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Tag: Vietnam

  • Local fashion brands face fierce competition with foreign rivals

    Local fashion brands face fierce competition with foreign rivals

    The influx of foreign fast fashion brands into Vietnam is threatening local retailers’ market share, forcing the firms to move to keep their foothold in the market.

    Le Thi Quynh Trang, General Director of the Multimedia JSC – which runs many fashion programmes in Vietnam, said the country is becoming more popular in the global fashion industry as most fashion brands, from high-end to fast fashion ones like Chanel, Giovanni, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Burberry, Topshop, Mango and Zara, have come to Vietnam. H&M and Uniqlo also plan to enter this market.

    “Vietnamese consumers’ demand is now ripe for them to make inroads into Vietnam,” she said.

    H&M is scheduled to open its first outlet in Ho Chi Minh City in the next few days. The Swedish brand said Vietnam is one of its five key future markets.

    There are nearly 200 foreign fashion brands in Vietnam, accounting for more than 60 percent of the market share. Mid-end brands like Giordano and Bossini and high-end ones such as Mango, Dolce & Gabbana, Topshop, Gap, Banana Republic and Tommy Hilfiger post the strongest sales.

    Competition pressure

    Foci, a domestic brand that debuted in 1999 and gained a strong foothold in the affordable segment, folded in 2014.

    Ngo Thi Bau, General Director of Nguyen Tam Textile & Garment Company – Foci’s owner – switched to opening a Japanese-style restaurant chain in HCM City. She said aside from high ground rent, Foci had to give up due to falling sales caused by cheap clothing from China and counterfeits.

    The Viet Fashion Joint Stock Company, which owns Ninomaxx and N&M brands, has been making strategic steps to develop. It has 62 retail outlets across the country at present and plans to increase store numbers soon.

    However, some insiders said Ninomaxx may lose its status to foreign rivals. They said in addition to cost-related problems, Vietnamese firms struggled as they were unable to grasp the latest fashion trends or change their promotion methods.

    Zara earned 5.5 billion VND (nearly 242,000 USD) on the opening day of its outlet at Vincom Dong Khoi shopping mall in HCM City on September 8, 2016. That reflects Vietnamese consumers’ interest in foreign fast fashion, which pressures domestic brands to make changes.

    The force to change

    Among Vietnamese brands, Canifa has emerged as an affordable fashion brand with the leading growth rate and store number in the country. The presence of Zara, H&M and Uniqlo has forced Canifa to change, especially with their target markets similar.

    Canifa has raised the number of its outlets to 96, many of which are based in major shopping malls or ideal locations in big provinces and cities. An advantage of this firm is that its factories are in Vietnam, helping cut time from design, production to sale.

    Nguyen Van Thoi, Chairman of TNG Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company, said the entrance into Vietnam by H&M, Zara and Uniqlo is a chance for Vietnamese brands to develop their designs but also a big challenge.

    TNG used to manufacture apparel ordered by Walmart, Zara, Levi’s, GAP, CK and Puma. However, it decided to abandon this and specialise in selling TNG-branded products. TNG outlets are expected to increase to about 100 this year, he said.

    The decisive factor is keeping up with consumers’ taste, thus Vietnamese firms need professional designers. TNG has partly satisfied the market’s demand and gained a market share, he noted.

    Thoi said TNG products are sold at competitive prices and will outpace foreign brands in this regard.

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  • Vinamilk tops most valuable firms list

    Vinamilk tops most valuable firms list

    Forbes Vietnam on Monday announced the Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) topped the 40 most valuable companies in the country with a value of more than US$1.7 billion. This is the second time Vinamilk has reached the top in the Forbes ranking.

    Forbes Vietnam said in its statement that total value of the 40 most valuable firms reached more than $5.4 billion, an increase of 20 per cent from the previous assessment last year.

    Behind Vinamilk was the military telecommunication group Viettel and property developer-retailer Vingroup, whose estimated values were $849.6 million and $299.3 million, respectively. The list closed out with the agriculture group Loc Troi, which was assessed at $13.1 million.

