Dong Nai: Another 41 people to be tried following disorders

Dong Nai: Another 41 people to be tried following disorders

Law enforcement agencies of the southern province of Dong Nai have started legal proceedings against 41 people for their role i n recent disturbances in the locality, according to the provincial People’s Procuracy.

They will be charged with causing public disorder and appropriating assets during demonstrations by workers and local people to protest China’s illegal action of placing its oil rig in Vietnam’s waters.

So far, as many as 416 suspects have been detained with criminal proceedings started against cases.

As of May 24, 98 percent of the enterprises effected by disturbances in the locality have resumed their production and business activities. As scheduled, the remainders will restart their operation by May 26.

VND35 trillion proposed for aiding fishermen

Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has thrown his weight behind a VND35 trillion budget proposed by National Assembly deputies for assisting fishermen to improve their output and protect Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty.

He told reporters on the sidelines of the NA’s ongoing session in Hanoi on May 22 that he would support any decision that helps protect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos and fishermen’s activities at sea.

The VND35 trillion amount could be sourced from surplus funds that would come from the ministry’s reviews and readjustments of the transport infrastructure development projects underway, he said.

Deputy Tran Hoang Ngan from HCMC told reporters on the sidelines of the session on May 22 that he would propose the NA approve the use of VND35 trillion for building fishing boats for lease to fishermen.  

“If the proposal is translated into reality, our fishermen will have a fleet of high-quality fishing boats and contribute to protecting Vietnamese waters in the East Sea,” Ngan said, adding it would cost VND5-10 billion to build a new fishing boat.

On Wednesday, the NA issued a statement saying that China’s illegal positioning of Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf is in serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and high-level agreements signed by the two countries.

According to the statement, the NA and the Vietnamese are deeply concerned over and resolutely oppose China’s wrongful acts, so the NA demands China remove its oil rig from Vietnam’s waters immediately. The NA also thanks international organizations and individuals for their support for what Vietnam has been doing to tackle China’s illegal actions, says the statement.

The NA supports the Party’s and the Government’s stand to take all options to defend Vietnam’s sovereignty in line with international law and at the same time maintain peace and stability for development of the country.

The NA said developments in the East Sea were complicated and unpredictable.

Vietnam News Agency said Vietnamese people and international friends around the world had thrown their support behind Vietnam’s current measures to deal with the East Sea situation.

On Wednesday, hundreds of overseas Vietnamese, students and international friends gathered at Place des Nations Square in Geneva in protest against China’s illegal deployment of the rig and many escort ships within Vietnam’s exclusive economic and continental shelf.  

Requiem for Hoang Sa soldiers in Quang Ngai

A requiem for martyrs and sailors who defended the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago is being held in Ly Son island, central Quang Ngai province on May 23-25.

It is an event for Buddhist dignitaries and followers and locals to pay tribute to Hoang Sa soldiers and convey a message affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spartly) archipelagos.

It is dedicated to those who laid down their lives for national independence and freedom as well as sailors of the Hoang Sa flotilla who erected sovereignty markers and safeguarded national sovereignty, said Most Venerable Thich Tam Duc, head of the organising board.

Ly Son Island is home of the Hoang Sa Flotilla, set up by Nguyen Lords to go to Hoang Sa. Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, and tap marine resources at orders by the Nguyen Lords. Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned to mainland.

Noi Bai Int’l Airport begins screening for MERS

The Hanoi Department of Health is stepping up measures to prevent the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus from entering the country via Noi Bai International Airport.

Amid reports of potential infections, municipal health leaders have asked the Centre for International Health Quarantine to closely co-ordinate with state management agencies in efforts to monitor travelers at air terminals, especially those from nations experiencing outbreaks of the disease.

The Centre for International Health Quarantine has installed two digital infrared thermal scanners at Noi Bai airport to detect passengers who show signs of the acute disease such as high fever.

There are two isolated rooms with sufficient medicines at the airport, while two emergency cars are put on standby to transport patients to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The centre for International Health Quarantine and relevant units at the airport also are implementing co-ordination mechanisms to rapidly deal with emergency cases.

Overseas Vietnamese support national sea and island sovereignty

Vietnamese nationals and their international friends in Egypt held a meeting on May 24 to show strong opposition to China’s aggressive action in Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Dao Thanh Chung briefed overseas Vietnamese on the latest developments in the East Sea, in particular China’s illegal placement of its Haiyang Shiyou-981oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

China’s actions violate Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and seriously threaten peace, security, stability and maritime safety in the East Sea, he said.

