism, tourism, people-to-people exchange after COVID-19. FM Son thanked New Zealand for providing 2 million NZD for Vietnam's recovery process. Mahuta affirmed that New Zealand will maintain the provision of ODA and scholarships to Vietnam and strengthen the country’s cooperation in the Mekong region. The two sides discussed the orientations of cooperation at ASEAN forums. Minister Mahuta invited Minister Son to visit New Zealand and co-chair the first Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. At a meeting with Canadian Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade Mary Ng, Son suggested the strengthening of collaboration within regional … [Read more...] about Foreign Minister holds bilateral meetings on AMM-55 sidelines