    Loc Troi joined the most-valuable list in 2017 for the first time, along with Quang Ngai Sugar Joint Stock Company, fuel dealer Viet Nam National Petroleum JSC (Petrolimex) and Saigon Tourist.

    In terms of industries, consumer goods producers and financial-banking firms outnumbered others at 19 companies.

    Saigon Securities Inc (SSI) was the only brokerage included in the Forbes Viet Nam list.

    Among other financial institutions were Vietcombank, Vietinbank, BIDV, Bao Viet Holdings, MB Bank, VP Bank and Sacombank.

    Three quarters of the 40 firms are already listed on the HCM and the Ha Noi stock exchanges, including two brewers Sabeco and Habeco, Mobile World Corp, Vietjet Air and property developer Novaland.

    Some of the 40 companies trade their shares on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) and the Over-the-Counter (OTC) market, such as Truong Hai Automobile, VP Bank and Techcombank.

    According to Forbes Viet Nam, the evaluation was conducted based on the contribution of the company’s brand to the business performance. The most valuable brands were the firms that recorded high revenue and earnings in the industries they were leading.

    Forbes Vietnam, with support from Viet Capital Securities Co, evaluated the firms’ pre-tax earnings, loan interest rates and intangible assets.

    In addition, Forbes Vietnam was assisted by the companies whose shares are traded on the two local exchanges and UPCoM and OTC markets, while some non-traded and unlisted companies agreed to provide financial data for the evaluation.

    The brand valuation is calculated on the company’s share price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio versus the market’s average P/E ratio for listed ones.

    For unlisted companies, Forbes Viet Nam compared the firm’s scale and scope to others in the same industry to calculate the company’s value.

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  • AirAsia to start daily flights to Nha Trang, Vietnam on Sept 14

    AirAsia to start daily flights to Nha Trang, Vietnam on Sept 14

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd will begin offering daily, non-stop service between Nha Trang, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur on Sept 14.

    In a statement today, AirAsia said the new service will mark the airline’s fourth route into Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi.

    In conjunction with the new flight, it will offer promotional all-in fares from RM99 one-way for booking from July 4 to 9, for the travel period from Sept 14, 2017 to Aug 28, 2018.

    “This year is all about driving the Asean vision forward with the year-long Visit Asean@50 initiative. In line with this, we are happy to be expanding our network with our 54th unique route from Malaysia to cover yet another exciting destination within the region,” AirAsia head of commercial Spencer Lee said in the statement.

    “As the only airline flying directly into Nha Trang from Malaysia, this route introduction not only opens up air travel into the city, but it also gives access to the people from the Khánh Hòa Province to enjoy over 120 AirAsia destinations around Asia,” he added.

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  • Startup develops app that allows diners to book tables with discounts

    Startup develops app that allows diners to book tables with discounts

    With PasGo, you can make online restaurant reservations and enjoy a wide range of discounts for free. Restaurant reservation application PasGo was launched in Vietnam in 2014 to present a complete tech solution for both diners and restaurants.

    When you have plans to eat out, a lot of questions will pop up: Where, what and when to eat? And what about discounts? To find the answers, many people usually turn to restaurant reviews and spend time looking for vouchers and discounts online, which can be inconvenient, said a PasGo representative.

    The internet can be a double-edged sword as it offers a lot of information but it’s difficult to decide on which sites to trust, and even when you do buy coupons online, you still want to book tables.

    “How can I find the right restaurant, save money, and book a table before arriving? We realized diners would love a solution to all of those questions, so we created PasGo,” said the company representative.

    Through the app, you can find the nearest restaurant using a map to show you the way. You can also choose from top restaurants without having to spend time reading a review, find discounts and book tables a the click of a button.The developers of PasGo are constantly studying market trends and catching up with new technologies to create a product that can meet the best interests of both diners and restaurants in Vietnam.

    The app is able to filter options to find the restaurant that suits your taste in terms of price, location and quality. It can even fulfill special requests such as finding an eatery that can cater for hundreds of people at once, or that has a private room or romantic seats, and all free of charge.

