A Vietnamese English teacher honored at Microsoft Education Exchange

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A Vietnamese English teacher from Hanoi was among several ‘Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts’ honored at the 2019 Microsoft Education Exchange (E2) held in France earlier this month.

The U.S. software giant hosted its fifth annual Education Exchange conference in Paris on April 3-4 with more than 300 educators and education system leaders from a combined 109 countries and territories exchanging ideas to develop innovative experiences in classrooms.

The attendees, called Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts, gathered at the annual event to exchange ideas of improving experimental classes and new teaching methodologies to form highly interactive classes as well as modern teaching and learning skills.

Over the course of three days, some of the innovative educators were recognized and celebrated for their achievements for combining content, pedagogy and technology in exemplary ways to prepare students for success in the digital age.

Tran Huong Quynh, an English lecturer of the Hanoi National University of Education, represented Vietnam at this year’s event, as she joined five other Asian educators in Team 45, which took home top honors of the Educator Challenge with a higher-ed lesson plan titled “Collaborative and Inclusive Trip Planning.”

“By focusing on pre-service trainee teachers, the lesson stood out as fully encompassing this year’s themes of creativity, inclusion, student voice and collaboration,” Microsoft said in the event’s recap.

Through their innovative lesson plan, Quynh and her teammates showed how trainee teachers could develop their own understanding of inclusive teaching methods by integrating real-world spaces and landmarks into the virtual world of Minecraft and amplifying student voices through feedback in Flipgrid.

Other teams were honored with the Student Voice, Creativity, Collaboration, and Inclusion awards.

“Every educator is a change-maker, making an imprint on the lives of the students who will be the leaders, innovators and creators of the next generation,” said Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Microsoft Education.

“Some truly go above and beyond, pushing into unknown territory to bring new technology and techniques into their classroom to inspire and engage their students and prepare them with the skills they’ll need to thrive in the jobs of the future.

“It is a joy to host this event each year to celebrate educators who are changing education and changing lives.”

M&A in Vietnam’s retail industry on the rise in 2019

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Retail is attractive for investors as the industry has advantages after foreign wholly-owned retail firms have been allowed to set up in Vietnam and taxes imposed on most of goods imported from other ASEAN countries to Vietnam are exempted.

Vietnam’s retail industry is continuing to see more merger and acquisition (M&A) deals made by both domestic and foreign investors thanks to a rising income of local consumers and free trade agreements, but the competition in the market is also becoming fierce, experts said.

VinCommerce, the retail arm of Vietnam’s largest listed firm Vingroup, last week took over convenience store chain Shop&Go, which was one of the earliest ones in the country by opening its first store in 2006, for a symbolic US$1.

Shop&Go now has 70 stores in Ho Chi Minh City and 17 in Hanoi, open 24/7 and selling consumer goods, fast foods and beverages among others.

According to a Shop&Go spokesperson, while the potential in the Vietnamese retail market is still great, “the competition is more intense than we imagined; that is why we’ve decided to leave. We have sold our stores to Vingroup so it can continue to develop them.”

Last month, South Korea’s GS25 completed final procedures to acquire Zakka Mart, a convenience store chain of Zakka Joint Stock Company.

Though not releasing the value of the deal, a Zakka representative said all 49 Zakka Mart’s stores and its personnel will be transferred to GS25 from next month.

According to M&A expert Yee Chung Seck, partner of multinational law firm Baker & McKenzie, while the overall volume of M&A deals in Vietnam was lower last year, the broader consumer goods and retail sector was vibrant and this trend will continue in 2019.

“Convenience stores and mini-marts in Vietnam remain one of the fastest growing segments in the industry, and we expect to see continued investment in the retail sector,” he said, explaining the growing middle-class, higher disposable income and demand for quality goods and services, in particular, which are considered to be beneficial to health and wellness, means that more investments into this market will be made.

Besides, Seck said, with reforms to further facilitate foreign investment underway, and with the ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the upcoming ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and other free trade agreements, Vietnam’s inbound investments in particular are expected to accelerate through 2019-2021.

High growing market

According to reports from the General Statistics Office, wholesale and retail value in Vietnam accounts for more than 14 percent of the country’s GDP, making retail one of six industries attracting the most interest of foreign investors.

