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Grab introduces new cashless payment method

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GrabPay by Moca to bring customers new and secure cashless payment solution.

Grab has recently announced the launch of payment solutions from Moca under a brand-new cashless payment method called GrabPay by Moca, to bring a swift, seamless and secure cashless payment experience to Grab users in Vietnam. The move is one of the results of the strategic partnership between Grab and Moca to promote cashless payments, announced by the two companies in September.

With this new cashless payment method, Grab customers will be able to pay with ease and enjoy attractive promotions in the GrabRewards loyalty program. The security of users’ personal information is guaranteed under advance payment security and fraud prevention protocols, giving customers peace of mind when using the service.

The launch of GrabPay by Moca is being implemented in batches and is expected to be completed within October. Customers don’t need to download the Moca app; they will be able to use GrabPay by Moca from within the Grab app.

Prior to activation completion, users’ GrabPay Credits balance will not be displayed. Any balance on GrabPay Credits will be migrated to the GrabPay by Moca wallet and be available for use following activation completion. For customers using the Moca app, the existing balance on the Moca wallet (if any) will be merged with the balance on the GrabPay by Moca wallet after completing activation.

In cases where the activation process cannot be done, users still have cashless payment options for services on Grab by using international credit and/or debit cards via the payment gateway service of Moca when adding these cards on the Grab app.

This cashless payment method can only be used for GrabCar, GrabBike and GrabExpress. In accordance with regulations, customers cannot top up directly from a credit card to an e-wallet. In cases where customers do not use an ATM card issued by banks in cooperation with Moca, the current balance in GrabPay Credits (if any) can be refunded or converted into promo codes of the same value.

Grab and Moca last month announced a strategic partnership to promote cashless payments on the Grab platform and in Vietnam. Moca and Grab will leverage each other’s technological expertise and partner networks to roll out payment services to millions of Vietnamese consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

They will be able to expand payment services more quickly and efficiently throughout Vietnam via the strategic partnership. Moca-enabled merchants will soon be able to benefit from the Grab app’s large customer base, comprising both driver-partners and consumers.

Hung Cao report on Vneconomictimes

Thang Long Warriors opens basketball training centre in Hanoi

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Viet Nam Basketball Association (VBA) League 2017 champions Thang Long Warriors have opened a basketball training centre in Hanoi.

It is based in UNIS School in Ciputra urban area. The centre will train 50 young players from the age of eight to 18 for two months until December 16.

Thang Long Warriors’ head coach Predrag Lukic, coach Jason Benadretti and professional players at Thang Long Warriors Club will teach them.

According to Tracy Thu Luong, chairwoman of Thang Long Warriors, the centre will focus on training good quality players to raise the sport’s profile in Hanoi and Vietnam, not gaining profit.

Luong also hoped her centre will become recognised as a good basketball institute across Southeast Asia.

According to a report on VNS

Mid-tier smartphone market segment is crowded with new arrivals

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Huawei, Xiaomi and Nokia launched new products recently to compete with Samsung and Oppo, the two big players in the mid-tier market segment.

Samsung introduced the 2018 version of A7 model with 3 rear cameras. This is the first time a Samsung product has been integrated with 3 cameras and is one of very few smartphone models with 3 rear cameras available in the market.

More notably, they are equipped for a mid-tier model, priced at below VND10 million.

With 3 cameras, A7 2018 version has features existing in two separate smartphone models – taking pictures under ‘panorama’ and ‘bokeh’ modes.

The product is expected to hit the market by the end of October at VND7.69 million.

Prior to that, Huawei, a brand from China, marketed the white version of Nova 3i, giving one more choice to its customers.

Huawei, selling VND700,000 lower than Samsung’s A7 2018, also has outstanding features for cameras. The product has dual cameras, on front and back, which allow bokeh mode. The rear camera can identify scenes to optimize the picture shooting.

The product has 128 GB interior memory, bigger than many other rivals of the same segment.

Two weeks ago, Oppo renewed its F9 and launched the version with violet color. The version hit the market just one month after the manufacturer officially introduced the model in Vietnam, which shows its high capability of satisfying the market demand.
The strength of F9 is that it has good camera for selfies and fashionable colors. Besides, its fast charging feature also attracts users.

