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During war, US general considered moving nuclear weapons to Vietnam

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The war in Vietnam could have gone nuclear, if the top US military commander in the Southeast Asian country had had his way, according to a startling report.

The New York Times, citing recently declassified documents, said Saturday that in 1968, Gen. William Westmoreland activated a plan to move nukes to Vietnam if it looked like the US and its allies would lose the battle for the base at Khe Sahn. But then-President Lyndon Johnson vetoed the plan, fearing China would join the war on the side of the North Vietnamese — and ordered the nukes turned back, according to the Times.

President Johnson with Gen. William Westmoreland in South Vietnam in 1967.Yoichi Okamoto/Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library

The plan to have the weapons readily available on short notice had been approved by the American commander in the Pacific, Adm. Ulysses S. Grant Sharp Jr.

The Civil War general and later president married Sharp’s great-aunt.

The Times said the president was told of the plan by Tom Johnson, his special assistant.

The two Johnsons were not related.

The president “had great admiration for General Westmoreland, but he didn’t want his generals to run the war,” Tom Johnson said.

The story is included in a coming book, “Presidents of War,” by historian Michael Beschloss.

Khe Sahn was successfully defended, but was dismantled to prevent similar battles.

Bill Gates: We will have another financial crisis like the one in 2008—it’s a ‘certainty

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The 2008 financial crisis led to the Great Recession and millions of jobs lost. It took years for America to recover and many citizens still feel the ripple effects. According to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, though, we should be braced for another one.

During a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” last week, when Gates was asked if, in the near future, the U.S. will have another crisis similar to the one in 2008, he offered a blunt response: “Yes. It is hard to say when but this is a certainty.”

He added, “Fortunately, we got through that one reasonably well. Warren has talked about this and he understands this area far better than I do.”

Despite the warning, both Gates and his longtime friend Warren Buffett are generally optimistic about the U.S. economy. In an essay for Time magazine, Buffett stated that years of growth “certainly lie ahead,” and “most American children are going to live far better than their parents did.”

Gates concluded his AMA response by saying, “Despite this prediction of bumps ahead, I am quite optimistic about how innovation and capitalism will improve the situation for humans everywhere.”

As for how you, the investor, should react if the market tanks, keep a level head and stay the course, says Buffett. In response to wild market fluctuations back in 2016, he told CNBC that buy-and-hold is still the best strategy.

“Don’t watch the market closely,” he advised those worried about their retirement savings at the time. “If they’re trying to buy and sell stocks, and worry when they go down a little bit … and think they should maybe sell them when they go up, they’re not going to have very good results.”

Rather, think long term and leave your investment alone, says Buffett: “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for ten years, don’t even think about owning it for ten minutes.”

According to a report by Kathleen Elkins on CNBC

Vietnam Complex (NPK) Fertilizer Market Outlook to 2022

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Production of Complex Fertilizers in Vietnam is Expected to Grow at Healthy CAGR of 4.0% during 2017-2022: Ken Research

Vietnam Complex (NPK) Fertilizer Market by Region (Northern, Southern and Central), by product form (Granulated/Fused or Blended), by type (two or three nutrients), by crops (cereals, oilseeds, fruits & vegetables and others), by grade (NPK 16-16-8, NPK 20-5-5, NPK 7-7-14, NPK 12-5-10, NPK 15-15-15 and Others), company profile of major players including Binh Dien Fertilizer, Lam Thao Fertilizers and Chemicals, The Southern Fertilizer Company, Japan Vietnam Fertilizer Company, Baconco Group, Can Tho Fertilizer and Chemical, Van Dien FMP Fertilizer, Ninh Binh Phosphate Fertilizer, Five Star International Group, General Materials Biochemistry Fertilizer.

Net irrigated area in Vietnam is expected to rise from 68.7 million hectares in 2017 to 74.7 million hectares by 2022.
Vietnam’s food grain production is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.3% during 2017-2022 from 621.1 million MT in 2017 to 663.2 million MT by 2022.