    PasGo helps restaurants advertise for free and attract customers during off-peak hours, as well as introducing new dishes.

    “This is the optimal solution for restaurants to manage and use their capital as it is based on their actual situations instead of creating wholesaling coupons,” said the representative.

    Over the past three years, PasGo has connected 700 restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with diners, and serves tens of thousands of users each day, creating the same amount of promotions and discounts.

    It has been loyal to its philosophy of only working with high-quality restaurants to help users feel secure about their choices.

    “We know this is not an easy path but the team at PasGo are consistent, and we hope the success of PasGo will encourage restaurants to pay more attention to their food and service,” the representative said.

  • Vinatex invests in technology to expand market share

    Vinatex invests in technology to expand market share

    The Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) must innovate its technologies as soon as possible in order to increase its market share, said Le Tien Truong, the group’s General Director, at its share-holders’ meeting held in Hanoi on June 29.

    Vinatex will focus resources on investing in technology during the 2017-2020 period

    Therefore, during the 2017-2020 period, Vinatex will focus resources on investing in technology, Truong affirmed.

    According to him, the world economy is likely to grow by 2-3 percent this year, while the world demand for garment and textiles may recover slightly, at about 0.5 percent.

    In addition, the US may adjust up import taxes on commodities from China, including garment and textiles, which can be a positive sign for Vietnam’s garment and textile export by expanding its market share in the US.

    However, the Vietnamese garment sector is facing fierce competition in attracting orders as domestic businesses are unable to provide package services and face difficulties in meeting importers’ shipping requirements.

    The country’s major competitors such as China, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia continue attracting a lot of orders thanks to their preferential policies on tax and exchange rate, while the European Union-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which are hoped to help with Vietnam’s exports, have yet to become effective in 2017.

    Other problems for the sector include rising input costs and falling selling prices, plus the lack of high-quality human resources who can operate modern machines, especially in weaving and dyeing phases.

    Therefore, the Vinatex will exert efforts to increase management capacity and administration in a modern and professional manner, while continuing to expand markets in East Europe, and optimise advantages offered by valid FTAs.

    In 2016, Vietnam’s apparel industry saw lower than expected results, with 28.3 billion USD in exports, up 5.7 percent year on year. Vinatex earned over 2.5 billion USD, an increase of 5 percent over 2015, with a pre-tax profit of over 41 trillion VND on a 5 percent year on year increase.

    In 2017, Vietnam’s textile-garment sector aims for a growth rate of 7-8 percent, and 30 billion USD in export earnings.

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  • Almost 77,000 new enterprises operative in H1

    Almost 77,000 new enterprises operative in H1

    There were 61,276 newly-established enterprises in Vietnam in the first half of this year with total capital of VND596.196 trillion ($26.22 billion), according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

    Numbers were up 12.4 per cent year-on-year while capital was up 39.4 per cent. Average capital was VND9.7 billion ($42,600), a 24.3 per cent increase year-on-year.

    There were also 18,100 enterprises adding capital in the first half, totaling VND859.186 trillion ($37.7 billion), for new and additional capital of some VND1,455 trillion ($64 billion).

    MPI’s figures also reveal that the number of newly-established enterprises and capital grew each year in the first half from 2013 to 2017.

    The number of newly-established enterprises in the first half of 2017 increased 1.5-fold compared to the first half of 2013.

    Registered capital and average capital in the first half of this year rose three-fold and 1.8-fold, respectively, compared to the first half of 2013.

    Most sectors saw newly-established enterprises in the first half.

    There were almost 2,280 in real estate, up 68.3 per cent year-on-year, 679 in banking, finance and insurance, up 37.2 per cent, and 318 in healthcare and social assistance, up 30.9 per cent.

    In education and training, 1,597 enterprises were newly-established, an increase of 30.4 per cent, and in electricity, water, and gas production 442, a 23.1 per cent increase.

    Some 15,380 enterprises also returned to operations in the first half after temporarily suspending operations, up 3.2 per cent.

