Japan preparing to accept more caregivers from Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam

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Japan plans to accept more caregivers from three Southeast Asian countries that have free trade agreements with Tokyo to help address the national labor shortage, sources familiar with the matter said.

By easing some restrictions on caregivers from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, the government will allow more of those with strong proficiency in Japanese to work in Japan starting next April, the sources said Sunday.

Under current terms, Japan accepts up to 300 caregivers from each country per year. The government aims to treat those with high language proficiency separately from those groups.

The number who want to be caregivers in Japan has been increasing. For fiscal 2018 ending next March, there were 298 from Indonesia, 282 from the Philippines and 193 from Vietnam — all record highs.

As Japan grays it is expected to see a shortage of some 340,000 caregivers in 2025, when many baby boomers are expected to be 75 or older and in need of nursing care services, the sources said.

The bilateral FTAs with Japan took effect in fiscal 2008 with Indonesia, in fiscal 2009 with the Philippines and in fiscal 2014 with Vietnam.

Under the deals, about 4,300 people arrived to work in Japan. They are employed as caregivers for three years while studying for a national language examination that must be taken during the four-year period of stay. If they pass, they can continue to work here.

According to a report on Japantimes

Oppo F9 launched in Vietnam, could be unveiled as F9 Pro in India

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Oppo F9 has been launched in Vietnam. The phone could be unveiled in India as Oppo F9 Pro on August 21. Here are price, specifications, and other details.

Oppo F9 has been launched in Vietnam. The smartphone comes with a new V-shaped notch on top of the screen, company’s propriety VOOC charging and a fullscreen display. Oppo F9 will be available in gradient colour options that the company says reflect different colors in different light settings. Oppo F9 is up for pre-order in Vietnam and the phone will be made available starting August 24.

Oppo F9 will likely be launched as F9 Pro in India on August 21. The company has sent out media invites for launch event. In addition, teasers with Oppo F9 Pro as hashtag are being shared by Oppo Mobile India on its official Twitter page. Here’s a look at the price, specifications, and features:

Oppo F9 price and sale date

Oppo F9 will cost VND 7,690,000, which is around Rs 23,200 on conversion. The price is for the 4GB RAMand 64GB memory option. Oppo F9 can be pre-ordered, and it will start shipping from August 24. Oppo is giving away a free 10000mAh power bank as part of its pre-order offers.

Oppo F9 Pro specifications and features

Oppo F9 heys a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display (2340 x 1080 pixels) with 19.5: 9 aspect ratio and screen-to-body ratio of 90.8 per cent. The phone sports the new waterdrop design, which the company claims increases viewing space. A small V-shaped notch on the top of the screen includes the front camera sensor. The phone will be available in Red Sun and Twilight colour options. It runs ColorOS 5.2, based on Android 8.1 Oreo

Oppo F9 features 16MP+2MP dual rear cameras with f/1.85 aperture on both lens. It supports Portrait mode as well. The front camera is 25MP. The phone is powered by an octa-core Helio P60 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, which is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card slot. The battery is a 3500mAh one with support for the company’s VOOC fast charging technology, which is said to offer two hours of usage in just five minutes of charging.

Sensors on the Oppo F9 include: proximity sensor, light sensor, acceleration sensor, and digital compass.
Connectivity options are: 2G, 3G, 4G 2G, 3G, 4G, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 2.4G / 5G, 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, and OTG. The dual-SIM phone measures 156.7 x 74 x 7.99 mm, and it weighs 169 g.

According to a report on Indianexpress

 

 

HCMC: Vietnam Puppetry Festival opens

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Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien said the festival will contribute to enriching cultural and recreational activities on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian street – VietnamNet reported.

He hoped that the festival would continue being held and become a tourist product and an art brand name, luring visitors to the pedestrian street and HCM City as well.

The three-day event offers Ho Chi Minh City dwellers as well as tourists free Vietnamese puppetry performances in an outdoor cultural exchange space for the first time.

Different forms of Vietnamese puppetry, such as rode, hand, string, and machine and water puppetry, are introduced to audience during the festival by hundreds of puppeteers from the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, Phuong Nam Art Theatre, Hai Phong Puppetry Theatre, Dong Nai Art Theatre, Kite Theatre, and the Soul Music & Performing Arts Academy.