Ken Research in its latest study, Vietnam Complex (NPK) Fertilizer Market Outlook to 2022 – NPK 16-16-8 will Continue to be Widely Used Complex Fertilizer suggested that NPK 16-16-8 was the most widely used complex fertilizer in Vietnam, recording fastest growth during the last 5 years. Going forward, utilization of NPK 16-16-8 and NPK 20-5-5 are most likely to remain strong owing to balanced nutrient composition and comparatively cheaper prices.

Average selling prices of NPKs are most likely to improve 2018 onwards owing to recovery in agricultural commodities’ prices. Complex fertilizers market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 3.4% in next 5 years.

In 2015, Ministry of Agriculture issued Action Plan for “Achieving Zero Growth of Fertilizer Use by 2020”. The Chinese government intends to achieve zero growth in volume of use of fertilizers and maximize the utilization of the same. By 2020, it hopes to reduce fertilize usage on its fruits, vegetables and tea crops by 50%. Vietnam plans to replace chemical fertilizers with organic nutrients that are usually sourced from the decomposition of organic materials like animal manure, compost, and crop residue. The government is encouraging use of organic fertilizers by providing subsidies and tax incentives. However, the success of organic fertilizers replacing chemical fertilizers on a large scale has not been seen yet. Amidst efforts to achieve zero growth in overall fertilizer usage, nitrogen fertilizers in Vietnam are increasingly being replaced by complex fertilizers. However, despite the growing adoption by farmers, much of the domestic NPK production is of low quality.

Growing emphasis on improving fertilizer quality, curbing soil pollution, better land management practices and urgent need to improve agricultural productivity is expected to augment the demand for complex fertilizers in Vietnam, according to Analyst at Ken Research.

For more information on the research report, refer to below link:
https://www.kenresearch.com/agriculture-and-animal-care/crop-protection/vietnam-npk-sales-research-report/143971-104.html

E-commerce websites not required to register with Ministry of Industry and Trade

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Institutions and individuals using e-commerce websites will not be required to notify or register with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) from October 2018.

This follows the ministry’s Circular 21/2018/TT-BCT revising some regulations relating to e-commerce management stipulated in Decree 47 dated in 2014.

According to Decree 47, e-commerce websites must be registered or notified to the ministry as prescribed by law. Almost all websites that sell and market goods and services on the internet are considered e-commerce websites.

Decree 47 required every organization and individual, who owned e-commerce websites to provide information of their names, business registration, business areas, headquarters and contact information.

The removal of the regulation has shown the ministry’s determination in completing administrative procedures for its deep and thorough reform.

In addition, the ministry has been active in reviewing business and investment conditions to support enterprises’ development.

Traders Fair & 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 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.

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

Sponsored contents

KKR raised $209m by selling stake in Masan Group

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KKR & Co. has raised about $209 million by selling its stake in Vietnamese conglomerate Masan Group Corp., people with knowledge of the matter said, after its shares doubled since the private equity firm invested.

KKR sold 54.8 million Masan shares at 89,200 dong apiece, the midpoint of a marketed range, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The price represents a 5 percent discount to Masan’s last close.

The shares were offered at 87,800 dong to 90,600 dong each, according to terms for the deal obtained by Bloomberg earlier. KKR’s offering was oversubscribed with strong demand from long-only funds and local investors, one of the people said. The top five investors who participated bought about 85 percent of the offering, the person said.

KKR said in April 2017 it was buying $100 million of Masan stock from Danish private equity firm PENM Partners. It also spent another $150 million for a stake in Masan’s meat unit, according to a statement at the time. Masan shares have risen 109 percent from KKR’s announcement of the investments’ completion through Thursday, compared with a 44 percent gain in the benchmark VN Index over the period.

A representative for KKR couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Bloomberg

Vietnam fully supports foreign investors

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Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc said, Vietnam will maintain its policy of encouraging foreign investment and continue to improve its investment environment to facilitate investors.

Vietnam will maintain its policy of encouraging foreign investment and continue to improve its investment environment to facilitate investors, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

In a speech delivered at a conference in Hanoi on Thursday to review 30 years of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam, Phuc said after three decades of economic reform, the FDI sector remained an indispensable part of Vietnam’s economy.

