Saigon Times Podcasts

Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung and Nguyen Quang Linh, assistant to the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, have been dismissed following their arrests and expulsion from the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Many banks have hiked interest rates for savings in all tenors since the State Bank of Vietnam increased key interest rates and interest rate caps on deposits last week.

VinES Energy Solutions JSC, a unit of Vingroup, has got the nod from the Ha Tinh government to develop a lithium battery facility at the Vung Ang economic zone, with a total investment of VND6.3 trillion, according to the provincial economic zone management board.

The HCMC Department of Transport will relocate 79 interprovincial bus routes from the old Mien Dong coach station to the new one in Thu Duc City during the second phase of the new station’s operations beginning October 11.

Despite the recent difficulties, Vietnam’s import-export value almost hit US$500 billion in the first eight months of the year and is expected to rise to US$800 billion by year-end.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the nation’s central bank, has decided to hike key interest rates by one percentage point, with effect from September 23.

The Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) has refused to assume the responsibility for holding pricing negotiations with the renewable power plants which have been ineligible to enjoy the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) mechanism.

Many listed property companies have released their first-half financial reports that showed they made profits despite their negative cash flows.

The Ministry of Transport has told the My Thuan Project Management Board to speed up work on the My Thuan-Can Tho expressway project so that the road can be put into operation before the end of April next year.

Many actions have been taken, including an amendment to the lending procedures and policies, to remove difficulties in loan disbursement from the financial aid package with an interest rate discount of two percentage points.

The prime minister has signed a resolution ordering the authorities at all levels to abandon the requirement that residents produce their household registration books for civil transactions and administrative procedures.

Vietnam’s Trade Office in India has urged Vietnamese rice importers to contact their Indian sellers to check the status of delivery and re-negotiate with their partners over rice purchases, as India has imposed restrictions on rice exports.

Japan overtook the United States as the largest importer of Vietnam’s seafood in August.

Vietnam’s overall online retail sales hit US$13.7 billion in 2021, up US$1.9 billion over 2020, according to the Vietnam E-commerce White Book 2022 released by the Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency.

The Ministry of Transport has urged the relevant parties to speed up work on the under-construction Long Thanh International Airport, so that the first phase of the project can be put into operation to celebrate National Day on September 2, 2025.

The Immigration Department will add the birthplace information to Vietnam’s newly designed passports starting from September 15, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

Domestic fuel retail prices were revised down over VND1,000 per liter on September 12, according to an announcement jointly issued by the ministries of Industry-Trade and Finance.

The Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) has generated over US$10 billion from foreign direct investment (FDI), rising further to US$12 billion, including domestic investment.

Around three million Vietnamese and foreigners traveled in the country during the four-day National Day holiday, from September 1 to 4.

New daily Covid-19 infections from September 6 to 8 exceeded 3,000 cases, double the average of the previous weeks.

The Ministry of Health has eased the Covid mask mandate but it remains intact in high-risk areas and public spaces.

The Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) has written to the Ministries of Industry-Trade and Finance over the risk of a partial petrol shortage and proposed the authorities make a due cost adjustment to compensate overruns.

The prime minister has asked the relevant ministries and agencies to quickly deal with a shortage of medical supplies plaguing many cities and provinces so health examinations and treatment can continue without hindrance.

Vietnam’s industrial production is roaring back as the country saw the industrial production index (IPI) in August rise by 2.9% month-on-month and 15.6% year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.

The Tourism Information Technology Center (TITC) under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said in a recent report that the domestic tourism market has fully recovered