    There were also, however, 14,377 enterprises temporarily suspending operations in the first half, an increase of 17.8 per cent year-on-year.

    The number of enterprises ceasing business or waiting for dissolution was 23,530, up 24.4 per cent year-on-year.

    Of these, 5,443 enterprises completed procedures for dissolution, down 1.2 per cent.

    Some 91.5 per cent of enterprises ceasing operations or temporarily suspending operations had registered capital of less than VND10 billion ($439,800), up 23.1 per cent.

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  • Vietnam beats Thailand, Indonesia with big jump in global innovation ranking

    Vietnam beats Thailand, Indonesia with big jump in global innovation ranking

    The country, at number 47, is now only behind Singapore and Malaysia in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has been named the 47th most innovative economy in the world, its best performance to date, according to this year’s Global Innovation Index report.

    The country jumped 12 spots compared to last year, thanks to its efforts to improve business environment as well as competitiveness.

    Vietnam also ranked first among lower-middle income economies. Among Southeast Asian countries, it overtook Thailand to secure the third place, only behind Singapore and Malaysia.

    Global Innovation Index of Southeast Asian economiesSingapore (7th)Malaysia (37th)Vietnam (47th)Thailand (51st)Brunei (71st)Philippines (73rd)Indonesia (87th)Cambodia (101st)010203040506070Source: Global Innovation Index (GII)

    Knowledge and Technology Outputs, one of the main pillars of the index, was found to be Vietnam’s strong point.

    The country also performed well in Market Sophistication and in Creative Outputs. However, Vietnam’s performance was mediocre in the other pillars that measure institutional framework, human capital, infrastructures and business sophistication.

    “New Asian Tigers — such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam — are emerging too, and they increasingly join not only Asian high-tech value chains but also other activities such as ICT offshoring. These and other countries in Asia are also active in improving their innovation performance,” the report said.

    The report, co-published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University and the business school INSEAD, surveys the innovation performance of 127 economies around the world.

    Vietnam has been part of the index since its debut in 2007. The country has been climbing up since 2013, after several years of hovering just above the 70th place.

  • Convenience stores seek ways to differentiate themselves from rivals

    Convenience stores seek ways to differentiate themselves from rivals

    In the past, convenience stores differentiated themselves from privately run groceries by position, diverse goods and modern services. Now, they tend to set up large stores integrated with fast food shops to attract youth and office workers.

    HCMC residents were reported as queuing up at the first 7-Eleven shop at Saigon Trade Center on June 15, the opening day of the shop.

    N.N. Huong, who visited with her teenage daughter, said she was curious about the new brand and she wanted to find out if there was any difference with the Ministop shop located next to her house.

    Seven System Vietnam said 7-Eleven offers hundreds of dishes suitable to Vietnamese taste, and provides lunches to office workers with 20 alternatives. Besides the products with private brands, 7-Eleven also provides facilities such as dining area, wifi and card payment services.

    After a decade of slow development, convenience stores have been developing strongly in the last three years.

    FamilyMart, Ministop and B’s, after changing the joint venture model, have been stepping up the expansion of the chains.

    Each of the brands has had 40-50 new shops set up every year. In the last three years, the network of 24/24 convenience stores has grown threefold and expanded to other provinces and cities besides Hanoi and HCMC.

    Analysts said though the high retail premises rent remains the biggest obstacle for the development of convenience stores (which accounts for 40 percent of operation costs), convenience stores have overcome a difficult period to form large-scale chains.

    Most convenience store chains are part of large corporations such as Aeon, Central Group, Saigon Co.op, Vingroup and SATRA.

    Aeon, for example, now owns many retail chains in Vietnam, including Ministop, which is open 24/24 hours, located in central districts; Aeon Fivimart, known as food shops; Aeon Citimart B&B, located in apartment blocks; and Daiso, the single-price chain, which all connect other models, from supermarkets, hypermarkets and shopping malls to other potential segments of the retail market.