As of August 20 2018, the country had 26,500 valid FDI projects with total registered capital of US$334 billion. Of the sum, about $184 billion has been disbursed. FDI disbursement accounted for an average 18-25 per cent of total investment for the development of society during 1991-2017.

During the 30 years, Vietnam has overcome challenges to become a middle-income country, averaging annual growth of 6.6 per cent.

According to Phuc, Vietnam’s decision to open its economy to FDI has proven decisive, helping the country achieve multiple socio-economic development objectives. The move has been in line with Vietnam’s effort of integrating into the global economy and enhancing its status in the international arena.

“Vietnam is one of the most successful countries in the region and on global scale in terms of FDI attraction,” Phuc said, adding that it has become a reliable and effective investment destination for foreign investors.

Vietnam has consistently placed in the top 12 most successful countries for FDI attraction.

However, Vietnam faces a number of challenges to its sustainable development, especially in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he said.

In Vietnam, most FDI enterprises have been used low to medium technologies, while few high technology corporations at global level invest in the country.

Additionally, linkages and technology transfer activities between the FDI and domestic sectors have been below expectations.

Current FDI projects in Vietnam mainly focus on assembly and processing stages with low localization rates, resulting in low added value.

“There are also risks of environmental pollution and foreign-invested companies engage in transfer pricing and tax evasion,” Phuc stated.

He said Vietnam would be more selective with FDI in the future and will play an active role in choosing suitable projects.

Vietnam will not only attract foreign capital, but also promote co-operation through M&A activities between domestic and the FDI sectors, ensuring environmental protection and social benefits. Vietnamese enterprises should explore opportunities to acquire foreign companies, in turn acquiring technologies and distribution channels.

Vietnam prioritizes environmentally friendly projects using modern technologies, he said.

In addition, he said the country wants intensive-labor projects in rural areas and high tech projects in urban areas.

According to Phuc, this is considered a way to achieve inclusive growth. The PM stressed the importance of maintaining a stable macro economy, developing infrastructure and quality human resources.

30-year FDI attraction: ripple effect on domestic businesses

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said the attraction and use of FDI in the past 30 years have proven that the open door policy of the Party and State is a correct choice.

Vietnam has risen to a middle-income country, with constantly enhanced position and prestige in the international arena.

Dung noted that with the entrance of foreign investors, many service sectors such as finance-banking, insurance, auditing, maritime transport, logistics, education-training, healthcare and tourism have developed remarkably.

The foreign investment inflow is also a factor behind the formation of new space for development, new urban areas, industrial parks, for export processing zones and economic zones, he said.

The minister stressed the foreign-invested sector has transferred advanced technology, know-how and experience in many industries and fields, producing ripple effects on the domestic sector, thus improving the technological level and management of Vietnam’s economy, despite certain limitations.

The attraction and use of FDI has also contributed to perfecting institutions of the market economy, improving the investment and business environment, expanding external relations and promoting international co-operation, he said.

Minister Dung said the conference provides an opportunity to look back at 30 years of development of foreign investment in Vietnam, and assess positive outcomes along with limitations and shortcomings, as well as their causes.

Based on such assessments, the conference will seek solutions to enhance the quality and effectiveness of FDI attraction and use.

According to the minister, the outcomes of the conference will serve as reference for the Ministry of Planning and Investment to complete a master plan on directions for FDI attraction and use until 2030.

“We hope foreign investors come to Vietnam with good will and responsibility, along with specific and result-oriented commitments and actions to do long-term business on the basis of harmonizing the interests of investors, the State and the community,” Dung said.

Nicolas Audier, the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham)’s co-chairmen said new trade agreements, including the under negotiation EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), would create opportunities for Vietnam’s development.

The EVFTA is set to help Vietnam access a 500 million people market in the EU.

With a more attractive investment environment, strong prosperity, a rising middle-income class and qualified labour force, Vietnam would be an ideal destination for foreign investors, he said.

Tomaso Andreatta, co-chairman of Vietnam Business Forum, suggested Vietnam’s agencies should think about solutions to maintain its current investors while attracting more quality investors to the country.