Xiaomi, which also follows an ambitious business plan in the Vietnamese market, on October 13 launched Redmi Note 6 Pro with front and back cameras like Nova 3i.

Meanwhile, Nokia, the once glamorous brand, which has made a comeback, has introduced 5.1 Plus, targeting gamers.

Sources said Realme, a sub-brand of Oppo, is going to launch a series of new products in Vietnam, while Huawei has begun taking orders for Huawei Y9 2019 after the launching ceremony.

The reports by GfK all show that the mid-tier market share (products priced at VND5-7 million and VND7-10 million) has been expanding. Manufacturers are paying higher attention to this segment as they realize consumers are now spending more.

While the high-end market segment is occupied by Samsung and Apple, the mid-tier segment is crowded with more manufacturers and products.

According to a report on Vietnamnet

Will flow of FDI capital lead to a real estate bubble?

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FDI capital flow to the real estate sector soared to $5.5 billion in the first half of 2018.

Real estate is one of the favorite investment fields of foreign investors. In 2017, FDI capital into the sector reached a 7-year high with $3 billion worth of committed capital.

However, the record has been broken. The amount of registered capital in the first half of 2018 was equal to that of the entire 2017.

Where is the money going?

Singaporeans and South Koreans were the first foreign investors in Vietnam’s market, while investors from China and Japan have come in recent years.

According to Rong Viet Securities, the foreign capital mostly flows into the high-end segment with projects developed in Hanoi and HCMC.

As the land fund in the central area is diminishing, realtors have begun eyeing the suburbs.

Chinese CFLD Group is developing the Nhon Trach urban area project in Dong Nai province, while Sumitomo is joining forces with BRG to develop a smart urban area worth $4 billion, located on the Nhat Tan-Noi Bai backbone route.

Foreign investors have different tastes. While Singaporeans (CapitaLand and Keppel Land) target housing market segment, South Koreans prefer retail centers, and shopping malls, and Japanese have begun stepping up the development of office projects. Nomura, for example, has taken over Sunwah building on Nguyen Hue street in HCMC.

Real estate bubble?

“Vietnam’s real estate remains very attractive with upgraded infrastructure, so-called golden population structure and low average housing area per capita,” Rong Viet Securities said.

The presence of foreign investors, who have powerful financial capability and experience, will help the market take off.

This is also why many Vietnamese real estate developers have joined hands with foreigners. Nam Long, for example, following successful cooperation with Mizuki, Kikyo and Fuji, is moving ahead with the largest project so far – WaterPoint – in Long An province.

As there are many players in the market, less capable players will be eliminated. This will bring benefits to consumers as they have more options with higher quality.

ACB Securities estimated that 60 percent of households are capable of buying houses as their monthly incomes are higher than expenses.

The houses worth VND1-5 billion are affordable to households in Hanoi and HCMC. The apartment prices increased by 5-6 percent in 2017.

Troy Griffiths from Savills Vietnam disagreed with the opinion that strong capital flow may lead to a real estate bubble, saying that the risk is low.

Sharing the same view, Rong Viet Securities said the government has taken moves to prevent the explosion of the market in 2017 and 2018.

By Vietnamnet

One person killed, 13 others injured in Quang Ngai boat explosion

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A fishing boat exploded on Wednesday evening while on its way back to shore in the central province of Quang Ngai, killing one crew member and injuring 13 others, Dtinews reported.

Vice chairman of Ly Son District People’s Committee, Le Van Ninh, confirmed with Dantri/Dtinews on October 18 that the accident occurred at about 10pm when a boat of fisherman Truong Minh Kinh was coming back to shore after nearly a month out in the sea.

“The boat was about six nautical miles from Ly Son Island when it suddenly exploded,” Ninh said. “Fisherman Duong Minh Hung, 21, died while 13 others were injured including eight seriously hurt.

Ninh said that all the injured fishermen have been sent to hospital and local police are investigating the accident.

Foreign banks enlarge networks, restructure operations in Vietnam

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The sale of business divisions can be seen as a move by foreign banks to restructure their operations and focus on core business fields to improve business efficiency.

