Vietnam Morning News For May 30

Vietnam’s 6 sectors projected for breakthroughs in investment in 2019
These sectors include two emerging sectors in the form of fintech and e-commerce, and four traditional sectors, including education, green energy, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, transportation & logistics.
— The Hanoitimes

Vietnam posts lowest 5-month CPI in 3 years
The consumer price index (CPI) of Vietnam, which measures changes in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services, rose 2.74 percent on-year between January and May, posting the lowest five-month level since 2017, the country’s General Statistics Office said on Wednesday.
— Xinhua

Vietnam’s low labor cost appeal waning: Fitch
With recent minimum wage increases, Vietnam’s low labor cost allure for foreign investors is on the decline, says a Fitch Group report.
— VnExpress

Vietnam a rising Asian powerhouse: DBS report
Vietnam is a growing heavyweight in Asia, and companies and investors could focus on this bright spot as uncertainties cloud the global economic outlook, a DBS Bank report said on Tuesday.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

Vietnam gets a taste for superyachts
Few things are more anathema to communism than a superyacht, except perhaps taking a ride to the marina in a Bentley.
— The Asean Post

Vietnam exports to US rise 28 pct as China-US trade war intensifies
There has been a surge in Vietnam’s exports to the U.S. whose trade war with China continues without an end in sight.
— VnExpress

Vietnam’s Jan-May coffee exports to fall 13.1% y/y – govt data
Vietnam’s coffee exports in the first five months of 2019 would likely fall 13.1% from a year earlier to 767,000 tonnes, while rice exports would decline 5.3%, preliminary government data showed on Wednesday.
— Reuters

Vietnam’s May trade deficit widens to $1.3 bln
Vietnam’s trade deficit widened to $1.3 billion in May, from $550 million in April, government data released on Wednesday showed.
— Nasdaq

Vietnam lays mobile money groundwork
Vietnam’s communications ministry hosted a workshop outlining international success stories in the mobile money sector, in a move to promote the benefits ahead of proposed trial deployments.
— Mobile World Live

Vietnam’s positive contribution to UN’s activities
Over the past four decades, Vietnam has received tremendous support from the UN and its members and demonstrated its responsible member of the United Nations (UN) since joining the int’l; community.
— VietnamPlus

Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam added to US currency watchlist
The US Treasury added Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam to a watchlist for currency manipulation, putting their foreign-exchange policies under scrutiny.
— The Star Online

Private firms encouraged to join credit information market
Private organisations will be encouraged to provide credit information services in Việt Nam to improve transparency in the credit information market, under a new draft decree.
— Viet Nam News

Private-sector ‘green finance’ needed for sustainable development
Given Việt Nam’s investment deficit in sustainable development projects, there is a growing need for innovative solutions that open up opportunities for private investment in sustainable development projects, banking experts said yesterday at the Sustainable Finance Forum in HCM City.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam likely to benefit from worldwide shift in production capacity: HSBC
However, to convert its much-touted supply chain potential, Vietnam needs to build more visibility and credibility amongst international firms.
— The Hanoitimes

Water management becoming crucially important
In Việt Nam’s rapidly expanding cities, increased development and increased rainfall due to climate change have created significant flood risks, impacting human lives and the economy, and creating environmental problems.
— Viet Nam Net

China-Vietnam Military Ties in the Headlines with Defense Ministers Meeting
The interaction highlighted the ongoing activity in the security realm between the two sides in spite of significant lingering differences.
— The Diplomat

More companies adopt human rights commitments
All major lead firms in the garment, footwear and electronics industries in Việt Nam have adopted a policy commitment on human rights and ethical issues, a baseline study on the “Implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the Garment, Footwear and …
— Viet Nam News

Feature: Drivers, staff of Vietnam’s first urban railway training hard for passengers’ safety, comfort
In a baking hot summer morning at the depot of Vietnam’s first urban railway in its capital Hanoi, young Vietnamese drivers took turns to get on and off a green-silver electric train, just to check if it has been docked safely with the other train on the same track.
— Xinhua

