Tung Duong wins Devotional Music prize

The Japanese software market is really attractive in the eyes of Vietnamese software outsourcing firms. Up to 80 percent of Vietnamese firms consider Japan as the core market.

In 2011, the country attracted $14.7 billion in FDI, equal to 74 per cent of 2010. Over $11.5 billion came from 1,091 newly-licensed projects while the rest was from 374 existing projects that increased their capital.

In January 2011, the government agreed the plan to make privatization for EVNTelecom whereby EVNTelecom will sell a part of state holding to strategic investor and offer preferential shares to the employees. Of which, EVN will hold 50.6% stake, 0.4% stake will be held by the employees and 49% stake for FPT Co and FPT Telecom Joint Stock Co (FPT Telecom).

Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group has become one of the most successful investors in this neighbouring country with the total investment capital of US$1 billion in such areas as rubber, sugar cane, mining and hydropower industries.

The State Securities Commission (SSC) would check DVD auditing files in Ernst & Young in late September, according to SSC’s vice chairwoman Vu Thi Kim Lien. The Accounting and Auditing Department and Vietnam Association of Certificated Public Accountants also join the inspection. A&C Auditing & Consulting, which audit the DVD’s 2008 financial statement, would be checked as well.

The investment capital of Vietnamese investors exceeded $10.7 billion and chartered capital of Vietnamese investors also reached approximately $10 billion. They mainly invested in mining sector with about $17 billion, of which, Vietnamese investors poured over $4.3 billion and chartered capital of over $3.7 billion.

The Vietnamese insurance market is being competed by both domestic and international insurers and is hurt by economic challenges. Hence, insurers are forecast to face difficulties in funds and premiums. Optimistically, insurers reported revenues growth of 10-15 percent in the first eight months.

The government’s Resolution 11 released early this year is a timely response to the double-digit inflation, draining forex reserves and a devaluating local currency, said Tomoyuki Kimura, ADB’s country director in Vietnam.

At an earlier working session between the two ministries, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) requested the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to hike import tariffs on NPK fertiliser from the current 6 per cent to 6.5 per cent; delay imposition of a 3-per-cent export tax on steel ingots and finished steel; and slash the export tax on coal from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.

In its Asian Development Outlook 2011 Update (ADO Update), the ADB said Resolution 11, a comprehensive policy package, has made good initial progress by helping the exchange rate to stabilise, allowing foreign reserves to be replenished, and lowering monthly inflation outcomes during June – August.

“VietinBank has made a good choice of advisers,” said Alan Pham, chief economist at VinaCapital Investment Management Ltd. HSBC has a depth of expertise and wide distribution network globally that will help get the Hanoi-based bank a “good rate,” he said.

On Wednesday, state-backed newspaper Tuoi Tre said Dong Banh Cement Joint Stock Co, a subsidiary of state-owned Song Da Group, was asking the government for help in paying $3.4 million back to ANZ.

Last week, the central bank decided to increase the reserve requirement ratio by 1 per cent to 8 per cent for foreign currency deposits less than 12 months and to 6 per cent for foreign currency deposits over 12 months.

The Vietnamese authorities deserve our applause for facing up to tough economic issues. Today’s rate hike was just another step in the long battle against inflation. Although the policy stance has clearly shifted from boosting growth to improving economic stability since February, the data flow remains challenging.

According to IMF’s regional economic outlook, Vietnam has overcome the global crisis thanks to the substantial financial stimulus package worth 5 percent of its GDP and monetary easing policies. The IMF commented that Vietnam is of the fastest growing economies in Asia. In 2010, Vietnam posted a growth of 6.8 percent thanks to demand for both domestic and international growth. However, the expansion policy adopted during the crisis also has increased macroeconomic risks.

The State Bank of Vietnam set a ceiling on dollar deposit rates on April 13, restricting interest payments for individuals to 3 percent and those for non-credit institutions to 1 percent. Holdings of dong can attract returns of as much as 14 percent.

“The government wants to protect state assets because state-run banks have huge assets, many of which are not profitable now,” a Vietnamese analyst was quoted by Reuters.

“There is a big difference between what the regulations state and their actual implementation, hindering investors’ plans,” Han Jae Jin, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce’s foreign affairs board, said.