Agricultural sector sees production and business growth in the first half of 2019: VDSC

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The agricultural sector has maintained growth in the first half of this year despite facing difficulties, especially the African swine fever epidemic which had a heavy impact on the domestic animal husbandry sector.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien made the statement at a press conference on June 17 about the sector’s production and business in the first half of the year. In the first six months of the year, the sector’s agricultural production value was estimated at 2.7-2.9 per cent higher than the same period last year. Of which, growth reached 1.68 per cent in farming, 4.53 per cent in forestry and 6.5 per cent in fisheries. VDSC reports.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the total export value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products in the first six months rose 2.1 per cent year-on-year to USD19.75 billion. Of which, the export value of major farming products dropped by 8.8 per cent year-on-year to USD9.33 billion, meanwhile value surged by 1.8 per cent to USD311 million for livestock products, 0.7 per cent to USD4 billion for seafood products and 21.2 per cent to USD5.27 billion for forestry products. The forestry export value included USD4.9 billion from wood and wood products, up by 20 per cent, and USD236 million from rattan and bamboo products, up by 55.7 per cent.

Tien said during the six months, seafood output was estimated at 3.78 million tonnes, up 6.2 per cent over the same period last year, including 1.92 million tonnes from domestic aquaculture. Pangasius fish output in the Mekong Delta reached 684,000 tonnes, up 6.4 per cent and shrimp output was 278,000 tonnes, up 6.9 per cent.

The structure of commodities for production and export has changed to increase the quantity of advantageous and high-quality products such as seafood (especially brackish water shrimp), vegetables, flowers, fruits, industrial trees with high value, furniture and forest products. However, the agricultural sector in the first six months faced many challenges such as unusual weather, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta, as well as drought in the Central Highlands and South-Central Coast, he said. Many agricultural, forestry and fishery products declined in price while development of the African swine fever epidemic had hit the output of pork. The sector had worked to develop cattle, poultry and aquatic farming to make up for a possible pork shortage at the end of this year as a result of the African swine fever epidemic, Tien said.

Data from the General Statistics Office showed that the number of cattle farmed nationwide had increased by 2.9 per cent while the amount of live cattle sold for meat was about 193,000 tonnes, up 4 per cent from a year earlier, thanks to good consumption and high prices which have encouraged farming.

The number of farmed poultries has risen by 11-12 per cent as there were no epidemics. Meanwhile, good growth has also been recorded in fisheries and it is hoped to reach 6.5-6.7 per cent in 2019. Highlighting the growth in overseas shipments, the official said the export target of $43 billion for this year is high but still achievable, adding that the proportion of high-quality products in agricultural production and exports has increased.

- VDSC

Vietnam Fitness Services Market Outlook

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Vietnam Fitness Services Market will be driven by Increasing Number of Organized Fitness Centres and Rise in Personal Disposable Income: Ken Research

Rise in the number of additional services, growing health consciousness among people under the age bracket (15-64) has driven the Fitness Services Market in Vietnam.

The report titled “Vietnam Fitness Services Market Outlook to 2023 – By Subscription Period, By Organized and Unorganized, By Revenue Streams (Membership Fee and Personal Trainer Fee)” by Ken Research suggested that the Fitness Services market in Vietnam has been increasing due to rising fitness awareness among people, surge in disposable income, expansion in service portfolios of organised fitness service centres and increasing penetration of organized gyms in sub urban areas. The market is expected to register a positive CAGR of 19.5% in terms of revenue during the forecast period 2018-2023E.

Rising Obesity Rate: In Vietnam, it has been witnessed that the obesity rate has increased over the past five years. The obesity rate has grown at a CAGR of 8.4% during the period 2013-2018. Moreover, in future it is anticipated that obesity will reach 3.6% by the year ending 2023E. However, to cater the obesity problem in the country, Fitness centres such as Calikids, AKC Fitness, Nutrifort Fitness and several others has started helping children to lead a healthy life by providing them fitness training.

Dominance of Unorganized Gym Centres: One of the major reasons behind surging growth of the unorganised fitness centres is the low membership fees and easy accessibility of fitness centres from a customer’s house as they are majorly present in the housing locality only. People which are still looking forward to built their body into a muscular one usually focus towards unorganised fitness centres as these centres generally provides hardcore gym training to its customers.

Rising Popularity of Artificial Mountain Climbing: In Vietnam, majorly in Ho Chi Minh City artificial climbing is very popular among people. Artificial mountains are designed with rugged and steep slopes making it a complex and exciting exercise. Kick boxing is also a current trend among young people. Various organized fitness centres such as California Fitness and Yoga Center, Fit24, Citigym and others are offering kick fit as a service.

Surge in Demand of Group Exercise: Increase in group exercise such as Zumba, Pilates, cross fit, Martial Arts, Power Yoga is also contributing to the growth of the fitness service market as in future majority of the new fitness centres will be looking forward to offer these services at lower rates to capture majority of the customers into their fitness centres. Currently these group exercises has been majorly offered in organised fitness centres only but in future it has been expected various new unorganised fitness centres will also provide facility of group exercise to their customers to remain into the competition of the market.

