Vietnam Morning News For February 5

Việt Nam targets $40 billion in exports from textile and garment industry
Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) set the industry development target this year for export turnover at US$40 billion, which would mark a 10.8 per cent year-on-year increase.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam manufacturing PMI has moderate growth in January
Softer rates continued for growth in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector in January, with weaker rises in output, new orders and employment, according to a survey.
— Nikkei Asia Review (paywall)

Vietnamese Authorities Arrest Facebook User After Questioning Ties to Targeted Organizations
Authorities in Vietnam have arrested a Facebook user after questioning her ties to accounts run by members of two organizations targeted by authorities, according to her husband, amid a wider crackdown on critical content posted on the social media network.
— Radio Free Asia

Hue expects to welcome 230,000 visitors during Tet
The number of visitors to Hue city, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue is estimated to reach 230,000 during the Tet festival.
— VNA NET

FPT’s pre-tax profit exceeds 2018 plan
FPT Corporation’s revenue and pre-tax profit in 2018 were 23.2 trillion VND (almost 1 billion USD) and 3.85 trillion VND, respectively.
— VNA NET

Travel agency intends to invest in Vietnam’s sixth airline: CEO
Vietravel is nurturing a plan to launch its own airline to meet the demand that it predicts will keep rising in the future.
— VnExpress

VNPT among top three strongest Vietnamese brands
The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) is one of the three strongest Vietnamese brands in 2018, together with Viettel and Vinamilk, according to the latest report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading business valuation consultant.
— VNA NET

Analysis: Vietnam may favor higher Bach Ho crude exports, more WTI imports
Vietnam’s petroleum trade balance sheet may look a lot healthier this year as the country is poised to export more of its premium low sulfur crude oil, while shifting domestic refinery feedstock choices to highly economical US crude.
— S&P Global

Vietnam Airlines commences Can Tho-Da Nang service
CAPA publishes more than 400 global News Briefs every weekday, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry.
— CAPA

Vietnam’s Agribank assigned first-time Ba3 ratings
Moody’s Investors Service has assigned first-time Ba3 deposit and issuer ratings to Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank).
— Viet Nam News

EVNNPT to launch 33 power transmission projects
The National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) said it plans to launch 33 power transmission projects and put into operation 47 projects, with a total capital of 19.5 trillion VND in 2019.
— VNA NET

Alcohol abuse challenges Catholics in Vietnam
With pale skin, hopeless eyes and untidy hair, John Nguyen Ngoc Ha sits alone on the floor in his shabby house drinking alcohol and eating boiled vegetables for breakfast.
— UCA News

Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage
Vietnam possesses an array of intangible cultural heritages that have been recognized by UNESCO.
— VNA NET

Vietnam: 1,900 farms get VietGAP certified
Vietnam has nearly 1,900 farms with Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) certificates with a total area of 81,500 hectares.
— Fresh Plaza

Vietnam’s FPT teams with Allianz on digital insurance
Leading Vietnamese tech group FPT will launch a digital insurance venture in March with Germany’s Allianz, pushing further into a growing market, a person familiar with the matter told the Nikkei Asian Review.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Food delivery services poised for boom in Vietnam
Online-to-offline (O2O) food delivery services are expected to grow rapidly, making them red hot in the market and attract investment from many Vietnamese and foreign investors, companies said.
— Viet Nam News

PM inspects combat readiness in Air Force Division 372 ahead of Tet
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc inspected the combat readiness work of Division 372 under the Air Defence – Air Force Service on February 4, or the last day of the Year of the Dog.
— VNA NET

From a Vietnam jail cell to Trump’s state-of-the-union address: one wife’s bid to get her husband’s story heard
She hardly sleeps and when she does, her children often lie near her, fearing someone “could take them away – or take me away”.
— South China Morning Post

Milestones in int’l economic integration in 2018, tasks for 2019
Vietnam made great achievements in international economic integration and connectivity in 2018, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed in his article on the country’s economic integration and connectivity milestones last year and orientations for the coming times.
— VNA NET

Improve health examination and treatment quality in 2019
Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến, Minister of Health, speaks to Lao động Cuối tuần (Labour Weekend) about measures to improve health examination and treatment quality at hospitals in 2019.
— Viet Nam News

NA leader pays Tet visit to Tien Giang’s police, medical workers
Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan made a Tet tour of the public security force and doctors and patients at Tien Giang General Hospital in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on February 4.
— VNA NET

Tet fruit tray, indispensible part of Vietnamese culture
A “Mam Ngu Qua” or five-fruit tray is indispensable for each Vietnamese family as among the numerous offerings that are required to decorate ancestral altars during the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
— VNA NET

Central city, Qatar Airways to promote daily direct flight
The central city’s tourism department, in co-operation with Qatar Airways, plans to launch a daily flight to meet the increasing demand between Đà Nẵng and Doha, Qatar in the near future after the weekly direct flight debuted last December.
— Viet Nam News

Largest flower village in Nam Dinh in full bloom for Lunar New Year
Every year ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, My Tan commune in the northern province of Nam Dinh is filled with splendid flowers.
— VNA NET

An Giang targets organic agriculture development
The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has targeted shifting from traditional agricultural production, which is heavily dependent on fertilisers and chemicals, to more sustainable production and organic standards, said a provincial official.
— VNA NET

Feature photo loilamtan

This week’s Vietnam morning news feature photo acknowledges Chinese New Year, 2019.

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.