The recent moves by foreign banks have led to big changes in the operation models. ANZ Bank has transferred the retail banking division, which once was its key business sector, to Shinhan Bank from South Korea. Prior to that, Commonwealth Bank sold its retail banking division to Vietnam’s VIB Bank.

Sources said another similar deal may wrap up in some days. Both the seller and buyer are foreign.

A banking expert said foreign banks plan based on the business environment of the host countries. Previously, foreign banks had difficulty finding their way to explore the Vietnamese market. But now they have identified the strong and weak points of the market.

Foreign banks plan based on the business environment of the host countries. Previously, foreign banks had difficulty finding their way to explore the Vietnamese market. But now they have identified the strong and weak points of the market.

He said that it is now easier for banks to sell their business divisions thanks to an upgraded legal framework, including the amended Law on Credit Institutions which allows merger, share transfer and capital contributions. Foreign banks have exploited this to restructure their operation.

In the case of ANZ, the sale of its retail banking division brought a huge amount of money which helped the bank target corporations and financial institutions.

An ANZ report showed that its profit decreased slightly after the sale of retail banking, but its total assets had increased by 16 percent by the end of the second quarter compared with the beginning of the year.

The biggest increases were seen in two items – deposits at the State Bank (up by VND320 billion), and deposits and loans to other credit institutions (VND4.15 trillion).

While some foreign banks plan to stop doing retail banking, other foreign banks want to step up the business field in Vietnam. These include Hong Leong Bank, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank, CIMB Bank, UOB and Public Bank Berhard.

The banks have increased their presence with diverse services. Some banks now sell products via phones and messages. This shows that foreign banks are preparing not only to compete with each other, but also with Vietnamese banks.

Shinhan Bank is pursuing an ambitious plan to be among the top 3 banks in credit card services in the next three years.

It is not only strong in financial capability (it belongs to Shinhan Group, a powerful financial group in South Korea), but it also has advantages in retail banking. It has taken over Prudential Finance, (PVFC) at $151 million.

Woori Bank also reportedly wants to buy a retail banking division.

Source: Vietnamnet

Lawmakers approve continued pilot e-visa issuance for foreigners

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The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee decided on October 16 to extend the pilot e-visa programme for foreign visitors to Vietnam by another two years.

On November 22, 2016, the NA issued Resolution No.30/2016/QH14 on the pilot programme, which was scheduled to last until February 1, 2019.

According to a report at the 28th sitting of the NA Standing Committee, between February 2017 and August 31, 2018, Vietnam approved 298,113 e-visas for foreigners, of which 298,507 were self-submitted and 8,606 done by sponsoring organisations. As of August 31, there had been 241,875 e-visa holders entering Vietnam.

Presenting the Government’s report on the implementation of the pilot programme, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong said the outcomes showed that the policy has contributed to attracting foreigners to Vietnam for tourism and investment, forming a driving force behind the tourism sector.

Many diplomatic agencies of foreign countries in Vietnam applauded the policy, saying it facilitates the nation’s external diplomacy amid global integration, Vuong added.

He proposed that the pilot scheme should be continued to provide the basis for a more complete assessment of the policy’s impacts on local socio-economy, defence, security, and foreign diplomacy.

The official pointed to some existing shortcomings, which include the low number of e-visa holders entering Vietnam due to ineffective work on popularizing the policy, and the high number of countries yet to be subject to the policy.

According to Vuong, the extension of the pilot plan will help complete regulations on e-visa issuance when amending the law on the entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam.

At the session, the NA’s Defence and Security Committee requested that the Government direct the Ministry of Public Security and relevant agencies to review and assess the implementation of the law on the entry, exit, transit, and residence of foreigners in Vietnam, with a view to adding the law to the NA’s law building programme for 2019.

Concluding the function, NA Vice Chairman Do Ba Ty announced a decision on the two-year extension of the pilot programme, saying that during this period, the Government is required to prepare amendments to the immigration law for submission to the NA

According to a report on VNA

SBV allows VIB to increase charter capital

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The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) just issued document No. 7820/NHNN-TTGSNH to allow Vietnam International Bank (Upcom: VIB) to increase its charter capital.

The plan to increase the charter capital from VND5.64 trillion (US$240 million) to VND7.80 trillion (US$340 million), was approved by the owner through the resolution approved on September 11, 2018.