According to Andreatta, the key is to teach workers skills to operate automation technology in Industry 4.0. The country should promote independent vocational training companies. Successful countries must have a good education system and Vietnam must continue to reform education.

24 co-operation documents signed

Witnessed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, 24 investment co-operation documents were signed at the conference.

Of which, there was a memorandum of understanding between the Hanoi People’s Committee and China’s Jiayuan International Group on the investment and construction project to build a software park and ICD in Hanoi with total investment of $1.5 billion.

The ministry also allowed Lotte Rental Company Limited to increase its capital by $72 million, and gave investment licenses to Solarpark Hương Sơn and Cẩm Xuyên Solar Power Plant for GA Power Company with total investment of $46.6 million and LG Display Company Limited with additional capital of $500 million.

VNG and Singaporean Temasek Holdings investment fund signed a deal on seeking investment opportunities and expanding business co-operation in areas including online games, connection platforms, electronic payment and cloud services.

Do you need support?

Any support investors may need to start your new business in Vietnam, contact GBS, an authorized Business Registration Agency via

Source: VNA

319 foreigners arrested in latest ‘outlaws’ raids across Thailand

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319 outlaw foreigners from many countries and 50 Thai nationals were arrested for immigration offences in the latest “outlaw tourists” raids, which targeted 337 locations across Thailand on Friday morning.

Combined teams of local, immigration, tourist police and other agencies descended on premises in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Sawan and other provinces, targeting people at one language school, two secondary schools and 334 other places frequented by foreigners.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, acting Immigration Bureau chief, released details at a media briefing on Friday.

Also present were acting tourist police commissioner Pol Maj Gen Theeraphol Kuptanont and senior police officers from other agencies involved.

Ninety-six of those arrested (65 from Myanmar, 13 from India, 7 from Laos, 4 from Vietnam, 2 each from Cambodia and Russia, one each from China, Ghana and Nigeria) were charged with overstaying their visas.

The longest overstayer was Francis Okai, 36, a Ghanaian man caught in Bangkok 656 days after he should have left, followed by Arjun Kumar Yadav, 30, an Indian national caught in Kanchanaburi for overstaying 162 days, and a Vietnamese woman, Nguen Thi Ngoc, 28, who was arrested in Nakhon Sawan 60 days after her visa expired, Pol Maj Gen Surachate siad.

Another 131 (79 from Myanmar, 15 from Cambodia, 10 from Laos, 9 from China, 7 from Vietnam, 6 from India, one each from Malaysia, the Philippines, the USA, Ivory Coast, and another whose nationality was not released) were charged with illegal entry.

The remaining 142 (50 Thais, 48 from Laos, 21 from Cambodia, 14 from Myanmar, 4 from China, one each from India, Vietnam, Canada, Israel and the US) were charged with other offences.

The raids were the 21st phase of operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner, which aims to sweep out foreign criminals entering the country to commit crime, such as romance scams, credit card skimming and drug trafficking, and those who overstay their visas, the acting Immigration Bureau chief said.

To date, a total of 2,273 people had been arrested during raids at 4,496 locations across the country. Authorities would continue the crackdown, imposed stricter measures and search more locations in tourist provinces and border areas to boost overall safety for tourists, he said.

All the arrested foreigners would be put on police blacklists and deported to their home countries, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM reports on Bangkok Post

Vietnamese senior police officer arrested for alleged rape of teen girl

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A senior police officer and three other men in northern Vietnam have been arrested for the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl.

A police source in Thai Binh – northern province of Vietnam said, Colonel Pham Van Lam, 46, deputy chief of the province’s economic police department, and Pham Minh Tuyen, 47, were taken in Thursday for questioning.

Two other men, Pham Nhu Hien and Pham Duc Viet, both 44, had been arrested earlier for allegedly “Engaging in sexual intercourse or other sexual activities with a person aged from 13 to under 16” and “Molestation of a person under 16.”

The police said they received a complaint from the girl’s family on September 2 that she had gone out with her friends and hadn’t returned home for several days and was not reachable by phone.