Through the activities, the festival is expected to bring the art of puppetry closer to the public in the southern region, as well as international tourists, thereby contributing to preserving and promoting the cultural value of the unique traditional art form.

Continue reading “HCMC: Vietnam Puppetry Festival opens”

ASIAD: Vietnam beats Japan 1-0

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Nguyen Quang Hai handed the Vietnamese the breakthrough at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium after just three minutes, which ultimately proved enough to hand his side maximum points.
Although they had already been guaranteed a knockout round berth prior to the match, Sunday’s victory means Vietnam will now meet one of the third-placed teams in the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Group B campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to Uzbekistan, courtesy of Zabikhillo Urinboev’s 17th-minute winner

Nonetheless, although they only managed to pick up two points from their three games, the Thais still stand a chance of advancing to the next stage as one of the four-best third-placed teams.

Facebook denies establishing rep. office in Vietnam

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Facebook’s representative in Vietnam has confirmed to VnEconomy that the world’s largest social media network has not set up a representative office in Vietnam as many people are mistaken.

On August 7, on social network and some media in Vietnam, there appeared the image of a business called “Asia Facebook Services Joint Stock Company”, based in the Binh Tri Dong B ward, Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City.

The company’s logo is printed with blue – the featured color of Facebook – and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and information stating “Representative office – Solving all Facebook issues in Vietnam.”

The logo also showcases a corporate tax code and a customer care hotline 1900299998. With the above-mentioned information, many people have questioned the fact that Facebook had set up a representative office in Vietnam.

Talking to VnEconomy on August 8, Facebook’s representative in Vietnam said that the logo is like Facebook advertising services, but it is not Facebook’s official office in Vietnam.

According to a study, on Facebook’s NewsRoom, there does not appear the name of Vietnam in the list of countries that Facebook have officially opened a representative office. At present, Asian countries on this list include India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan.

As for the above-mentioned images, information from Vietnam’s business registration portal shows that the so-called Asia Facebook Services Joint Stock Company was licensed in July 2018, owned by Tang Thi Kim Lien, focusing on advertising activities. The firm is headquartered at No.37 24A street, Binh Tri Dong B ward, Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Statista, Vietnam had 59 million Facebook users as of July 2018, being the seventh-largest market worldwide.

According to a report on Hanoitimes

Typhoon Bebinca in Vietnam leaves 10 people killed, 3 missing

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Flash floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Bebinca in Vietnam’s northern and central regions have killed 10 people and left three others missing, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said on Sunday.

According to a report on Xinhua, the floods and landslides killed six people in the central province of Nghe An, two in the central province of Thanh Hoa, and two in the northern province of Son La. Two people from Son La and one from Thanh Hoa were listed as missing by Sunday evening.

The floods also destroyed 33 houses, inundated 3,422 other houses, killed 401 cattle and 17,168 poultry, and slightly damaged 1,115 hectares of aquaculture ponds and three dykes in Thanh Hoa and the northern province of Bac Giang.

Landslides occurred on nearly 20 national road sections in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and the northern province of Yen Bai, causing traffic congestion.

Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Vietnam’s northern and central regions and quickly weakened into a tropical depression on Friday morning, said the committee.

Natural disasters, mainly typhoons, flash floods and landslides, had killed or left missing 78 people and injured 64 others, destroyed over 740 houses, damaged 18,100 other houses, and damaged 12,600 hectares of rice and other crops in the first seven months of this year, said Vietnam’s General Statistics Office.

The disasters also caused property losses of around 1,468 billion Vietnamese dong (63.8 million U.S. dollars).

VDSC: Vietnam Stock Market Weekly Recap – MWG, BMP

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The shocker this week has been about the Turkey crisis, which sent ripples through the global market and reached Vietnam bringing the market down -1.73% on Wednesday, August 15th. The market had not dipped under -1% since July 20 (-1.12%). A combination of factors have led to fears the country is sliding into an economic crisis.

For investors who have invested in Emerging / Developing markets this scenario will bring back horrid memories of the Asian Financial crisis in 2006.

A few fear that have started the nosedrive of the Turkish Lira vs the US Dollar is outlined below:

1) Turkish companies that borrowed heavily to profit from a construction boom may struggle to repay loans in dollars and euros, as the weakened lira means there is now more to pay back.
2) Turkey’s worsening relations with the US.
3) Mr Trump said he had approved the doubling of tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium.