According to the document, Nguyen Dong Tien, the SBV’s deputy governor requires VIB to build and control credit growth, in accordance with the bank’s plan but not exceeding credit growth targets announced by SBV.

In addition, SBV requests the bank to increase its capital in line with the current provisions of the law. After increasing the capital, VIB has to submit the application for amendment of charter capital in the license to SBV.

This document is valid for 12 months from the signing date. If the increase of chartered capital has not been completed within the permitted time limit, this document shall be invalidated.

Founded in 1996, with its head office in Hanoi, VIB has become one of the leading commercial joint stock banks in Vietnam, with total assets of VND123.2 trillion ($5.2 billion), shareholder equity is nearly VND9 trillion ($385.6 million). It has more than 5,000 people working at 162 branches and transaction offices in 27 key cities and provinces around Vietnam, serving about 2 million customers.

Traders Fair and Gala Night, Vietnam – The world of finance in one fantastic show!

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When: November 24, 2018
Where: Windsor Plaza Hotel, Saigon (18 An Duong Vuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Website: https://vietnam.tradersfair.com

Traders Fair & Gala night, Vietnam consists of 2 parts:

1. The exhibition starts at 9:00 and is free for visitors. To become our visitor you should download our Mobile App and get your personal QR-code or just register through our website https://vietnam.tradersfair.com/ . During the day exhibitors will show their services, communicate with potential clients and tell people about their companies. Also Traders Fair, Vietnam is a fantastic opportunity to meet and (what is more important) to take seminars from the leaders and experts. There will be 3 workshop rooms, where Forex professionals, successful traders and motivators are going to share out their knowledge and answer your questions – free for all visitors as well.

2. The Gala Night starts at 18:30 and ends at 23:00 – you may attend this part only by invitation cards. We provide companies and our speakers with them, so they can communicate in an informal way. Of course, we are going to share some amount of invitation cards with our visitors – by different lotteries and so on. Gala Night is going to be full of live performances, music, networking, food&drinks and prizes. To say more, you may win the Grand Prize of our Traders Fair – motorbike – during Gala Night. The last winners were just visitors, who obtain invitation cards during the event (Traders Fair Malaysia and Thailand).

Don’t miss! To register now for FREE, you should visit https://vietnam.tradersfair.com

Telegram https://t.me/tradersfair
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TradersFair/
#tradersfair #tradersfair2018 #tradersfairvietnam

Discuss in Vietnam: Think before you type

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We often overlook the obvious for the sensational. It’s human nature to look up when something out of the ordinary hits our radar. We react with humor, commentary and sarcasm, displaying our personality flaws more than we realize. You’ll never hear a football fan at a game say, “Hang on a moment, let’s take a balanced and objective view and quietly discuss that foul.”

Recent online debates regarding seemingly important yet somehow trivial events in Vietnam have plagued our computer screens for quite a time. Certainly it brings out the idioms, ‘Storm in a tea cup’, ‘bite off more than you can chew’ or ‘fat hits the fire’ and ‘go haywire’.

It’s a spectator sport on Facebook to observe and comment on disputes totally unrelated to us – much the same as we do at a football match. We drag out our hidden collection of memes and photo jokes. Posters bark at each other like suspicious dogs across a fence and everyone voices an opinion – it’s like a Vietnamese crowd joining in the argument between two stall owners over whose chairs are in the other’s territory.

Among the recent sparkling Internet feuds have been accusations of not paying staff, the Vietnamese pavilion at the Milan food expo 2015 and the poor northern Son La province that proposed building a US$64 million statue of late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh.

The Milan expo complaints and excuses were my personal favorites. With the difficulties getting Vietnamese fruit supplied, perhaps the organizers should have contacted a well-known Vietnamese restaurant in Milan (yes, there really is one) and as for not being able to cook Pho in an expo that featured full-sized restaurants… well, next time, kidnap an old lady selling Pho with her cooking stand on wheels.