Chung highlighted that China’s escalating provocation runs counter to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and agreements between China and ASEAN in dealing with East Sea related issues.

The Vietnamese diplomat reaffirmed the Party and State’s consistent policy of settling the dispute through peaceful means and asking China to withdraw its oil rig and ships from Vietnam’s waters.

He noted that the Vietnamese Party and State is considering all possible measures to protect national sea and island sovereignty and ensure peace, stability and development.

He called on overseas Vietnamese to join hands to support the country’s just struggle and defend national sovereignty.

Representatives from the overseas Vietnamese community in Egypt expressed strong support for Vietnamese law enforcement in the East Sea and pledged assistance if required.

Also on May 24, large numbers of Vietnamese expatriates, including students, international friends held a march in Zurich city, Switzerland, to oppose China’s illegal action in the East Sea..

They gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Switzerland, criticizing China’s oil rig placement in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Chairman of the Switzerland-Vietnam Friendship Association Anjuska Weil said that the Chinese Government’s declaration on its sea and island sovereignty goes against the 1982 UNCLOS.

The Vietnamese people and peace-lovers around the world want to maintain peace and stability. The international community should speak out and  ask China to stop its illegal action against neighbouring countries, she stated.

This was the second time Vietnamese nations in Switzerland have taken to the street in protest against China’s violations in Vietnam’s waters.

Earlier on May 21, they gathered at a square in front of the Geneva-based UN headquarters to show their support for Vietnam and strong opposition against China’s unlawful act in the East Sea.

OVs in Belgium protest against China’s illegal acts

Thousands of Vietnamese people living in Belgium held a meeting in front of the headquarters of the European Council in Brussels to denounce China’s unlawful act of placing its Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

This is the second time Vietnamese in Belgium have rallied to protest against China’s act. The meeting contributed to publicising China’s illegal deeds to the international community and thus calling on them to support Vietnam in the issue.

Demonstrators held high slogans and banners in the Vietnamese language and translated into English, French and Dutch to request China to remove its rig out of Vietnam’s waters and accusing the country of violating international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On behalf of the Vietnamese Community in the Belgium, Prof. Nguyen Dang Hung, a lecturer from Liege University, called on Vietnamese people and peace-loving people from all over the world to oppose China’s aggressive move.

He said China is ignoring the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and recent bilateral agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders.

On May 19, the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Arabia Emirates also organised a get-together for Vietnamese expatriates to voice opposition to China.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Tran Ngoc Thach stressed the Vietnamese Party and State’s consistent stance of taking every measure to safeguard national sovereignty.

Vietnamese people expressed their belief in the Party and State’s leadership, and vowed to further bolster solidarity to oppose China’s illegal move.

On the occasion, the embassy launched a campaign to raise funds for officers and soldiers who are working night and day to safeguard the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

Vietnam-Armenia Friendship Association to build on ties

The Vietnam-Armenia Friendship Association (VAFA) made its debut on May 24, creating a foundation for people-to-people diplomacy between the two countries.

The association was introduced during a congress in Hanoi, which saw the participation of Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Thi Hoang Van, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son, and Armenian Ambassador to Vietnam Raisa Gareginovna.

In her speech at the event, Van said the formation of the association marks an important milestone in the relations between the two countries’ people and contributes to implementing the Vietnamese Party and State’s policy on people-to-people diplomacy.

In the coming time, the association will focus on establishing a partnership network on the basis of its current relations, while seeking and expanding links with new partners in Armenia, such as public organisations, enterprises, education and research institutions and universities, Van said.

She added that the VAFA will also pay attention to promoting foreign communication works to take advantage of solidarity and support for Vietnam in national defence, construction and development.

Ambassador Raisa expressed her belief that VAFA will make great contributions to setting direct ties in human resources development, trade and economic cooperation as well as boosting friendship and exchanges between the two peoples.

She also affirmed that her agency will do its utmost to further push the traditional friendship between her country and Vietnam.

Ambassador’s visit fosters Vietnam-Cuba friendship

A delegation from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba led by Ambassador Duong Minh on May 23 made a visit to the Vo Thi Thang primary school in Miramar district, Havana, Cuba.

