Vietnam Morning News For February 13

MoIT to support domestic automobile industry projects
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will implement solutions to support and promote the automobile industry projects of companies such as Trường Hải Automobile Company (Thaco), Thành Công Group, VinFast and others.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnamese logistics startup raises $5.5 mln in latest funding round
Logivan, a web platform that helps trucks connect with potential customers, said it has raised $5.5 million in the latest funding round.
— VnExpress

Key Steps To Expanding Your Business in Vietnam
Over the last few years, Vietnam has become one of the top places for business expansion and investment among international investors and exporters alike for all the right reasons.
— Vietnam Insider

Vietnam Airlines’ brand value up 34 percent year on year
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines was the eighth most valuable brand in Vietnam in 2018, according to a recent report of branded business valuation consultancy firm Brand Finance.
— VNA NET

Four Vietnamese banks enter top 500 valuable bank brands
Four Vietnamese banks were named on the list of the top 500 most valuable banks in the world by the UK-based Brand Finance, a leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy.
— VietnamPlus

Vietnamese firm makes steel products in Thilawa
With Myanmar rapidly opening up to development, steel is becoming increasingly important to various industries in the country. Steel structures can be seen springing up across Yangon. As such, a Vietnamese steel importer is operating a manufacturing unit in Myanmar.
— Myanmar Times

Prime Minister opens New Year’s trading session
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted a bright outlook for Vietnam’s economy while opening a stock trading session after the Lunar New Year holiday in Hanoi on February 12.
— VietnamPlus

Ministry of Transport to accelerate North-South Expressway project
The Ministry of Transport plans to rush the implementation of the North-South expressway project in 2019, said Minister of Transport Nguyn Văn Thể.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam ready to seize new opportunities
The year 2018 has ended already, with comprehensive successes seen in all aspects, but there is no room for complacency. Instead, Vietnam needs to grasp every opportunity in order to accelerate economic growth and achieve better and more sustainable results in 2019.
— Nhan Dan Online

Vietnam increases reference exchange rate
Vietnam’s central bank on Tuesday raised its reference exchange rate between Vietnamese dong and U.S. dollar by 10 Vietnamese dong to 22,905 Vietnamese dong per U.S. dollar.
— Xinhua

Vietnam offers support to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: United Nations
United Nations World Food Programme in Bangladesh said it welcomed a new contribution of $50,000 from Vietnam to support operations in Coxs Bazar – home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar.
— Times Now

Vietnamese market best in the region: Deputy PM
The Vietnamese stock market was Southeast Asia’s most successful market in 2018 in terms of capital mobilisation, said Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ.
— Viet Nam News

Top legislator visits Vietcombank, customs sector after Tet
Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan recognised the outstanding performance of Vietcombank in 2018 and wished the bank more success in the Year of the Pig during her visit to the bank on February 11, the first working day after the 9-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
— Nhan Dan Online

VN support industries striving to improve
Vietnamese enterprises have the potential to participate in regional and global production value chains on par with the leading countries in ASEAN, because Viet Nam has been a top priority choice of multinational corporations.
— Bizhub

VPBank named in Top 500 valuable bank brands for first time
The Vietnam Prosperity Commercial Joint Stock Bank (VPBank) has been the only Vietnamese private bank to be named in the 2019 list of the world’s top 500 valuable bank brands recently announced by the Brand Finance.
— VietnamPlus

Experts upbeat about MA scene in 2019
Experts have predicted a banner year for merger and acquisition (M&A) activities in 2019 thanks to recent positive developments.
— Bizhub

Moody’s key cross-sector research on the credit risks and trends that will shape 2019
Moody’s CreditView provides global and regional insights on what trends and risks will shape the year ahead. To help you start the new year well-informed, Moody’s has compiled a selection of key forward-looking cross-sector research.
— Vietnam Insider

PM calls for application of technology in agricultural production
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for the strong application of technology in agricultural production while visiting the Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Company (DOVECO) in northern Ninh Binh province on February 11.
— Nhan Dan Online

Vietnam: 183 killed in road accidents in 9-day holiday
At least 183 people were killed in traffic accidents in Vietnam during 9-day New Year holiday, media reports said on Monday.
— AA

Vietnam Life Insurance Market Trends And Opportunities To 2021: Ken Research
VGlobalData’s ‘Strategic Market Intelligence: Life Insurance in Vietnam-Key Trends and Opportunities to 2021‘ report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Vietnamese life insurance segment, and a comparison of the Vietnamese life insurance with its regional counterparts.
— Vietnam Insider

Resort real estate – highlight of Vietnam’s property market in 2019
The future looks bright for Vietnam’s real estate sector, especially the resort segment, which is attracting attention from both domestic and foreign investors.
— VNA NET

SE Asia Stocks-Most end lower, Vietnam hits near 2-month high
Most Southeast Asia stock markets closed lower on Tuesday, as East Vietnam Sea tensions were seen as casting a shadow on U.S.-China trade talk progress, while Vietnam rallied for the second straight session to its highest level in nearly two months.
— Tuoi Tre

Air Force Ospreys spotted in Vietnam for first time
A group of Air Force CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were photographed at a Vietnam airport last week, marking their first landfall in the Southeast Asian nation.
— Air Force Times

Vietnam prosecutors support Grab appeal against Vinasun compensation ruling
Prosecutors in Ho Chi Minh City have appealed a verdict ordering Grab to pay compensation to domestic taxi firm Vinasun.
— VnExpress

Can Tho’s IZs lure 112 million USD investment in 2018
Industrial zones in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho attracted a total registered investment capital of 112 million USD last year, 12 percent higher than the annual target, according to the municipal Industrial Zones and Processing Zones Management Board.
— VNA NET

Việt Nam takes action to reduce plastic waste
Việt Nam is one of Asia’s five worst polluters of ocean plastic waste, according to international organisations. With 13 million tonnes of waste released to the ocean every year, the country ranks 17th in the world for ocean plastic waste pollution.
— Viet Nam News

VN Index surges after Tết
Vietnamese shares soared in the first trading session after returning from the one-week Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, driven by positive investor sentiment.
— Viet Nam News

US-China trade war a boon for Vietnam
Vietnam is at the top of the list of markets that could benefit from trade diversion coming from US-China trade tensions, building on its increasing competitiveness in manufacturing, according to Pham Hong Hai, CEO of HSBC Vietnam.
— VNA NET

Vietnam foreign minister to visit North Korea from February 12 to 14
Vietnam’s foreign minister, Pham Binh Minh, will visit North Korea ahead of this month’s planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, a spokeswoman said on Monday.
— Reuters

Malaysia Breaks Up Forgery Syndicate Targeting Vietnamese Fishermen
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has broken up a syndicate led by a Vietnamese woman that specialized in forging records of foreign fishermen, enabling them to work and cross borders illegally, an official said Tuesday.
— Benar news

Passengers fall victim to fraudulent ticket agents in Vietnam’s post-Tet travel rush
Flights back to Ho Chi Minh City after a long holiday celebrating the Lunar New Year, or Tet, for many people in the central city of Da Nang turned out to be a nightmare as their bookings made through ticket agents for the return services happened to be invalid.
— Tuoi Tre

Ha Long international passenger port greets six-star cruise
The Ha Long international passenger port in the northern province of Quang Ninh welcomed the six-star cruise ship Silver Shadow on February 10-11.
— VNA NET

Feature photo Asian Development Bank

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