Fighting against counterfeits
In early November last year, traders in the Saigon Square shopping center in downtown HCMC tidied up their goods, closed their stores and quickly left the mall when a market surveillance force rushed in. Three months later, the shopping center seemed to return to normal. The Office of the United
Can housing tax help prevent speculation?
Vietnam is among nations with the highest house price to income ratios. The fast rise of housing prices in major cities is a big headache for authorities as it aggravates inequality and hinders access to housing by low- and middle-income people. Housing tax is a widely-used measure to control and
Vietnam to have PPP commodity-based group for rice
HCMC – Vietnam has promoted agricultural modernization and investment via a public-private partnership (PPP) commodity-based working group. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced a decision to set up Vietnam’s rice PPP working group on March 3 in the Mekong Delta city of Can
Sapa launches summer festival to woo tourists
HCMC – The tourist town of Sapa in Lao Cai Province has launched the Summer Festival 2023 with a series of activities to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Sapa’s tourism. The festival is one of a series of events celebrating the town’s 120th year of tourism, which will take place from March 3 to
PM asks SBV to lower loan interest rates
HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the nation’s central bank, to slash interest rates, make loans more accessible and focus on lending to key economic sectors. This was done at the regular Government meeting held yesterday when PM Chim emphasized the
Over three-fourths of available Covid vaccine doses in HCMC expire
HCMC – HCMC now has over 339,370 Covid-19 vaccine doses in stock, but only 81,800 of them are yet to expire, data from the city’s Department of Health showed. The figures were revealed on March 3, as National Assembly deputies looked into the city’s management of Covid-19 vaccines and
Long Thanh airport project’s completion date to be rescheduled
HCMC – The investor of the Long Thanh International Airport project has sought an additional six months to get the passenger terminal construction package done, meaning the first phase of the project cannot be finished in September 2025 as earlier planned. The proposal was made in a letter which
VND110-trillion package for social housing withdrawn
HCMC – The Ministry of Construction has backed off from the VND110-trillion credit package for banks to lend on to developers and buyers of social housing, according to a statement released yesterday, March 2. The ministry’s package is to recapitalize commercial banks so that they can lend on to
Bac Lieu proposes building expy
HCMC – The government of Bac Lieu Province has written to the Ministry of Transport proposing developing a 58-kilometer-long expressway connecting the province with two other Mekong Delta provinces – Hau Giang and Soc Trang. The Ha Tien-Rach Gia-Bac Lieu expressway will pass through Hau Giang with
AFD may cut off aid for Can Tho embankment project
HCMC – A river embankment project in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho may lose France’s financial aid. If the project is not completed before June 15, the French Development Agency (AFD) will stop financing the project, and the local government must tap its budget to fund the remaining components
Lai Chau, Vinh Phuc rocked by mild quakes
HCMC – A series of quakes struck Lai Chau and Vinh Phuc provinces this morning, March 3, rattling local homes but causing no major damage. The first quake, measuring 4.4 on the Richter magnitude and 16 kilometers in depth, hit Muong Te District in the mountainous province of Lai Chau at 4:49 a.m.
Ministry wants rethink of high tax on second home
HCMC – The Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the Government turn down the HCMC government’s proposal to impose a higher property tax on people who own a second home. It reasoned that the proposal still had inadequacies as owners of several small houses or plots of land would have to