Jointly held by the Embassy and the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the People (ICAP), the visit aims to reinforce the ties between the two countries.

Speaking at the meeting with the delegation, the school rector Mirta Gonzalez expressed her admiration for the spirit shown by Vietnam during wartime to bring independence and freedom to the country, as well as its continuation throughout the ongoing process of national development.

Thanking the Vietnamese Government and people for their support to the school over the last few years, Gonzales said pupils studying there are very interested in enquiring about Vietnam, late President Ho Chi Minh and the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries.

For his part, Ambassador Minh said he rejoices at the school’s achievements in education in recent times, expressing his hope that the school’s teachers will continue educating their pupils on the history of the friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, thus further bolstering the ties in the future.

S’pore Night Safari remains attractive to world people

“The Night Safari is a home-grown attraction that has gained a reputation on the world stage for its unique, immersive wildlife experience,” said Claire Chiang, Chairman of Wildlife Reserves Singapore at its 20th anniversary celebration on May 23.

The Night Safari is celebrating its anniversary with a new mane attraction, namely a pair of South African white lions together with three Asiatic black bears and a Malaysian tiger.

The 35ha park is home to more than 2,500 animals of over 130 species, of which 38 per cent are threatened. It welcomes over 1.1 million visitors annually with nearly 80 per cent being foreigners.

In the past 20 years, the Night Safari received 30 awards, including the “Most Popular Asian Attraction” by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the “Best New Attraction in ASEAN” by the ASEAN Tourism Association, and the “Best Visitor Attraction Experience” by the Singapore Tourism Board 11 times.

Vietnam Airlines adds flights for summer

Vietnam Airlines will fly 2,717 additional flights with more than 500,000 seats on 16 local and international routes to meet the peak summer demand between June 15 and August 15.

With the increase, the carrier will provide a total of 4.2 million seats, 14 per cent more than normal and 17 per cent more than a year ago.

The carrier will operate an average of 44 daily flights, rising to 397 on peak days.

The domestic routes to benefit are Hanoi-Phu Quoc/ HCM City/ Nha Trang/ Da Nang/Da Lat/ Dong Hoi/ Dien Bien ; HCM City-Phu Quoc/ Nha Trang/ Da Nang, Dong Hoi/Thanh Hoa ; and Da Nang-Hai Phong.

The international routes are Ha Noi-Kuala Lumpur and HCM City – Kuala Lumpur/ Seoul.

Annual football tournament facilitates SOS children’s integration

As many as 140 children representing SOS villages nationwide are taking part in an annual football tournament which is being held in the northern province of Thai Binh from May 23-28.

The six-day event, the ninth edition of its kind, has attracted 14 teams from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dien Bien, Phu Tho, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Ben Tre and Ca Mau.

The overall champions will walk away with the trophy, gold medals and presents from sponsors. The organising board will also present awards to the best player of the tournament and the fair-play prize winners.

The idea was initiated by the Nhi Dong (Children) Newspaper in 2006 with a view to creating a summer sport playing ground for orphans living in SOS villages throughout the country.

Over the past eight years, the tournament has drawn increasing attention and has contributed to mitigating the inferiority complex of disadvantaged children, boosting their spirit and encouraging them to strive for a useful life.

Customers file complain over unlicensed building

Hundreds of people in Hanoi are seeking help after learning that the apartment building project in which they bought space had no construction permit.

The planned 83-storey apartment building in Hoang Mai District was to be built by investor, Hung Son Mechanical. Construction started in 2009, and after one year, eight floors were completed. The quick pace of construction initially brought optimism to buyers.

When the investors call for more funds, hundreds of households were willing to contribute over VND100 billion so that construction could be completed in the last quarter of 2012. However, in March 2011, the project was halted due to the lack of a construction permit. According to the households, they tried to help the investors with legal procedures, but after three years the investor is still unable to acquire the permit.

Hanoi authorities granted the land to Hung Son Company to build an office and showroom. Nguyen Dinh Luong, director of Hung Son Mechanical, then transferred all Hung Son Company’s shares to his wife’s company, Ngoc Lan Real Estate. Luong’s wife then used the land to build an apartment building and an office and trade centre, despite the fact that she had no construction permit.

After receiving complaints from people living near the project site in 2010, Hanoi authorities investigated the project transfer and capital-raising activities of the two companies. Nguyen Khac Tho, the former deputy head of the Department of Construction, confirmed that the investors had violated regulations. Meanwhile, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment asked they halt all construction activity on the land.

