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Tag: Vietnam

  • Vietnam shipping company begins service to Malaysia, India

    Vietnam shipping company begins service to Malaysia, India

    The Vietnam Maritime Corporation has launched a container shipping route to Malaysia and India.

    The route from Vietnam’s Hai Phong Port to Malaysia’s Port Klang, India’s Calcutta, Port Klang, and SP-ITC International Container Terminal in HCMC takes 10 days less than foreign shippers’ itineraries, VIMC said.

    It is the first time Vietnamese container ships are sailing through the Malacca Strait to the Indian Ocean to transport cargo to Malaysia and India, both large import and export markets for goods and raw materials for Vietnamese enterprises.

    VIMC said it plans to expand its large-tonnage container ship fleet and operations in the region as well as globally.

    Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, Vietnam’s importers and exporters have been hit by the high freight rates demanded by foreign shipping lines and finding it hard to book their services.

    Freight rates to Europe and North America have surged by four to eight times to around $20,000 for a 40-foot container.

    Many Vietnamese shipping companies saw profits surge in the third quarter as a result of the rising freight rates.

    VIMC reported revenues of VND4.127 trillion ($179.4 million), up 71 percent year-on-year, and profits of VND760 billion, compared to a loss of nearly VND30 billion in the same quarter last year.

    According to the Vietnam Maritime Administration, the country’s ports handled over 535 million tons of cargo in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 3 percent.

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  • Car registration fee cut by half again

    Car registration fee cut by half again

    A government decree has cut registration fees for locally made cars by 50 percent for six months starting December 1.

    This is the second time in the last two years such a cut is being made to mitigate the difficulties faced by the auto industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    In the first six months of last year, 17,600 cars were bought on average each month. In the second half, when the 50 percent cut took effect, sales doubled.

    The registration fees are calculated based on car prices in each locality.

    The rates are 12 percent in Hanoi and Hai Phong, and 10 percent in HCMC.

    Last year, car sales had fallen by 8 percent to 296,634 units as the Covid-19 pandemic badly affected the economy, hitting people’s incomes and discretionary spending.

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  • Private hospitals suffer pandemic inflicted losses

    Private hospitals suffer pandemic inflicted losses

    Private hospitals in HCMC and Hanoi are reporting losses after months of limited operations necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

    After four years of making a profit, the Tam Duc Heart Hospital in HCMC’s District 7 posted a loss of VND13 billion ($571,440) in the third quarter this year.

    Its revenue plunged 63 percent to nearly VND54 billion.

    The hospital has cut down salaries but high overhead costs and additional Covid-19 measures remained major financial burdens.

    Its nine-month profit has fallen 86 percent year-on-year, the hospital said.

    In Binh Tan District, Trieu An Hospital posted its second quarterly loss in a row at VND22 billion, against VND14 billion in the second quarter.

    The hospital saw third-quarter revenues plunge 70 percent year-on-year.

    In Hanoi, the Transportation Hospital in Dong Da District saw a loss of VND11 billion in the third quarter, with revenue dropping 36 percent year-on-year to over VND24 billion.

    Its accumulated loss stands at nearly VND188 billion, the hospital said.

    Nationally, the number of health checks fell 10 percent year-on-year last year to VND167 million, according to the health ministry.

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  • Japanese business giants eye expansion in Vietnam

    Japanese business giants eye expansion in Vietnam

    Japanese companies, including retailer Aeon and energy firm Enos, have told Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that they want to expand their investments in Vietnam.

    The country’s business environment is improving and Japanese companies have confidence in their Vietnamese operations, the heads of major companies told Chinh in Tokyo Tuesday. The Prime Minister is on a four-day official visit to Japan.

    Aeon, with six malls in the Southeast nation, has invested $1.18 billion in the country so far, and its chairman, Motoya Okada, said it wants to double the number of malls.

    It also wants to list on the Vietnamese stock market and begin exports of fisheries and garment products to Japan, he added.

    Chinh said the company’s plan is opportune since Vietnam now offers great advantages due to its 17 free trade agreements.

    Aeon could expand its business and source products from several localities like Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, An Giang, and Kien Giang, he said.

    Eneos, one of the biggest energy firms in Japan and with annual revenues of $70 billion in Vietnam, wants to expand its investment.

    Chairman Tsutomu Sugimori expressed interest in Vietnam’s energy development plan and helping reduce its carbon emissions.

    Chinh welcomed this, saying his country is drafting its Power Development Plan VIII with a focus on diversifying power sources and developing clean and renewable energy.

    Fast Retailing, which owns fashion brand Uniqlo, wants to invest further in Vietnam. Chinh said the company should to help local employees reach global standards.

    Japan’s leading pharmaceutical firm Shionogi wants to establish its first Covid-19 research and manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia in Vietnam. Conglomerate Hitachi wants to contribute to Vietnam’s railway development.

    Masayoshi Fujimoto, chairman of conglomerate Sojitz Corporation, said his company is also interested in reducing carbon emissions in Vietnam.

    It has 17 ventures in Vietnam in equipment manufacturing, energy, chemicals, electricity, and others.

    Chinh said Sojitz should grow timber in his country and export it to major markets.

    Another conglomerate, Marubeni Corporation, is interested in power projects in Vietnam and wants to develop infrastructure for the Quang Yen economic zone in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

    Chinh said it should focus on Vietnam’s transition to energy sources that are modern and environment-friendly.

    He told the executives they could contact his ministers to resolve any challenges they might face while seeking to invest. “If that does not work, send me a letter directly”.

    Japan was the third biggest foreign direct investor in Vietnam in the first 10 months, behind Singapore and South Korea, with a registered capital of nearly $3.4 billion, accounting for 14.3 percent of total, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

    In the first 10 months, bilateral trade rose 6.4 percent year-on-year to $34.4 billion, according to Vietnam Customs.

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  • Personal deposits down across banking sector

    Personal deposits down across banking sector

    Personal bank deposits were nearly VND5,292 trillion (some $230 billion) by late September, down roughly VND1.5 trillion against late August, according to the central bank.

    Since July, monthly bank deposits fell against previous months, the State Bank of Vietnam stated, noting deposits in August decreased by some VND1 trillion against July.

    From early January to late September, personal deposits hit VND150 trillion, a year-on-year decline of some 50 percent.

    Lower savings interest rates and more attractive stock market and cryptocurrency channels were blamed for falling deposits.

    Total trading value on Vietnam’s HSX, HNX and UPCoM stock markets reached a record high of VND56.337 trillion on Nov. 19, up from the previous record of VND52.145 trillion on Nov. 3.

    According to a survey conducted among over 70,000 people by VnExpress on July 22, real estate was the most popular investment channel (32 percent), ranking above gold and savings (7-10 percent).

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  • Audi recalls 104 cars in Vietnam over lock nut issue

    Audi recalls 104 cars in Vietnam over lock nut issue

    German auto brand Audi is recalling 104 cars in Vietnam due to a lock nut issue on the rear suspension that could cause a loss of control and crash.

    Certain lock nuts on the trailing arm of the rear axle can break due to corrosion, which can change the wheel alignment on the rear axle, according to a notice the company submitted to Vietnam Register.

    If the rear axle suddenly moves in the wrong direction, the driver could lose control and crash, it added.

    There has been no known accidents reported.

    The company will contact each owner about a free replacement of the lock nut, which would take around 1.5 hours.

    The recall lasts from Nov. 15 to Nov. 14, 2024.

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  • Vietnam Airlines launches e-commerce platform

    Vietnam Airlines launches e-commerce platform

    Vietnam Airlines has launched a new e-commerce platform VNAMALL, focused on selling imported products from countries to which it operates.

    As many as 300 products are available starting Monday on the platform, mainly pastries, fruit and wine.

    The airline also sells food typically available on its flights.

    It also introduced Vietnam Airlines Gift Card that comes with perks like more check-in baggage and priority check-in.

    VNAMALL is the latest initiative of the loss-making national flag carrier, which has been struggling to overcome Covid-19 impacts.

    The airline, in which the state holds a 86 percent stake, recorded an accumulated loss of VND17.77 trillion ($780.48 million) as of June 30.

  • Car imports surge

    Car imports surge

    The number of imported cars in Vietnam rose 61 percent to 129,733 units in the first 10 months this year.

    Passenger vehicles saw a rise of 50 percent to 90,029 units, according to Vietnam Customs.

    In October, the three major import markets were Thailand with 8,320 units, followed by Indonesia, 3,925, and China, 1,733.

    Over 11,700 cars with nine seats or less were imported to Vietnam last month, doubling from September.

    A media representative of a Japanese auto brand said the rise came as customs activities resumed after months of social distancing.

    Companies were also importing more vehicles to prepare for the end-of-year shopping season.

    Vietnam also imported $4.07 billion worth of car parts and equipment in the first 10 months, up 33.5 percent year-on-year.

    Sales of imported, completely-built units rose 24 percent year-on-year to 97,028 in the first 10 months, according to Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA).

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  • Bamboo Airways set to list its stocks

    Bamboo Airways set to list its stocks

    Bamboo Airways plans to list on the Unlisted Public Company Market next quarter while preparing for an IPO in the U.S.

    Prices of the ticker BAV will be at least VND60,000 ($2.65), CEO Nguyen Khac Hai said in a statement Friday.

    UPCoM serves as a market to encourage companies to go public. Vietnam’s two main bourses are the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange and the Hanoi Stock Exchange.

    The company targets to raise $200 million by issuing shares on the New York Stock Exchange, giving the startup airline a market cap of $4 billion.

    The airline plans to begin regular services to the U.S. city of San Francisco from HCMC by the end of this year, with five return flights a week initially and later daily.

    It has been operating charter flights to the U.S. since the end of September.

    The airline also announced plans to fly to the U.K. this year with six flights a week from Hanoi and HCMC to London.

  • Vietravel invests $25.8 mln in its carrier

    Vietravel invests $25.8 mln in its carrier

    Tourism company Vietravel has decided to invest an additional VND593.5 billion ($25.8 million) in Vietravel Airlines this year.

    The additional capital lifts its total investment in the new carrier to nearly VND1.3 trillion.

    Based at the Phu Bai International Airport in the central province of Thua Thien Hue, Vietravel Airlines was licensed in April 2020 with a charter capital of VND700 billion.

    Early this year, it began operating flights on several domestic routes with three aircraft and is not expected to break even for at least a few years.

    The company’s operations have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years. It resumed business on Oct. 18.

    It has reported losses of VND90 billion in 2020, twice the profits it earned in 2019, but is targeting pre-tax profits of VND10 billion this year.

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  • Vietnam lowers power capacity in latest national plan update

    Vietnam lowers power capacity in latest national plan update

    Vietnam eyes to reduce its planned power capacity by 2030 by over 13 percent to 155,700 megawatts in the latest revision of the national power plan.

    This equates to a drop of nearly VND800 trillion ($34.48 billion) in investment, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An told a meeting Friday, referring to Power Development Plan VIII for the 2021-2030 period with vision to 2045.

    The ministry also lowered the planned capacity for 2045 by 9.7 percent to 333,590 megawatts.

    In the update, the ministry has excluded solar power capacity from the country’s energy backup capability to ensure power security.

    This is because solar power is unstable, and “a cloud passing by could reduce capacity by 40 percent,” An said.

    Without solar power, backup capacity is 43 percent the total, which can ensure system safety.

    Some investors and experts also contributed ideas for power development over the next decade.

    Mathias Hollander, senior manager at Copenhagen Offshore Partners, said Vietnam could develop 5-10 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, creating $60 billion in added value to the economy.

    Strong offshore winds could increase power by 50 percent to the level of hydropower, he added.

  • VinFast announces US headquarters in Los Angeles

    VinFast announces US headquarters in Los Angeles

    VinFast on Wednesday announced its U.S. headquarters will be located in Los Angeles, California, affirming its goal to become a global automaker spearheaded by electric vehicles.

    The company’s U.S. headquarters is located in the Playa Vista area – a neighborhood known as “Silicon Beach” and packed with tech firms in Los Angeles.

    “We are so proud to welcome VinFast to our city as we continue leading the way to a better-connected, cleaner, and more sustainable transportation future,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

    The headquarters is over 15,000 square feet (1,393 square meters) with room to expand.

    VinFast intends to establish its management team and hire more than 400 employees at its headquarters and a regional office in Los Angeles within the next several years.

    In addition to its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, VinFast is investing in regional offices, a call center, and a network of storefronts to help introduce the brand and products to American customers.

    VinFast’s decision to place its U.S. headquarters in California was due in part to a $20.5 million tax credit awarded by the California Governor’s Office.

    The California government’s announcement, released on Nov. 5, builds on VinFast’s investment of more than $200 million in its initial phase in California, thus creating over 1,000 new, full-time jobs statewide.

    VinFast, a unit of Vietnam’s conglomerate Vingroup, will officially debut two of its first electric vehicles, the VF e35 and VF e36, at Los Angeles Auto Show that begins this week.

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  • Holiday air tickets in low demand as Covid stirs fear

    Holiday air tickets in low demand as Covid stirs fear

    Air tickets for the upcoming Tet holiday are in low demand as people are reluctant to make travel plans due to the long quarantine time and a rising number of Covid-19 cases.

    In previous years, Loan’s family had usually finished booking six Tet (Vietnam’s Lunar New Year) air tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang route at a total price tag of over VND40 million by the end of August.

    But this year, she has yet to make a decision.

    “My two children are not vaccinated so we are reluctant to travel. We plan to stay in HCMC this year and visit our parents later when the pandemic situation is stable.”

    Hanh and her husband in Thu Duc City initially planned to bring their children to her hometown in the central highlands province of Kon Tum, but the 14-day quarantine policy for those yet to be vaccinated discourages her.

    “There are only a few days of holiday, we don’t want to spend all of them in quarantine.”

    Ticket agents are reporting an unusual drop in demand compared to previous years in a time when sales often boom as people make travel plans for Tet, which falls in early February next year.

    Hong, the owner of a ticket office in Phu Nhuan District, said by this time last year she had sold hundreds of tickets for the biggest holiday of the year, but this year she had sold none.

    “I have texted frequent customers but none have made any travel plans.”

    Airlines have also not released specific Tet travel plans as per usual.

    Only Bamboo Airways and Vietjet Air have begun selling Tet tickets but with volume totaling 20 percent in the same period last year with prices around 15-20 percent lower.

    A media representative of Vietnam Airlines said it is difficult to plan for Tet ticket sales.

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) currently only allows airlines to sell Tet tickets for two routes a day or less.

    Some insiders say the rising number of Covid-19 cases and the migration of workers from HCMC and Hanoi to their hometowns would lower air travel demand this year.

    Vietnam recorded 10,250 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, the highest in nearly eight weeks.

    As Tet ticket sales often account for a third of an airline’s revenue for the year, plunging demand is set to cause even more financial challenges to carriers, which have struggled to survive the pandemic

    Vietnam Airlines posted a loss of VND8.58 trillion in the first six months, increasing its accumulative loss to VND17.77 trillion ($781.23 million).

    Vietjet Air posted a first-half post-tax profit of VND121.8 billion, most of it coming from financial services.

    The two airlines have not released earning figures for the third quarter, but most flights were suspended in the third quarter due to the fourth Covid-19 wave.

    Bui Doan Ne, deputy chairman of Vietnam Aviation Business Association, said it is difficult to make forecasts about the recovery of airlines this year as the Covid-19 situation remains unpredictable.

  • Vietnam, US trade to hit unprecedented $100 billion

    Vietnam, US trade to hit unprecedented $100 billion

    Vietnam–U.S. trade could reach $100 billion for the first time this year, up 221 times against the figure in 1995 when the two countries first established diplomatic relations.

    In the first eight months, the figure hit $73 billion. Last year, it was $90.8 billion, Hoang Quang Phong, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), told a forum Tuesday.

    In the last five years, Vietnam’s exports to the U.S. increased on average by 230 percent each year, while the figure from U.S. to Vietnam was 175 percent.

    Vietnam is the 10th biggest trade partner of the U.S., while the U.S. is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner.

    Although the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains, many U.S. businesses have been investing in projects in Vietnam in the sectors of manufacturing and processing, clean energy, aviation, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.

    On the other hand, Vietnam’s exports to the U.S. are in the areas of furniture, footwear and garments.

    Ngo Sy Hoai, deputy chairman of the Association of Vietnam Timber and Forest Products, said Vietnam is the biggest exporter of wood products to the U.S.

    Vietnam is also the second biggest importer of U.S. wood material behind China, he added.

    Although the wood sector has targeted a value of $10 billion exports to the U.S., actual figures are likely to reach $8 billion this year due to Covid-19 impacts, he said.

    Hoai added that Vietnamese companies need to pay more attention to U.S. regulations on legal logging to prove their materials were not illegally cut.

    Former Vietnam Ambassador to the U.S. Pham Quang Vinh said although the U.S. cannot come back to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), it has made economic initiatives in digital trade, infrastructure and energy, which will offer new partnership potential between both countries.

    Vietnam and the U.S. could consider another bilateral free trade agreement based on existing commitments.

  • Gold price gains in eighth session

    Gold price gains in eighth session

    Vietnam’s gold prices climbed up for the eighth straight session Wednesday even as global rates steadied because of rising dollars.

    Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) sold its gold at VND62.15 million ($2,727.65) per tael in the morning, up 0.57 percent from Tuesday afternoon. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.

    This means gold prices are 0.24 percent away from the previous historic peak last year.

    Since early November, gold has gained 6.6 percent.

    Vietnam’s gold is now VND11.25 million more expensive than global rates.

    Globally, spot gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,854.39 per ounce Wednesday, a marginal gain as a jump in U.S. retail sales kept the dollar close to a 16-month high.

    U.S. retail sales jumped in October, topping expectations, in an indication that high inflation was not yet dampening spending, even as worries about the rising cost of living sent consumer sentiment tumbling to a 10-year low in early November.

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