This week the VN Index closed out at 968.88, +0.48% for the day and +0.06% WoW. The VN Index started the week strong +0.99% on Monday but gave back all its gains on Wednesday. The 50dma has come down to 954.71 from 960.58 last week so we see the shorter term trend of the market continue to weaken this week. The mid-term trend has also fallen to 1015.11 from 1024.96 last week and is coming close to kissing the 200dma at 1012.43. However, the 200dma has increase from 1008.83 last week so we are seeing the longer term trend continue to rise. Thus, technically we expect the 100dma to cross the 200dma next week and we believe the market will continue to have a negative sentiment weighing on the market. The bears are still dominating the bulls.

This week’s liquidity has been slightly higher VND3.7bn (USD160mn) than last week’s VND3.4tn (USD147mn), and higher than MTD average so far of VND3.6tn (USD156mn), however still below the YTD average of VND4.9tn (USD210mn) with total liquidity reaching VND18.6tn (USD800mn), 86.51% of total trading value. Put-through value was VND2.9tn (USD125mn), 13.49% of total trading value. Total trading value reached VND21.6tn (USD925mn).

In the derivatives market this week 457,549 contracts changed hands at a total value of VND43.48tn (USD1.87bn). MTD 1,140,012 contracts traded worth VND107.5tn (USD4.6bn). At this pace, the volume should come close to 2.3mn contracts by the end of this month vs. 2.8mn in July. About a -18% decrease in total estimated volume.

Again Foreigners continued to be net sellers this week. Buying VND2.5tn (USD109mn) about 11.98% of the entire market value VND21.3 (USD913mn) including put throughs, while selling is VND2.8tn (USD120mn) about 13.16% of the total market value leading to a net selling of VND-251.2bn (USD10.8mn).

Mobile World Investment Corporation (HoSE: MWG): Update on 1H 2018’s result – Strengthening confidence in Bachhoaxanh

In 1H18, MWG posted an impressive growth of 43% in net revenue and 44% in net profit YoY. Moreover, even though it still has to make a profit, Bachhoaxanh is constantly improving and getting very close the break-even point.

Undisputedly domination in both sectors: mobile phone and consumer electronics

It is safe to say that the mobile phone market has entered a mature period with sales growth of only 4% in 1H2018 YoY

Consumer electronics grew 28% in 1H18 YoY while Dienmayxanh posted a growth of 90% in the same period to become the main driver of MWG (contributes 56% of revenue).

Strengthening confidence in Bachhoaxanh

In the previous MWG’s investor meetings, all eyes were on the company’s new business – Bachhoaxanh. Average monthly revenue per store has been increasing constantly.

Bachhoaxanh can be categorized into three main tiers:

Large store (from 200 to 300 sq meter): Established in high population-density areas and near traditional markets.
Standard store (from 160 to 200 sq meter): Also established in high population-density areas and on main routes that have high traffic.

Mini store (from 100 to 150 sq meter): These are the least effective stores of the chain with only limited amount of fresh foods being offered.

Binh Minh Plastics JSC (HoSE: BMP): Update on 1H 2018’s result

As of the end of 1H18, BMP had almost no growth YoY in most of the key indicators such as output, sales and EAT, completing over 40% of the year guidance.

BMP maintained a gross margin of 24% YoY, a plastic pipe manufacturer with a higher PPR and HDPE proportions, recorded a 1H18 gross margin decline YoY.

In terms of sales, BMP is currently selling through two main channels. More than 80% of BMP’s production is consumed by over 1,600 dealers, with the remainder directly supplied to infrastructure projects.

We expect BMP to boost its steel pipe sales a bit after the rainy season ends and complete the business plan of 100,000 tons of products, VND4.3tn of revenue and VND600bn of PBT. BMP will record an EPS of VND 5,843.

Marc Djandji, CFA
Head of Institutional Sales
Rong Viet S­­ecurities Corporation (VDSC)

Businesses, banks responsible for credit crunch: VCCI

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Both businesses and banks are to blame for the credit crunch facing the former, the VCCI says.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) says that a survey of 504 businesses in different sectors found that most of them were unable to prove their creditworthiness to banks and other credit institutions.

According to a report by Nguyen Vu on Vnexpress, releasing the survey results Friday, the VCCI said that firms did not have the right human resources to manage the business and lacked financial transparency, making banks deem them a high investment risk.