Key Segments Covered:
By Type of Market (Number of Gym Members and Number of Gyms)
Organized Market
Unorganized Market
By Source of Revenue-
Membership Fee
Personal Training
By Number of Gyms by Subscription Fee-
VND 0-5 Million
VND 5-12 Million
Above VND 12 Million
By Subscription Period-
1 Month
3 Month
6 Month
12 Month

Key Target Audience:
Organized and Unorganized Fitness Centres
Fitness Equipment Manufacturers
Sports Authority
Private Equity Firm
Fitness Training and Trainers Associations
Time Period Captured in the Report:-
Historical Period: 2013-2018
Forecast Period: 2019-2023
Major Fitness Centres Covered:-
California Fitness and Yoga Centre
Elite Fitness
Fit24
AKC Fitness
MMA Gym Fitness Centre
Citigym
Curves
Nutrifort Fitness
Advance Fitness
Yoga Center – VYOGA World 3/2
Star Fitness HCM
Diamond Fitness Center
Times Plus Fitness and Yoga
Body Fit Fitness and Yoga
Platinum Fitness and Kinesis
VShape Fitness & Yoga Center
Swequity Ultimate Fitness
Thanh Hai Gym
N Club
Vital fitness and yoga center
MD Fitness
Lykos Kickfitness Center
N-shape Fitness
KBE Fitness
AE Fitness
Universal Yoga
New Fitness and Yoga
Fitness and Yoga Centre Igym
Olympic Nha Trang Gym & Fitness
CLB gym T&V Fitness
Hanoi Kendo Club
Teekiu Fitness
Body SHAPE Gym

Keywords:
Vietnam Fitness Services Market
Fitness Services Industry Vietnam
Vietnam Fitness Club Market
Vietnam Yoga Market Revenue
Vietnam Gym Industry Size
Number of Gyms in Vietnam
Vietnam Fitness Services Sales
Fit24 Fitness Services Market
Curves Fitness Services Market
AE Fitness Services Market
Vietnam Fitness Services Market Scope
Vietnam Yoga Industry Analysis
Vietnam Private Equity Firms

For more information, refer to below link: Vietnam Fitness Services Market

Entrepreneur aims to bring quality Vietnamese coffee abroad

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The Coffee House has already opened 100 stores in Việt Nam, the fastest growth rate among all coffee chains.

Its founder, Nguyễn Hải Ninh, was included on the list of 30 under 30 by Forbes in 2017. When he started the business, Ninh dreamed of taking Vietnamese coffee to the global market and supporting local coffee farmers. Việt Nam News correspondent Thu Ngân asks Ninh about his dreams and desires.

Inner Sanctum: Why did you choose coffee business as a career? What are your memories of establishing The Coffee House?

Truly speaking, I first opened the coffee shop for a simple purpose: earning money. The reason was so simple: I like to go to coffee shops.

After some years of doing business in the coffee sector, I gained some achievements. At the age of 26, however, I recognised that earning money did not bring me energy and I always wondered what should I do to have a meaningful life.

A turning point in my life was meeting Đinh Anh Huân, founder of Seedcom foundation. His story of setting up the famous thegiodidong.com, the biggest domestic mobile phone retailer in the country, inspired me.

Thanks to his advice, I recognised that, in Việt Nam, going to a coffee shop was not simply about drinking a cup of coffee. Going to a coffee shop, he taught me, was actually a chance for people to share with friends and relatives. It was also a place to set up and develop networking.

This was the destiny for me to dream of building a “coffee house”. I can still remember one night talking to my father. I asked him what would happen if I quit everything I had achieved and restarted my career. He smiled and encouraged me: “I have two land lots. One, I am living on. The other, I have built seven rooms for rent with an income of over VNĐ10 million per month. That is enough for you to live if you fail.”

So, he encouraged me to pursue the dream. He said: “You have reached some achievements. The most important thing is that you should do what you want so that you will never regret it the future. The Coffee House was born and it became my source of energy in daily life and has made my life meaningful.

Inner Sanctum: What inspired your desire to take Vietnamese coffee to the world? What is its status now?

It was my endless love for coffee that inspired me to take Vietnamese coffee to the world. I want to bring my clients the best experiences when enjoying a cup of coffee. And I want to bring this value to not only Vietnamese people but also foreigners elsewhere around the world.

Last year, The Coffee House started its journey titled “From Farm to Cup”. This is one among several steps that we are taking to reach the dream of bringing Vietnamese coffee to the world. We apply tough regulations to all of the steps of making coffee, including seeding, producing, drying and roasting, so that we can bring the best products to customers. In addition, we conduct our business under the philosophy of bringing happiness to customers from the smallest things.

Inner Sanctum: You also grow coffee. But you once said it was not for profit, but to inspire coffee farmers to change their cultivation methods and grow the best coffee. Can you tell us more?