Vietcombank Securities Company (VCBS)’s analysts also said retail is attractive for investors as the industry has advantages after foreign wholly-owned retail firms have been allowed to set up in Vietnam and taxes imposed on most of goods imported from other ASEAN countries to Vietnam are exempted under the ASEAN Common Trade Area.

A report of the Ministry of Industry and Trade estimated total revenue generated from retail sales of goods and consumer services to grow at an average of 13 percent from now to 2020 reaching VND5.8 quadrillion (US$255.5 billion) by 2020.

Between 2021 and 2025, the growth rate is projected at 14 percent with total revenue reaching VND11 quadrillion (US$484.58 billion) by 2025.

Dinh Thi My Loan, president of the Association of Vietnam Retailers, said there is “big room for the modern retail sector to develop” since retail channels such as supermarkets, shopping centers and online shopping platforms account for less than 30 percent of the retail market.

The expansion of retail chains is also a strongly growing trend in the country, Loan noted, adding that retail chain growth of 20-30 percent is expected this year.”

According to a report on Hanoitimes

When will motorcycle emissions be put under control?

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The government has decided to lift the standards for automobile emission standards, but motorcycles, which produce 80 percent of total emissions from motor vehicles, are still not under control.

In 2010, the-then PM approved a plan on motorcycle emission control submitted by the Ministry of Transport (MOT). Under the plan, 80-90 percent of motorbikes in Hanoi and HCMC, and 60 percent of motorbikes in first- and second-class cities, must meet the required emissions standards by 2015.

However, agencies still have not set a roadmap to implement the plan.

Meanwhile, large cities like Hanoi and HCMC, impatient about the sharp rise in number of motorbikes in their localities, have urged MOT to issue a legal document on examining motorbike emissions.

If the ministry cannot issue such a document soon, it needs to give guidance so that cities can set rules in their localities in a pilot program.

Motorbikes are the biggest source of emissions among motor vehicles and the major reason behind traffic jams in HCMC and Hanoi.

In October 2017, in a document to the Hanoi People’s Committee, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung instructed MOT to continue working on the regulations on applying emissions standards for motorcycles when amending the Road Traffic Law. The study will give necessary information to set up a roadmap for motorcycle emission control to be applied throughout the country.

Do Ngoc Hai from the HCMC Transport Department said the department, after consulting with the environment department, has drawn up a plan on controlling motorcycle emissions and collecting pollution fees in the city.

If the plan is approved, it would be implemented in 2019. However, with Dung’s instruction, the city has had to postpone the plan and wait for the law to be amended.

A report found that by March 1, 2018, HCMC had 7.5 million motorcycles.

Environmental management agencies in the city reported that circulating motorbikes emit 94 percent of hydrogen carbon, 87 percent of carbon, and 57 percent of nitrous oxide of the total emissions of motor vehicles.

With the number of motorbikes increasing by 10-15 percent per annum and the currently applied EURO 2 emission standards, the volume of emissions will be increasing dramatically.

Motorbikes are the biggest source of emissions among motor vehicles and the major reason behind traffic jams in HCMC and Hanoi.

However, most of the policies related to motorbike emissions control suggested by management agencies in recent years met strong opposition from the public and failed.

Pham Xuan Mai from the HCMC University of Science & Technology said low income earners would face a financial burden if strict emission standards are set.

According to a report on Vietnamnet

France’s superrich to pledge over $450 million to help rebuild Notre-Dame

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Firefighters dousing flames from the burning Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

France’s super-rich have joined together to pledge around 400 million euros ($452 million) to help rebuild Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral after it was ravaged by a fire.

Bernard Arnault, the richest person in France and third-richest in the world, pledged to donate $226 million to help rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral, which went up in flames on Monday evening.

He joins François-Henri Pinault, another French billionaire, in pledging millions of dollars in donations to the cathedral’s reconstruction fund.

French oil and gas giant Total also pledged 100 million euros ($113 million) on Tuesday.

Many other people around the world have pledged money to help rebuild the Parisian landmark.

