Vietnam Morning News For December 3

Vietnam Airlines eyes listing to fund growth as tourism booms
Vietnam Airlines plans to list its shares on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange in the first quarter of 2019, raising the state-owned carrier’s profile and positioning it to fund development of its fleet as it faces growing competition from low-cost carriers.
— Financial Times

VN needs to simplify property laws for foreigners
Viet Nam’s real estate market must solve many difficulties to increase the number of foreigners buying property in Viet Nam, experts said.
— Bizhub

Vietnam To Advise North Korea On Economic Development
Vietnam is set to teach secluded North Korea lessons of how to open its economy during a visit of North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho which started on November 30.
— Investvine

Gambling tsar among officials jailed in US$420 million Vietnam betting ring
Dozens of people, including two former top cops, were convicted in Vietnam Friday (Nov 30) in connection with a US$420 million online gambling ring run by the official in charge of policing internet betting.
— Channel NewsAsia

SOEs must enhance corporate governance
State-owned enterprises (SOEs) must focus on enhancing corporate governance to improve operation efficiency after privatisation, experts said at a conference discussing change management and SOE restructuring on Friday in Ha Noi.
— Bizhub

Vietnam may increase electricity prices next year
Speaking at a meeting Friday on the production of EVN, the country’s biggest power producer, Nguyen Anh Tuan, head of the ministry’s Electricity Regulatory Authority, said his agency is developing a power supply plan for 2019, which includes four different scenarios based on the predicted growth rates of electrical load as well as the predicted amount of water received by hydropower plants.
— VN Express

Slow privatization hinders Vietnam from luring more foreign investment
The government will intensify inspections over not only all SOEs and state-funded projects, but also over the heads of these enterprises about how they have obeyed state regulations about privatization and divestment.
— Hanoi Times

13 sentenced to death in Vietnam in two heroin trafficking cases
Two separate trials sentenced 13 Vietnamese drug dealers to death on Friday, making them among the toughest in years.
— VnExpress

Changes a must to meet energy goals
With its great potential for renewable energy development, Vietnam will be able to lure tens of billions of US dollars into such projects and ultimately meet its energy efficiency targets once it advances energy and electricity price adjustments.
— Viet Nam Net

Smart tourism: an inevitable trend
Tran Minh Nguyet, 22, a backpacker from HCM City who experienced her first trip to Hanoi early last month, said her smartphone was the one thing she could not live without during her three-day trip to the capital city.
— VNA NET

Vietnam suspends foreign pilots of Vietjet plane in troubled landing
Two foreign pilots of the Vietjet plane whose nose wheels flew off as it landed have been suspended pending investigations.
— VnExpress

Foreign buyers faced barriers to buying real estate in Vietnam
Vietnam’s real estate market must solve many difficulties to increase the number of foreigners buying property in Vietnam, experts said
— Vietnam Insider

Property firms look to stocks for capital
With banks tightening credit to the property sector, developers should look at the stock market for capital, experts told a workshop on “Potential and opportunities for investment in property stocks on Friday.
— Bizhub

More traffic cameras planned for HCM City
The HCM City Department of Transport has sought permission to rent 100 more cameras to monitor traffic safety, saying there are no cameras on a number of streets and intersections, which poses difficulties for authorities to tackle traffic problems.
— VNA NET

Hanoi Promotion Fair 2018 looks to boost consumption
he Hanoi Promotion Fair 2018 opened at the Times City Square in Hai Ba Trung district on November 30, offering discounts on a wide range of products and services.
— Nhan Dan online

More recycled playground opened for kids in Hanoi
An outdoor playground built with recycled materials was put into operation in Lien Ha commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi on December 2.
— VNA NET

TTC Group opens second solar power plant
The TTC Group and Gia Lai Electricity JSC (GEC), a member of the TTC Group, on December 1 opened the TTC Krông Pa solar power plant in Krông Pa District in Gia Lai Province, the second plant, and the largest, in the country.
— Viet Nam News

World’s largest car rental firm drives into Vietnam
Vietnam is the first stop for Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Asia, after 85 locations in Europe and the Americas.
— VnExpress

International tourist arrivals pass 14 million in 11 months
The number of foreign tourists visiting Vi?t Nam so far this year is estimated at 14.2 million, up 21.3 per cent against the same period last year, the General Statistics Office said on Thursday.
— Bizhub

Hanoi race raises public awareness of visually impaired people
About 1,000 runners, including nearly 300 blind people, took part in the race “Chay voi toi – 2gether” (Run with me – Together) in downtown Hanoi on December 2.
— VNA NET

Sunflower Festival 2018 supports child cancer patients
The Sunflower Festival 2018 in support of child cancer patients was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on December 2, as part of the “Thuy’s Dream” programme set up by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
— Vietnam+

Vietnam jails 2 ex-police generals for role in gambling ring
A court in northern Vietnam on Friday jailed two former police generals for protecting a multimillion-dollar online gambling ring as the Communist government steps up its crackdown on graft.
— Fox News

Bathroom nightmare haunts Vietnamese students
Dingy floors, broken doors and filthy walls are a daily horror show for many Vietnamese school students.
— VN Express

Sa Pa winter festival 2018 in full swing
The Sa Pa winter festival 2018 is underway in Sa Pa town, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai with a wide range of splendid activities.
— VNA NET

Gia Lai inaugurates 49MW solar power plant
The Krong Pa solar power plant, with a capacity of 49 MW, was put into operation in Gia Lai province on December 2.
— Nhan Dan online

Tien Giang adopts new farming models amid climate change
The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has developed new agricultural production models that provide farmers with a reliable income to cope with climate change in its eastern districts and Go Cong town.
— Vietnam+

Over 14 million foreign tourists visited Vietnam first 11 months, mainly China and South Korea
According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam’s Jan-Nov tourist numbers rose to 14.1 million, compared to 11.6 million recorded in the same period in 2017.
— Vietnam Insider

19,300 organ and tissue donors in Vietnam over the last five years
Over the last five years, there were 19,300 donors that were brain dead or had no heartbeat, the National Coordination Centre for Organ Transplantation (NCCOT) reported
— Viet Nam Net

Phu Ninh clean water plant inaugurated in Quang Nam province
he Phu Ninh clean water plant was officially inaugurated on December 1, in the central province of Quang Nam, with the initial capacity of treating 50,000 cubic metres of water per day.
— Nhan Dan online

Foreign hypermarkets, convenience stores now in every district in HCMC
Foreign retailers are ‘encircling’ the gateways to the central area of HCMC with hypermarkets, while inner districts now have thousands of convenience stores.
— Viet Nam Net

Court delays Vinasun lawsuit against Grab
The HCM City People’s Court on Friday adjourned trial proceedings brought against ride-hailing service Grab by Vinasun taxi company, which has accused Grab of unfair business practices and demanded compensation of VNĐ41.2 billion (US$1.756 million) for losses it has suffere
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam ready to cooperate with DPRK for both peoples’ interests: Prime Minister
The PM said the Vietnamese Government and people are ready to conduct exchanges and cooperate with the DPRK Government and people in all aspects for the interests of both countries’ people and in line with international law and the era’s general trend, thus contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.
— Nhan Dan online

Vietnam to boost exports through foreign retail chains
Vietnam’s goods have successfully entered several European and Asian markets through government initiated programs
— Viet Nam Net

Ha Giang’s Shan Tuyet tea receives geographical indication certificate
The geographical indication for Shan Tuyet tea covers tea produced in 44 communes of five districts and one city in Ha Giang province, which is the third largest tea-growing area in Vietnam.
— Nhan Dan online

Woman jailed for insulting national flag
The People’s Court of Buon Ho town in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on November 30 sentenced Huynh Thuc Vy, 33, to 2 years and 9 months in prison for insulting the national flag
— Viet Nam 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.