Vietnam Morning News For December 6

Vietnamese currency falls to new low, could go lower
The official exchange rate between Vietnamese dong and U.S. dollar reached its highest this year Wednesday, and experts said the dong could further.
— Vietnam Insider

11% of 56 million people in Vietnam’s workforce have high skills
Ministry of Labor-Invalids and Social Affairs and ManpowerGroup Vietnam just hosted a conference in Hanoi, which aimed to list the problems and the trends in the labour market and suggest skills for the young generation.
— Vietnam Insider

Apple assembler Foxconn considering iPhone factory in Vietnam -state media
Foxconn, the world’s biggest electronics contract manufacturer and a key Apple Inc supplier, is considering setting up a factory in Vietnam to mitigate any impact of an ongoing trade war between the United States and China, Vietnamese state media reported.
— Reuters

Vietnam ranks 6th in Climate Risk Index ranking
Vietnam ranks 6th globally in the most up-to-date Climate Risk Index ranking released by Germanwatch, the highest of any ASEAN country.
— VNA NET

Vietnam vegetable exports reach US$ 3.5 billion in 11 months
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable export value hit US$ 3.5 billion in the first 11 months of 2018, up 11.6 percent year-on-year, said the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority (AgroTrade) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
— Fresh Plaza

Unrestricted foreign ownership at Sabeco approved
Sabeco early this week announced that it received an official letter from the State Securities Commission dated Monday approving unrestricted foreign ownership at the largest beverage company in Viet Nam.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnam’s Vingroup To Launch Its Own Smartphone Brand
Vingroup, Vietnam’ biggest listed firm by market value and a conglomerate with businesses that range from real estate to retail to tourism to automotive, will launch its own smartphones brand “Vsmart” on December 14 as it diversifies further into a technology and industrial group.
— Investvine

Vietnam all set for first private airport
The first private airport in Vietnam, near the world-renowned Ha Long Bay, will become operational on December 30.
— VN Express

Durian prices in HCM City remain high despite oversupply
For the last few days, the price of off-season durian in the Mekong (Cửu Long) Delta has declined sharply as traders have stopped purchasing the fruit to export to the Chinese market, according to reports in local newspapers.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam Agriculture Ministry optimistic about fruit & veg export prospects
With effective cooperation between farmers, businesses and State management agencies, Vietnam is likely to realise its goal of 10 billion USD in fruit-vegetables export turnover by 2020.
— Fresh Plaza

Vietnam’s Viettel to roll out 5G service in 2021
Viettel Group, Vietnam’s biggest mobile carrier, plans to launch ultrafast 5G networks in 2021, a move expected to promote self-driving car systems and other cutting-edge services that depend on nearly instantaneous data communication.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Durian Harvests launch white label branding
Malaysia based MK Durian Harvests Sdn. Bhd. “Durian Harvests” who is part of the Plantations International group of companies is very pleased to announce the launch of their white label corporate business solutions program.
— Fresh Plaza

Number of Vietnamese cruise travelers rises
Though the number of Vietnamese cruise travelers remains modest, foreign cruisers and Vietnamese travel firms continue to develop cruise tours as they believe in the potential of the market
— Viet Nam Net

Government to accelerate reforms, promote private sector: PM
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised that the Vietnamese Government will accelerate the reforms of administrative procedures, enhance the quality of human resources, promote smart infrastructure and fuel the private sector in order to motivate national development in the next decade.
— Nhan Dan online

Population, housing census next year very large: GSO
The 2019 national population and housing census will cover more than 95 million people and 25 million households, said Director General of the General Statistics Office (GSO) Nguyen Bich Lam.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnamese beer market: foreign giants in control
The Vietnamese beer market is becoming a game for great foreigners, with many Vietnamese brands wiped out or struggling to stay afloat.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnam, RoK strengthen trade, investment cooperation
Considerable developments in politics, economy, labour and socio-culture have been recorded in the Vietnam-the Republic of Korea (RoK) relations thanks to joint efforts made by the two countries since they set up diplomatic ties in 1992.
— VNA NET