Yes, I too plant coffee. When I was developing my coffee chain, I recognised that coffee quality had declined because of the farmers’ habit of fertilising and harvesting unripe coffee beans. They often fertilise their coffee plants without paying attention to any instructions. The quality is not good, so the price is not high.

Because of that, farmers do not have a deep belief in their future and do not do their work with their heart. Farmers just plant coffee for a short-term profit. All of these factors create a vicious circle without an exit.

I really want farmers to have a stable, good income so they can believe in what they are doing. This will help them plant coffee with high quality, earning higher profits. It is true that encouraging and persuading farmers to follow us is not easy. Most of them have rich experiences in planting coffee, and some have even been planting coffee longer than our ages. However, we now have successfully inspired and convinced them.

Inner Sanctum: Over the last year, your campaign to support coffee farmers “From Farm to Cup” has had many successes. Can you tell us about the campaign?

The biggest achievement that I have gained since investing in the coffee sector is creating a movement to plant high-quality coffee in Cầu Đất, a Vietnamese coffee-growing region located 25 kilometres from Đà Lạt.

It is the long-term, stable co-operation with The Coffee House that has helped local farmers feel stable and secure in planting coffee with a more professional method. They use more organic fertiliser, keep the environment clean, choose high-quality coffee beans, and study techniques in order to increase the quality.

Coffee growers recently faced many challenges when Vietnamese coffee hit the floor price in the 2018-19 crop. Drought also contributed to a lost season. As a result, many farmers decided to sell their gardens or plant other trees.

Seeing the difficulties, we made efforts to help farmers stabilise their lives. We bought coffee at VNĐ100,000 per kilo even when the price fell to VNĐ60,000 per kilo. That price was chosen to give them a stable life. Last year, we also expanded our purchases, buying coffee from hundreds of hectares in Gia Lai at a price that was nearly double the price in the market.

The “From Farm to Cup” campaign was launched by The Coffee House with the main aim of having more people develop the coffee sector in a professional way, as well as to protect coffee farmers so that we can all bring the Vietnamese coffee brand to the world.

I always think that one swallow doesn’t make a summer, but The Coffee House and I will be ready to be that first swallow.

Inner Sanctum: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Vietnamese coffee companies compared to their foreign peers? What should local coffee companies do to compete with giant foreign rivals?

Việt Nam has many regions that plant coffee, and we are now the second biggest coffee exporter. However, we face many challenges, including the lowest price in the last 10 years, causing losses of over VNĐ3 trillion. Also, continuous poor crops have stolen farmers’ belief in the coffee plant, and the export value has gone down.

However, quality is the biggest challenge that the domestic coffee sector is facing. Some 90 per cent of coffee is for export, and only 10 per cent of harvested coffee is of high quality. So, although the export volume is very high, the value is not much. I’m afraid that if the situation continues, we’ll no longer be in the second position.

Inner Sanctum: What is your advice to young people who want to pursue their dream?

I want to send a message to those who would love to start a business: ambition and develop your strength. Not all people are strong enough to start a business. There will be many difficulties. For a startup, you need to prepare well and be practical.

Source: VNS

‘Kingdom of Caves’ sees boom in foreign visitors

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Quang Binh province recording surge in visitor numbers, especially foreigners.

Central Quang Binh province welcomed nearly 2.5 million visitors in the first six months of this year, including 133,000 foreigners, for growth of 20 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively, against the same period last year, according to the local Department of Tourism.

The province, known as the “Kingdom of Caves”, also witnessed a sharp increase in the number of visitors last year, to 3.9 million, including 200,000 foreigners, for a year-on-year rise of 18.2 per cent and 53 per cent, respectively.

Growth in foreign visitors was the result of active tourism marketing and promotion among different tourist segments in the country and abroad, according to the department.

Several outstanding programs have been implemented, such as the first promotion program on Quang Binh in Hollywood, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the director of the 2017 blockbuster “Kong: Skull Island”, sharing his experience of filming in Quang Binh, as well as joining in the annual New York Times Travel Show and offering cave experts with trips to discover Son Doong, the world’s largest cave, other caves, and the ecological network in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Travel operators in the province have also invested and diversified their tourism products as well as improved service quality. Together with classic tours to popular caves, new packages have been introduced such as discovering new caves, river tours, culture and history products, and community-based experiences.

In the next six months, it expects to welcome more tourists to the annual cave festival in July and from promotion events in South Korea and on Google and YouTube. It targets putting Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park and Son Doong Cave among Vietnam’s tourism symbols, together with Ha Long Bay.

The department targets welcoming 4.3 million visitors this year, with some 250,000-300,000 foreigners, and to earn total revenue of about VND5 trillion ($215 million).

Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO twice – once in July 2003 and another in July 2015 – thanks to its impressive scenery and archeological value. Son Doong Cave was recognized in 2016 as the largest in the world by three international organizations: the UK-based Guinness World Records, the Hong Kong-based World Record Association, and the US and India-based World Kings.