The Notre-Dame fire was fully extinguished on Tuesday morning, but the extent of the damage done and full cost of reparations remain unclear.

France’s super rich have joined together to pledge around 400 million euros ($452 million) of funding to help rebuild Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral after it was ravaged by a fire. Sarah Gray, Alexandra Ma and Will Martin reported on Business Insider.

The cathedral went up in flames on Monday evening, and its iconic spire collapsed. However, the twin towers are safe and a number of statues were removed from the top of the building last week, putting them out of harm’s way.

The fire was fully extinguished by 10:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday morning, but the extent of the damage done to the more than 850-year-old building is not yet clear. The total cost of reconstruction is not yet clear either.

By Tuesday afternoon, three separate donations of 100 million euros ($113 million) or more had been made to fund the rebuilding efforts.

The world’s third-richest man, Bernard Arnault, pledged to donate 200 million euros ($226 million) to help rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral, just hours after another billionaire, François-Henri Pinault, said he will give 100 million euros.

Soon after Arnault’s pledge, French oil giant Total said it will also pledged 100 million euros to the cause.

For whatever reasons, Lucky Numbers trading in Vietnamese culture is a big business

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Like in Western and Chinese culture, each number has their unique meaning in Vietnamese culture. Some are thought to be auspicious and some are inauspicious according to the pronunciation of the number and the similarity of it with another word.

The Most Auspicious Numbers: 6, 7, 8, 9: Six, Seven, eight and nine are regarded as the luckiest numbers in Vietnam. All of their homophones have auspicious meanings.

In Vietnamese culture, lucky numbers can bring good luck and fortune to their life. Vietnamese people usually choose auspicious numbers when some important events are going to be held such as choosing a date for engagement, a wedding ceremony, relocating the house, opening a new business and more.

Local banks are cashing in on consumers’ appetites to possess “lucky” numbers in everything from car license plates to mobile phone numbers by selling off account numbers that are considered propitious.

Those ending in numbers such as 666, 888, 6868, 7979, 3939, 33333, 222222 and 111111 are believed to bring prosperity and luck to the owner, according to Tuoi Tre News.

While bank account numbers are normally assigned randomly by software, VIP account holders have been allowed to bypass this process and choose their own number – “a perk that doesn’t cost anything”, one banker said.

But with some bank employees circumventing the system to sell “lucky” account numbers on the black market, banks have now decided to throw this perk open to a wider audience.

This comes at a price, but one that is cheaper than acquiring a number through unofficial channels.

At VPBank, for example, an account ending in a particular four-digit string of numbers can cost VND2 million ($86); the prices rises to VND5 million ($216) for a five-digit string and to VND10 million ($431) for a six-digit “prosperity” string.

Cheaper options are available at Ban Viet, which recently offered 1,000 ‘lucky account numbers’ for sale at prices starting at VND200,000 (US$8.63), but the actual price paid is agreed between the client and the bank, a Ban Viet representative said.

According to Sang Nguyen Anh, former sales director at a famous car showroom in Hanoi, who has a collection of lucky numbers from Bank accounts, mobile phone number to car license plates. At first, he collected the lucky numbers for himself, but many customers convinced him for sales unbeatable offers. “I resigned from my job at the car showroom and started the lucky number trading business” Sang told Vietnam Insider.

Individuals also offer lucky account numbers for sale on online forums, which may cost as much as VND65 million ($2,800) per number.

These prices pale into insignificance, however, when set alongside those that have been paid for some mobile phone numbers. In recent years, several have fetched upwards of $400,000 and in 2017 a celebrity model paid $664,000 for a particular number with the intention of reselling it for $886,000 and donating part of the proceeds to charity.

Many Chinese consumers are similarly intrigued by lucky numbers: only last week an “auspicious” mobile phone number sold for $52,000 in an online auction, although the most expensive recorded was $680,000 back in 2004, according to the South China Morning Post.

Sourced from Tuoi Tre News, VNExpress, South China Morning Post, WARC; 
additional content by Vietnam Insider staff

Many positive signs on Vietnam’s economic growth 2019

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Even though being lower than the growth of the same period last year, the economic statistics of the 2019 first quarter still showed many positive signs of strong growth in the whole 2019. International organizations had been forecasting about 2019 Vietnam growth and stating recommendations on difficulties for Vietnam’s economy.