On the other hands, banks and credit institutions were also part of the problem, with complex, difficult to fulfill procedures, and and high interest rates.

VCCI recommended that businesses improve their human resourcess and transparency of their financial operations to show that they carry low investment risks. Banks and credit institutions, meanwhile, should simplify their procedures and make it easier for firms to access credit, it said.

They should properly assess a business’s development prospects, diversify credit products and come up with appropriate lending modalities.

The VCCI also suggested the government directs ministries to speed up administrative reforms and provide businesses with equal access to resources.

It said all stakeholders need to take action because accessing credit was crucial for a business to survive and succeed.

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam had more than 600,000 enterprises by the end of 2017, 95 percent of them small and medium enterprises with annual turnovers of less than VND100 billion ($4.3 million).

The number of enterprises with turnovers less than VND20 billion makes up over 70 percent of the total number of small and medium enterprises. VCCI statistics show that nearly 60 percent of these micro enterprises did not succeed in getting bank loans in 2016.

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Direct air route to Los Angeles considered

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Discussions have continued on the feasibility of direct flights between the US and Vietnam.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) delegation recently came to Vietnam to survey the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam’s safety aviation. This was the third technical assessment by the FAA.

Earlier, deputy minister of transport Le Dinh Tho met Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, to discuss air transport.

Some 260,000 Vietnamese people annually travel to Los Angeles. For this reason, the city might be the best choice for opening direct flights between Vietnam and the United States, the mayor added. In addition, Garcetti asserted that the city would create favourable conditions to execute the plan and help promote other fields involving local transport.

According to Vietnam Airlines General Director Duong Tri Thanh, the carrier could only open direct flights to the US by late 2019 at the earliest. He added that the firm would need 5-10 years to come to recover the investment.

In the first five years, Vietnam Airlines would face annual losses of USD30 million.

In 2004, the US’ United Airlines opened an air route linking Francisco and HCM City with a transit in Hong Kong. However, the route was halted since 2016.

Flights to the US need to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and FAA standards.

Source: Dtinews

Vietnam beats Japan, tops group in Asiad 2018

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An early goal sent Vietnam to the top of Group D in an Asian Games match on Sunday.

The last group stage match between Vietnam and Japan began at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium in West Java, Indonesia, at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Vietnam entered the game in white and Japan blue.

Vietnam scored at the 3rd minute!

A lapse in Japan’s defense was seized by Nguyen Quang Hai to put Vietnam ahead in just the third minute.

Minutes later, Hai, wearing number 19, had another shot saved by the goalkeeper.

At the 13th minute, Nguyen Van Quyet (10) missed a target.

A minute later, Vietnam had another goal saved by the goalkeeper. Vietnam seems to be going all out!

At the 18th minute, Japan’s defender Hara Teruki received a yellow card.

Hai struck a free-kick which was saved by the goalkeeper at the 20th minute.

Half an hour into the game, Vietnam has apparently launched more and stronger attacks. Its defenders were also all attentive.

After the first half, Vietnam was up one.

Japan started the second half with a more attacking display of football, and had several attempts foiled by the Vietnamese custodian in the first few minutes.

With both teams in attacking mode, the quality of the game went up a notch. Vietnam chose to introduce one of its main strikers, Nguyen Cong Phuong, in the 57th minute.

At the 77th minute, striker Hai left the game with injuries. He was replaced by Phan Van Duc.

Japan found the net in the 80th minute but it was scored from an offside position, and therefore, not allowed.

The game was over after four extra stressful minutes.

Vietnam has done it! It has topped Group D by beating Japan. The nation is celebrating even as further challenges lie ahead.

Now that Vietnam has taken the top spot in group D, it will clash against one of the four best teams who come third in the group stage next Thursday.

Lam Thoa, Duc Dong report on Vnexpress

Vietnam gives clean chit to baby products importer

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Vietnam’s largest baby products firm, Con Cung, has correctly followed all import laws, authorities said Friday.
After examining 75 items sold by the chain, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said Con Cung has been able to provide legal import documents for all of them.

However, the firm did not correctly follow regulations on labeling the products. It also made other mistakes in discounting and selling goods on its website, the ministry said in a statement

The ministry has asked Con Cung to correct its mistakes and submit a report on actions taken.

Con Cung had come under the scanner after a customer complained it had sold him a shirt with a label that said “Made in Thailand,” but looked like it had been swapped with another label.