    Zakkamart, a 100 percent Vietnamese owned chain, established three years ago, opens two new shops every month on average. The difference between Zakkamart and other convenience stores is that the chain sells fresh food, vegetables and fruits and frozen products.

    Nguyen Van Khoa, deputy general director of Satra, said Satra provides daily meals, and does not only focus on FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods).

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  • The next Silicon Valley? Where to place Vietnam on the global startup map

    The next Silicon Valley? Where to place Vietnam on the global startup map

    Vietnam is trying hard to become a startup nation. The country kicked off its own “Silicon Valley” with the hope of transforming from a software outsourcing haven to a major tech hub last year. This complex, with total investment of $21.5 million, is aimed at nurturing tech-incentive startups.

    However, when asked if Saigon could become the next Silicon Valley, entrepreneur Anh-Minh Do from the Singapore-based Vertex Venture, smiled and answered without hesitation: “I don’t think it will ever happen.”

    In the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2017 released by U.S. research organization Genome, Saigon was not mentioned in its top 20.

    Meanwhile, Southeast Asian neighbor Singapore shocked the world by outperforming Silicon Valley as the world’s number one for tech talents, and was ranked 12th overall.

    Saigon became known to the global tech market nearly two decades ago as an outsourcing haven, together with Bangalore in India, which did secure a place in the top 20.

    When it comes to other up-and-coming tech hubs in Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur also has its name on the map.

    In another report released this month by consultancy firm A.T. Kearney, Saigon stood in 74th out of the 128 most innovative cities worldwide.

    Those rankings cast doubt on Saigon’s Silicon Valley dream. People are getting more realistic, saying it may be out of reach.

    People have been wondering where the second Silicon Valley will emerge, but even Singapore is not a safe bet, according to some investors. Singapore may have overtaken the California-based tech hub in some respects, but is still a long way from becoming a major rival.

    For some entrepreneurs, investors and developers, the term “Saigon Silicon Valley” comes as a surprise.

    “What do you mean Saigon Silicon Valley?” astonished Tuan Anh, a former Google intern in the U.S., asked with wide-open eyes at an Internet of Things conference held last month in Hanoi. He had no idea that Vietnam is constructing its own Silicon Valley, covering an area of over 11,000 square meters. “I am sorry, I didn’t know about the project. But considering the situation in Vietnam now, I think Silicon Valley is just a name reflecting a government dream.”

    It seems the Vietnamese government is obsessed with the term “Silicon Valley”. Nearly five years ago, the government also sponsored an accelerator based in Hanoi called Vietnam Silicon Valley, hosting bootcamps aimed at mentoring young startups and giving direction to the fragmented venture capital market.

    Tech talents

    Many investors agree that Vietnam is a great breeding ground for IT workers, and tech companies are constantly hunting for talented candidates.

    Domestic demand for techies has doubled over the past five years, according to a report by human resources firm VietnamWorks.

    Vietnam is recognized as one of the world’s top software outsourcing hubs. The appeal is bolstered by its tech-savvy workforce, which is cheaper than China’s and more productive than other countries in the ASEAN Economic Community.

    “But when it comes to sophisticated projects that require the ability to appreciate good and user-focused design and critical thinking, Vietnamese developers seem to be struggling,” Pham Quoc Dat, founder & CEO of Hatch Ventures Vietnam.

    “Vietnamese IT workers are just above average,” Dat added. “On a scale of 1 to 10, they score 7 to 8 in comparison to their Southeast Asian peers, but just 5 to 6 compared to the real Silicon Valley in the U.S.”

    Clearly, outsourcing is not enough for Vietnamese developers to make their Silicon Valley dream come true – it’s the matter of creating new things.

    “The world is now focused on artificial intelligence and automation, but Vietnam has virtually no home-grown talents in this field, only those who were educated overseas,” said Anh-Minh. “That means Vietnam is being left behind when it comes to education, which is a key component to keep up in this fast-paced world.”

    On the other hand, Vietnamese high school students have long been known for their excellent performances at math and science competitions, outscoring their U.S. and U.K. counterparts. It is this foundation for computer science that could give Vietnam an edge.