According to a report by Nikkei, business psychology was still very optimistic when Vietnam’s PMI in those first months of this year had continued to maintain above 50 points. Manufacturers have been believing that production would increase in the future and expect market demand to improve, new orders to increase.

In the first quarter of 2019, the General Statistics Office also investigated the business trend of enterprises in processing and manufacturing industries. The survey results showed that almost businesses assessed their production and business situation would be stable in 2019. In particular, they have been optimistic with the production and business situation in the second quarter of 2019 with 89.4% of enterprises rated the trend to be better and stable, while this number in the first quarter of 2019 only was 74.2%.

According to some experts, thanks to the advantages of impressive results achieved in 2018, the economy in the first months of 2019 continued to have positive changes and these positive signals could continue to be maintained in the next quarters of 2019.

Mr. Nguyen Bich Lam, Director of the General Statistics Office under Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment, warned the slow growth of some key export products; disbursement of public investment capital could be low, climate change, natural disasters, epidemics on livestock have been complicated; would be difficulties and challenges that Vietnam economy needs to overcome to achieve the target growth had been set.

To be advised on how to start your business in Vietnam, contact GBS, a Business Law firm at: info@gbs.com.vn or visit: https://gbs.com.vn

- VDSC/ Nikkei

Go-Viet running out of gas?

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To get ahead in the competition with Grab, Go-Viet needs a strategy other than “burning money” to increase its market share, especially as they are running on a tighter budget than Grab.

Entering Vietnam on August 1, 2018 through Ho Chi Minh City, Go-Viet has been competing in the local motorcycle ride-hailing market with the two main strategies of price competition and building an image of a small Vietnamese company challenging Grab in a David and Goliath set up.

They “burned” their money through launching a loud promotion campaign offering rides for only VND5,000 ($0.22) for eight kilometres and charging no commission for drivers. At the same time, the firm tried to tie its brand closer to the market by taking on the red of the Vietnamese flag, contrasting with the green of Grab.

Thanks to the attractive incentives, Go-Viet quickly captured the hearts of both customers and drivers. Go-Viet’s leader stated that they captured 35 per cent of the two-wheeler ride-hailing segment in the city and their app was downloaded more than 1.5 million times in the first month.

Despite regularly releasing information about capital injections from investors, Go-Jek still has to balance investment between Vietnam and Indonesia, Go-Jek’s hometown, while also developing its market share in other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.

In terms of total investment and market capitalisation, it is easy to see that Go-Jek is not on equal footing with Grab. In addition, Grab generates far more revenue than Go-Jek, as the former is about to complete its Southeast Asian ecosystem while Go-Jek is only beginning to expand from its home market.

Previously, there was information about Go-Viet’s internal problem that CEO Nguyen Vu Duc and deputy general director Nguyen Bao Linh of Go-Viet resigning and requesting a hefty reimbursement from the firm. However, Go-Viet stated that Nguyen Vu Duc and Nguyen Bao Linh have taken on a new advisory role for Go-Viet and Go-Jek. The two of them will focus on strategic advisory to help expand Go-Jek in Southeast Asia.

No matter what the truth is, Go-Viet seems to be changing its way of playing.

It seems that Go-Viet is also gradually growing exhausted as it stopped its aggressive promotion campaigns. On January 21, 2019, after half a year of operations, Go-Viet also raised its commission to riders to 20 per cent, which is equal to Grab.

Go-Viet customers number less than those of Grab, while lower rates result in lower earnings for driver partners, slowing down the growth of the Go-Viet fleet. Fewer riders may make it difficult for customers to place a booking and could affect service quality by lengthened waiting times.

In addition, Go-Viet may have run into legal difficulties as the two services – Go-Car and Go-Pay – they promised to roll out in 2018 are nowhere to be seen.

Regarding Go-Car, Go-Viet joined Vietnam at a time when transport infrastructure problems are at a peak, with heavy traffic jams and bad pollution – which may be exacerbated by Grab’s growing fleet. In any case, Go-Viet was unable to secure a licence for its Go-Car services.

