Day: September 20, 2021

Many foreign-invested enterprises tend to bring their own workers to Vietnam for work, particularly for management positions, due to the high requirements for qualifications, expertise and skills, especially differences in language and culture.

Statistics from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) showed that as of early April, there were 101,550 foreign labourers working in Vietnam, of whom nearly 12 percent held managerial positions, over 8 percent were chief executive officers and 58 percent were experts. Most positions that firms were lacking are managers and experts for key projects.

During a dialogue with over 200 enterprises held by the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in April, businesses expressed concern over the requirement on overseas working experience for foreign workers.

On April 29, the foreign business community in Vietnam sent a document regarding difficulties related to foreign workers to the Government Office, the MoLISA, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Later on September 9, the Government issued Resolution 105 guiding the implementation of support measures for enterprises, cooperatives and business households amid COVID-19 pandemic, including easing several regulations and conditions on the grant, extension and confirmation of work permits for foreign workers in Vietnam, which is considered a practical solution.

According to the Deloitte Vietnam, the above resolution is considered a strong message from the Vietnamese Government to prepare to bring the economy back to normal soon. The new resolution comprises more open regulations on working experience, work permits, and passports of foreign workers.

Resolution 105 helps bring foreign experts back to Vietnam hinh anh 2

Deloitte Vietnam believed that the relaxation of regulations and conditions will be highly welcomed by business community and will remove difficulties faced by firms.

Le Quang Trung, former Deputy Director of the MoLISA’s Employment Department, said the thing that needs to do now is to accelerate the application of information technology in granting licence, thus allowing firms with foreign workers and experts to carry out procedures online. Additionally, businesses also need to thoroughly study regulations regarding foreigners working in Vietnam in order to make adequate preparations.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Positive signs of investment inflows have been seen during meetings between National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and executives from many big European firms on the occasion of Hue’s working visit to the European Parliament and a number of European countries from September 5-11.

Those meetings show that large corporations, such as Exxon Mobil, Infra Asia Invest, Siemens Energy AG and Orsted Group, are still very interested in investing in Vietnam.

Christian Bruch, Chairman, General Director of Siemens Energy AG (Germany) affirmed the company’s desire to participate in energy projects in Vietnam, saying that he will continue to seek investment opportunities in this field in the future.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s Orsted Group, which runs 27 wind power projects in the world, did not hide its ambition to form a joint venture or association with T&T Group to research and invest in wind power projects in Vietnam.

The US’s Exxon Mobil is determined to pursue the Ca Voi Xanh (Blue Whale) project, Vietnam’s gas field offshore, with an estimated capital of tens of billions of dollars. In addition, the corporation has mapped out a plan to pour investment in another gas-fuelled power project in Hai Phong and this plan gets support from Vietnam.

Infra Asia Investment (IAI) has invested in industrial parks in Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province with an investment capital of 1.2 billion USD. Fabien De Jonge, a member of the Board of Directors of IAI, said that it is planning to expand its investment activities in the field of renewable energy including wind power and solar power.

Regarding information that the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures might cause foreign investors to leave Vietnam, Alain Cany, Chairman of EuroCham Vietnam said that these are mainly “transfer of orders and is a temporary decision of businesses” and “no European businesses have left Vietnam yet.”

According to the EuroCham Vietnam chairman, although some orders have moved out of Vietnam, investors still stay in the country. The hesitation, if any, is only for some new investors who are making new investment decisions.

HSBC said in a recently published report relating to this issue: “Despite possible challenges, Vietnam is still an attractive destination for investors in Vietnam in the future.”

According to HSBC, Vietnam’s strong foundational conditions will help offset short-term fluctuations caused by COVID-19. The fact that LG Display has just made an additional investment of 1.4 billion USD to increase OLED screen production in the country is a typical example. Previously, in February this year, LG Display had hiked capital by 750 million USD.

With positive moves from large corporations in combination with optimistic information from Europe and strong foundation conditions of Vietnam, it can be expected that the prospect of attracting foreign direct investment in Vietnam is bright.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City has piloted re-opening tourism by organising tours to local historical sites with participants being people working on the frontline of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the city.

Accordingly, the municipal Department of Tourism coordinated with the People’s Committee of Cu Chi district and HCM City Command to organise a trip on September 19 to Cu Chi Tunnel, an underground base of residents and revolutionary army during the anti-America war in the district, 70km north-west of HCM City.

The tour also took visitors to Gia Dinh Temple, Ben Duoc Temple, and Tam Tan eco-tourism area.

Another tour to Can Gio district which is dubbed the green lung of the city was also arranged by the department in collaboration with the district’s People’s Committee and Saigon Tourism Corporation.

The organisation of the tours was made in line with pandemic prevention regulations.

Nguyen Thi Le, Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Chairwoman of the People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the tours are a way to express thanks to the frontline forces, while strengthening people’s confidence in the COVID-19 prevention and control.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said on September 20 that it has sent a document to the Ministry of Transport asking for permission to conduct procedures to allow Boeing 737 Max aircraft to fly to/from Vietnam’s territory, and to grant certificates for this type of aircraft to be imported into Vietnam.

CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang has worked with representatives of the aircraft manufacturer Boeing to update the operation status of Boeing 737 Max aircraft in the world and reported this content to the ministry.

According to information updated by Boeing, 178 out of 195 aviation authorities in the world have lifted bans on Boeing 737 Max aircraft, including re-issuance of standard airworthiness certification, authorisation to fly to/from their territory and transit through their airspace for this aircraft.

