Vietnam Morning News For February 9

Viêt Nam Asia’s strongest gold jewellery market in 2017
Viet Nam was the strongest gold jewellery market in Asia last year, according to the World Gold Council’s report about gold trends in 2017 released on Tuesday.
— Bizhub

Buyers shun sale of stake in Vietnam power firm
Prospective investors have registered interest in less than three percent of the stake Vietnam is selling in its Power Generation Corp 3 electricity firm, official data showed.
— Tuoi Tre

North Korea eludes coal export ban via Vietnam
To carry coal to Newcastle is an old English idiom meaning to do something that’s obviously superfluous, as the northeastern English city is renowned for its coal-mining.
— Asia Times

VN paper imports up last year
Viet Nam imported US$682.1 million worth of paper products last year, a year-on-year increase of 10.86 per cent, reported the Viet Nam General Department of Customs.
— Bizhub

AC Energy to invest $300M in Vietnam venture
AC Energy Holdings, Inc. expects the investments for its solar power venture in Vietnam to reach around $300 million as the Ayala-led company ramps up spending for power generation projects this year.
— Interaksyon

VNPT sells finance subsidiary to SeABank
Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) sold its finance subsidiary Post and Telecommunication Finance Company Ltd (PTF) to SeABank at a recent auction.
— VietnamPlus

VN leads mobile e-commerce growth in Southeast Asia
Viet Nam is the fastest-growing market in South East Asia in terms of mobile e-commerce growth, says the latest report on Southeast Asia’s 2017 e-commerce status by iPrice.
— Bizhub

Vietnam Rubber Group eyes higher profits
The Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) targets an 8 percent rise in revenues and 33 percent rise in pre-tax profits this year, VRG Deputy General Director Nguyen Tien Duc has said.
— VietnamPlus

Survey says 70% of Japanese enterprises wish to expand business in Vietnam
Approximately 70% of Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam intend to expand their operations in future, an increase of 3% compared to 2016, according to a JETRO survey.
— Nhan Dan Online

Real estate firms urged to list
The HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA) has recommended real estate companies transform themselves into publicly listed joint-stock businesses so they are able to seek greater funding to improve business performances in 2018.
— Bizhub

More firms hoped to ship aquatic products to Russia
More Vietnamese businesses may soon be allowed to export aquatic products to Russia this year after a Russian working group made a fact-finding tour of some Vietnamese exporters, said Trade Counsellor of Vietnam in Russia Duong Hoang Minh.
— VietnamPlus

Grab terms Vietnamese taxi firm Vinasun’s lawsuit against it ‘anti-competitive’
Terming allegations of unfair business practices by Vietnamese taxi firm Vinasun as baseless, ride-hailing major Grab said its rival was indulging in anti-competitive practices.
— DealStreetAsia

Forex reserves soar to all time high of $57 billion
Vietnam’s FX reserves have bolstered up to a massive $57 billion, and given the upcoming divestment of state-owned enterprises, the Year of the Dog promises to bring the nation even more foreign currency notes in the months to come.
— VietnamNet Bridge

PM: trade counselors need to actively support domestic enterprises
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has encouraged trade counselors to be active, creative, and determined to uncover information about foreign markets, promote trade and investment activities, and increase the sale of Vietnamese products abroad.
— The Hanoi Times

Bach hoa Xanh to have 1,000 HCMC stores this year
Top priority of Mobile World this year is to develop Bach hoa Xanh in southern city.
— Vietnam Economic Times

Banks recruited thousands of employees in 2017
Together with high profits of a trillion dong at the end of 2017, domestic commercial banks reportedly hired thousands of employees to boost their performances and seize new opportunities.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Tourism, hospitality, and travel tech programs taking applications
Applications now open for 2018 Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) business support programs.
— Vietnam Economic Times

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