Vietnam Morning News For January 30

Vietnam targets 18 million foreign holiday-makers in 2019
Vietnam aims to receive about 18 million foreign visitors and 85 million domestic ones in 2019, and earn more than 700 trillion VND (30.2 billion USD) from tourism, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
— VNA NET

Hanoi enjoys 7.3 percent rise in January’s exports
Hanoi’s export revenue in January reached 1.18 billion USD, up 1.3 percent over the previous month and 7.3 percent year on year, reported Bao Dau tu (Investment Review).
— VNA NET

Japan to remove 86 percent of tax lines for Vietnam after CPTPP
Japan is set to lift 86 percent of the tariff lines for Vietnamese products in line with its commitments in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
— VNA NET

Measures boosted to keep momentum for pangasius industry growth
Catfish exporters are focusing on improving the quality of the industry from pangasius seeding and material processing to processed products, with an aim to maintain the growth momentum for the sector.
— Nhan Dan Online

Central bank to end cross-ownership in local banks
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has set a target to stop cross-ownership among credit institutions (CIs) by the end of 2020.
— VNA NET

Vinamilk to open plant in Myanmar, its 2nd in Southeast Asia
Vietnam’s biggest dairy company plans to open a plant in Myanmar this year and is preparing to enter Indonesia and China.
— VnExpress

About 80% of Vietnamese in Cambodia have gained legal recognition
About 70-80 per cent of Vietnamese living in Cambodia have gained the country’s legal recognition that paves the way for them to obtain Cambodian citizenship, a Vietnamese official said.
— Eleven Myanmar

Central bank net injected $2b to meet high capital demand at year-end
The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) net injected more than VND47.5 trillion (US$2 billion) into the open market operation (OMO) last week to support the liquidity of the banking system amid rising capital demands at the end of the year.
— Bizhub

Job openings as firms relocate from China to Vietnam
Recruitment demand, especially senior positions in consumer electronics and real estate, is expected to increase as more companies relocate from China to Việt Nam, according to the latest report from Navigos Group.
— Eleven Myanmar

Binh Duong aims for 15.5 percent export growth in 2019
The southern province of Binh Duong targets an export growth of 15.5 percent this year, according to Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Van Danh.
— VNA NET

VN to build product origin portal
The Prime Minister on January 19 approved the ‘Scheme of deploying, applying and managing the traceability system’ with the goal to build and operate a portal on national product and goods traceability by 2020.
— Viet Nam News

SBV to end cross-ownership in Vietnamese banks
The State Bank of Việt Nam (SBV) has set a target to stop cross-ownership among credit institutions (CIs) by the end of 2020.
— Viet Nam News

VN lures $1.9 billion in FDI in January
Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged in Việt Nam witnessed a significant yearly increase of 52 per cent to US$1.9 billion in the first month of this year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
— Viet Nam News

Red tape holds Vietnam back in digital payments
Vietnam risks stumbling in its goal of becoming a cashless society as central bank regulations constrain the spread of digital transactions.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Car importers getting hang of new rules
Despite initial hiccups, most of Viet Nam’s car firms are now complying with import rules that were tightened early last year, according to Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng.
— Viet Nam News

Hotlines on traffic safety announced
The National Committee for Traffic Safety (NCTS) has announced 20 hotlines to receive people’s reports and queries on traffic issues during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday and the season of spring festivals.
— VNA NET

VN entitled to steep 86% tariff cuts from Japan
According to commitments in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Japan will eliminate 86 per cent of tariff lines for Viet Nam as soon as the trade pact becomes effective.
— Bizhub

Hanoi chokes as air pollution increases
Air pollution in Hanoi in recent days has been so severe that health experts have warned people to stay indoors.
— VNA NET

Vietnam Expo 2019 returns to Hà Nội
The Việt Nam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2019) will return to Hà Nội in April, drawing about 550 exhibitors from 20 countries and territories.
— Viet Nam News

Photo book captures Vietnamese football’s success in 2018
Photos featuring iconic moments for Vietnamese football in 2018 will be showcased in an exhibition at Hanoi’s Temple of Literature, which will open on January 30.
— VNA NET

Hanoi urged to renovate mindset in attracting and using FDI capital
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has asked Hanoi to renovate its mindset in attracting and using foreign direct investment (FDI) capital in the face of new emerging requirements, conditions, opportunities and challenges in the new period.
— Nhan Dan Online

Forum to talk climate-resilient development in Mekong Delta
The Prime Minister has agreed in principle the organisation of the forum on sustainable and climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta in October 2019.
— VNA NET

Keppel Sells 70% Stake In Vietnam Township For S$136m
Through its fully-owned subsidiary Portsville, Keppel Corporation is selling a 70 percent stake in Dong Nai Waterfront City (DNWC) for approximately S$136 million to Nam Long Investment Corporation, revealed an SGX filing on Monday (28 Jan).
— Propertyguru

China becomes Vietnam’s biggest foreign investor in January
Vietnam has so far this year licensed 226 foreign-invested projects of 28 countries and regions, the Foreign Investment Agency said on Tuesday, noting that China was the biggest investor.
— Xinhua

Central bank to end cross-ownership in local banks
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has set a target to stop cross-ownership among credit institutions (CIs) by the end of 2020.
— VNA NET

Tet drives up demand for organic products
Despite their high prices, demand for organic products like rice, fruits and vegetables has increased sharply, more so ahead of Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.
— Bizhub

Hanoi chokes as air pollution increases
Air pollution in Hanoi in recent days has been so severe that health experts have warned people to stay indoors.
— VNA NET

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