Vietnam’s parliament to conduct interpellations next month, addressing four big issues
The four most debated issues namely social security, culture and tourism, construction, and transport would be named at the hearings on June 4-6.
— The Hanoitimes

Six ICT executives join National e-Government Committee working group
The heads of six leading information and communications technology (ICT) companies will join a working group for the chairman of the National Committee on E-Government.
— Viet Nam News

Vietnam police bust $170-million online gambling ring
Police in the central province of Thanh Hoa have arrested nine people for allegedly operating online gambling operations.
— VnExpress

Đắk Lắk eyes $66 million hi-tech farming complex
The complex includes an 80-ha farm for 2,400 breeding pigs selected and imported from the Netherlands; a 30-ha chicken breeding area; and a 15-ha plant for pork slaughtering and organic fertiliser production.
— Viet Nam News

Rising pollution a major concern for parents
Born and raised in Hà Nội, 40-year-old Hương – not her real name – found it hard to move away from the comforts of city life despite her desire for a less polluted environment for her children.
— Viet Nam Net

US Lawmakers Urge Greater Push For Vietnam Press Freedoms
U.S. lawmakers called in a letter on Tuesday for a stronger push by the United States to demand that Vietnam uphold the right to freedom of expression in the wake of the jailing of bloggers and activists in the one-party communist state.
— Radio Free Asia

Six tonnes of fish seized from Vietnamese boat off Miri,16 arrested
MIRI: A Vietnamese fishing vessel disguised as a local boat was seized off the ocast of Miri, along with six tonnes of fish illegally caught by the crew.
— The Star Online

Customs sector focuses on CPTPP implementation
Under the trade pact, Việt Nam’s GDP is expected to increase by 1.32 per cent annually.
— Viet Nam News

50 years later, a daunting cleanup of the Vietnam War’s toxic legacy continues
In the thriving industrial city of Bien Hoa, about 20 miles east of Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, there is a large air base, just beyond a sweeping bend in the Dong Nai River. During the American war in Vietnam, it was said to be the busiest airport in the world. Since the war ended in 1975, a dense cluster of four residential neighborhoods has grown up around the base.
— PBS

MMEA arrests Vietnamese boatmen for fishing illegally in S’wak waters, seize RM500k worth of fish
MIRI: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized six tonnes of fish worth RM500,000 and arrested 16 Vietnamese crew members for fishing illegally in Miri waters here on Tuesday (May 28).
— The Borneo Post

Slow and steady mango export success
Shipping fresh food to remote markets is always a challenge due to the damage caused by transportation, preservation and sales.
— Viet Nam News

Favorable Fundamentals For The Vietnam ETF
The VanEck Vectors Vietnam ETF (NYSEArca: VNM), the lone US-listed exchange traded fund dedicated to Vietnamese stocks, is the prime avenue for accessing one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies and data indicate the Vietnamese economy is indeed growing. VNM, which debuted in August 2009, follows the MVIS Vietnam Index.
— Fox Business

Let every breath count: UNICEF Việt Nam
UNICEF Representative in Việt Nam Rana Flowers highlights the importance of raising awareness of the harm air pollution can do to children. Việt Nam News reporter Nguy Khánh Chi finds out more.
— Viet Nam Net

Prolonged rain and waste caused mass fish death on La Ngà River: official
Test results showed the concentrations of ammonia, nitrite and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in samples were in excess of levels allowed in aquaculture farming
— Viet Nam Net

Markets fall after ETF reviews portfolio
The market corrected on Tuesday due to strong selling pressure from IShares MSCI Frontier 100 Index exchange-traded fund (ETF).
— Viet Nam News

Feature photo Human Rights Watch

This week’s morning news photo features International Day of UN Peacekeepers, May 29.

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.