It’s fun to watch and read the comments which seem to upset everyone without getting to the heart of the problems. Petty squabbles about unpaid salaries? Simple: pay the salary yourself and then go to the restaurant and have a meal without paying. Run an expo – easy: hire the people who did the Cambodian rice and Khmer cultural displays. By all reports it has excellent reviews. And statues of the late Vietnamese president – we can’t get enough of them: let a rich benefactor donate a big car to the cost.

We miss the real point sometimes that the event is not the problem – it’s the lack of clear thinking and planning that seems to plague so many aspects of life in my beloved Vietnam. Snapping at each other on the Internet does sometimes raise awareness but rarely provides real-world progress.

It’s similar to complaining about the Internet eating shark; why do we blame the one who can’t speak for themselves when the real fault lies elsewhere? Sharks don’t post sarcastic replies.

Education is part of the answer, however many of the more trivial issues we confront or argue about – either for fun or genuine concern on the Internet – are better solved by voicing the more controversial issues such as poor leadership skills in tourism, accepting the realities of paying even if you don’t want to or highlighting the plight of the poor in Son La.

I’m just as bad as others. I love to post a funny or sarcastic post sometimes but I prefer to let my typing cool the flames or turn the mood back to fun. So I have to blame myself sometimes when the topics get ‘out of hand’. It’s human nature but that can be tamed and used to change minds and hearts. I won’t stop commenting myself and its ‘popcorn’ fun to tease people yet I think you get my point.

And another thing… think before you type.

According to a report on Tuoi Tre News

The world of traders attracted by Traders Fair & Gala night, Vietnam

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The fabulous world of trading reveals its secrets!

When – November 24, 2018
Where – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (Windsor Plaza Hotel, Saigon)
https://vietnam.tradersfair.com

Traders Fair & Gala night, Vietnam is attracting the world of traders to one place during one day. The leaders of the industry are going to come together in one place and to have an exchange of knowledge and experience. And you may be a part of this fabulous event! Educational speeches from top speakers, entertainments, live shows, music and incredible prizes included in the agenda.

Traders Fair & Gala night – the financial event for traders and investors, which is going to take place in Vietnam on the 24th of November 2018 (Windsor Plaza Hotel, Saigon). The best trading experts, companies, money brokers and banks from all over the world are going to share out their experience and to find out new up-to-date information about cryptocurrency, forex, stocks, futures and options markets. Also Traders Fair & Gala night is going to be full of educational programs and entertainment.

To register online now for free, you should visit https://vietnam.tradersfair.com

Traders Fair & Gala night – Vietnam is happy to welcome experts which are going to provide our visitors with up-to-date and fresh news from the trading world:

1. Mario Singh – CEO of Fullerton Markets – Asia’s fastest growing brokerage firm. His main role is to lead and oversee the implementation of the Company’s short and long term plans in accordance with its strategy. His analytical mind and deep industry connections play a major role in propelling Fullerton Markets forward on the global stage. He is going to blow covers from the topic “My Secrets To Trading Success”

2. Thomas Yin – the founder of Online Guru Trader, a company aimed to change aspiring traders’ financial destiny by empowering them with the tools and skill-sets needed to generate wealth massively through consistent trading profits. His topic: “Where the markets are moving going forward?”

3. Zelda Cai – the Chief Enterprising Officer of qooaims. A veteran with more than 20 years experiences in Financial Sector specializing in the area of Management , Sales & Marketing, Communications, Learning & Coaching, Partners Relations and Entrepreneurship. She is going to share out her experience with the topic: “Make An Impact with Infinite Global Shared Profits”

4. M.K Cheah – the founder of Dynamic Algo Trading System (DATS) which uses machine learning technology to research and develop profitable Algo Trading Systems. He has reached a constant track record of average 25% annual returns using handsfree – automated trading since that time. His topic is “How to Automate Profitable Trading Strategies without Programming Knowledge”

5. Paul Familiaran – the Head of Southeast Asian Business at eToro. Mr Familiaran has 7 years worth of financial services experience spanning from retail, partnership, and institutional business, specifically targeting countries within the Southeast Asian Region. He has first-hand experience in penetrating local markets and in identification key business variables that represent the region’s needs.