After being allowed to operate again by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), more than 360 Boeing 737 Max aircraft of 35 airlines around the world have now been operating again.

As of September 15, after being allowed to resume operations, Boeing 737 Max planes have performed more than 150,000 flights with a total of over 370,000 safe flight hours. The average departure confidence index is 99.35 percent.

In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines crash involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet killed 157 people. In October 2018, a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 jet crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 people.

After that, Boeing 737 Max aircraft was banned to conduct flights all over the world.

In March 2019, CAAV decided to nullify the granted licenses and not to grant new ones for flights using the Boeing 737 Max to operate in Vietnam’s airspace. In April 2021, the Ministry of Transport agreed with the CAAV’s proposal to allow the Boeing 737 Max aircraft to transit through Vietnam’s airspace.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A leader of the Sunwah Group has highlighted the prospect of trade cooperation between Vietnamese and Hong Kong businesses and made suggestions for the Vietnamese firms that want to access the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China.

Speaking within the framework of a teleconference on September 20, Johnson Choi, Executive Vice Chairman of the GBA Entrepreneurs Union, said the ASEAN – Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement have brought about numerous benefits for all the signatories, including the trade and investment ties between Vietnam and Hong Kong.

He held that Vietnam and other ASEAN countries can make use of Hong Kong’s internationally recognised financial and commercial services and prepare to welcome a wave of investment to expand their production, service, industrial, and real estate sectors.

In fact, Vietnam has attracted a number of enterprises from the mainland China and Hong Kong who come to the country to establish their second bases, given the local advantages in land, labour cost, and human resources. As a result, bilateral trade and investment have recorded breakthrough development, according to the businessman.

Talking about Vietnamese firms’ intention to access the GBA, Choi said the GBA, with a population of over 70 million, generates many opportunities for Vietnamese companies in terms of technology, innovation, financial services, trade, and logistics.

The GBA is a major market for Vietnamese goods such as farm produce, fishery products, and coffee, so the country should increase high-quality products by upgrading their processing, packaging, and logistics processes so as to approach this market, he recommended.

The Sunwah leader, who is also Executive Vice Chairman of the GBA Entrepreneurs Union, said Hong Kong is always ready to assist Vietnamese enterprises to access the GBA market, adding that it will help the country’s businesses to not only enter the market but also connect with potential investors and executives here.

The teleconference on Vietnam – Hong Kong partnership was organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam National University (VNU) – Hanoi remained in the 601-800th group among world’s universities in the Physical Sciences category in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR) 2022 by Subject.

The subjects used to create this ranking include mathematics and statistics; physics and astronomy; chemistry; and geology, environmental, earth and marine sciences.

Based on the latest rankings, the VNU Hanoi’s Computer Science has entered the 501-600th group for the first time while its Engineering and Technology ranked among the 401-500th cohort.

Vietnamese university keeps places in world’s top 800 in physical sciences hinh anh 2

(Photo: VNU Hanoi)

The university is placed first in Vietnam in both of the subjects.

The weightings for the physical sciences ranking are Teaching; Research; Citations; International outlook; and Industry income.

Earlier, the VNU Hanoi had three subjects named in the Quacquarelli Symonds WUR by Subject, including Mathematics in the 401-450th group; Physics and Astronomy in the 551-600th; and Computer Science and Information systems in the top 501-550.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Border Guard Command of Quang Binh province on September 19 presented medical supplies to their counterpart in the Lao border province of Khammouane, to help with the province’s efforts to respond to COVID-19.

Colonel Trinh Thanh Binh, Commander of the Quang Binh Border Guard force handed over medicines, COVID-19 rapid test kits, protective clothing and medical masks, which are worth more than 600 million VND, to the Military Command and Public Security of Khammouane.

At the event, the two sides also shared information on border protection coordination and the epidemic situation in their respective countries. They exchanged experience in pandemic prevention and control, and in ensuring the safety of officers and soldiers on duty as well as the people amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan visited the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap and presented gifts in aid of the local COVID-19 prevention and control on September 20.

Accordingly, she delivered 5,000 rapid test kits and ten tablets to needy children in Lap Vo district; 18 gifts worth 500,000 VND (21.83 USD) each to children at the provincial general social protection centre; and 20 gifts worth 2.5 million each to disadvantaged workers at the Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company.

In addition, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee donated 300 million VND to the provincial fund for COVID-19 prevention and control and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour presented 250 million VND to workers at the Vinh Hoan company, while the National Fund for Vietnamese Children gave 200 million VND to local disadvantaged children. The T&T group offered Dong Thap 30,000 COVID-19 test kits and 50 tonnes of rice, while the Dong Thap-based IMEXPHARM Corporation presented five charity houses worth 50 million VND each.

At the handover ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Doan Tan Buu informed Xuan on the local COVID-19 situation. As of 5pm on September 19, the entire province recorded 8,122 infections with 198 deaths and 886 under treatment. The province has so far administered 365,611 doses of vaccines.

The locality still sees 84 areas under lockdown measures. Support policies have been implemented for 66,662 freelancers and 2,601 household businesses.

Praising efforts made by local authorities, organisations and people in curbing COVID-19, the Vice President requested the province continue prioritising pandemic prevention and control to maintain the new normal condition and help residents stabilise their lives and production.

Plans for safe and effective vaccination as well as prompt delivery of social welfare assistance for needy people are necessary, she noted.

Source: Vietnam News Agency