Minister: CPTPP reflects Vietnam’s global integrationThe participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has reflected a new level of Vietnam’s regional and global integration, according to Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh. Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (first from right, second row)He told reporters on the sidelines of the CPTPP signing ceremony that took place on March 8 in Santiago, Chile that the CPTPP membership shows Vietnam’s determination to resolutely implement the Party’s strategy and the State’s policies on undertaking proactive, intensive and extensive international integration. The minister said as one of the founders of the TPP and CPTPP, Vietnam achieved many purposes. As the founding country of CPTPP, Vietnam is able to protect and maximise its interests when considering other countries’ admission to the deal. The minister affirmed that member states highly valued the quality of the new-generation free trade deal.

North-south highway project fails to lure investorsVietNamNet Bridge - Many investors have shown interest in the huge north-south highway project, but are reluctant to make investment decisions. Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep quoted sources from ABD as reporting that the legal framework applied to infrastructure projects and the north-south highway project is not clear enough, which makes it difficult to calculate profits and anticipate risks. The stockholder equity required from BOT project developers was 15 percent only in the past. As it is nearly impossible to attract foreign investors, the project will fall into deadlock if Vietnamese investors cannot join the bidding. A senior executive said that it was difficult to access bank loans, because commercial banks tightened lending after the scandals with BOT projects.

CP TPP trade deal officially inked in ChileThe Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CP TPP) was officially inked at a ceremony chaired by Chilean President Micelle Bachelet in Santiago de Chile on March 8. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CP TPP) was officially inked in Chile on March 8. Trade ministers of 11 countries participating in the trade pact, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, attended the event. The ambitious deal came after the US pulled out the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement last year. The content of CP TPP was basically unchanged from the original TPP with 8,000 pages, except for the suspended implementation of 22 provisions mainly related to intellectual property.

iPhone market large enough for existing distributors, new playersVietNamNet Bridge - The demand for iPhones in Vietnam are high, but 40 percent of iPhones sold come from unofficial import sources, leaving room for new distributors. The demand for iPhone is always highA market analysis firm estimated that the Vietnamese mobile phone market was valued at $3.7 billion, or VND82 trillion, in 2017. The retailer said the iPhone market in Vietnam still promises great potential with 40 percent of supply from unofficial import channels and the low number of shops specializing in distributing Apple’s products. Lazada, one of the best known e-commerce websites, has jumped into the iPhone distribution market. A website at batterydown.vn has been set up to which Vietnamese iPhone users can register to join the lawsuit.

Boy with autism excels at mathematics, wins awardsVietNamNet Bridge - Dinh Vu Tung Lam, who is autistic and did not speak until he was four years old, has won many medals in mathematics. I remember how my mother tried to help me practice spelling and how she taught folk songs on the way home. Only after a lot of effort could Lam’s mother enroll her son in Le Quy Don Primary School. Yen, Lam’s mother, said those were tough days for her son so she decided to stay by his side to help him overcome difficulties. After the first week in the second grade, Lam solved all the questions in the textbook.

Vietnam’s tourism promoted at world’s largest travel showMore than 40 leading Vietnamese tourism companies have introduced their products at ITB 2018, the world’s largest tourism trade fair that opened in Germany’s Berlin on March 7. Visitors had a chance to explore Vietnam’s traditional culture through special art performances, as well as the country’s signature cuisines. The five-day fair brings together more than 10,000 travel companies from 189 countries and territories worldwide. Within the framework of the event, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, the Hanoi Centre for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion and a number of partners, including Vietnam Airlines, jointly held a press conference on Vietnam’s tourism. Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Doan Xuan Hung said the embassy will coordinate and work as a bridge to help Vietnamese travel companies cooperate with their German counterparts.

How exercise in old age prevents the immune system from decliningDoing lots of exercise in older age can prevent the immune system from declining and protect people against infections, scientists say. Professor Norman Lazarus, aged 82, has the immune system of a 20 year old. "It has wide-ranging benefits for the body, the mind, for our muscles and our immune system." "Because the cyclists have the immune system of a 20-year-old rather than a 70- or 80-year-old, it means they have added protection against all these issues." The researchers looked at markers in the blood for T-cells, which help the immune system respond to new infections.

Vietnam urged to encourage ASEAN nations to join OECDVietnam should encourage other ASEAN members to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a senior official from the Japanese Foreign Ministry said at the Ministerial Conference of the OECD in Tokyo on March 8. Therefore, the OECD considered the regional nations its potential members, and initiated the Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) in 2014, he said, adding that the interest in the OECD among ASEAN nations is growing. The SEARP aims to support ASEAN nations’ economic reform and integration, has seen numerous positive outcomes. The OECD has shared its experience, knowledge and advised policies for ASEAN nations in investment, infrastructure, small- and medium-sized enterprises, education-training, among others, Son said. The event highlighted the important role of SEARP in creating favourable conditions for ASEAN’s regional integration, supporting reform priorities in ASEAN member nations, and bringing them closer to the OECD.

ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting held in SingaporeThe ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting in Singapore on March 7-8 reviewed agenda and events of the 32nd ASEAN Summit scheduled for April 25-28 in the island state. At the 31st ASEAN Summit in ManilaDeputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of the Vietnam ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), and a Vietnamese delegation attended the event. Themed “Resilient and Creative ASEAN”, leaders of the bloc will review the construction of the ASEAN Community and devise supplementary measures for the process. Participants gave their feedback on the contents of documents of the 32nd ASEAN Summit, during which countries are due to adopt the Chairman’s Statement, the Declaration on the Vision of ASEAN Leaders on a resilient and creative ASEAN, documents on definition of the establishment of ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Cyber Security Cooperation. The ASEAN SOM was also held on March 7 to discuss regional and global matters.

Travelodge’s first Vietnam hotel to be built in Cam RanhArena Cam Ranh will be the first Travelodge hotel in Vietnam and the first Skype by Travelodge, which is the upper midscale brand of Travelodge Asia, a leading hotel chains in the region. The design of Arena Cam Ranh (Source: thearena.vn)It will be built in Cam Ranh, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa and ready to open in 2020, according to Jonathan Wigle CEO of Travelodge (Thailand). The first condotel in Cam Ranh will include the 2,497-room Skype by Travelodge Arena Nha Trang, the Lounge, all-day dining restaurant, a gym and large swimming pool. It is also very encouraging to observe the level of government support for transport and social infrastructure that will further assist the hospitality industry,” said Stephen Burt, Chairman of Travelodge Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, Travelodge Hotels (Asia), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SGX-listed ICP Ltd, is responsible for the development of Travelodge hotels in Asia.

Designer Cong Tri to open Vietnam Int’l Fashion Week 2018Local designer Nguyen Cong Tri has been busy preparing his latest collections for the Vietnam International Fashion Week 2018 (VIFW) scheduled for April 19-22 in HCM City. Designer Nguyen Cong Tri and supermodel Thanh HangFrom the first season in 2014 to now, fashion designer Cong Tri has been a popular name for the opening of Vietnam International Fashion Week 2018. Following the success of his collection ‘No 8’ in the VIFW 2014, Tri was invited to participate in the Tokyo Fashion Week 2015 and 2016 with impressive collections Em Hoa (Flowers) and Lua (Rice). After his ‘Em Hoa’ collection was praised in Vogue magazine in late March 2017, American pop star Rihanna ordered a design from Cong Tri for her new latest photoshoot. The model casting round for the fashion week is set for March 11 in HCM City.

PM asks to cut above-the-line expenditures in ODA projectsPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered ministries and State agencies to cut above-the-line expenditures and only spend the new ODA funds on development investment during a meeting on March 8. It gathered several relevant ministries and State agencies to discuss the management of Vietnam’s ODA and foreign soft loans. Attendees to the event agreed that ODA and foreign soft loans should be only used for development investment and not spent on above-the-line costs like purchases of cars. However, there is a lack of legal definitions to clarify the differences between development investment costs and above-the-line expenditures in ODA projects. He assigned the Ministry of Finance to make clear of the two expenditures and soon proposed to him for approval.-VNA

Garlic death raises crystal meth concernsVietNamNet Bridge – The death of a 20-year-old girl on Monday in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh District that was allegedly caused by an aspiring pop singer after the pair reportedly used crystal methamphetamine, raising concerns about the dangers of the drug. Cao Tien Duc, Head of the Viet Nam Military Medical University’s Medical Psychiatry and Psychology Unit, said hallucinations after using methamphetamine were common. Using drugs like crystal methamphetamine can also harm users’ physical health. Up to 60 per cent of deaths among crystal methamphetamine users were caused by cardiovascular damage, he said. Most of those users hold a misconception that using crystal meth is cool and that it was not an addictive drug.

MOET expects more international educational investmentVietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) is expecting the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to continue their technical and financial support for Vietnamese higher educational projects, said Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha. MOET Minister Phung Xuan Nha said that the key character of the general educational reform of Vietnam was to transform from a knowledge-based education to competency development and providing more soft skills to students. WB reports show progress made by Vietnam in terms of educational quality at all levels. The MOET proposed that the WB promoting WB expert exchange in conducting research and crafting higher education policies, focusing on international experience and experimental research. The ministry also hoped that the WB would support Vietnam to actively participate in the initiatives of the International Education Committee to develop the capacity of teachers and management officials.

Stiff competition forces pay-TV service providers to lower feesVietNamNet Bridge - Television services are reducing service fees as they face stiff competition among themselves and with OTT (over the top) TV. The revenue of the pay-TV market was VND7.5 trillion in 2017In 2017, K+, SCTV, VTVcab and Viettel began developing OTT pay-TV service. K+ has myK+Now (VND125,000 a month), while SCTV has SCTV VOD (VND30,000-50,000 and VTVcab has VTVcab ON (VND40,000-50,000). With 14 million TV subscribers in 2017, the total revenue of the pay-TV market was VND7.5 trillion.In 2016, Vietnam had only 12.5 million subscribers, but the revenue was high at VND12 trillion. RELATED NEWSPay TV revenue hits US$527.3 million this yearInternet TV: copyright infringement remains a problem in VietnamMai Chi