Previously, Go-Viet has yet to be approved to launch ride-hailing services by the Ministry of Transport (MoT), however, the company was already operating in Ho Chi Minh City.

After that, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee submitted Dispatch No.449/UBND-DT to the MoT about receiving the pilot scheme to deploy science and technology applications to manage and connect contractual passenger transport activities by Go-Viet.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Go-Viet launched its ride-hailing app in Ho Chi Minh City before the official approval was issued by the MoT.

Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen also proposed the MoT to ask Go-Viet to only contract with transport enterprises which have been licensed by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport. Another binding condition is that the vehicles must be granted badges by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation before December 1, 2018.

Regarding Go-Pay, if the company wants to operate in the payments segment, they must get a licence from the State Bank or shake hands with a licensed enterprise. Grab has spent many years to sign with Moca to provide Grabpay through its Moca service. This requirement may significantly delay Go-Viet’s plans to launch Go-Pay.

Source: VIR

An Giang family keeps corpse at home for 50 years

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A family in the southern province of An Giang has kept the body of a member who died 50 years ago at home.

Dinh Cong Hao, who was born in a family of the four children, died in 1968 at the age of 17 due to a strange disease which caused him to lose appetite and suffer from a lack of sleep. He died after seven years battling the disease despite the family’s efforts to save him.

Hao’s sister-in-law named Nguyet said that Hao was buried behind his house. However, after that, his father used to dream of him who cried for help, saying that “Dad, please take me out of the coffin. I am still alive”. So, the father informed local authorities of the case and they allowed the family to excavate the tomb after four days.

Surprisingly, the body had not decomposed.

“At that time, Hao’s skin remained ruddy as if he was sleeping,” Nguyet said.

The body has just become dry, and not decomposed

Doctors then pricked the corpse with a needle and bleeding still occurred.

The family decided to keep his body at home. The coffin has a layer of glass, so the family members can still see him every day.

Some years later, the glass became cloudy, so Hao’s father made two holes in the coffin. Initially, the family members were afraid it was unhygienic, but there were no ill effects.

Over the past five decades, the body has just become dry, and not decomposed. According to the family, they do not use any chemicals for preservation.

Many scientists have come to see the corpse for the research, but no one has explained the strange phenomenon.

Every day, the family members still burn incense and clean the room where the body rests.

Source: Dtinews

Man caught on film trying to molest young girl in Hanoi alley

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The Hanoi police have arrested a man who was caught on camera trying to molest an 11-year-old girl in an empty alley.
Police in Thanh Xuan District said Monday they had detained Nguyen Dinh Phuc, 41, and are preparing to propose charges of “molestation of a person under 16.”

Phuc is a worker living in the area and married and has children.

On questioning, he reportedly admitted that on April 4 he had been drinking beer and while riding home he passed by an alley on Khuong Trung Street, where he spotted two girls, one the victim and the other much younger, walking along.

He had an urge to touch them to satisfy his sexual craving and so tricked them into entering an alley.

After walking some 15 meters into the alley, Phuc found it empty and so proceeded to push the older girl against the wall and touch her. But when the girl screamed he fled the scene.

His action was recorded on a security camera and the footage was later uploaded on social networks, causing him to hide his motorbike to avoid detection.

The girls’ family complained to the police and a few days later he was arrested.

Under the Penal Code, Phuc’s likely indictment for molestation of a person under 16 is punishable by six months to three years in prison.

Official data on sexual harassment is not regularly published in Vietnam. But a 2014 survey of 2,000 women by the NGO ActionAid found 87 percent had experienced sexual harassment in public places.

Source: Vnexpress

Malaysia arrests Vietnam poachers, seizes tiger, bear parts

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Malaysian authorities have arrested two suspected poachers from Vietnam and seized body parts from tigers and bears, a minister said Tuesday, as the country clamps down on rampant wildlife trafficking.

The Southeast Asian nation is home to swathes of jungle and a kaleidoscope of rare creatures from elephants to orangutans and tigers, but they are frequently targeted by poachers.