Source: Vneconomictimes

In Vietnam, son creates YouTube channel to honor mom, her dishes

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A young Vietnamese has kept a vlog about his mother and the dishes she cooks herself, as a tribute to her devotion to him all her life.

Dong Van Hung, 23, thought he would cherish the videos he had shot of his mom and her daily routines simply as his own memories of the woman he loves the most.

But he has switched to a full vlog about her ever since he randomly posted some videos on social media, as his friends have given so much positive feedback on them.

So Hung has convinced his mother to join him in the vlog and she has accompanied him on the vlogging journey.

Hung was born in Thai Nguyen Province, located in northern Vietnam.

He left for Hanoi to land a job at a company after graduation from high school, for his family could not afford his higher education.

After one year, he changed to photography to make a living.

He earned a fair income as a freelane photagrapher.

Hung frequently visited his mother after his grandmother passed away, hoping to help comfort her mom to some extent.

He saw his mother toil in the fields, do the gardening, and cook dishes every day so he wanted to keep these routines as memories.

“At first I didn’t mean to keep a vlog, I merely intended to treasure the videos of my mom as my own memories,” Hung said.

“I then posted some of the videos on social media and received so many positive comments.

“My mother and I therefore paid more attention to detail and quality when we shot the videos and uploaded them to Facebook and YouTube.”

His mom, Duong Thi Cuong is 55 years old. She takes great delight in cleaning the house, feeding the chickens, and sitting by Map the dog.

She particularly relishes cooking rural dishes, such as countryside crab meat soup served with vegetables, rice with smashed peanuts and salt, and banh duc – a cake made from either non-glutinous rice flour or corn flour.

All of the dishes have been captured on video by her son Hung.

“I want to tell a story about my mom’s diligence and hardship, the ordinary meals she prepares, and my hometown,” the young man said.

“My mom would probably feel lonely if I worked far from home.

“Shooting such videos with my mom would earn me a good income [from ads on YouTube] while keeping me beside her.”

Hung posts one video of the dishes his mother cooks a week.

His YouTube channel, Am Thuc Me Lam (literally Dishes Mom Cooks), has garnered about 170,000 subscribers, most of whom apprecate the image of a hardworking and dedicated mother of the northern part of the country.

Cuong felt a little shy recounting the early days of her ‘working’ as the main ‘actress’ in the videos.

“I was so timid in the first place but Hung kept encouraging me to try so we could make a living from [ads in] the videos later on,” she said.

“They’re just the chores I do daily like cooking, farming, gardening, cattle raising, no big deal.

“But videoing takes time and requires meticulousness and carefulness so there were times when I lost my patience and was mad at him.

“More often than not, we have very late dinner.”

However, nothing can prevent her from enjoying the work with, and being near, her son. When Hung worked in Hanoi, he visited her just once in a blue moon.

Now he is with her far more often, which enables her to relish peace of mind.

For Hung, he finds inspiration from the smiles on his mom’s face.

He is giving the videos his all, in hopes that they would be able to monetize them one day.

Hung also plans to add videos of the landscapes in his hometown to the YouTube channel.

Source: Tuoitrenews

Four Vietnam carriers get on board with plastic fight

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Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific are planning to phase out single-use plastics off their flights.
For major carriers in the country have joined the national campaign against the plastic epidemic by becoming part of the Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance.

Vietnam Airlines said they have starte using paper cups and biodegradable alternatives for trash bags and blanket wraps. The national carrier said in a press release that it is also opting for other go-green materials for their in-flight products, including non-woven fabric and bioplastic made with wheat or corn flour.

“The change will be permanent, and we are working on a step-by-step blueprint for the long-term shift,” a Vietnam Airlines representative said.

But it will not be a sweeping change all at once, “since eco-friendly products in Vietnam are still quite scarce and expensive,” the representative said. The airline is currently working with a manufacturer in Vietnam who supplies such products to Japan and Europe.

Newcomer Bamboo Airways already sent its first “green” flight to the sky on June 5. The flight from Hanoi to the south-central town of Quy Nhon was operated free of single-use plastic (SUP) items, with food portions wrapped in wax paper, and non-woven fabric bags used for packaging blankets.

The airline aims to “greenize” all of its onboard lounges in the future, including both domestic and international ones, it said.

“Aside from the ‘Fly Green’ plan, we are also piloting a ‘Work Green’ initiative in our offices on the ground where our staff is encouraged to use less plastic items at work,” Doan Huong, the company’s brand communicator, said.

The airline is preparing its next SUP-free flight, it said, without revealing further details.

As members of the Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance, two budget carriers Jetstar Pacific and Vietjet Air are also expected to come up with their own reduced plastic travel plans.

The carbon footprint of airlines has come in for increased criticism of late, as they produce millions of tons of unrecyclable waste every year.

A study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that an average passenger generates 1.4 kilograms of waste per flight. This includes leftover or untouched food and drink, plastic cups, water bottles, blanket wrappings and plastic packaging. In 2018, this amounted to 6.1 million tons of cabin waste.