Traders Fair & Gala night – Vietnam is organized by FINEXPO, which is the largest company organizing financial and trading events, fairs, expos and shows worldwide since 2002. List of its projects seems quite long. Over 30000 traders, investors and financial advisors and more than 3 000 financial companies and brokers from Forex, stock, option, bond crypto money and forward markets from all around the world have been connected by FINEXPO. The positive feedback from participants is the best prove of effective and successful work done by FINEXPO.

Traders Fair & Gala night is sponsored by leading brands such as Australian Forex Marketplace (Grand sponsor), ATFX (Platinum sponsor), ICM.com (Gold sponsor), FIBOGroup (Silver sponsor), RPNPay (Official payment sponsor), OlympTrade (Registration sponsor). To say more the organizers of event offer you different variants of recommended accommodation, so you can focus on agenda and don’t lose you time, thinking about accommodation and everything.

To find out more information about Traders Fair & Gala night, visit https://vietnam.tradersfair.com or follow on: Telegram https://t.me/tradersfair; Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TradersFair/

Sponsored content

Vietnam Airlines launches in-town check-in service

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To help passengers ensure their journey gets off to a great start, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced the official launch of its new In-town Check-in service, the first of its kind in the Southeast Asian country.

The service is provided by a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines – Vietnam Airlines Ground Services Limited Company (VIAGS).

The new check-in service will enable passengers to carry out all check-in procedures, including seat selection, collection of boarding passes and luggage tags and baggage checks, right at the two facilities below in Hanoi from October 12, 2018 and in Da Nang from November 2018.

The service is applicable to Vietnam Airlines’ domestic flights departing from Noi Bai or Da Nang airports, with daily opening hours including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Passengers can use the In-town Check-in service between two and twelve hours prior to their scheduled flight departure time.

In this way, passengers can be flexible with their personal and work schedules and only need to go straight to the airport security and enter the other side of the screening area without carrying out any other procedures after reaching the airports.

Currently, all other check-in service options offered by Vietnamese carriers including web check-in, mobile check-in, counter check-in and kiosk check-in have yet to allow customers with check-in baggage to do this.

In-town check-in provides a convenient way for travelers to avoid the hassle of traveling with bulky luggage from the city to the airport, and saves time compared to the counter check-in.

Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia are among the other places that have already introduced this service.

Vietnam Airlines said that it was proud to be the first and only airline in Vietnam to offer the service.

According to Le Hong Ha, executive vice-president of Vietnam Airlines, the In-town Check-in is the on-ground service that meets international four-star standards of being safe, quick and convenient.

“Vietnam Airlines hopes this development will add significant value to our customers and enable us to reach five-star status in the foreseeable future,” Ha said.

In-town check-in information:

• In Hanoi: 20 Ngo Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Phone: +84 8656 21 888

Email: intowncheckinnba@viags.vn

Opening hours: from 07:00 to 21:00 daily

• In Da Nang: Hai Van ticket office, 156 Nguyen Van Linh, Nam Duong Ward, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang

Phone: 1900 1818

Email: airvietnam@hai-van.com

Opening hours: from 08:00 to 16:00 daily

According to a report on Tuoi Tre News

Tiny Palm smartphone baffles gadget fans

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A tiny Android smartphone designed to be a “companion phone” to a full-sized device has been launched in the US – using the brand name Palm.

The handset is the size of a credit card and has two cameras but no headphone jack or wireless charging.

It aims to help people take a break from their main phone, the firm said, despite being a fully functioning smartphone in its own right.

It has been greeted with bemusement by tech commentators and on social media.

The device will cost $349 (£263) and will be available in the US, on the Verizon network only, from November.

It is described in its marketing material as “a fully connected product that is in sync with your existing smartphone, so all of your connectivity can go where your smartphone can’t”.

It has the support of US basketball player Stephen (Steph) Curry who tweeted that he was “hyped to bring Palm back”.

Fashion brand Kate Spade has also designed a bespoke case for the small handset.

Analyst Ben Wood from CCS Insight said it was “certainly an ambitious move” by the San Francisco start-up, which licensed the Palm brand from owner TCL.

“Small, so-called companion phones have been tried in the past and have not really captured consumers’ imagination,” he told the BBC.

He said that it differed from other “second” phones because it was not reliant on Bluetooth to connect it to the parent device.

Mr Wood added that he didn’t think nostalgia for the 1990s Palm brand would be enough to drive sales.