EVN records operational losses
The Ministry of Industry and Trade will raise electricity prices after the Electricity of Vietnam Group reported losses of trillions of VND.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnam hosts roundtable on climate, security in Netherlands
A roundtable on climate change and security was held in The Hague of the Netherlands on December 4 to exchange information and assess models, measures and experience in ensuring environmental security and climate change response.
— VNA NET

Experts debate feasibility of mining Red River Delta coalfield
Geological and mining experts recently debated the feasibility and economic and social impacts of the exploitation of the Red River Delta coal basin, which has estimated reserves a hundred billion tonnes of coal.
— VNA NET

Scrap collector turns in handbag containing 84 million dong to police
A scrap collector who found a handbag containing VND84.5 million (US$3,600) in cash turned it over to the police on Sunday, according to Thap Muoi District police in Dong Thap Province.
— Viet Nam Net

Kien Giang enjoys strong growth in exports
The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang earned nearly 580 million USD from exports in the first 11 months of 2018, exceeding its yearly target by 11.3 percent, and representing a surge of 35 percent from the same period last year.
— VNA NET

Fire destroys 8,000sq.m of forest
Nearly 8,000sq.m of forest was destroyed after a fire broke out in Cua Ong Ward, Cam Pha Town in northern Quang Ninh Province on Tuesday.
— Viet Nam Net

Foreign investors push Vietnam among top five for private participation in infrastructure
ccording to a World Bank (WB) report released this week, thirty-four countries received PPI investments in the first half of 2018, with the top five countries – China, Turkey, India, Vietnam and Brazil – accounting for 66 percent of the global total, 10 percent higher than in 2017.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnam, Cambodia enjoy flourishing relations
Vietnam and Cambodia are enjoying flourishing friendship and cooperation, which have been nurtured by generations of the two countries’ leaders and people.
— VNA NET

Ford and Audi recall vehicles to fix faults
Ford Việt Nam is recalling more than 17,000 Ranger pickup trucks and Fiesta cars to check and replace door lock control systems (not including back doors).
— Viet Nam News

Da Nang households lack sufficient water as more hydropower plants are built
Da Nang residents are thirsty for water as hydropower plants are storing water for electricity generation.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnam’s labour commitments to CPTPP, EVFTA discussed
Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) offers Vietnam an opportunity to modernise its labour laws and improve labour quality and productivity, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on December 4.
— VNA NET

Locals call last orders on late night bars
It claims the lives of residents in the area are being seriously disrupted by the late-night activities associated with drinking establishments.
— Viet Nam Net

Vietnam, Germany share experience in cooperative development
The Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) and the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV) held a workshop in Hanoi on December 4 to share experience in development cooperation, with a view to establishing a cooperative audit centre in Vietnam.
— VNA NET

Lotte promises best places to live in Việt Nam
The South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group’s chairman Shin Dong-bin hopes Lotte’s eco smart city projects will become the best places to live in Việt Nam.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam’s New Cybersecurity Law Looks a Lot Like China’s
Vietnam’s law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2019, tightens control of the internet and global tech companies operating in the Communist-led country. Opponents say the law could cause economic harm and stifle online dissent
— Radio Free Asia

Trade between Việt Nam, Poland to pick up after EU-VN FTA: experts
The expected free trade agreement next year between Việt Nam and the EU will go a long way toward fully tapping the trade potential that exists with Poland, experts said during a conference held in HCM City yesterday.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam’s insurance market captures foreign investors
The participation of foreign investors has helped domestic insurers enhance their insurance capacity through training, legal framework and operation of products.
— Viet Nam Net

A photo collection of chaotic traffic in Hanoi, Vietnam
“Fantastic four” is a collection by photographer Pham Thanh Long. The photo album focuses on the motorbike, the most popular means of transport in Hanoi and across Vietnam
— Vietnam Insider

Singapore venture capital firm eyes Vietnamese startups
Singapore-based venture capital firm Cocoon Capital has launched a new 20 million USD fund targeting seed-stage startups in emerging economies such as Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia.
— VNA NET

Feature photo manhhai

This week’s Vietnam morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3.

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.