Vietnam Morning News For August 30

Take a sneak peek inside Vietnam’s Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway (video)
Hanoi’s long, long, long overdue ‘skytrain’ looks like it might finally be nearing completion, with engineers running empty “test trains” loaded with monitoring equipment along the line’s 13 kilometre (about eight mile) length since the beginning of August.
— AEC News Today (video)

Vietnam to let traders use yuan along China border
Vietnam plans to officially allow the use of the Chinese yuan for trading goods in its northern border towns, the central bank said on Wednesday.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Vietnamese potato supply cannot meet demand
Vietnam has favourable condition to grow potatoes, with supply abundant in many localities. However, domestic potato processing firms are facing supply shortages.
— Fresh Plaza

VN firms move to counteract oil prices
With the price of oil on a roller-coaster ride over the past few years, companies are pushing ahead with plans to cushion the impacts.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Vietnam’s pangasius exports to EU rebound after decline
The export value that Vietnam gains from exporting pangasius to the European Union has soared after several years of decline.
— Seafood Source

Finance Ministry tables wide-scale proposal on gambling and casino business
The Ministry of Finance’s proposal to cut a number of investment conditions on segments like casino, lottery, and betting, if approved, will stimulate investors implementing registered projects.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Incentives needed for agri sector
Though the Vietnamese and HCM City governments offer many incentives and have favourable policies to encourage businesses to invest in agriculture, they often remain on paper, heard a conference in HCM City on Monday.
— Bizhub

Hyosung Group gets okay for US$1.2-billion project in Vietnam
South Korea’s leading textile and chemical firm Hyosung Group on August 28 received the investment certificate for the US$1.2-billion polypropylene (PP) manufacturing plant located at Cai Mep Industrial Zone in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, local media reported.
— The Hanoi Times

Vietnamese PM suggests New Zealand supports dragon fruit value chain
When receiving NZ Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities, Damien O’Connor in Hanoi on August 29, the Vietnamese prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc suggested New Zealand support his nation to build a value chain for dragon fruit.
— Fresh Plaza

Japan-Vietnam venture finds better apps are built across borders
Japanese contract app developer Framgia is a magnet for programming talent in Vietnam. The startup receives more than 1,000 job applications every month, but only a few dozen candidates make the cut, becoming part of a unique division of labor spanning the two countries.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Can Vietnam Avoid Getting Hurt in the Crossfire When the Tariffs Are Flying?
The Khmer proverb captures the sense of peril in the escalating trade war between the United States and China.
— New York Times

Vietnam fans in tears as Asiad dream run ends
Millions of fans cried their hearts out after Vietnam lost 1-3 to South Korea in their first ever Asian Games semifinal match.
— VnExpress

Vietnam posts trade surplus of US$2.8 billion in 8 months
In the January – August period, the US remained Vietnam`s biggest export market, spending US$30.2 billion on Vietnamese goods, up 10.2% year-on-year.
— The Hanoi Times

Vietnam gets new debt trading company
The two daughters of beverage tycoon Tran Qui Thanh have set up a debt trading company.
— VnExpress

What’s Behind France’s First Vietnam Air Force Mission?
A closer look at a significant development in the bilateral defense relationship and the wider region.
— The Diplomat

Expressway builder asks government for payment
A road construction company has asked authorities to make payment for an expressway it had built from Hanoi to Hai Phong in 2015.
— VnExpress

Vietnam’s food delivery market heats up with new players
Vietnam’s US$33 billion food delivery market has remained appealing to investors with more new service providers deciding to jump on the bandwagon.
— The Hanoi Times

Information technology helps boost Vietnam’s tourism
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) or the development of information technology (IT) is considered one of the tailwinds that can help Vietnam’s tourism industry take a leading position in the region.
— The Hanoi Times

Enhancing companies’ production
In addition to an expected slight rise in the country’s minimum wage in 2019, a favourable working environment will be also a great contributor to Vietnam’s improved labour productivity in the time to come.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Foreign franchises eye lucrative Viet Nam market
With its high economic growth rate and population of over 90 million, Viet Nam is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for international franchising businesses, especially in the food and beverages sector.
— Bizhub

Experts forecast lending rates to remain stable
Many commercial banks have recently increased deposit interest rates, but experts forecast that the rise will last only a short time and won’t have a domino effect on lending rates.
— VietnamPlus

Mekong Military Ties in Focus with Border Exchange
Last week, the countries of the Mekong subregion kicked off another iteration of a key friendship border exchange program in Vietnam.
— The Diplomat

Hue’s airport expansion will cost $95mil from ACV
The Aviation Corporation of Viet Nam (ACV) and local authorities in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have agreed to invest US$95 million for the expansion and upgrade of Phu Bai Airport.
— Bizhub

PV manufacturers go head to head
Solar potential mapping projects are underway around the world, and Vietnam could become an attractive destination for solar photovoltaics manufacturers to meet the increasing demand both overseas and domestically. The race between major and minor players is heating up.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Diplomacy could save life of SA man sentenced to death in Vietnam
The South African man sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking is receiving support from the South African government.
— News24

Suspected asylum seekers found in Queensland spark warnings of exodus from Vietnam
Vietnamese community leaders fear a group of suspected asylum seekers found in Queensland are part of a potential flood of people fleeing human rights abuses and state seizure of their land in Vietnam.
— ABC News

Mace wins first Vietnam hotel project
Mai House Hospitality Group has appointed UK firm Mace to project manage the construction of a new luxury golf and hotel resort in Hoi An, Vietnam.
— GCR

Việt Nam develops vaccines for human diseases
Việt Nam is striving towards producing its own vaccines that can rival foreign ones both in terms of quality and costs by 2020, deputy health minister Nguyễn Thanh Long said.
— Viet Nam News

Feature photo Travis Hawk

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.