The police began a search operation, but meanwhile she returned home in a weakened and traumatized state.

She said she had been gang raped by the men at a hotel on Tran Nhan Tong Street.

The police are investigating.

The United Nations said last year that one in four children in Vietnam is a victim of abuse and at least 1,300 cases of sexual violence against children are reported each year.

While official statistics are unavailable, the U.N. estimates the true numbers are consistently alarming.

In Vietnam, sexual intercourse with children under 16 is a crime punishable by imprisonment of up to 15 years. Perpetrators face death penalty if the act is deemed as rape by an organized group.

Giang Trinh reported on Vnexpress.net

Why You Should Start Drinking Vietnamese Coffee? Here is top 5 reasons.

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Having both parents born and raised in Vietnam, Vietnamese food and drinks were very much present all throughout my life. To this day, many Vietnamese dishes and drinks are my all-time favorite foods and go-tos when deciding what to eat. One particular Vietnamese drink that has left its mark on me is Vietnamese coffee. From being a coffee-hater to now a cà phê sữa đá lover, Vietnamese coffee has changed the way I see coffee and I hope it can change yours too!

Reasons why you should be drinking Vietnamese coffee over regular coffee:

It tastes better

Not only is it on the sweeter spectrum of coffee flavors, but it is also still on the stronger side. What makes it so naturally strong (and also turns some coffee drinkers away) is the coffee bean used in Vietnamese coffee. The Robusta bean is much more caffeinated compared to typical coffee beans used here in the U.S. Vietnamese coffee tastes very different from the average cup of joe also because of the way it is brewed. It’s a nice, long process since it’s drip coffee. I remember always waking up in the morning seeing my dad use a small drip filter to make his coffee.

No refrigeration needed

When making Vietnamese coffee, ones uses sweetened condensed milk instead of creamers, milks or sugars. The thick condensed milk may feel a little overpowering, but that’s just how the coffee is. In my opinion, the sweetness of the condensed milk works perfectly to balance out the richness from the coffee bean. Another good thing is that you don’t need to leave the condensed milk in the refrigerator. In my family, we would transfer the coffee from an opened can into a jar or container with a lid to save it for later. This way you don’t need to keep your milk/creamers in check and won’t have to worry about expiration dates since condensed milk has a longer shelf life.

There is no wrong way to drink it

No need to worry about the number of cups of sugar, half-and-half or milk, etc. Drinking Vietnamese coffee hot or cold, the taste will still be amazing. The condensed milk can be added to taste if you’re making it at home. If you’re out and about and decided to order Vietnamese coffee, it is usually already made, so you don’t need to tell them how much condensed milk to add into your coffee because every tea spot or restaurant has already crafted it to perfection. In the streets of Vietnam, if you don’t specify, you’ll get the typical Vietnamese coffee; it’s rare for people to ask for no condensed milk so if you ask, you might get some weird looks. My favorite version is called cà phê sữa đá in Vietnamese, which consists of iced Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk.

Not your basic add-ins

Even though adding condensed milk is very popular and it is usually what’s associated with Vietnamese coffee at first there are also other pairings with this coffee. Eggs, cheese, butter and yogurts can be seen in coffee in Vietnam. I cannot vouch for the taste for these styles since I have never tasted it, but my parents used to enjoy these styles back when they were in Vietnam.

Try something new

I never used to drink coffee because of its bitter taste, but my dad made me his version of Vietnamese coffee one morning, and I started to fall into the coffee-drinking lifestyle. I would say if you have never tried it before to just give it a taste because you never know if you’ll like it or not!

by Rachel Lee, this article was first posted on dailynexus.com

Children in Vietnam and the fear of climate change

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One little girl draws a nightmarish picture of people calling for rescue as they drown in rising water.

Another sketches a huge snake with sharp teeth to show the power and danger of flooding.

These disturbing images are the work of children at a primary school in Can Tho province, a region of Vietnam that is regularly swamped.

They live in the Mekong Delta, a huge plain of rivers and rice-fields that’s popular with tourists but lies only just above the surface of the ocean.