    “Vietnam has hidden tech potential, but it could take another five years to create massive companies that have global influence,” Anh-Minh added.

    The country is looking at ways to transform from an electronic component producer to a center for research, innovation and development.

    In early 2014, the world became addicted to mobile game Flappy Bird, developed by Vietnamese programmer Nguyen Ha Dong. He was said to have pocketed an estimated $50,000 a day thanks to the bird. Not even Mark Zuckerberg became rich that fast.

    Dong’s story is an encouraging example for his peers, but it seems that “Flappmania” was just a one-night hit for him. No more spotlight for descendents of this bird.

    Since then, no Vietnamese techies have been able to recreate that, not even Dong himself.

    When entrepreneurial spirit is not enough

    Setting up your own business is part of Vietnamese culture. Seven in 10 startups are family-run businesses, according to the “Vietnam –Promised Land for Entrepreneurship” report, conducted by USAID and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They start small but hope to grow bigger.

    The average age of startup founders in Vietnam was 30, said the report, just slightly older than the 28 years reported in Singapore, the world’s youngest base.

    “Most young Vietnamese people want to be entrepreneurs,” said Chris Zobrist, an American entrepreneur and advisor on the Silicon Valley Project. “A lot of their parents started businesses that did really well, and that created an image in young people’s minds that being an entrepreneur is a real path to success in life.”

    Geektime, one of the biggest tech blogs focusing on global innovation, estimated the number of tech startups in Vietnam stood between 1,400 and 3,000 in 2016, making the country the third largest ecosystem in Southeast Asia, only behind Singapore and Indonesia. However, around 95 percent of startups die within 3-5 years.

    Vietnamese people are focusing more on commercial startups like coffee shops rather than doing something tech-related and revolutionary, said Truong Gia Binh, chairman of technology giant FPT Corporation. Binh said he would wholeheartedly support any projects that could make a breakthrough in the tech world. Startups that could go global should have technology as their foundation, he added.

    The startup trend has fired up in Vietnam for three years.

    The government has set a target of reaching one million newly established firms by 2020, but quantity should go together with quality.

    To become the “next” anything, the country needs bigger bets from founders, investors and regulators.

    Vietnamese startups enjoy significant government subsidies and the country’s strategists are working to establish local tech startups that can make it big on a global scale.

    “The law needs to regulate the money better. The government needs to be more supportive; there needs to be more interaction from Vietnamese-Americans, specifically Vietnamese-Californians because of the ‘Valley’ connection,” Anh-Minh said.

    Vietnamese startups struggle to succeed because they don’t have access to experienced professionals. In Silicon Valley, founders and entrepreneurs have a lot of people who have successfully started companies to go to for advice. Here in Vietnam, a relatively young market, it is not easy to find that depth of experience.

    Vietnam is a small country with big ambitions.

    Dat from Hatch Ventures said: “As the first entrepreneurial hub in Vietnam, Saigon is the first choice for investors looking for potential deals.”

    “If any city in Vietnam has the potential to become the next big tech hub, it’s Saigon,” Dat said.

     

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  • Vietnamese consumers among most demanding on e-commerce

    Vietnamese consumers among most demanding on e-commerce

    Nielsen has forecast that the Vietnamese e-commerce market will grow 22 per cent this year and 13.2 per cent by 2020.

    According to the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), the local e-commerce sector will become a 10-billion-dollar business in the next five years.

    However, local consumers are also demanding, with many complaints about price, product information and authorisation, which should be addressed by merchants to improve customers’ trust.

    A research conducted by iPrice and Trusted Company based on more than 30,000 reviews on 5,000 websites in Viet Nam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines found that Vietnamese customers have the lowest trust on e-commerce and spend less money on shopping online.

    Vietnamese customers complain the most about “fake products”, 15 per cent higher than Thailand, the country with the second maximum complaints, given that fact that Thailand ranked 4th worldwide in the fake goods trade.