Two Vietnamese men, aged 25 and 29, were arrested Monday by a wildlife enforcement team in a national park in eastern Terengganu state, said Xavier Jayakumar, water, land and natural resources minister.

The men were in possession of claws and teeth from the Malayan tiger, he said. The species once roamed the jungles of Malaysia in the thousands but is now critically endangered, with just a small number believed left in the wild.

They also had teeth and claws from bears, teeth from wild boars, as well as hunting equipment including machetes, axes and wire for setting traps, the minister said.

“The two suspects have been arrested and will be remanded for three days to assist in the investigation,” he said.

Tiger pelts are prized collectors’ items and fetch a high price on the black market, while many animals’ body parts are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia, including Vietnam and China.

Source: Dtinews

SE Asia Stocks-Most rise ahead of China growth data; Vietnam slumps

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Most Southeast Asian stock markets rose on Tuesday, with Philippines leading the gainers, on optimism over a potential economic recovery in China ahead of its first-quarter growth data on Wednesday.

China’s economic growth during the quarter is likely to have cooled to the weakest pace in at least 27 years, a Reuters poll has showed, but a flurry of measures to boost domestic demand may have put a floor under slowing activity in March.

The People’s Bank of China said some positive changes have occurred in the structural adjustments of the Chinese economy in the first quarter, but deeper problems remain, amid uncertainties.

Last week, the country reported strong credit growth as well as exports for March. “Players in Asia may turn defensive today ahead of China’s GDP report on Wednesday, which may provide some direction,” ING said in a note.

Philippine stocks led gains in the region and were on track to snap three consecutive sessions of losses, after the delayed national budget was finally signed by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.

President Duterte signed a 3.7 trillion peso ($71.54 billion) budget for this year, its largest ever, ending months of impasse that forced the Southeast Asian country to cuts its growth target. Last month, Philippines reduced this target to 6-7 percent from 7-8 percent.

Industrials and real estate stocks drove gains in the Philippine market with SM Investments Corp and JG Summit Holdings Inc firming 1.8 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, Vietnam stocks fell as much as 2 percent to its lowest level in nearly two months, with real estate stocks dragging the index.

Vinhomes JSC and Vingroup JSC were the top drags on the index shedding 3.1 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

Thai market was closed for a holiday.

Source: Reuters

Police seize 600 kilos of meth in Vietnam

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Five people were arrested in central Vietnam on Monday as police made one of the largest drug busts in the country in recent years.

Police searched the house in Vinh, the capital town of Nghe An Province, at around 3 p.m. and found 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of meth after more than three hours of search.

Locals said the house belongs to an elderly couple who has a son living in Hanoi.

Vo Trong Hai, the chief police officer of the neighboring Ha Tinh Province, who joined the mission, confirmed that police have arrested five suspects and are investigating further.

The bust follows a weekend seizure of 30 kilograms of drugs in southern An Giang Province, including about 19 kilograms of meth, which were believed to be shipped from Cambodia and destined for Ho Chi Minh City.

It comes after two massive seizures last month in HCMC, one involving a 300 kilogram haul of heroin and 300 kilogram haul of meth. The cases have prompted top police officers to warn that HCMC is growing into a transit point for drugs thanks to its logistics infrastructure.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine could face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

Source: Vnexpress

Grab is facing a growing challenge from local competitors

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Grab’s green and white logo is everywhere across Vietnam’s big cities, a market of 96m people in which the ride-hailing company was a pioneer and now dominates after buying control of Uber’s regional operations last year.

The Singapore-based company is the largest ride-hailing group in south-east Asia, operating in eight regional countries and 336 cities after chasing Uber out last year in a deal that replicated the US group’s withdrawal from China.

But Grab is facing a growing challenge to its supremacy in one of its fastest-growing markets in south-east Asia from local competitors — some of which also have regional ambitions.

Regional arch-rival Go-Jek, which launched a motorbike taxi service in Vietnam last year, is planning to expand into taxis.

FastGo, a Vietnamese ride-hailing start-up, said it had registered about 60,000 drivers in Vietnam, luring them with the offer of a flat fee rather than the percentage-based commissions Grab charges them. The company said it planned to be in six other south-east Asian countries by year-end, starting with Singapore.

