VN records US$33.62bn in export value in Jan-FebViet Nam had six groups of export commodities gaining at least US$1 billion in export value in the first two months of 2018. The department said all export commodities gaining billion-dollar export value achieved double-digit growth rate in export value. Textiles and apparels gained a surge of 22.3 per cent year-on-year in export value to reach $4.3 billion. This was considered the highest growth rate in export value of the textile and garment industry in recent years. Of this, $19.57 billion came from the six groups of commodities earning a billion dollars in export value, accounting for 58.2 per cent of the total export value.

Mekong Delta braces for salt intrusionVietNamNet Bridge – Authorities and people living in the coastal areas of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have taken several measures to prevent saltwater intrusion, including building of dams. Agricultural officials construct a temporary dam to prevent salt intrusion in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang. In Tien Giang Province, saltwater has intruded 20km inland and is expected to surge 30-40km by the middle of this month. The sub-department has drafted a plan to prevent saltwater intrusion this year and is waiting for approval from the People’s Committee. Last year, saltwater intrusion was not severe in Hau Giang Province and did not affect agricultural production much, according to the sub-department.

He also said the city should reconsider business supportive policies in order to strike a balance between big enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses. “The highlight of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries last year was export growth being higher than import growth, which contributed to narrowing the trade gap to $20 billion,” Dr. Anh said. Moreover, according to Mr. Chau, the potential for business cooperation between Japanese and Vietnamese developers will be huge in the future. In the EU, the demand for wood and wood products is also on a stable upward trend thanks to economic recovery. Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Singapore Tran Thu Quynh said the Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently worked with concerned bodies, particularly the provincial Departments of Industry and Trade, to promote Vietnamese products in international markets.

HCM City parking lot turned into parkAfter being closed during HCM City’s pavement cleanup campaign, a parking lot behind Opera House in District 1 has been turned into a park. The 800-square metre lot, which was among the biggest parking lots in HCM City, had been managed by District 1’s urban management department for 10 years since 2007. District 1 vice chairman Doan Ngoc Hai found the license for the parking lot had expired in July 2017 and he proposed to the municipal authorities to turn it into a park. Hoang Mong Diep, a local resident, said that the area has become more peaceful as the parking lot was closed. Doan Ngoc Hai launched the pavement campaign in early 2017, but early this year, he submitted a letter of resignation, saying he had failed as the campaign proved ineffective.

Vietnamese-German writer’s best-seller published in VietnameseVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese-German writer Isabelle Muller’s best-selling book Loan-Aus dem Leben eines Phoenix (Loan-From a Life of Phoenix) has been published in Vietnamese. Vietnamese-German writer Isabelle Muller’s Loan-Aus dem Leben eines Phonix (Loan- From a Life of Phoenix) has been published in Vietnamese. The book describes how she left Vietnam in 1955 and moved to live in Algeria first and then France. Muller, Loan’s youngest daughter, tells a lively story of an ordinary woman with whom women readers, especially in Vietnam, can empathise with. Her book, Tu Cuoc Doi Cua Mot Con Chim Phuong Hoang in Vietnamese, has been published by the Tre Publishing House.

U$3.2bn oil refinery project license revokedA foreign-owned USD3.2-billion oil refinery project in the central coastal province of Phu Yen has had its investment license revoked due to slow implementation. Vung Ro oil refinery project has remained an empty land plot after 11 yearsThe news was reported by Le Van Thanh, head of the provincial management board for economic zones on March 8. The Vung Ro oil refinery project was jointly invested by UK-based Technostar Management Ltd and Russia's Telloil Group. Phu Yen authorities previously raised issues about the project’s problems to the prime minister for consideration. Vung Ro oil refinery project located in Hoa Tam Commune, Dong Hoa District was licensed in 2007 with the total investment of USD3.2 billion.

European firms upbeat about Vietnam’s business environmentUp to 70% of European companies in Vietnam are upbeat about the country’s business environment, so they have decided to invest more in the coming years. Up to 70% of European companies in Vietnam are upbeat about Vietnam's business environmentThe European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) held a press conference in Hanoi on March 8 to announce the report about Business Climate Index and EuroCham’s operation plans in Vietnam 2018. Meanwhile, 70% European firms are optimistic about Vietnam’s business climate in the coming time and 50-60% want to invest more in the country. EuroCham will also launch its Trade and Investment in Vietnam Whitebook next Thursday. Eurocham’s Whitebook for 2017 features recommendations the implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, European businesses’ obstacles and potential solutions.