    The second maximum complaints on e-commerce sites by Vietnamese customers are about the price of products. Despite being an aggressive promotion hunter, the Vietnamese still think products listed by e-commerce merchants are overpriced.

    Given that 80 per cent of consumers prefer cash on delivery (COD) payment, the country also has the highest order cancellation rate, with 30 per cent of products not being accepted due to product failure, the research said.

    Unlike consumers in other Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Indonesia that have shared concerns on buying products, the most common queries of the Vietnamese are on product authorisation (store address) and availability. They are revealed to often use feedback forms to ask about products.

    Of all Southeast Asian countries, Viet Nam has an average rating of 3.7 out of five stars, the research has revealed. This is due to the fact that only large merchants have developed a rating scheme for a better shopping experience for consumers.

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  • Vietnam Motor Show scheduled in August

    Vietnam Motor Show scheduled in August

    They include 12 brands of 10 members of the Viet Nam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) including Chevrolet, Ford, FUSO, Honda, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, Toyota, and Do Thanh.

    The exhibition will also feature over 50 companies from supporting industries who will bring automobile parts and services.

    The event, which this year will have the theme “connected technology for smart moving”, will highlight the role of technology in modern life.

    Toru Kinoshita, chairman of VAMA, said: “The development of automobiles has had an enormous effect on people’s way of life all over the world. Advanced technology and innovation in the auto industry nowadays has given people incredible freedom of movement and influence over how they want to move, live and enjoy life.

    “Therefore we decided to choose this theme. We would like to express the impact of connected technology on Vietnamese life, thus enabling significant changes to patterns of living.”

    The exhibitors have said they will offer many promotions at the event.

    Also at the exhibition, conferences and forums will be held to discuss urgent issues facing the industry.

    The event, which will be held at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7, expects to welcome 150,000-160,000 visitors.

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  • Tourism plans in Mekong Delta called too ambitious

    Tourism plans in Mekong Delta called too ambitious

    Thirteen provinces and cities in Mekong Delta received 7.6 million travelers in 2016, including 900,000 foreign travelers, or 10 percent of total foreign travelers to Vietnam.

    Under the plan for Mekong Delta tourism development, the region would have turnover of VND25 trillion by 2020, or VND15.3 trillion higher than last year’s turnover.

    Some experts commented the plan is too ambitious, because the number of travelers to Mekong Delta has not increased sharply like other regions. With the overlap in tourism products, poor infrastructure and services, and bad marketing, Mekong Delta tourism agencies should not set a high target in the number of travelers.

    An analyst commented that there could be a ‘one for all’ tour, in which travelers visit one locality to experience all the products of the whole region.

    If travelers visit My Tho, they will not need to go to Can Tho, and if they visit Can Tho, they can go straight to Chau Doc or to Cambodia, and there would be no need to stop over in neighboring localities.

    My Tho and Ben Tre’s tourism has become nearly saturated as all tourism resources such as don ca tai tu (amateur music in southern Vietnam), hand rowing and craft villages.

    Travel firms report that travelers to Mekong Delta stay for 1-2 nights or go home within the day. While the central region can exploit its advantages to provide resort tourism or MICE, Mekong Delta has few large groups of 500-1,000 MICE travelers because of the lack of hotels and services.

    Nguyen Thi Hoa Le, CEO of Hoa Binh Tourism JSC, said that provinces and cities need to provide tourism products with ‘specific taste’.

    She has urged local authorities to make heavier investments in infrastructure and services. “All localities want to develop tourism, but how they can attract more tourists if they hesitate to make big investments?” she said.

    Some businesses think Mekong Delta has become less attractive because of rapid modernization. Many rural areas have lost the charm of the southern countryside.

    In Tien Giang and Can Tho provinces, for example, there are floating markets, an original characteristic of the southern region. However, the markets have become smaller as people now have other modern trade channels.

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  • Pet breeding a popular business in Ben Tre Province

    Pet breeding a popular business in Ben Tre Province

    In recent years, professional systems that take care of breeding, veterinary services, and the buying and selling of pets have emerged in the province.