“The Palm brand is perfectly suited to a product that fits in the palm of your hand,” he said.

“Beyond that, I doubt there is much brand equity left in Palm other than for uber-geeks.”

Dieter Bohn, writing for website the Verge, described the Palm as “a weird little thing”.

“So here’s a phone that saves you from your phone. But what saves you from your Palm? Presumably, another even smaller phone….” noted Andrew Orlowski in the Register.

According to report on BBC

OTT TV competes to foreign giants

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OTT TV is a playing field where Vietnamese players’ rivals are all ‘giants’, from Facebook to Google to Netflix.

The three big players are targeting Vietnam to provide on-demand movies, TV game show services and live streaming of sports tournaments on social networks. With their diverse services and powerful technology, Vietnam’s OTT TVs have been warned they would be uncompetitive in terms of content copyright and would lose audience to digital content service providers.

NetFlix has been trying to step by step penetrate the domestic market for the last three years, and they have gained initial achievements, though its service fee is higher than domestic VOD service providers.

Buu Dien newspaper quoted its source as reporting that NetFlix has attracted about 300,000 subscribers. An abundance of copyrighted films with subtitles in Vietnamese no ads, and high image quality are its great advantages.

An analyst commented that it is difficult for Netflix to lure Vietnamese subscribers because of the high fee, but most subscribers are loyal.

While their rivals are all powerful and have been upgrading to satisfy Vietnamese customers, domestic content producers are still finding their way.

An analyst said there are four groups of OTT TV players in Vietnam.

The first one, comprising K+, SCTV and VTV, well-known TV operators that shifted to OTT TV, use internet as the transmission platform instead of cable and satellite.

The second group includes mobile network operators such as Viettel, VTC and MobiFone, which use content produced by themselves or other TV channels.

The third group are purely content producers such as Cat Tien Sa and BHD, ones which simply make content but do not have infrastructure but now want to build up apps of their own.

And the last group provides platform service such as FPT Play, Zing TV, Clip TV and VNPT Media.

At present, OTT apps in Vietnam mostly serve audiences for free. However, television stations and media firms tend to transmit entertainment content to audience through OTT apps.

More and more apps to watch TV have come out recently, including VTVgo, VTVcab On, Onme, FPTPlay, ClipTV, VTV Giai tri and VTC Now, which broadcast Vietnamese and international TV channels, sports tournaments, music events, dramas and movies.

SCTV, VTVcab, K+ and VTC all have stated they will provide copyrighted content on OTT TV. However, even the most powerful players still cannot ‘give a push’ to OTT TV. The content shown on OTT TV is mostly television content, not specifically designed for OTT.

According to a report on Vietnamnet

Vegetable, fruit exports surpass crude oil for first time

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Revenue from vegetable and fruit exports has reached more than US$3.1 billion so far, up 17.1% year-on-year and outstripping crude oil export earnings for the first time, Lao Dong newspaper reported, quoting Thao Xuan Sung, chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union.

According to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam exported US$380 million worth of fruit and vegetables last month.

Speaking at the third National Farmers Forum in Hanoi on October 14, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said the revenue from fruit and vegetable exports was likely to hit US$4 billion this year. Crude oil exports to date remained below US$2 billion.

Vietnam currently has 10 agricultural products with export turnover of over US$1 billion each, including five products with export revenue of more than US$2 billion each, Deputy PM Hue added.

Many agricultural products have had bumper crops, but they have been adequately consumed thanks to localities’ efforts in promoting consumption, such as litchi in Bac Giang Province and longan in Hung Yen and Son La provinces, the deputy PM added.

However, Hue expressed concern over the low labor productivity in the agriculture sector. At present, 38% of laborers in the country are working in the agriculture sector, and 60% of the population is in rural areas, but the sector contributes only 15% to the country’s gross domestic product.

He called on local farmers and farm produce processors to tap foreign markets, saying the country would develop trading floors for agricultural products to reduce risks for farmers and ensure benefits for producers, consumers and distributors.

At the forum, Sung noted that the outbound sales of agro-forestry-fishery products reached US$29.64 billion in the nine-month period, and the amount may hit some US$40 billion this year.

According to a report on SGT