Public feedback invited on underground station near Hoan Kiem LakeVietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) said the model of an underground station (Terminal C9) for the urban railway project No 2 will be displayed to allow people to give feedback. The location where the underground Terminal C9 is supposed to be constructed near Hoan Kiem Lake. It runs through five districts: Bac Tu Liem, Tay Ho, Cau Giay, Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem, with three aboveground terminals and seven underground ones. The underground Terminal C9 is designed with four entrances and exits. The third entrance is situated next to Hoan Kiem Lake and the last is behind the monument honouring Vietnamese soldiers who were killed in the first French Indochina War.

Co To Island’s tranquil beauty seduces travellersTravellers to the northern province of Quang Ninh should not miss Co To Island with its untouched beauty and clear blue waters. To reach the place, from Hanoi they are advised to take a bus to Van Don Crossroads in Bai Chay Ward (Quang Ninh Province), and then take a taxi or local bus to reach Cai Rong Port. At the port, they can choose either a high-speed boat or small wooden boat to reach the pristine Co To Island. Wooden boats cost VNĐ110,000 per passenger for a round trip, but are not available on Sundays. According to local authorities, last year the island received 320,000 visitors, including 2,200 foreigners.

About 59 per cent of waged male workers have labour contracts, while only 50 per cent of their female counterparts do. The working conditions are worse for female workers in the informal sector, such as domestic helpers and street hawkers. “It is absolutely important to give informal labourers access to social security policies such as social insurance and voluntary life insurance,” she said. The employers play a major part in ensuring equal opportunities for female labourers, he added. “They should embrace social responsibility, and not think of using female labourers without considering how they would ensure their benefits,” he said.

Female artist depicts beauty of women and natureVietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese Women’s Museum opened an art exhibition by female artist Van Duong Thanh yesterday to mark International Women’s Day. Though they are created in different materials such as lacquer, oil on canvas and sculpture, they share the same inspiration in Mother and Nature. “Thanh is known in the world as a remarkable artist of Vietnam. The exhibition will run until May 8 at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi. At the closing ceremony, a fashion show featuring ao dai (traditional long dress) imprinted with Thanh’s paintings will be organised.

Asia Brand Power, a newly released report from Kantar Worldpanel, showed that Vietnamese brands are dominating the domestic market. The success of Vietnamese brands is attributed to the close cooperation with Vietnamese retailers. Ly Kim Chi, chair of the HCM City Food & Foodstuff Association (FFA), confirmed that Vietnamese companies dominate fresh poultry and animal meat, vegetables and fruits. RisksThe dominance of Vietnamese companies, to some extent, puts them at risk because they could be the targets for foreign giants planning M&As. Pham Thi Ngoc Ha, director of San Ha, a poultry meat supplier, said Vietnamese companies that understand domestic consumers well are being eyed by foreign investors.

Fishermen abandon boats as estuary silts upHundreds of fishing boats in Thanh Hoa Province have been left unused at Lach Bang Port. Hai Binh Commune has 205 boats with 1,300 fishermen and traders and Hai Thanh Commune has 500 boats. Lach Bang Port plays an important role in the lives of the local people. Fishermen with fishing boats had to hire rescue ships multiple times. Fishermen in Hai Binh Commune had signed and sent a petition for help to the provincial authorities.

Smart city solutions can be home-grownLocal Vietnamese tech companies “are fully capable of” providing the core components of a smart city, said Le Ngoc Tuan, head of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) division in one of the leading IT companies in the country, FPT. In the “smart city” future, a system of sensors and actuators would automatically handle the management of traffic signals based on current demands, without the need for human intervention. “Most importantly, the ultimate purpose of any smart initiative, including a smart city, is to improve quality of life,” he added. Still, ‘smart city’ remains a fairly vague concept with no rigid definition. A 10-component smart city was proposed which would include smart energy, smart mobility, smart community, smart environment, smart education, smart manufacturing, smart aerospace city, smart innovation, smart economy and smart governance where every component would be interlinked in a harmonious manner.

VN boasts nearly 12,000 marine species: studyScientists have found nearly 12,000 Vietnamese marine creature species, including animals and plants, through studying the country’s marine biological resources, reported the Vietnam News Agency. In addition, researchers have also assessed the decline in coastal resources and dangers to biological resources, including environmental pollution, climate change and fishing methods that cause overexploitation. Study orientationRegarding the study’s orientation through 2020 on marine creature species, Thung said the study on marine creature resources over the past years also has shortcomings. It is essential to diversify marine resources such as drug-value creature resources, biological resources in deep seas and biological resources with high economic values such as mollusca and crustaceans. This is a foundation for scientists to conduct research to build a seasonal seafood fishing ground map and to develop a strategic plan for marine resources exploitation.