Vietnam Morning News For January 4

Vietnam spends $2.1bn importing 94,000 cars in 2017
Vietnam’s completely built-up (CBU) car imports dropped in both volume and value in 2017 compared to a year earlier, as local importers had anticipated a major tax cut that kicked in at the start of 2018.
— Tuoi Tre

Vietnam: Construction Rules to be Relaxed
Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction is going to introduce changes in construction regulations to create favourable conditions for construction and real estate businesses.
— Vietnam Briefing

Vietnam Rubber Group targets raising $273m in Feb IPO
State-owned Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) will offer 475.1 million shares, equivalent to nearly 25 per cent of its charter capital, for sale in its initial public offering (IPO) scheduled for February. With the starting price set at $0.59 apiece, VRG expects to raise nearly VND6.2 trillion ($273.1 million) from the share sale.
— DealStreetAsia

Vietnam: Reduced Import Tariffs on Automobiles from ASEAN from 2018
ASEAN member states have achieved remarkable progress in the last few years in reducing intra-regional tariffs and creating one of the largest common markets in the world through their Free Trade Agreement.
— Vietnam Briefing

EVN to pay tax arrears of $85 million
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is demanding more than 1.9 trillion VND (85 million USD) in tax arrears from the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) after uncovering that the group had failed to declare its costs accurately.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Vietnam fruit and vegetable exports hit record 3.45 billion dollars
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam earned a record of some 3.45 billion US dollars from fruit and vegetable exports in 2017.
— Fresh Plaza

Vietnam: New Payroll Obligations in 2018
Vietnam has revised the minimum wage caps and social security contributions, most of which will be in effect from January 2018.
— Vietnam Briefing

International media praise Vietnam’s 2017 economic achievements
International media have run articles highlighting that the year 2017 marked Vietnam’s rapid economic growth.
— Nhan Dan Online

HCM City exports fetch $35 billion in 2017
HCM City’s export revenue reached an estimated 35.55 billion USD last year, a year-on-year increase of 16.1 percent, according to the city Department of Industry and Trade.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Vietnam’s aquatic export forecast to top $8.5 bln in 2018
Vietnam’s export of aquatic products is forecast to top 8.5 billion USD in 2018, up nearly 3 percent from 2017, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).
— VietnamNet Bridge

Learn from EU to manage Uber, Grab: Minister
Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said Viet Nam should learn from the European Union (EU) to manage the operation of companies such as Uber and Grab to ensure fair competition with traditional taxi firms.
— Bizhub

Vietjet receives first A321neo in Southeast Asia
New-age carrier Vietjet Air has become the first airline in Southeast Asia to take delivery of an A321neo (new engine option), after the Airbus aircraft landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City last week from Hamburg in Germany.
— Vietnam Economic Times

Foreign investment funds making huge profits in Vietnam
Some foreign funds are leaving Vietnam after making huge profits from their investment deals, while others are entering the country to seek new opportunities.
— VietnamNet Bridge

Feature photo ILO/Nguyễn ViệtThanh

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.