The world’s first SUP free flight was flown last December by Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly. It was soon followed by Abu Dhabi-based Ethiaad, European low-cost carrier RyanAir and Australian national carrier Qantas.

In Vietnam’s neighborhood, Thai Airways pledged to cut back on SUP straws on board their fleets last year.

However, while attempting to reduce SUPs is becoming a trend in the travel industry, IATA has also reminded airlines to be mindful in their selection of alternative solutions. Air travel with strict hygiene and lightweight requirements poses unique challenges when carriers want to go green.

“Environmental impacts to take into consideration include increased energy and water consumption from cleaning and return logistics, water pollution from washing, as well as CO2 emissions that result from heavier materials carried on board aircraft,” said Michael Gill, Executive Director of the Air Transport Action Group, told a media briefing in Seoul earlier this month.

In Vietnam, local conservationists believe the efforts being made by the four major airlines are a big step. Plastic reliance has reached an alarming level with the country disposing around 2,500 tons of plastic waste a day.

“Reducing SUPs in Vietnam must involve action by both individuals and agencies,” said Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy, an expert at World Wide Fund for Nature Vietnam.

“It is great to see those airlines on-board in this big fight. The cause might cost a lot, moneywise, but the values it brings to the environment and general awareness are promisingly great.”

Source: Vnexpress

At Asanzo ‘manufacturing’ factory, Chinese parts are made into ‘Vietnamese’ products

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As part of an exposé that discovered Asanzo Vietnam importing Chinese products and disguising them as locally made merchandise for sale, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper witnessed first-hand the process of assembling China-imported parts into finished products labeled as “made in Vietnam with Japan technology” inside a ‘manufacturing’ plant of the electronics firm.

Asanzo has two plants in Ho Chi Minh City, one at the Vinh Loc Industrial Park in Binh Tan District and the other at Tan Binh Industrial Park in the namesake district. Tuoi Tre News reports

The factory at Vinh Loc is considered the manufacturing center of Asanzo Vietnam. But there are only assembling activities at the facility, with workers busily making ‘made-in-Vietnam’ TVs and air conditioners from Chinese parts, a ‘manufacturing’ process that also involves removing the ‘made-in-China’ stamps on the main components.

While Asanzo TVs and air conditioners are assembled in Vietnam, the company has been discovered bringing home appliances in the form of finished products from China to sell in the country under the guise of Vietnamese goods.

Huge imports of Chinese parts

On April 8, Tuoi Tre reporters witnessed Le Quang, a company headquartered in District 12, and Van Doan Co., located in District 7, clearing customs for many containers of electronics parts shipped from China at Cat Lai port.

Both companies later had their products transported to the Asanzo factory at Vinh Loc Industrial Park.

In one of the containers imported by Le Quang were six different types of TV components, shipped by Xin Ying Global Co. from the Chinese province of Guangzhou, while 402 LCD panels, shipped by Hong Kong Kangguan Technology, were seen being loaded out of one of the shipments imported by Van Doan.

Le Quang has imported hundreds of thousands of TV components from China in the first four months of this year, according to documents reviewed by Tuoi Tre. Similarly, Van Doan brought to Ho Chi Minh City from China more than 128,000 TV parts, mostly LCD panels in the same period.

Asanzo has said it sold more than 160,000 air conditioners during the peak of this year’s hot season. The company does not manufacture any air-con components in Vietnam, so where the parts were from?

Accordint to Tuoitrenews,  on April 24, Tran Thoan Co. cleared customs for six containers worth of such air conditioner parts as heaters, condensers and compressor motors, shipped by Ningbo Aux Import & Export, at Cat Lai port. The company later imported five more containers of these products.

Most of these air conditioner parts were transported to the Asanzo factory at Vinh Loc.

It is at this facility that the TV and air conditioner components, all imported from China, are assembled into finished products that will be sold as Vietnamese goods manufactured using Japanese technology in the domestic market.

Six steps to make a TV

In early April, Tuoi Tre reporters went undercover as assembling workers at the Asanzo factory at Vinh Loc Industrial Park.

Your correspondents managed to land the job even after telling the recruiter that they had no knowledge or experience in electronics.

The job was in fact simpler than one expects from an electronics manufacturing factory.

Here, about 200 employees working on 12 assembly lines will follow a six-step procedure to make ‘made-in-Vietnamese’ TVs from Chinese components.

The process starts with placing the circuit board onto the LCD panel, followed by wiring, back panel installing and screwing. The two last steps are checking and stamp labeling.

One of the most important things to do during the assembling process is to remove the “made in China” stamps placed on the LCD panels.

According to the assembling manual by Asanzo, a worker in charge of the third step in the above process is responsible for placing an Authenticated Stamp Guaranty (ASG) stamp onto every LCD panel to cover the “made in China” text on the original one before installing the back panel.

However, in reality, your correspondents were told to remove the “made in China” stamps rather than overlaying them. The removal method involves applying adhesive tape to the stamp and pull the tape off in the opposite direction. This helps ‘erase’ the “made in China” part on the stamp rather than completely removing the stamp. But that’s enough.