The land itself is sinking and, at the same time, the level of the sea is rising, as global warming causes the water to expand and the ice caps to melt.

That’s why the delta, one of the world’s greatest centres for rice production and home to 18 million people, is recognised as especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

The children were asked to draw their pictures as part of a project run by Florence Halstead from the University of Hull, a researcher into young people’s attitudes on global warming.

At a primary school, which was itself flooded three years ago, she asked the pupils to close their eyes and think about flooding and then to describe what was on their minds.

Loi, a 10-year-old, leapt to his feet and came out with a shocking image – “people on their houses screaming for help”.

His classmate, To Nhu, used crayons to depict a small girl drifting on her own in a boat towards what looked like a whirlpool or tornado.

“I think the flood is so scary,” she told me, “and I hope that we will not be swept away in the flood season.”

At a neighboring desk, another pupil, Chau, created a scene that seemed far too horrific for someone so young: bodies were in the water and, below the surface, lurked a monstrous snake. I asked her why.

“Because the snake can live under the water and is very scary so it makes me think about the flood,” she said.

Severe inundations

Flooding is routine in the delta. Over the centuries, it has played a beneficial role delivering nutrient-rich silt to the fields to make them exceptionally fertile.

But, in recent years, the floods have become more damaging; the projections are for more severe and frequent inundations to come.

Barriers are being built, but on one stretch of coastline more than 100 homes have been lost, along with big areas of precious farmland.

A farmer who saw fields vanish beneath the waves, Lam Van Nghia, said the water level was rising so fast that “there wasn’t enough time to build sea defences”.

Rice volumes reduced

To add to the stress, seawater pushing inland poisons the soil with salt, either reducing yields of rice or making it impossible to grow this vital part of the food supply.

Many farmers are turning to other crops like hay, which is more tolerant of salt, or shrimp which can cope with more of it, all of which reduces the volume of rice produced.

A leading farming expert even warned that the days of rice may be over for the Mekong Delta, with huge implications for food security and national income.

Thomas Rath, Vietnam director of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, told the BBC that “this is all under threat”.

“Rice production is under threat and 80% of the rice is for exports, so it’s a big economic risk for Vietnam,” he told the BBC.

This is why Vietnam, along with several dozen other developing countries, argues that the main target of the Paris Agreement on climate change – to limit the rise in global average temperature to 2C above the pre-industrial level – does not go far enough. It is pressing for a lower target of 1.5C.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN’s climate body, has released a report on the benefits of keeping global warming in check and on what is needed to achieve it.

Measuring the sediment

To try to understand how rapidly the region is changing, UK and Vietnamese scientists are studying the flows of the rivers and of the sediment they carry.

When silt is deposited on the fields, it raises the level of the land, the one thing that helps to build it up and counteract the effect of a rising sea.

I met Prof Dan Parsons, of the University of Hull, on a boat equipped with sonar equipment to measure the river bed and the quantity of sediment in the water.

Measurements over the past 20 years have shown a marked drop in the amount of sediment being delivered – the water looks clearer than in the past – and this is the result of dams upstream trapping everything in the flow.

“One clear risk is a heightened threat of flooding,” Prof Parsons said. “The saline intrusion that’s driven by that relative rise in sea level combines to create a perfect storm of issues for people living here.”

While he and his colleagues are investigating the physical changes under way, his student, Florence Halstead, is exploring the social implications, particularly for a generation that will grow up having to face more threatening conditions.

She described some of the children’s pictures as “harrowing” but said it was important to prepare them for what lies ahead.

“They live in a water world, and that’s only going to increase – the water’s not going to go away and they need to learn how to adapt.”

By David Shukman, Science editor, this article was first posted on BBC.COM

New service for foreign investors to register a company in Vietnam with a single step

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Global Business Services Company in Vietnam (GBS Vietnam) has offered a new company registration service. According to that, a foreign invested company can be registered in a single step now.

According to ‘Doing Business Report 2018’ article of the World Bank, the time-period for starting a business in Vietnam is 22 days with 9 different procedures.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam has introduced reforms in making business incorporation earlier in the context of ‘Starting a Business’ indicator of the ‘Doing Business’ report, especially reforms of administrative procedures.

