Crowned the World’s Best Rice, and then what?
Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol jasmine variety has been crowned the World’s Best Rice at The Rice Trader’s World Rice Conference in Phuket, Thailand, on November 17. This significant achievement gave Vietnam and Thailand, two large rice exporting countries, pause for thought as Cambodia successfully
Consumption seen weak in year-end season
What should import-export companies be alert to from now until the end of the first quarter of 2023? Should they be chasing the commodities price, in the hope of increasing profits, or be cautious with potential risks? Monetary policies and interest rate hikes in developing countries have brought
Banking system in a liquidity crunch
A liquidity squeeze is choking Vietnam’s economy and banking system, making interest rate swings unavoidable Interest rate hikes return After a short period of interest rates easing, bank deposits took off again last week. Competition for savers in the banking system has intensified during the
Bad debt skyrockets at banks
The banking system is facing a decline in asset quality as bad debt has ballooned since Circular 14/2021/TT-NHNN expired. However, they can overcome the hardships if they set aside enough provisions and succeed in managing credit risk when lending to high-risk sectors. Bad debt surges The Covid-19
Is it time to increase credit growth cap?
Though the central bank has shown no sign of revising the credit growth target of 14% for 2022, there is still room for increasing it amidst a soaring thirst for capital induced by a bond market crash. Why is credit expansion necessary? As a credit crunch can make the country’s post-pandemic
Risks on corporate leaseholders
The draft amendments to the Land Law are intended to limit options for one-time payment of land rent, and encourage annual rent payments instead. Such a change would ensure stable income and avoid losses for the State budget, but it poses risks to enterprises. In implementing the 2013 Land Law,
Switching to savings accounts
The number of current account savings accounts (CASA) held by individuals has declined though it had been projected to increase on fast online payment growth which would lead to cash payments dipping CASAs plunge The past two years saw strong growth in CASAs thanks to banks pushing for electronic
Healthy collapse
A fortnight ago, representatives of some foreign investment funds joined a meeting with the Ministry of Finance to present their concerns about the issue of corporate bonds. A representative recalls how he departed the meeting with an unnamable feeling, as if he had not attended the meeting, as if
Rice, drone and milling machines
For the first time, the Vietnam International Agricultural Trade Fair 2022, held in Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta on November 2, featured a variety of high-technology equipment for agricultural production. With seven booths for drones and four for milling machines, there appears to be a new
Vietnam’s products make their brands
Vietnam is considered one of Southeast Asia’s most booming high-end product markets, worth nearly US$1 billion. Recent years have seen the domination of foreign products through official agents and hand-carried goods. While Vietnamese brands dominate most of the market, they are positioned in the
Facilitating capital flows
Vietnam’s stock and property markets are struggling with volatile capital flows. If the situation is not properly tackled, dire consequences would be unavoidable. Coping solutions should be sought to ease capital flows. Should the property market be rescued at all costs? A duck in water and
Vietnam in the spotlight
According to the e-Conomy SEA report 2022, 83% of investment funds expect the number of investment projects in Vietnam will continue to grow in the 2025-2030 period. Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are among the potential markets for digital economic development. The age of SEA digital