After erasing the stamp, the worker in charge of this step will go on to place the back panel onto the product and proceeds to the next step in the assembly line, no matter how badly torn the original stamp is.

Your correspondents have bought an Asanzo 32” LED TV from a store in Ho Chi Minh City and opened the product to check the LCD panel inside. There, a stamp was found damaged in the same fashion as what your correspondents witnessed at the Vinh Loc factory, meaning no “made in China” was visible from the stamp.

The ‘disguising process’ is much simpler at the Asanzo factory at Tan Binh Industrial Park, where workers only have to assemble parts into finished products such as electric ovens, and place ASG stamps on the products.

According to Vietnamese law, air conditioners imported as finished products are subject to a special consumption tax and a state quality control process. Importing parts for later assembly is a deliberate act of the importer to evade taxes and the required quality check.

Pork gets dear as African swine fever spreads

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Pork import prices have risen by up to 30 percent as African swine fever expands to almost all localities in Vietnam.
Lan, a pork importer in Ho Chi Minh City’s Go Vap District, said prices have surged from VND40,000-60,000 ($1.7-2.6) per kilogram in the first five months last year to VND60,000-80,000 ($2.5-3.5) this year.

Lan used to import pork only from Poland and China, but she is looking to other countries as well to meet rising demand.

Lien, an importer in HCMC’s District 2, said that prices of pork from the U.S., Canada and Spain have risen by 5-15 percent year-on-year.

Rib prices have risen from VND80,000 to VND90,000 per kilogram, while pork shoulder prices have gone up from VND90,000 to VND110,000 per kilogram.

Major pork importer Vissan Jsc estimates that prices will continue to rise as the swine flu continues to spread in Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Vissan CEO Nguyen Ngoc An said: “Import prices have risen from VND60,000 to VND80,000, or 33 percent. China, the world’s largest importer, is pushing prices up as its supply is unstable.”

China has been stocking up pork with the African swine fever spreading in the mainland since August last year, reducing the national herd by up to 200 million animals, Reuters reported.

Pork imports have been surging in Vietnam as well. In the first four months of the year, import of pork and pork products rose 6.7 times from the same period last year to $23.58 million, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In HCMC, affected by the African swine fever this month, the municipal customs department said that pork imports from January 1 to June 19 quadrupled in volume year-on-year.

Importers in the city have spent almost $7 million on pork imports, against just $2 million last year, the customs department said.

As many as 59 of 63 provinces and localities in Vietnam have reported the incidence of African swine fever. The country has culled at least 2.45 million pigs since the disease was first found in the northern region early February.

Vietnam has the seventh largest number of pigs in the world, 30 million, and is the sixth largest pork producer. Pig farming provides a livelihood to 2.4 million households, according to official figures.

Pork makes up 70 percent of the average Vietnamese diet. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is looking at frozen pork supplies as a plan to meet a possible pork shortage.

Source: Vnexpress

Vietnam Electricity Group sees after-tax rise

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Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) recorded VND6.817 trillion (USD293.13 million) in post-tax profits last year, a slight rise of 3.4% on-year.
According to EVN’s 2018 financial report, EVN earned VND338.5 trillion (USD14.55 billion) in net revenues during the year, up nearly 15% on-year.

In the year, the group made pre-tax profits of VND9.076 trillion (USD390.26 million), posting an annual rise of 11.4%.

By late December last year, the group’s total assets were estimated at VND706.5 trillion, an increase of VND4.92 trillion (USD211.732) against the beginning of the year.

This year, EVN plans to spend VND1.23 trillion to pay salary for 4,855 staff, equal to VND21.2 million a person per month on average.

Source: Dtinews

Vietnam’s gold prices jump to six-year high on global surge

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Gold traded above VND39 million (US$1,680) a tael in Vietnam on Friday, the highest level since June 2013, as the precious metal surpassed the key US$1,400 level for the first time in nearly six years in the global market.

Gold prices quoted by most Vietnamese gold companies have climbed more than VND1 million (US$43) per tael in the last two days. (VND1 million = US$43)

A tael is the most common weight measure of gold in Vietnam, which equals 37.5 grams.

On Friday, SJC, Vietnam’s largest gold bar trader, quoted a selling price of VND39.05 million a tael in the morning trading session, before lowering it to VND38.6 million per tael in the afternoon. The company’s buying prices were VND38.35 million in the morning and VND38.75 million in the afternoon.

In Hanoi and the central city of Da Nang, gold prices went down to VND38.35 million a tael for buying and VND38.62 million a tael for selling on Friday afternoon.

In Vietnam, people have been rushing to gold trading businesses to sell their precious metal over the past few days thanks to the price surges.

In the global market, spot gold hit its highest since September 2013 at $1,410.78 an ounce on Friday, before closing the day at $1,388. Gold futures for July 2019 delivery recorded on Comex of the New York Mercantile Exchange were at $1,407 an ounce.

Those gains were buoyed by signals of an interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve as early as next month, which sent the U.S. dollar lower against most currencies. Global gold prices usually climb every time the Fed announces cuts to interest rates.

