Opinion

As the number of electric bikes rises in Vietnam, local authorities are discussing solutions to better manage these vehicles, including, making number plates mandatory.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday classified outdoor air pollution as a leading cause of cancer in humans.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung on Wednesday made remarks at the 23rd ASEAN Summit, in which he stressed on the determination to build ASEAN Community by 2015, orientations of ASEAN Community beyond 2015, as well as the bloc’s central role.

Vietnam’s poverty reduction campaign has got off to a good start, but has yet to benefit all disadvantaged citizens in remote and ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

Deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan made the statement on March 18 at the opening ceremony of the 4th ASEAN Forum on Reduce, Reuse and Recycle  (3R) in Ha Noi.

The export turnover of the garment industry in January is estimated to reach 1.05 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 28.4%, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Vietnamese garments earned more than 1 billion USD in export revenue from four big markets each - 7 billion USD from the US, 2.6 billion USD from the EU, 2.1 billion USD from Japan, and 1.1 billion USD from the Republic of Korea in 2012.

More than 15,460 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gone bankrupt since the beginning of 2012 according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s (MoIT) latest statistics.

Domestic auto sales increased slightly in October compared to the last few months as a host of automobile makers launched new cars.

The Hanoitimes -  A resolution o­n the country’s socio-economic development plan for 2013 that will see growth of 5.5 percent GDP and a 10 percent increase in export turnover was adopted by The National Assembly (NA) .

Vietnam’s cement industry is finding it hard to export their products as cement inventory levels approach a worrisome level.

The Hanoitimes - Local exporters might face crunch time in the coming year, even though they achieved a slight increase in export turnover in the first three quarters of 2012.    They are expected to earn 113 billion USD by year-end, up 16.6 percent over 2011 and above the target set by the National Assembly (NA).

The 14th ASEAN Federation of Plastics Industries (AFPI) Conference and the 22nd Asia Plastics Forum (APF) brought together more than 300 delegates from 11 nations, examining the real situation and development trends for the plastics industry in member states as well as the entire ASEAN bloc.

The Hanoitimes -  Underground reticulation, parking areas and subways play a key role in the development of Vietnam cities but lack of planning, legal regulations and finance is making them inefficient. Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said putting such projects underground saved having to use valuable land.

Many enterprises have incurred losses and unfair treatment due to mismanagement of the petrol price stabilisation fund.

Asia-Pacific economies should promote greater economic integration by taking resolute actions to guard against financial and sovereign risks while pursuing trade and investment, and maintain a robust growth trajectory toward achieving certain goals, according to regional business learders at the third session of APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

The campaign to encourage Vietnamese citizens to use Made-in Vietnam goods had achieved encouraging results, and authorities and businesses would continue to promote the idea in an effort to resolve high inventories currently held by domestic producers, said experts at a seminar.

The highlight of several update reports o­n Hanoi’s realty market in the second quarter is the discount trend in all apartment segments.

The jury is out to whether ceiling mobilising rate scheme should be removed.

Corporate outlook remains optimistic for 2012 overall, but more companies were concerned that their situation will further deteriorate compared to previous years, according to Nielsen Vietnam.