Therefore, Vietnam is considered as an attractive investment destination and it is favored by investors for its transparency and continuous improvements.

GBS has combined the procedures for checking the proposed company name; obtain the enterprise registration certificate and investment registration certificate from the local business registration office under the Department of Planning and Investment. This has helped foreign investors to register companies in a single step through e-services of GBS.

“The total time to register a company is now counted by hour, whereas the requirements are: providing required information such as: company name, registered address, registered capital…and legal documents from investor. GBS will be on behalf of investors to submit valid dossiers to get all licenses”. Ms. Sophie Dao, a partner said.

Annually, hundreds of companies, individual investors all over the world have trusted GBS to register their company in Vietnam as it helps them to optimize time and cost. GBS also offers advice not only on the company registration services, but also on corporate services, tax and associated regulatory work to foreign invested companies in Vietnam.

Contact

Sophie Dao
Email: info@gbs.com.vn
Call, iMessage, Viber, WhatsApp: +84903189033

More information can be found on the website: https://gbs.com.vn

Vietnam to issue civil penalties for unsafe FCMs

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The Vietnam Food Administration’s (VFA) Decree on the Provision on Civil Penalties for Food Safety Violations, issued in September, is to take effect on 20 October.

The Decree 115/2018/ND-CP, which replaces the 2013 Decree 178/2013/ND-CP, specifies various fines, including those for the production of unsafe food contact packaging, implements and containers.

Importers of FCM products which fail to conduct conformity testings will incur fines of 30-40m VND (about $1,200-$1,700), almost three times the amount previously imposed. Chemicalwatch.com reported.

The fines signal the intent of authorities to tighten enforcement. The latest Decree triples fines for:

falsifying conformity test results;
providing false claims, declarations or information about product safety; and
circulating products and assuring the public that they meet conformity standards, when they have not undergone such certification.

Fines for importing products that fail to meet a specified national standard or technical regulations will be doubled.

In addition, products deemed unsafe may be recalled, confiscated, or destroyed. All previous testing results and product conformity applications for imports, if applicable, would be nullified.

Fires leave 73 dead in first 9 months

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Around 3,000 fires were reported across Vietnam in the first nine months of this year, killing 73 people, according to the Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue Police Department.
The fires injured 163 people during the period and caused a total loss of VND1.59 trillion (USD72 million).

The fires dropped 295 cases compared to the same period of last year, while the loss fell by VND199 billion.

A fire at Hai Yen Industrial Park in Quang Ninh Province caused record losses of VND350 billion. It was followed by the incident at Duyen Hai 3 thermal power plant which caused VND105 billion in damages.

The fire at Carina Plaza apartment building in HCM City in March left 13 dead and 51 people injured.

Between January and September, the country saw 24 explosions, killing five and injuring 24, accounting for VND388 billion in losses.

Most of the places which saw fires had failed fire safety regulations. Many people lacked basic fire safety awareness.

Source: Dtinews

Vietnam to have home-field advantage at 2020 AFC Champ qualifier

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Vietnamese football-lovers will have a chance to directly cheer the national U23 team at the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship qualifier as the country was recently trusted to host marches of the group that the team will be in.

The qualifying round will gather 44 U23 teams across Asia, including 24 teams from West Asia and the remaining from East Asia. They will be divided into 11 groups, including Groups A, B, C, D, E, F for the teams from West Asia, and Groups G, J, I, J, K for the remaining.

As the first runner-up of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, Vietnam rank first among five seeded teams in the East Asian region, including Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Japan, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

AFC named host countries for qualifying matches, namely Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain and Kuwait for groups in West Asia, and Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Mongolia for groups in East Asia.

The qualifier will choose 16 teams to the final round, including the host of the final round and 15 most outstanding teams.

The qualifier is scheduled to take place from March 22-26, 2019, while the final round from January 8-26, 2020. The host country for the round has yet to be defined.

The draw for the qualifier will be held on November 7 at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Source: Nhandan