The company has asserted that it does not import counterfeit products and has documents to prove it.

“Most of Con Cung’s mistakes were made by inexperienced employees,” the firm’s CEO Nguyen Quoc Minh told VnExpress on Friday. “The country’s regulations keep changing so the firm wasn’t able to catch up with them.”

Con Cung has taken the wrongly labeled shirts off the shelves so that customers won’t be confused. The firm is also working to improve its item management so that the same thing would not happen again, Minh added.

Con Cung, which has received funding from the Vietnamese-Japanese DAIWA-SSIAM Vietnam Growth Fund, has 318 stores nationwide – 288 Con Cung and 30 ToyCity stores.

Its pre-tax profit in 2016 was VND8 billion ($350,000) on revenues of VND524 billion ($22.9 million), according to the Vietnam Industry Research and Consultancy.

Nguyen Hoai, Phuong Dong report on Vnexpress

Uber withdraws lawsuit against HCMC tax man

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Ride-hailing firm Uber has withdrawn its lawsuit over HCMC’s demand for $2.3 million in back taxes and fines.
A tax department official said Friday that the HCMC People’s Court has suspended the case in which the Netherlands-based Uber B.V. had sued the department over its demand that the firm pays over VND53 billion ($2.3 million) in back taxes and fines.

The official, who did not want to be named, told VnExpress that the suspension, which followed Uber withdrawing its lawsuit, was a positive development.

He expressed hope that this would allow the department and Uber to sit down and resolve the issue of back taxes and fines. In case this does not happen, the department would resume efforts to force Ube to pay its dues, the official added.

The department had previously attempted to collect the back taxes and fines by sending documents to local banks and asking them to deduct the dues from funds transferred to Uber’s bank account as a form of tax enforcement.

This attempt failed because the firm had not opened any account in the country.

In September last year, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department asked the Vietnamese branch of Uber International to pay VND66.68 billion ($2.91 million) in back taxes and fines for violating tax laws.

However, the company appealed the decision, telling the General Department of Taxation as well as the Ministry of Finance that it was not subject to pay taxes under Vietnam’s double taxation avoidance agreement with the Netherlands, where it is based.

Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc announced it had agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab in March. The app company officially left Vietnam on April 8.

Le Chi report on Vnexpress

Unclear labelling of goods upsets buyers

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A number of convenience stores advertising their brands as “made in Korea” or “made in Japan” have been fined for ambiguous information on the origin of their goods, making many Vietnamese consumers feel confused and nervous.

Untruthful advertisement on quality
Recent years, Vietnam has become an attractive destination for convenience store brands. With more than 100 stores of various brands concentrated in crowded streets nationwide, these stores has made the habits of Vietnamese consumers gradually change. Instead of going to supermarkets to buy daily necessities, they choose convenience stores due to their reasonable prices, diverse types and designs of products, and attentive services.

Daiso Japan is the leading brand in the business in Vietnam, officially having entered the market with its first store launch in 2008. To date, a number of South Korean- and Japanese-style shops have mushroomed on the Vietnamese market and have been welcomed by consumers, as Minigood, Yoyoso, and Ilahui advertise themselves as brands from South Korea, Mumuso styles itself as “a retail brand name from South Korea”, and Miniso calls itself a renowned “Japanese designer brand”.

This favourite of local consumers comes not only from Vietnamese people’s interest in foreign brands, but also from the fact that products from South Korea and Japan are always sought after for prestige and good quality.

Do Hoang Lan, living in Hanoi, told VIR that she often visits the Ilahui shop near her house to buy everyday items. “I am crazy about the cheap, but beautiful goods from foreign brands. I buy a lot of things each time I come to this shop, even though I have no plans to buy them.”

The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently announced the results of its inspection of Mumuso Vietnam, saying that 99.3 per cent of its goods were made in China. Other chains, including Miniso and Daiso Japan, were also found to show signs of unclear origins of their goods. Specifically, many of Daiso Japan’s goods are of Chinese origin, but not labelled in Vietnamese, and do not carry conformity to regulation (CR) stamps in accordance with Vietnamese legal regulations on goods labelling.

In Miniso, customers see advertisements with the words “Japanese designer brand” and its products labelled in Japanese, with information in English, Japanese, and Chinese, but most of products are made in China.