Source: Tuoitrenews

Sentenced to death twice, man compensated after 46 years

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A 82-year-old Vietnamese man has been compensated with VND6.7 billion ($287,500) for being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death.
Tran Van Them was charged, convicted and sentenced to death in 1973 and 1974. He was only declared innocent in 2017.

Them, a resident of Yen Phong District in Bac Ninh Province, one hour northeast of Hanoi, got the compensation for the 2,000 days, or six years, he spent in jail and more than 14,530 days since he was released on bail.

He and his family originally demanded VND15 billion in compensation for his ordeal, which included being sentenced to death twice. After prolonged negotiations, they agreed to accept less than half their demand, because “we have been waiting for too long” and Them “is already too old and his health has been declining progressively,” the family said.

According to police records, Them and his cousin Nguyen Khac Van were on their way to buy goods in Vinh Phu Province, which has now been separated into Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc provinces, on June 23, 1970.

As they were sleeping under a makeshift shelter used by a street barber during the day, they were attacked and robbed. Van was hit in the head and Them was injured, too. Van died at the hospital later and police concluded that Them had committed robbery and murder.

At the trial of first instance in 1973, he was sentenced to death, and the sentence was upheld in 1974. Them refused to admit guilt and steadfastly asserted he was innocent.

In 1976, he was released after a local man admitted to the crime. But that suspect died in 1984, before the court resumed the trial.

As the investigators did not continue investigating the case and left it unresolved, Them submitted a petition in 1997, asking the supreme court to review the case, but nothing was changed.

On December 6, 2004, Them filed another petition, but by then, the Justice Council Members of the Supreme People’s Court had destroyed all files of the first instance and appeal trials. This allowed police to start the investigation afresh in line with regulations.

11 long years later, investigators collected enough evidence to close the case and affirm Them’s innocence.

In August 8, 2016, investigators decided to stop investigating Them and the supreme court concluded that he was innocent. Three days later, the court made a public apology to Them.

In 2017, the supreme court deleted all criminal records of Them and began negotiating the compensation.

Now a free man, Them said: “During all those years in prison, I still believed that I would be declared innocent one day and that the police would definitely arrest the real culprit.”

“I’ve suffered all those days that people, including family members, shunned me. But I did not do it.”

Source: Vnexpress

Unusual houses from across Vietnam

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Here’s a look at a list of contemporary Vietnamese houses, including a residence that resembles a set of giant plant pots and a skinny townhouse that blocks out pollution.

House for Trees by VTN Architects

In a bid to bring green space back into the densely populated Ho Chi Minh City, this house is formed of five concrete blocks that resemble giant plant pots, as they are topped with banyan trees.

These green roofs also help to retain rainwater and prevent flooding during monsoon season.

Saigon House by a21studio


Staircases and bridges connect the rooms in this three-metre-wide family home, which is made up of colourfully painted sheds.

Located in Ho Chi Minh City, the building is intended to reference traditional Saigon houses.

The Drawers House by MIA Design Studio

Despite being set behind a busy street in Vũng Tàu, this house was designed to evoke the feeling of being immersed in nature.

The living spaces are divided into three volumes encircled by plant-filled courtyards. These are connected by a long hallway that is decorated with creeper plants.

Cuckoo House by Tropical Space


A cuckoo clock informed the design of this house, which consists of two differently sized blocks built from local clay bricks.

Set above a coffee shop, it cantilevers out over a garden.

Zen House by HA


This narrow four-storey residence, aptly named Zen House, takes its cues from monasteries.

Occupied by a Buddhist family, the house is organised around an atrium topped by a glass ceiling. A maze of wooden louvres and staircases animate the interior with patterns of light and shadow.

House in Nha by VTN Architects


A giant, stepped garden lined with trees, plants and flowers tops this house.

Inside, a series of small planted courtyards help to bring in natural light, but also ensure there is a continual visual connection with the roof garden.

Brick Cave by H&P Architects


Two layers of perforated brick enclose this family home in Hanoi, designed to evoke the feeling of residing in a cave.

The brick walls meet each other at steep angles and are punctured by openings, which filter in dappled light and air while keeping dust and noise out.

Find more unusual house on dezeen.com

How to get Australian permanent residency?

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Most of us strive to have permanent residency in foreign countries for many purposes. Among all, Australia is the primary destination where individuals all across the world come within the country to settle. This is why the immigration services Melbourne helps an individual in making better decisions and easier access to a permanent visa.

We might consider American permanent residency is the best option among all the available visas. Today, we can see that the number of immigrants has increased in Australia, considering its fame.

So, if you are one of them who is looking to apply for education or settlement purpose this article will provide you with all the information about how we can apply for Australian permanent residency in a step-by-step manner.

1. Types of visa

Several types of permanent residency visa are available based on the motive of the applicant. The primary one is based on family relations, namely, life partner, children, fiancé, and dependent relatives.