“When Uber exited south-east Asia, we saw a good opportunity,” said Nguyen Huu Tat, FastGo’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “Our target is to become a top three ride-hailing company in south-east Asia.”

Grab faces local challengers in fast-growing Vietnam market

Be Group, another Vietnamese ride-hailing app, launched in December and aims to have more than 100,000 drivers signed up by the end of this year.

Vietnam authorities, meanwhile, are considering regulations that would pull Grab’s 175,000 drivers and bikers, along with those of the country’s other new “ehailing” companies, under the same regulatory umbrella as taxicabs.

At stake for Grab and its competitors is not just a market for apps-driven transport, but the race to be the dominant “super-app” for goods and services, where consumers will go first to order transport and food, arrange deliveries and make mobile payments

In a joint report last year Temasek, Singapore’s state-owned investment company, and Google estimated the size of Vietnam’s online economy, including ride-hailing, at $9bn, and predicted it would grow to $33bn by 2025.

$33bn

Estimated value of Vietnam’s online economy by 2025, according to Google and Temasek

Grab itself is pushing deeper into services, last year partnering with Vietnamese digital payments company Moca.

“We have a very deep pool of long-term strategic investors who are willing to bank on our everyday super-app strategy,” said Jerry Lim, Vietnam country director for Grab, which is raising $6.5bn this year to fund its expansion.

Indonesia’s Go-Jek, Grab’s biggest competitor, is raising its own funds, in a round of undisclosed size led by its investors including Google, JD.com and Tencent.

The growing competition comes as Vietnam’s government looks at tightening regulations on ride-hailing companies. A current draft of proposed new rules would require vehicles to install taxi-style “light boxes” on their vehicle roofs — useless for ride-hailing services and costly to implement — and send authorities post-trip details after every ride.

Grab’s Mr Lim said the ride-hailing industry was “deeply concerned” by the proposed changes: “We very much hope that the government will not implement the protectionist policies that are being advocated by the taxi industry.”

Having built an export-driven economy with foreign-owned enterprises as its backbone, Vietnam has over the past year adopted regulations in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and carmaking meant to strengthen the position of local companies.

By John Reed, Financial Times
Follow John Reed on Twitter: @JohnReedwrites

Golden opportunity for Vietnam logistics industry: EVFTA

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According to World Bank’s 2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI), Vietnam ranked 39/160 countries participating in the survey. This result had increased 25 positions compared to the ranking of 64 in 2016.

Significantly, Vietnam ranked first among emerging markets. Generally, almost LPI 2018 evaluation indices increased outstandingly, the highest one was service quality (ranked 33, up 29 grades), and goods tracking abilities (ranked 34, up 41 grades). The results showed that improving the capacity of enterprises has been taking remarkable steps through the applications of information technology to logistics services.

In the near future, when Vietnam successfully signs EVFTA, many benefits will spread to the development of Vietnam’s logistics industry. Center for WTO and Economic Integration: The impact of EVFTA on logistics development prospects would be presented in two angles: The first would be from Vietnam and EU’s commitment to open markets in the field of transport services. The second would be those commitments in areas that affect logistics services market.

When the commitments take effect, EVFTA can bring a great opportunity for Vietnam logistics industry. First of all, a significant reduction of tariff barriers could increase the volume of imports and exports between Vietnam and the European Union, thereby, increasing the demand for logistics activities and also being an opportunity to increase the scale of Vietnam’s logistics industry. The second would be an opportunity to attract investment from Europe, utilize the experience, management skills, capital, and available network of partners when entering into joint ventures with EU partners.

- VDSC

Video: Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris Catches Fire

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Paris firefighters have declared Notre Dame Cathedral saved late on Monday even as flames continued to burn in the wreckage of the Western cultural icon’s roof.

The huge blaze, that started a little over four hours earlier, destroyed the timber roof of the Gothic building and about two hours into the conflagration, the upper part of the 93-metre-high spire swayed and fell as flames shot up.

About 400 firefighters battled the fire, aiming jets of water at the 850-year-old cathedral as solemn crowds watched quietly from behind police cordons.

Relate topic:

Fire at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral