Saigon Times Podcasts

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc, deputy head of the National Steering Committee for Prevention of Smuggling, Counterfeit Goods and Trade Fraud has signed a decision setting up an interdisciplinary team for combating the smuggling of goods by air.

Vietnam’s digital economy saw the gross merchandise value (GMV) reaching US$23 billion last year, with e-commerce making up over 60%.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has called for a joint effort to switch off lights and unplug unnecessary electrical devices in response to this year’s Earth Hour event.

Dien Bien Airport in the mountainous province of Dien Bien will cease operations in mid-April for upgrade.

Major U.S. companies will come to Vietnam to sound out investment and trade opportunities in the Southeast Asian nation from March 21 to March 23.

The HCMC People’s Committee will meet with relevant departments and agencies this week to consider a proposal to lengthen Metro Line No. 1 to two neighboring provinces, Binh Duong and Dong Nai.

The National Assembly Standing Committee has not thrown its weight behind the time limit of apartment ownership as proposed in the draft of the revised Housing Law.

Investors of transitional solar and wind power plants have written to the prime minister expressing concerns that the electricity pricing mechanism would cause possible disruptions of their financial plans.

Local carrier Bamboo Airways on March 17, began selling tickets for the air service connecting Hanoi City and Ca Mau Province in the Mekong Delta.

Vietnam will unilaterally offer a visa waiver for more countries and lengthen the duration of stay for international tourists, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at a conference on the post-Covid tourism recovery on March 15.

According to the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority, mobile phone numbers that do not match user data stored in the national population database will be deactivated after March 31.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) made two separate decisions today to lower interest rates by 0.5 to one percentage point, with effect on March 15.

The State Bank of Vietnam, the country’s central bank, has taken punitive measures against several of 11 commercial banks that have been inspected over matters related to investments in corporate bonds.

The Japanese government has provided about US$1.38 million to nine healthcare, education, transportation and environmental development projects in Vietnam.

Associations have proposed the central Government halve the registration fee for locally assembled or manufactured cars during the first half of the year to boost market demand.

HCMC called on Singaporean investors to invest in the city’s priority projects such as HCMC – Moc Bai Expressway, Beltway No. 4, and Metro line 3A-3B-4.

HCMC has cut short the procedures for issuing work permits for foreigners and digitalized the application process to make it easy for enterprises to get work permits for their foreign staff.

HCMC is calling on enterprises in Western Australia to invest in major sectors in the city, such as food, agro-biotechnology, education and training, said Vo Van Hoan, vice chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, on March 7.

Vietnam and Japan will deepen their multifaceted cooperation, with a focus on jointly organizing a series of key events to mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The Politburo has chosen Truong Thi Mai as permanent member of the 13th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, replacing Vo Van Thuong who is now State President of Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the nation’s central bank, to slash interest rates, make loans more accessible and focus on lending to key economic sectors.

The HCMC People’s Committee has written to the Government proposing using coefficient K to determine land prices for many property projects in the city.

The Ministry of Construction has backed off from the 110-trillion VND credit package for banks to lend on to developers and buyers of social housing, according to a statement released on March 2.

The National Assembly (NA) elected Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong as State President of Vietnam at an extraordinary session in Hanoi on March 2.

HCMC – Nearly 51,400 businesses have pulled out of the market in the year to date, up 14.5% year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.