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
Zhejiang zhongyi industry trade co ltd
Developers clamour for legal clarity
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
Techcombank eyes seat at top Southeast Asian banking table
"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
Finding the spark to ignite energy goals
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
Nation lacking coal supply for sufficient power generation
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
Technology applications in agricultural production introduced
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
Center hoped to help link, consume agricultural products in Mekong Delta
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
Transmission boost to remove major power bottlenecks
EVN workers examine electricity facilities (Photo: VNA) The Vietnamese government’s permission for private companies to invest in and build power plants and transmission systems became a big step forward, bringing competition in the energy sector to a manageable level. The first 500kV super-high voltage power transmission line invested by Trungnam Construction and Investment JSC has been operating stably for more than a year. Trungnam’s project includes a 500kV substation and transmission lines combined with a 450MW solar power plant, promoting its advantages when participating in the power grid of Ninh Thuan province and the south-central coastal region. Pham Nhu Anh, member of the Executive Board of Military Bank, which arranged capital for Trungnam to invest in transmission infrastructure, pointed out that capital is still a bottleneck in Vietnam’s electrical infrastructure development. According to Anh, the fact that Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) still holds a monopoly on … [Read more...] about Transmission boost to remove major power bottlenecks
Việt Nam, Singapore to strengthen cooperation ahead 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations
President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (right) meets Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said Singapore’s Prime Minister wants to visit Việt Nam in 2023 when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, during his meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Thursday. President Phúc said that the presence of Speaker Tan at the 31st SEA Games provides great encouragement to the host country Việt Nam and the Singapore sports delegation. The Vietnamese leader praised the good results of talks between Vietnamese NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ and his Singaporean counterpart. Assessing that trade growth between the two countries is very positive, with more Singaporean projects investing in Việt Nam, the President said that the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park is considered a symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries. … [Read more...] about Việt Nam, Singapore to strengthen cooperation ahead 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations