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  • Netflix will be blocked without local office

    Netflix will be blocked without local office

    An official said that providers of cross-border over-the-top (OTT) television services such as Netflix and iQiYi will be blocked and sanctioned if they do not establish legal entities in Vietnam.

    “If a cross-border OTT television service provider does not have a legal entity in Vietnam, the Ministry of Information and Communications will coordinate with telecommunications enterprises to block access to it,” Nguyen Ha Yen, deputy general director of the ministry’s Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, said at a conference on the issue Monday.

    He noted that five cross-border OTT television service providers are operating in Vietnam, including two from the U.S. and three from China.

    According to a new policy on communications media management that came into effect at the beginning of the year, pay television service providers operating in Vietnam must have a representative office in the country that falls under the management of Vietnamese authorities.

    According to the ministry, the policy is to ensure fairness between international and domestic enterprises in the pay television service market.

    “The world’s OTT giants attract a large amount of advertising but do not comply with Vietnamese regulations. That’s not fair to domestic OTT businesses,” said Tran Van Uy, chairman of the Vietnam Pay Television Association.

    Uy said that if OTT television services are not managed, there is a risk their content could upset a variety of cultural, political and legal norms.

    Many films that are not allowed to be shown via Vietnamese OTT services due to violations of certain regulations are still broadcast by Netflix, he noted.

    “There should be sanctions on both hardware devices and applications. Many TV sets sold in Vietnam have Netflix built into their operating systems, so people can use the service simply by pressing a single button on the remote,” he said.

    Huynh Long Thuy, general director of VieON Corporation, the owner of the Vietnamese OTT app VieON, said that over the past five years, cross-border OTT service providers have directly charged users in Vietnam, and have many times shown content that distorts Vietnamese history and infringes on the country’s sovereignty.

    The streaming services did not remove the content until Vietnamese authorities asked them to do so. If Vietnamese OTT services provide such content, they will be punished immediately, Thuy said.

    According to ministry statistics, revenues from OTT television services in Vietnam stood at VND1.55 trillion (US$65.68 million) in 2022, up 27.2% over 2017.

    The number of OTT television subscribers reached 5.5 million, an increase of 26.2% compared to 2017.

    Vietnam currently has 22 local and foreign pay television service providers, including Netflix, iFlix from Malaysia, and WeTV from China.

    Netflix is expected to open an office in Vietnam late this year.

  • Spotify upgrades one important feature in the latest update

    Spotify upgrades one important feature in the latest update

    One of the biggest music streaming services, Spotify, has just announced a small yet meaningful update to its app. Typically, we don’t report on updates that involve minor changes like turning a Heart icon into a Plus, but Spotify’s update does more than add visual changes.

    Earlier today, Spotify officialized a brand-new change that benefits all its users. The app’s iconic Heart button will be replaced with a Plus button that does more than just marking the songs you want to save.

    Basically, Spotify is unifying the Heart and “Add to playlist” icons into a single symbol: the Plus (+) button. This means that when you use the Plus (+) button, you will be able to save and choose the destination of any song, playlist, or podcast with a single tap.

    Going forward, in order to save a song or podcast episode, Spotify users must tap the Plus (+) button positioned to the right of the song or episode title in the Now Playing view. After the song or podcast has been added to Liked Songs or Your Episodes, the Plus (+) button will become a green check. Moreover, you can even change the destination of your saved content by simply tapping the green check.

    Another option at your disposal makes it possible to add an entire album to Your Library. Simply click the Plus (+) button to add your favorite album, playlist, or audiobook to Your Library. Once you see the green check, it means that it’s been successfully added.

    Obviously, the reason behind the new change is a simple, more unified user experience. Having a more streamlined way to save favorite music and podcasts means a lot these days when any extra action makes us lose focus.

    Unsurprisingly, this is exactly what Spotify found in its user research. On top of that, the same research found that saving songs and podcasts makes us more likely to listen to them again, which is pretty interesting.

    According to Spotify, the new changes to the Heart icon will begin to roll out to all users globally on iOS and Android starting today and will become available to all users in the coming weeks.

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  • Tim Hortons plans ‘hundreds’ of restaurants across SE Asia

    Tim Hortons plans ‘hundreds’ of restaurants across SE Asia

    Japan’s Marubeni plans to open hundreds of Tim Hortons coffee shop franchises in three Southeast Asian countries, a move the trading conglomerate hopes will make around $300 million in sales by 2033.

    Tim Hortons, headquartered in Canada, currently has over 5,600 locations worldwide. Marubeni signed an agreement with Tim Hortons’ parent company, Restaurant Brands International, to develop and operate the new coffee shops in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

    Marubeni plans to start opening franchises in Singapore and Malaysia in the next fiscal year beginning this April, while stores in Indonesia will begin opening in fiscal 2024. The plans will see hundreds of new Tim Hortons franchises in operation by 2033.

    Marubeni will make use of its existing retail network in Southeast Asia to support operation of the new businesses, which will have menus tailored to local tastes. Currently, Marubeni chiefly operates stores that sell pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

    The Tim Hortons franchises will be the first businesses launched under a new corporate development division Marubeni established last year, focused on business growth in the Asian consumer market.

    Going forward, Marubeni plans to position restaurant operations as a core segment of its business expansion ventures.

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  • MacBook Air M2 price falls to record low

    MacBook Air M2 price falls to record low

    Seven months after the MacBook Air M2 went on sale in Vietnam, its price has plummeted 20.1% to VND26.4 million, the lowest price for an Apple laptop ever sold in the country.

    The MacBook Air M2 was officially distributed in the Vietnamese market for the first time in July 2022 with the price of VND32.99 million for the 8 GB RAM model with a 256 GB internal memory.

    Vietnamese electronics retailers said the MacBook Air line has accounted for 80% of total sales of MacBook models using the Apple M2 chip.

    After remaining stable last year, the price of the Macbook Air M2 began to fall sharply at the beginning of this year.

    “Sales of laptops using the M2 chip have not been as high as expected, so Apple has decided to adjust their prices,” a reseller explained. “As the market is low, authorized resellers are slashing prices further to stimulate demand.”

    A manager of electronics retailer CellphoneS added: “Another reason for the decrease in the MacBook Air M2 price is that the inventory is too big, forcing retailers to lower the price to recover their cash flow.”

    Earlier, the price of the MacBook Air M1 had declined by VND6 million from VND29 million in November 2020 to VND23 million two years later.

  • Gmail interface gets optimized for foldable phones like Galaxy Z Fold 4

    Gmail interface gets optimized for foldable phones like Galaxy Z Fold 4

    Foldable phones are supposed to be more than just glorified tablets and big-screened mobile phones. They are getting better each year with new software tricks. The latest improvement is a new interface for Gmail.
    Up until now, foldable phones displayed a stretched-out version of the Gmail app that you see on conventional phones. Google has given the interface a makeover and now, foldable phone users with book-style phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 will see a 2-pane layout for Gmail. The 2-pane view is also available for Meet and Chat.
    What this means is that the left part of the foldable screen will show the inbox and the right half will show an opened email. This makes sense from a multitasking perspective and will save a lot of back and forth when browsing emails.
    As part of our mission to provide a top-class user experience on large screen devices, Android foldable-device users have been able to access a 2-pane view for Google Meet and Gmail. We’re excited to announce this also includes the Chat tab in the Gmail app. | This is now available. Google Workspace
    The search bar is above the inbox and the Compose button can also be seen on the first half of the screen. The bottom bar spans the width of the entire screen. In contrast, you see a vertical navigation rail on tablets. Little touches like these help create a distinct identity for foldable handsets.
    Google has increased its focus on foldable phones and tablets in recent times. The company announced its tablet-first OS Android 12L in late 2021 to make the software experience better on devices with large screens.
    It includes little tweaks and optimizations that make better use of larger screens, such as a vertically split notification shade and a taskbar to allow users to launch apps quickly.
    Google didn’t really care about tablets for the longest time. That’s changing now, and one of the major reasons behind this renewed interest is that the company has a tablet and probably a foldable phone on the way.
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  • Tesla to halt some China production for upgrades

    Tesla to halt some China production for upgrades

    Tesla Inc will suspend some production until the end of February as the electric-vehicle maker upgrades the facility to make a refreshed version of the Model 3 compact sedan, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.

    Tesla is developing a revamped version, codenamed “Highland”, of the Model 3, first launched in 2017, Reuters reported in November.

    The Bloomberg report said that some workers will not be allowed on production lines from as soon as Sunday.

    To spur demand, Tesla had cut prices globally in January, unleashing a price war.

    Ford Motor Co reacted with its price cuts for its Mustang Mach-E and Lucid Group provided discounts for certain variants of the Air luxury sedan.

     

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  • Home rental market booming

    Home rental market booming

    Searches for rental properties in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City surged 101% in January against last year, while rents rose, according to the real estate website Batdongsan.

    In Hanoi, searches for rental apartments and houses increased 112% and 38%, respectively. The respective figures for HCMC were 157% and 107%.

    The average rent of apartments in Hanoi and HCMC climbed up 8% and 4%, respectively. The average rent of rental houses increased 33% in Hanoi and 18% in HCMC.

    Dinh Minh Tuan, head of Batdongsan in the southern region, said the reasons include a higher demand from enterprises and migrant workers.

    He said some firms, which downsized last year, are now renting premises with an area of 50-70 square meters in apartment blocks in city centers.

    The higher demand has led to higher rents.

    Selling prices of apartments have increased 30-40% over the past two years, but rents have risen at lower rates.

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  • Vietnamese favor Canadian lobsters, snow crabs

    Vietnamese favor Canadian lobsters, snow crabs

    Vietnam spent US$65 million importing Canadian seafood, mainly lobsters and snow cabs last year, doubling 2021 imports and trebling 2020.

    Among Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam was Canadian’s biggest seafood importer, Steve Craig, Minister of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, said at a recent business networking event in HCMC.

    Although Vietnam is the world’s fourth largest seafood exporter with an annual turnover of $11 billion, it is still a fertile ground for Canadian products, he said, noting that Vietnamese are among the world’s top seafood consumers.

    Tran Van Truong, CEO of Royal Seafood chain, an official importer of Canadian seafood in large quantities, said the seafood is famous in Vietnam because their prices are always stable and often 5-20%, sometimes 40%, lower than imports other countries.

    Currently, in the Vietnamese market, Canadian lobsters are priced at VND1.4 million ($59.3) per kilogram, and Australian lobsters at VND2.4 million. The price of cod, oysters, and geoducks imported from Canada are also lower.

    Between 50 and 60 Vietnamese firms directly import Canadian seafood, and the number of Canadian seafood shops in Vietnam is rising.

    Canada will create more favorable conditions for Canadian and Vietnamese seafood to penetrate more deeply into each other’s markets, Craig said, stating that the Vietnamese market is very promising.

    Overall, bilateral trade between Canada and Vietnam was $14 billion last year, he said, noting that Vietnam is Canada’s biggest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

     

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  • Airlines propose scrapping airfare caps

    Airlines propose scrapping airfare caps

    Airlines and some experts have proposed hiking and eventually removing domestic airfare caps to support businesses in difficult times.

    Last year, no domestic airlines were profitable because of higher fuel costs, foreign exchange rates, and interest rates, while airfare caps have been kept unchanged for eight years. On Friday, participants at a conference on supporting the aviation industry said that the caps should be removed.

    Trinh Ngoc Thanh, executive vice president of Vietnam Airlines, said domestic airfare caps were last adjusted in 2015.

    The current maximum fare is VND2.2 million ($96) for routes under 850 kilometers and VND3.75 million for those above 1,280 kilometers.

    Airfare caps are placed only on domestic routes, not on international ones. As a result, the highest airfare of domestic flights is sometimes 40% lower than that of the HCMC – Singapore route, Thanh said.

    Thanh and Nguyen Manh Quan, CEO of Bamboo Airways, proposed that the Ministry of Transport hike the airfare caps and then eventually scrap them to ensure the aviation industry’s sustainable development.

    Quan also proposed the State still apply airfare caps on routes operated by only one airline, but let the market self-regulate routes tapped by at least two carriers.

    Hoai Nam, a Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board member, said: “Removing the airfare caps will help domestic airlines improve revenues and profits during peak periods.”

    He said that at present, no other countries in the world apply airfare caps, and none of the five domestic airlines has a monopoly position, so the caps should be removed as soon as possible.

    However, if the caps are scraped, airlines must not negotiate with one another about airfares, seriously violating the Competition Law and affecting the interests of passengers, Nam added.

    Tran Tho Dat, a member of the prime minister’s Economic Advisory Group, suggested the management agency should come up with a formula for regulating airfares like that for retail prices of gasoline and oil products.

    “If there are no caps, we should create a formula, an open airfare range, to ensure fair competition and people’s interests,” he said.

    In 2021, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam proposed removing airfare caps on routes operated by three airlines or more to increase competition by service quality to serve passengers who are willing to pay higher than the ceiling price.

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  • Dairy Farm to sell its Malaysian grocery business

    Dairy Farm to sell its Malaysian grocery business

    Dairy Farm International Group (DFI) is disposing its grocery venture in Malaysia, which includes the supermarket chain Giant, for an unspecified figure after having operated in the country for 24 years.

    The retail group, based in Hong Kong and listed in Singapore, has inked an agreement with a group of Malaysian business people headed by Datuk Andrew Lim Tatt Keong, who is both the deputy chairman of Sogo Department Store and executive chairman of the Gama Group.

    The switchover is anticipated to be finished by next month and the new owner will take over 2500 staffs from Giant, Cold Storage and Mercato grocery businesses.

    The Edge Markets suggested that the agreement could be worth “at least a couple of billion (ringgit)”.

    DFI entered Malaysia in 1999 by obtaining a 90 percent stake in Giant via its subsidiary GCH Retail. The subsidiary registered a net loss of US$23.4 million in 2021 with store numbers being cut to less than half of the pre-Covid period.

    “By uniting these companies under experienced local leadership, we have laid the foundations for them to continue growing and contributing to the Malaysian economy,” the company said.

  • Singapore’s total fertility rate drops to historic low of 1.05

    Singapore’s total fertility rate drops to historic low of 1.05

    Singapore’s total fertility rate has been in decline for many years, hitting an all-time low of 1.05 in 2022. This is due to several factors, such as the Tiger year in the Lunar calendar and the global trend of people living longer and delaying marriage and having children. South Korea currently has the lowest total fertility rate globally, at 0.78 in 2022.

    In response, the Singaporean government has implemented various policies and incentives such as providing financial support for families with young children, maternity and childcare leaves, as well as increasing access to childcare services and promoting a positive attitude towards having children.

    It is up to individuals to decide how many children they wish to have, but a decrease in fertility rate must be addressed in order to ensure a healthy population growth in Singapore. The government is also welcoming immigrants to the country, taking into consideration the applicant’s family ties, qualifications, economic contributions and other factors to ensure that they are able to integrate and contribute meaningfully.

    In response, the Singaporean government has implemented various policies, incentives and support to parents and families, such as maternity and childcare leaves, increased access to childcare services, financial support and grants, and the promotion of a positive attitude towards having children.

    The Government also recognises the need to bring in immigrants to sustain a healthy population growth, and has put several measures in place to ensure that new immigrants are able to integrate and contribute meaningfully. This includes considering a comprehensive set of factors such as family ties, economic contributions, qualifications and more when assessing any applications for citizenship or PR status.

    Overall, Singapore is taking proactive steps to encourage family growth, while ensuring that new immigrants are welcomed and fully integrated into the society.

  • Starbucks Unveils Innovative Olive Oil Coffee Brew

    Starbucks Unveils Innovative Olive Oil Coffee Brew

    It’s no secret that Starbucks is constantly looking for ways to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. Recently, the global coffee giant has unveiled its newest innovation – an olive oil coffee brew. This new brew has taken the coffee world by storm and is gaining a lot of attention from coffee enthusiasts around the world.

     

    Starbucks is one of the world’s largest coffee chains, with over 30,000 locations in 80 countries. Founded in 1971, Starbucks is known for its high-quality coffee and innovative drinks. It is also known for its commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing.

    The recent launch of Starbucks’ olive oil coffee brew has been met with excitement from coffee lovers around the world. This new brew is made with a combination of coffee and olive oil, creating a unique flavor that is completely different from traditional coffee.

    The combination of coffee and olive oil in Starbucks’ new brew provides a number of benefits. Firstly, it is packed with antioxidants, which can help protect your body from free radicals and reduce inflammation. Additionally, the olive oil adds a rich, buttery flavor to the coffee, which is sure to be a hit with coffee lovers.

    Furthermore, the combination of coffee and olive oil can help to increase energy levels and mental clarity. This makes it the perfect choice for those who need an extra boost throughout the day. Finally, the olive oil coffee brew is naturally low in calories, making it a healthier alternative to sugary coffee drinks.

    The olive oil coffee brew is completely different from traditional coffee. Firstly, it is made with high-quality, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. This adds a unique flavor and aroma to the brew that is unlike any other coffee.