Reflections of consumers
Many Vietnamese consumers have publicly expressed their opinions on the misleading information of some brands’ advertisements. Many showed worry and raised the question whether the goods sold by these brands, manufactured in a third country, can equal the quality of goods made in South Korea or Japan or whether the brands are tricking consumers into buying low-quality goods to make a profit.

Phuong Thu from Hadong district in Hanoi asked, “Why do Korean- and Japanese-advertised stores sell Chinese goods? It is intentionally misleading to deceive the consumers. From now on, I will not buy and use products of these brands anymore.”

16-year-old Hong Anh from Dong Da district in Hanoi said that she and her friends sometimes go to these stores to buy birthday gifts. “We chose these brands because we all thought that they sell South Korean or Japanese products at reasonable prices, suitable for the financial capacities of students. From the day I found out that they cheated consumers by selling Chinese goods, I did not go there anymore.”

However, other consumers shared that they would still buy products in these stores because of their beautiful design and reasonable prices. Only when buying health-related products will they choose the more prestigious suppliers on the market.

Thanh Huyen from Hanoi said her husband is Japanese and is very interested in the origin and quality of the goods he is using. “Cosmetics, milk, and baby clothes are mostly sent by my mother-in-law or by my husband when he returns to Japan. As for other daily necessities, I just choose well known stores I feel very confident in and trust,” Huyen said.

Japanese expatriate Masayuki Manabe, who has lived in Hanoi for 10 years, said that he has just bought decorative goods that do not affect health at these stores. For other items, he selects the more prestigious brands in the market.

A Japanese retailer representative in Vietnam said that customers are losing trust in some brands of advertising from Japan. While this has caused a negative impact on his company, it is also an opportunity to affirm its position on the market.

“In order for customers to feel secure, information about our products on the stamp is also provided more carefully, including the origin, production units, and importers,” he said.

Hoang Oanh report on VIR

City condo market begins to recover

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Condominiums remain the best bet for people living in big cities thanks to their affordable prices, and not surprisingly the HCM City apartment market is showing signs of recovering after the slowdown caused by the Carina Plaza fire at the beginning of this year, insiders said.

A sales executive from TTC Land told Việt Nam News that when her company sold its new project in District 4, Charmington Iris, last week more than 150 out of 200 units were snapped up.

All three-bedroom units were sold, she said.

Nam Long Real Estate company told Việt Nam News the sale of its new Flora Novia project in Thủ Đức District last week attracted 1,000 prospective buyers.

All 273 units in block A were sold, it said.

With prices ranging from VNĐ1.5 billion (US$65,700) to VNĐ2 billion ($87,700), the project is in the most popular segment.

The second selling phase will be in September.

Not only the primary market but also the secondary market is witnessing a recovery, which is clearly shown through rising prices.

The prices of some new apartments have increased since the developer sold them.

Report from Sài Gòn Giải Phóng newspaper (The Liberated Sài Gòn) said that at Sunwah Pearl in Bình Thạnh District prices are up 15 per cent from the VNĐ45 million ($2,000) per square metre at which the developer had sold.

At The Sun Avenue in District 2, units are being sold at over VNĐ40 million per square metre. The developer had sold a year ago at VNĐ33-35 million.

Him Lam Phú An in District 9 with 1,000 apartments to be handed over by the end of this year is fetching original buyers a 15 per cent profit now.

Florita in District 7 has seen prices increase by 30 per cent.

The Ministry of Construction reported that condo prices rose by 1.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter of this year.

Industry insiders attributed the price increase to a supply shortage even as demand remains high.

Most transactions are at projects by prestigious developers which are making good construction progress.

Studies by market researchers clearly show the shortage of supply.

CBRE Vietnam said in the second quarter, 6,200 condos were sold, down 36 per cent from the previous quarter.

The HCM City Real Estate Association reported that supply fell by 44.5 per cent in the first half.

Lê Hoàng Châu, its chairman, said from now through the end of this year, many new projects would come into the market.

After some difficulties, the condo market would see positive signs in the next few months, he said, pointing out that since the beginning of this quarter new projects are witnessing sales of 60-80 per cent.

Condos priced at under VNĐ2 billion ($87,700) would make up the key segment, he said.

Property investment and management company Jones Lang LaSalle said in a report: “While the official new launches in the second quarter of 2018 totalled 6,947 units, down over 49 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 11.5 per cent year-on-year, the market also recorded a notable number of 6,000 units under soft launches.”