Households that made contributions demanded to be reimbursed after waiting for years. Hung Son Company promised to return the funds by May 25, 2013 if construction had to be abandoned. However, they have yet to return any funds, saying that they are still in the process completing procedures to continue the project.

Hundreds of people submitted denunciation letters to police in Hanoi and in Hoang Mai District. The case is still under investigation.

HCM City to host three industry expos

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in HCMC, the HCMC Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) and Thai firm Reed Tradex on May 22 clinched a deal to organize three exhibitions in the city in October.

The events, including METALEX Vietnam and NEPCON Vietnam 2014, will showcase products and accessories of companies in supporting industries from October 9 to 11 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in HCMC’s District 7. These events are expected to attract 500 enterprises from 25 countries and territories.

According to the organizers, local firms can find modern machines, equipment and technology at Vietnam’s International Exhibition on Machine Tools and Metalworking Technologies for Production Upgrade (METALEX Vietnam) and Vietnam’s Only Exhibition on SMT Testing Technologies, Equipment, and Supporting Industries for Electronics Manufacturing (NEPCON Vietnam).

Local firms will have an opportunity to meet Japanese producers who look for quality industrial components and accessories in Vietnam and build business links through seminars and other activities of the three exhibitions.

Hirotaka Yasuzumi, managing director of JETRO in HCMC, said the lack of supporting industries was the biggest problem for enterprises when investing in Vietnam.

A survey of the organization showed just around 32% of components and accessories made in Vietnam were supplied for Japanese investors last year, while the rate was 64% in China and 53% in Thailand.

Yasuzumi said the organization was considering a policy to support development of supporting industries in Vietnam.

UAE group to develop tourism complex in Quang Ninh

Representatives of Nakheel, a real estate developer of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are scheduled to visit Vietnam next month to prepare procedures for a tourism and residential complex in Quang Ninh Province.

According to the Quang Ninh Investment Promotion Agency, the group signed a memorandum of understanding with the provincial government last July and the visit would be the next step for the Halong Star project in the northern province.

The 125-hectare Halong Star complex has an estimated investment of US$550 million and includes a five-star hotel with 250 rooms, 226 villas, 85 houses, 114 apartments and a shopping center.

The agency said the provincial chairman, Nguyen Van Doc, led a delegation to the Middle East on May 12-19 and received the Nakheel chairman’s pledge to continue projects in Quang Ninh Province in general and in Van Don Economic Zone in particular.

The Quang Ninh government said it would create favorable conditions for the group to implement its projects in the province.

During the trip to the UAE, Doc also met representatives of Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) and invited them to explore investment opportunities in Quang Ninh, especially the Van Don Economic Zone, which will become a special economic zone.

The provincial government said that Van Don Economic Zone had many good conditions for ICD to develop its Future City project there.

Switzerland supports local SMEs’ competitiveness

Switzerland is financing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Vietnam to deal with their inventories, expand operations domestically and improve competitiveness on global markets as part of a supporting program for Vietnam. According to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), this program is aimed at enhancing Vietnamese SMEs’ export competitiveness through trade promotions in accordance with an agreement signed between Vietnam and Switzerland.

Through the agency, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will provide some US$3.9 million for Vietnam to carry out the program over four years. The program is being implemented nationwide.

Do Kim Lang, deputy head of VIETRADE and national director of the program, told a meeting in Can Tho City on Tuesday that the program management would develop detailed plans for brand building and promotion of chosen products and for producers of these items to spur their exports.

The program also helps strengthen the capacity of local trade centers, establish Vietnam’s national export council, and the efficiency of VIETRADE’s promotion activities.

Miroslave Delaporte of SECO said SMEs were the core of Switzerland’s economy and contributed a big part to the country’s development. He believed that SMEs would play a key role in Vietnam’s development if the program were carried out effectively.

Vo Thanh Thong, vice chairman of Can Tho City, said that farm produce and seafood were the spearhead products of the Mekong Delta, with rice and seafood accounting for 90% and more than 60% of the country’s exports of these products.

However, Thong said contribution of seafood and agriculture firms in the region stayed as low as 8.3% of the nation’s total export revenue.

Vietnam’s first ETF to debut in Q3

Vietnam is expected to launch its first domestic exchange traded fund (ETF), a fund that tracks specific indexes and whose portfolios include a basket of stocks, in the third quarter this year.

