Vietnam Morning News For August 21

Vinaphone debuts carrier billing on Google Play
With the launch, 95% of the population of Vietnam can now make payments on Google Play through Fortumo – significant for a country with smartphone penetration of 40% but credit card ownership of below 2%.
— Telecomasia.net

Steel maker to invest in 97 million USD factory
Nam Kim Steel Joint Stock Company has approved a report on the pre-feasibility study, conducted for setting up a steel sheet factory in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
— VietnamPlus

Petrol prices increased to VNĐ17,486 per litre
The domestic retail price of RON 92 petroleum increased by VNĐ461 to trade at a maximum of VNĐ17,486 (77 US cents) per litre, as of 3pm on Saturday.
— Viet Nam News

Central to splash B17bn on Vietnam
Central Group of Companies, the country’s leading retail and property developer, will spend 17 billion baht to expand its operations in Vietnam over the next five years.
— Bangkok Post

Vietnamese People’s Army in Dramatic Flood Rescue
Dramatic video has emerged of soldiers from the Vietnamese People’s Army (VPA) rescuing villagers cut off by flash floods in Muong La district, Son La Province in northwestern Vietnam earlier this month.
— AEC News (video)

SCG reaffirms determination to develop $5.4 billion Long Son petrochemical complex
At the signing ceremony, another MoU was signed between SCG chemicals and PetroVietnam’s subsidiaries on exploring new opportunities together with a potential collaboration in petrochemical business in the future.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Vietnam’s budding tech scene and its diaspora
Vietnam must find its own destiny while rare flashes of connection with the diaspora make themselves known.
— livemint

Vietnam crowded retail market losing its appeal
Reuters quoted Koji Takayanag, president of FamilyMart UNY, which now owns the second largest convenience store chain in Japan, as saying the company has decided to cut its losses and move on to more promising markets.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Fairer sharing of economic benefits needed
ILO Việt Nam Country Director, Chang-Hee Lee, explains the impact minimum wage can have on the country’s economy.
— Viet Nam News

Uber plans to raise fares in Saigon to ‘support’ drivers
Uber Vietnam said it will raise fares in Ho Chi Minh City to VND8,500 (37 cents) per kilometer, still just half the amount charged by most traditional taxis, from August 24.
— VnExpress

Vietnam’s president calls for tougher internet controls
Vietnam’s president called on Sunday for tougher controls on the internet in the face of dissidents who are using it to criticise the ruling Communist Party, and to combat threats to cybersecurity.
— The Times Of India

Ex-Ocean Bank executives to be tried again this month
The first-instance hearing of Hà Văn Thắm, former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ocean Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Ocean Bank, and his accomplices will reopen on August 28, according to the Hà Nội People’s Court.
— Viet Nam News

Better port connectivity, transport safety needed in Asia-Pacific
Eighty delegates at the 10th APEC Port Services Network (APSN) Meeting called on individual economies to strengthen safety and security of all transport modes by investing in inclusive mobility, resilient infrastructure, and green technology.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Int’l plastic and rubber exhibition slated for Sept in HCM City
An international exhibition showcasing advanced technologies, machinery and equipment in the plastic and rubber industry will be held at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7 from September 13-16.
— VietnamPlus

Vietnam battles dengue outbreaks with 42% more cases
Vietnam has been battling raging dengue-fever outbreaks with more than 10,000 new infections reported over the past week stretching its medical system.
— BusinessMirror

Thai firms should grasp opportunities in VN: PM
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his hope that Thai businesses would make the most of co-operation and investment opportunities in Viet Nam, especially in the context of Viet Nam promoting mergers and acquisitions along with the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs).
— Bizhub

Van Don zone to be green, urban area
The northern province of Quang Ninh plans to turn Van Don special administrative-economic zone into a smart and green island urban area, Nguyen Van Doc, secretary of the provincial Party Committee, said.
— Bizhub

Fake alcohol rampant in HCM City
The yeast is sold at a chemical store for a price of VND40,000 (USD1.76)per kilo. According to a motorbike taxi driver, because the police are carrying out many inspections, the stores now only sell to regular customers.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Dong Nai halts construction licensing
The People’s Committee of Dong Nai Province has suspended the licensing of construction projects in residential areas around the planned Long Thanh International Airport in an effort to prevent speculation and higher land prices.
— Bizhub

In Vietnam, the Best Education Can Lead to Worse Job Prospects
Nguyen Van Duc graduated two years ago with a bachelor’s degree in economics from one of Vietnam’s best universities. Today, he earns about $250 a month as a motorbike taxi driver in Hanoi.
— Bloomberg

State firm exec arrested for sending death threats to city leader in Vietnam: police
The reason for the threats has not been revealed, but the exec faces up to seven years behind bars.
— VnExpress

Experience Fantastic Da Nang in Two Minutes
Are you planning a trip to Vietnam, but can’t decide which cities to explore? One city you simply cannot afford to miss is Da Nang – Vietnam’s fourth largest city by urbanization and one of the country’s most popular tourism destinations.
— AEC News (video)

Feature photo FAO of the UN
Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Vietnam morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Vietnam news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies, not politics.