    Tran Tan Dat, a resident in Chau Thanh District’s Huu Dinh Commune, for example, invested in a pet-raising business after retirement.

    Initially, he had a couple of poodles but now has 20 poodles of different sizes, including teacup, toy, miniature and standard.

    He said that demand for poodles was high since the breed was friendly and easy to train.

    Nguyen Thanh Dong, a farmer in Ben Tre City’s Son Dong Commune, has raised a variety of breeds, including pugs, border collies, rottweilers, and Phu Quoc and berger dogs.

    Raising multiple breeds has allowed him to earn a profit from the most difficult buyers.

    Dong added that raising foreign dog breeds required more attention and resources compared to pure Vietnamese breeds.

    They need to be bathed regularly and given vaccinations to prevent disease, he said, emphasising that food sources must also be chosen carefully.

    If dogs are taken care of well, they can give birth three times per year, with four to six puppies each time.

    Besides the economic value, raising pets can bring joy and social connections, especially to retired workers like Dat.

    Last year, the Ben Tre Province’s Pet Association launched a dog-raising group with the aim of bringing together breeders and providing a platform to exchange ideas on the industry.

    The group has hosted several seminars and invited dog food companies to share their experience in raising quality pets.

    Le Van Huyen, director of the group, said that a thriving dog-breeding business required passion as well as thorough understanding.

    The group now has 40 official and about 60 unofficial members.

    Ben Tre, Tien Giang, HCM City and China are the most common destinations where locals sell their dogs, Huyen said.

    Nguyen Quoc Phuong, a resident who does not breed dogs, said that pet-raising was also an educational activity that helps children learn to love animals.

  • Vietnam bans new carpooling services from Uber, Grab

    Vietnam bans new carpooling services from Uber, Grab

    The authorities say sharing a car with a stranger comes with risks that passengers should not ignore. It’s yet another bumpy ride for popular ride-hailing services Uber and Grab.

    Their new carpool versions in Vietnam, UberPOOL and GrabShare, have been blocked by the Ministry of Transport, not long after their summer launch.

    Low-cost services that allow drivers to pick up an extra person along the way will create risks for the passenger, the ministry said in a new statement. stopping short of mentioning any such incidents.

    The ban is to protect Vietnamese passengers from what could happen, it said.

    If Uber and Grab disobey the rule, they will be fined VND4-6 million ($175-260) per ride.

    Last month, U.S.-based Uber and Malaysia-based Grab rolled out their carpooling services in Vietnam, promising to help passengers save 30 percent of payments by splitting the costs.

    Uber and Grab entered Vietnam in 2014. Since then, the two have repeatedly made headlines for regulatory issues.

    Exisiting service providers have not been happy. Vinasun and Mai Linh, the two major taxi companies in Vietnam, blame their business difficulties on Uber and Grab, saying the competition has been “unfair” because the foreign firms are not subjected to strict tax rules.

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  • Car ownership ratio remains low

    Car ownership ratio remains low

    The industry’s growth for 2012-2016 period was 38%, the highest rate in the South East Asia. About 45% of the new cars were registered in Hanoi and HCM City.

    As of 2016, about 211,000 vehicles were registered in HCM City and 291,000 in Hanoi. 600,000 cars were sold in remaining provinces and cities.

    Cars from Japan and South Korea were favoured in Vietnam. Customers now have more choice as more European car brands have appeared in Vietnam such as Renault and Volkswagen.

    However, the car ownership ratio in Vietnam is only 16 cars for 1,000 people. This rate is lower than Malaysia’s 341 cars, Thailand’s 196 cars and Indonesia’s 55 cars.

    According to Solidiance, one of the reasons is because prices are still high. Car manufacturing, as well as supporting industries, are still weak so Vietnam has to import completely built units. Moreover, poor infrastructure and constant congestion have discouraged people from buying cars.

    It is predicted that the demand will continue to rise with steady economic growth and increasing personal incomes. Import taxes will be reduced or lifted from 2018 after Vietnam joins various trade agreements such as the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement. As a result, the car prices will fall and become more affordable.

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