Speaking at a seminar organized by the Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HOSE) on Tuesday, Luong Thi My Hanh, deputy general director of Vietnam Fund Management Company (VFM), said VFM in March wrote to the State Securities Commission asking for permission to open the VN30 ETF to track the VN30 index of the southern bourse.

VFM expects to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of the fund in the second or third quarter. The fund will be listed on the stock market at the end of the third quarter.

Unlike previous active funds, the VN30 ETF will follow developments of the VN30 index consisting of 30 stocks with the highest market capitalization and liquidity on HOSE.

ETFs are a choice of investors who prefer sectors such as banking, real estate and production.

For instance, they can invest in the banking sector of an ETF’s portfolio rather than buy specific bank shares. With ETFs, investors can join and withdraw quickly, Hanh explained.

ETFs have more advantages than other funds such as transparency and low management fees. The funds also have better liquidity as investors can transact on the primary and secondary markets.

At present, two large foreign ETFs, FTSE and VNM, are making strong impacts on the local market. Established in late 2009, the two funds now have the combined scale of around US$700-800 million compared to the initial figure of US$50 million each.

The figures showed that investors had strong interest in ETFs, Hanh said.

In addition, domestic ETFs will not have to follow the rule on foreign ownership limit in listed enterprises. However, investors of Vietnamese ETFs are regulated to open accounts in the country.

Vietnam, Russia look to US$10 billion in bilateral trade

Vietnam and Russia will intensify economic cooperation in order to realize their two-way trade target of US$10 billion by 2020, heard an investment and trade promotion conference in HCMC on Tuesday.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai told the conference that trade between the two countries was still below potential of the nations but more opportunities were out there to foster economic relations in the years to come.

Vietnam and Russia have established a strategic partnership in all fields and their two-way trade reached US$4 billion last year.

Evtukhov Viktor Leonhitdovich, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, stressed at the conference that Vietnam was a long-established partner of Russia and that country had lowered import tariffs in recent years, especially after it joined the World Trade Organization in 2012.

Leonhitdovich believed lower import tariffs would encourage Vietnamese firms to increase their exports to Russia.

Enterprises attending the conference were also informed of the supporting policies for exports to Russia, goods imports from Vietnam, legal procedures for opening branches or seeking potential partners.

At the event, Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) and Russian firms struck an agreement to develop a Moscow-HCMC light industrial park, which is also known as Evarz Park, in Moscow.

The group also inked a deal with Incentra Co. to lease space for showcasing products of Vinatex at the Hanoi-Moscow trading and hotel complex.

VAMC finds bad debt settlement tough

A leader of Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) has admitted that the country’s leading debt trading firm is struggling with settlement of the bad debt it has bought since October last year.

One of the reasons behind the difficulties is that Government Decree 53/2013/ND-CP on VAMC establishment does not give much help to facilitating operations of the firm, which is mandated to buy debt from local banks via bond sales.

In the first quarter of this year, VAMC purchased over VND3.9 trillion worth of original debt with around VND3 trillion worth of special bonds issued, meeting only 3% of its bad debt buying target for 2014.

VAMC collected just around VND300 billion from debt settlements during the period, less than 1% of the debt value.

Experts said VAMC by nature was just a place for banks to keep their bad debt temporarily. The enterprise does not tackle debt directly and just acts as a broker or a debt management service provider.

Experts said the process of settling bad debt usually takes three to seven years.

In Vietnam, the bad debt trading market is just in its infancy while other factors such as the legal framework and manpower are still insufficient, thus affecting the bad debt settlement process.

Therefore, VAMC’s target to buy VND100-150 trillion worth of bad debt in 2014 is seen completely infeasible. Notably, the figure is even bigger than the bad debt announced in official reports of credit institutions.

If VAMC could buy VND150 trillion worth of bad debt this year, banks will have to deduct up to VND30 trillion for their bad debt reserve funds. The figure is higher than the combined profit of all lenders last year.

Another concern is that State-owned enterprises and companies in close connection with banks account for a large ratio of total bad debt. If bad debt is settled drastically, lending irregularities may be exposed.

As of the end of the first quarter, VAMC bought around VND42.8 trillion worth of original debt at VND35.4 trillion.

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/ND

Dong Nai: Another 41 people to be tried following disorders