    Secondly, the olive oil adds a rich, buttery texture to the coffee, which is sure to be a hit with coffee lovers. Finally, the olive oil coffee brew is naturally low in calories, making it a healthier alternative to sugary coffee drinks.

    starbucks plans to continue to expand the reach of its olive oil coffee brew. The company plans to open more locations that serve the olive oil brew and also plans to release additional flavors in the future. Additionally, Starbucks plans to use the olive oil brew as a way to introduce customers to other products, such as its cold brews, espresso drinks, and tea lattes.

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  • Google TV adds new landing pages to simplify navigation

    Google TV adds new landing pages to simplify navigation

    Google announced today via a blog post a set of new improvements coming to the Google TV platform that will add four new landing pages in the United States to make it simpler for viewers to access their preferred forms of entertainment without having to switch between different applications. These updates were considered after recent research has found that the average household subscribes to more than five different entertainment apps.

    These new landing pages, which can be found directly below the row of apps on the “For you” tab, will give you quick access to the best entertainment in the categories of Movies, Shows, Families, and Spanish-language content, without requiring you to navigate from app to app, and make it easier to discover new things. Below are the details:

    The Family page is the new place to go for entertainment that is suitable for families, with content ranging from old favorites to recent releases. It is not difficult to find something suitable for the entire family to watch together if it has a PG or lower content rating. And there’s no need to worry, because even when your children watch their own shows on their own television, they’ll still have access to the kid’s profile where they can watch all of their favorites.

    The Español page is the new home for the best Spanish-language entertainment, including telenovelas, live TV, movies, and shows. You will also have access to well-known apps in Spanish, such as Pantaya and FlixLatino, in addition to a library of dubbed and subtitled movies and television shows. Google is striving to make it much simpler for you to watch the entertainment that you enjoy, regardless of whether you are a native speaker of Spanish, live in a bilingual household, or are simply someone who enjoys content that is presented in Spanish.

    The Movies page allows you to search through thousands of films based on their title, genre, or subject matter, all on one simple page. You will also receive personalized recommendations for films that you might enjoy, in addition to information on recently released films and films that are currently popular.

    It has never been simpler to watch back-to-back episodes of your favorite show, whether it’s “The White Lotus” or “Yellowstone.” You can get new releases from all of your subscriptions in one convenient location by visiting the Shows page, where you can also view popular shows and explore personalized topics. In addition, when one show is over, you will be given suggestions for other shows that you might like to watch afterward.

    Google also states that several improvements are being made to the navigation system, one of which is moving the profile switcher to the top left corner so that you can switch between profiles in a seamless manner. The search bar will also be relocated to the far right of the screen, and a new button for quick settings will be added. These updates will begin rolling out today globally on Chromecast with Google TV and other Google TV devices, such as those manufactured by Hisense, Philips, Sony, and TCL.

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  • Netflix lowers subscription prices in nearly three dozen countries

    Netflix lowers subscription prices in nearly three dozen countries

    We now have the full list of countries where Netflix has decided to lower subscription prices has just been published courtesy to Ampere Analysis: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Christmas Island, Comoros, Congo – Brazzaville, Congo – Kinshasa, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Barthélemy, St. Helena, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    Netflix is expected to lose some subscribers due to crackdown on password sharing this year. Although it lost a few million subscribers in the first quarters of 2022, the streaming service gained nearly 8 million subscribers in Q4 2022, a number that exceeded its initial losses.

    In an attempt to avoid potential losses in customer numbers, Netflix announced plans to reduce subscription costs in over 30 countries.

    Unfortunately, Netflix didn’t provide the complete list of countries where subscription prices will be lowered, but we some of the locations where these changes will be introduced. For example, Middle East countries like Yemen, Jordan, Libya, and Iran will benefit from major discounts.

    The same goes for at least three countries in Easter Europe, such as Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia. As far as Latin America goes, we know of three countries where Netflix plans to cut subscription prices: Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Last but not least, customers in several countries from Africa and Asia will be getting cheaper Netflix subscriptions, including Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

    While Netflix confirmed that it’s updating the pricing of its plans in certain countries but didn’t offer specific details regarding prices. As mentioned earlier, price reductions will differ based on location, so you’ll probably have to check with your local Netflix branch for more details.

    This is a major decision that somewhat contradicts Netflix’s most recent statements that announced plans to raise prices rather than lowering them. It’s important to mention though that these changes will only be introduced in some countries where prices were already too high.

    As competition from other streaming services becomes fiercer, Netflix is taking steps to make sure customers remain loyal to its products no matter where they live.

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