There were sales of 7,374 units in this period, down 19.4 per cent, in line with narrowing new supply, it said.

Of them, 70 per cent were in the affordable segment at prices of $1,000-1,200 per square metre, mainly in Districts 8 and Bình Chánh.

JLL said prices were higher quarter-on-quarter across all segments, with the affordable segment registering the highest growth of 2.6 per cent.

The secondary market too saw an uptrend in the second quarter with a 1.7 per cent rise in prices quarter-on-quarter against an average quarterly growth rate of 0.5 per cent over the 2017-18 period, it added.

Source: VNS

Food safety in industrial zones a major concern

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Food safety is still a major concern at public canteens in Hanoi, especially at factory cafeterias in industrial zones, according to officials.

Tran Van Chung, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Health, said several food poisoning cases have occurred at public canteens in the city in recent months. He blamed substandard food at canteens and low awareness of their staff.

In the latest incident, 29 trainees from Song Hồng Human Resources JSC suffered food poisoning after having dinner provided by New Sky Food Processing and Trading Ltd. They were rushed to local hospitals for emergency treatment after experiencing stomach aches, headaches, vomiting and high fevers.

The incident has prompted competent agencies to tighten the management of public canteens at industrial zones and schools in the capital.

According to the health department, there are 4,256 public canteens in the city, including 457 in industrial zones.

Hoàng Thị Minh Thu, deputy head of Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Division, said inspectors from the Hanoi Department of Health and Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Division have inspected 133 public canteens, including 96 in industrial zones.

Fourteen canteens were found to have violated food safety and hygiene and safety standards, with total punishment amounting to VNĐ85.5 million (US$3,700).

Common violations included failing to store food samples properly, using substandard facilities and a lack of regular health examinations for kitchen staff.

Food origin

Nguyễn Thanh Phong, director of the Ministry of Health’s Administration of Food Safety and Hygiene said food poisoning at public canteens is a major problem.

According to him, ready-to-eat food was the biggest issue leading to food poisoning.

Surveys conducted by the administration showed that about 70 per cent of food poisoning cases came from catering services, he said.

Inspections revealed that only 20 per cent of companies at industrial and processing zones set up their own public canteens, while the rest signed contracts with food processing and trading companies.

Ngô Đình Loát, deputy head of Hanoi Agro-Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance Division, said with a population of more than 10 million, the demand for food in the city was big.

Hanoi could produce only 60 per cent of the food and the rest comes from neighbouring provinces.

Hà Linh Chi, a representative from Panasonic Appliances Vietnam Ltd company, said the biggest challenge in ensuring food safety in canteens was the honesty of food suppliers.

Most public canteens could show certificates declaring the origin of food and sample tests were used, but it was impossible to ensure they met standards stated in signed contracts or not, she said.

Vo Viet Dung, chairman of Nam Hanoi Food Processing JSC, agreed.

He cited the fact that some small enterprises affiliated with big firms who specialise in producing safe food. However, they still purchased food with unclear origin to supply public canteens.

Dũng also said the low cost of a meal for workers at industrial zones posed difficulties for companies in ensuring nutrition and quality.

Tran Kieu Huong, a representative from Ba Sao Food Service Ltd company, agreed.

“A meal for workers must meet certain quantity and quality of food while the company pays only VNĐ18,000 per dish,” she told the Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi) newspaper.

In addition, she said, companies who provided safe food couldn’t meet the requests of every canteen as they were scattered in different places.

To tackle these problems, city authorities had signed contracts with 21 provinces and cities in the north to provide safe food, Loát from Hanoi Agro-Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance Division said.

Quick response (QR) code applications had been deployed to trace the origins of agricultural products to control quality. This enabled companies to choose the right products, he said.

Regarding communications activities, Huong stressed the need to improve the awareness of those involved.

It was necessary to educate managers, chefs and staff working at canteens and food processing companies about their responsibility in ensuring safe food, she said.

To ensure food safety at public canteens, Tran Van Chung, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Health, said the origin of the food would be tightened and inspections on public canteens would be strengthened. Any violations should be strictly dealt with.

The management board of industrial zones should enhance co-operation with public canteens, he said. Only units meeting standards were allowed to operate and only those who had undergone training on food safety were permitted to work there.

Dtinews

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