Another aspect is the work-based residency, where individuals are allowed to stay in Australia for official purpose. In this, individuals can apply for national citizenship as sponsored workers. It, however, only works when an employer is based in Australia. They will sponsor us for permanent residency in the country.

If we do not have any sponsor, the immigration aspect is valued by the possession of general skills. These skills can be determined by a working environment and company background. For instance, general skills required for permanent residency in Australia include English speaking, writing, and reading aspect, work experience, and educational qualification.

2. Visa requirements

Every country has a specific law about migration and visa requirements. Therefore, it is mandatory to look for particular conditions that Australia has, concerning the permanent visa. If we fail to fulfil the eligibility criteria, we might not get a permanent visa in Australia.

3. Application form

At this stage, most of us are expected to apply for Australian permanent residency visa after passing all the eligibility requirements. The application can be downloaded from the official website. We can also apply online for the Australian visa on the DHA (Department of Home Affairs) website. For this, we are asked to provide supporting documents along with application form. Also, we are supposed to process application fees. After filling the entire form, we can send it to the Government of Australia from the website.

4. Waiting process

After this, the government of Australia will start processing the application form for your permanent visa. This period will check our patience as you may need to wait for a few weeks or even months.

5. Visa

At this stage, our permanent visas are specifically approved by the Australian government after a period of a few weeks or months. Once we receive the visa, we become an eligible citizen of the country. In Australia, the migrants are subjected to renew the visa every 5 years. However, within that particular period, we can leave and enter the country without any hindrance. Along with that, we can get benefits from permanent residency including the right to work, citizenship, education, sponsorship of relatives in another country, and free travel between New Zealand and Australia.

Conclusion

Certainly, a permanent visa is a critical process where an individual is required to have all the information and resource to become eligible to live in the country. The Australian permanent residency experts will provide the best permanent visa solutions quickly and at affordable prices.

This $17,000 Hatchback From Vietnam Comes at a Cost: No Profit

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Vietnam’s foray into the car business with its own brand comes at a cost to its manufacturer: No initial profit.

“We don’t take profit. So right now we’re still losing money on cars we sell,” Le Thi Thu Thuy, chairwoman of VinFast, Vingroup JSC’s auto unit, said in an interview at the Bloomberg Asean Business Summit in Bangkok on Friday.

VinFast marked the rollout of its first vehicles on June 14 as it looks to tap into the one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. To attract brand-conscious Vietnamese consumers — and compete with giants such as Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. — the company is offering its first line of cars at cost, Thuy said.

Vingroup will continue to subsidize its car business for two to five years, according to Thuy. “With the next models of cars and optimization of our operations, we can bring the cost down,” she said.

According to a report by By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen and Xuan Quynh Nguyen on Bloomberg, Its first batch of cars include a hatchback named Fadil, which sells for 394.9 million dong ($16,950), a sedan priced at 990 million dong and a sports utility vehicle that goes for 1.415 billion dong.

“We started the company with the domestic market in mind,” said Thuy, who is also Vingroup’s vice chairwoman. “We see very low car penetration in Vietnam right now. It’s 10% of what it is in Thailand. It’s huge market potential if you can get to Thailand’s level in next few years.”

Vietnam’s motor-vehicle sales rose 16.3% in May from a year ago, according to data from Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

 

Vietnam invites Russian experts to help preserve the body of embalmed revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh

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AFP – Vietnam has enlisted a team of Russian and local experts to help preserve the body of embalmed revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, whose corpse has lain in a sprawling concrete monument in central Hanoi since his death nearly 50 years ago.

Uncle Ho, as he is affectionately known in Vietnam, enjoys demi-god status in the country, revered as the communist hero who led his country to independence.

His embalmed corpse lies in state in a massive concrete tomb in Hanoi, modelled after Lenin’s mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square.

Hanoi has now set up a state council of 11 specialists — four from Russia, the rest Vietnamese — to “evaluate the status of the body of president Ho Chi Minh”, according to a statement on the government’s official website.

The council must propose “technical methods and plans… to long preserve and ensure absolute safety to the body of president Ho Chi Minh in the years to come,” said the decision endorsing the council, signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Ho Chi Minh was embalmed soon after his death on September 2, 1969 despite clear wishes in his will to be cremated and have his ashes scattered in northern and southern Vietnam.

The communist leader reportedly feared that a cult of personality would develop — and indeed visiting his tomb is a ritual for school children who make pilgrimages from across the country every year to see him.

His image plasters government offices and Ho-themed memorabilia, books and propaganda posters are on offer across the capital.

Russian experts were enlisted to embalm Ho soon after his death, and various specialists have continued to help Hanoi preserve the leader, who wears a utilitarian suit in the cool glass chamber where he rests.

After his death Hanoi ordered the embalming chemicals from Russia and in 2005 started producing the mixture domestically, according to state media.

Hanoi is planning a series of propaganda-laden events to mark 50 years since Ho’s death, including a national ceremony, a science seminar, and an exhibition.

More than 57 million people, including 10 million foreigners, have visited Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum since it opened to the public in August 1975.

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