Ministries, localities asked to track domestic, regional situationsThe Government has asked ministries, sectors and localities to closely monitor developments of domestic and global situations to devise suitable policies, said Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung during a cabinet press conference on March 1. Dung said that this year, ministries, sectors will focus on finalising some major projects such as the urban railway, Tan Son Nhat airport and soon launch the North-South Expressway. Research on the project by ADPi Engineering from France has been submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung. Dong stressed the significance of the expansion of the airport amidst regional aviation development, including the operation of Long Thanh airport in 2025. Dong added that next week, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung will listen to reports before leaders of the Government consider the project.

Foreign media call Vietnam a rising tigerVietNamNet Bridge - Despite Brexit and the US withdrawal from the TPP, which are expected to have adverse effects on Vietnam’s economy, foreign experts and investors still have a positive impression of the economy’s performance. Vietnam is called a rising tigerIn an article titled ‘Vietnam, the Rising Tiger Economy’ published in Manila Bulletin in late 2017, Dr Florangel Rosario Braid wrote: “The introduction of socialist-oriented market economic reforms has made it (Vietnam) one of the world’s successful market economies.”“Private ownership was encouraged and state enterprises were restructured to operate under market constraints. The APEC 2006 summit in Hanoi was Vietnam’s coming-out party, its debut on the world economic stage, while APEC 2017 was the time for Vietnam to shine after many years of global integration. By the time APEC 2006 took place, Vietnam’s GDP had increased by twofold from $25 billion in 1996 to $66 billion in 2006, and the GNI from $310 to $760. Foreign investors are attracted by the young labor force which can be trained and are willing to work with minimum monthly wage of around $172.

Trump steel tariffs: Trading partners threaten retaliationThe main trading partners of the US have reacted angrily after President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. He said steel imports would face a 25% tariff and aluminium 10%. But US steel industry executives say Chinese steel is still widely shipped to the US through third countries. What shape is the US steel industry in? The US Department of Energy says the steel industry is recovering after a slump following the 2008 financial crisis.

Shares decline after a four-day riseVietnamese shares declined on March 1 after rising for four consecutive sessions, due to large-cap stocks underperforming as investors sold in pursuit of short-term profits. An investor follows transactions at Viet Dragon Securities Company. The UPCOM Index on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) edged down 0.45 percent to finish 59.82 points. The unlisted market index gained 0.03 percent to finish at 60.09 points in the previous session. Foreign investors were net sellers of 167.13 billion VND on HOSE, concentrated on HCM (95.8 billion VND), HDB (45.8 billion VND) and VCB (30.6 billion VND).

Outstanding farmers launch agri startupsVietNamNet Bridge – Tran Trung Hieu, a farmer from An Giang Province’s Chau Thanh District, not only cares for his orange garden, but does so using an invention he designed and built on his own. A solar pesticide spraying machine produced by Tran Trung Hieu is widely used by farmers in the region. At present, his company produces nearly 20 tonnes of biological products to meet local demand and ship to other regions in Mekong Delta. VCCI Can Tho director Vo Hung Dung said the contest was intended to promote the startup movement and develop a startup ecosystem in the Mekong Delta region. He noted that startups were an urgent need in the Mekong Delta as the region is facing formidable challenges like stagnant economic growth and climate change.

Hanoi needs millions of USD to revive riversVietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi is a ‘city of rivers and lakes’. The BOD5 (Biological Oxygen Demand) concentration in the rainy season is 1.09-2.08 times higher on Nhue River, and 1.1-2.18 times higher on Day River. The rivers are polluted by waste water from residential quarters and untreated waste water from production workshops. Hai said Hanoi has called for investments in waste water treatment projects from different sources, but the capital is just enough to treat 22 percent of waste water. In order to revive the rivers, Hanoi will need a huge amount of capital.

Samsung S9, S9+: 50% of phones made in VietnamVietNamNet Bridge - Samsung has introduced the duo Galaxy S9 and S9+ on the threshold of the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. “Galaxy S9 and S9+ made in Vietnam will be exported to 128 countries all over the world,” said Bang Hyun Woo, deputy general director of Samsung Electronics Vietnam. SEV Bac Ninh and SEVT Thai Nguyen produce more than 50 percent of total Galaxy S9 and S9+ output worldwide. SEV Bac Ninh and SEVT Thai Nguyen produce more than 50 percent of total Galaxy S9 and S9+ output worldwide. Debate continues about whether to consider Samsung’s products made at its factories in Vietnam as ‘made in Vietnam products’ if the locally made content remains modest.

Teachers help connect Vietnamese students with the worldVietNamNet Bridge - With the support of information technology, teachers are helping students from poor areas connect with friends around the world. Joining MEC (the Microsoft Educator Community), Thuy can connect with thousands of teachers all over the world. Her students can share views with students around the globe. Hieu and his students also connect with classes in other cities/provinces in Vietnam, including HCMC, Hung Yen and Thai Nguyen. RELATED NEWSThe students working through TetThe students working through TetVN students need counseling: psychologistsKim Chi

Jaguar reveals first all-electric SUVJaguar has revealed the production version of its first all-electric SUV as luxury carmakers race to go green. Photo: JLRThe I-Pace can reach 60mph in 4.5 seconds and has a range of almost 300 miles on a fully charged battery. Photo: JLRThe car is the first all-electric SUV since Tesla unveiled its Model X in 2015. Jaguar Land Rover said that every vehicle line it launches from 2020 will have an all-electric or hybrid version. Germany's BMW is also planning all-electric models and hybrid vehicles and its first electric Mini will be released next year.

Revived TPP will benefit its members without USWhile rumours circulate of the US potentially re-joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the UK has also recently expressed wishes to have its name added to the pact. The US’ withdrawal substantially reduced the market size and potential benefits to TPP members. But the immediate priority for CPTPP members should be to sign the current agreement and finalise domestic ratification procedures so that the agreement can be implemented. While UK participation may generate some additional benefits, the regional impacts of UK participation would be modest. No CPTPP members currently rank amongst the UK’s top 10 import or export markets.

It was followed by British Virgin Islands with approximately 450 million USD and Singapore with 418 million USD. Ho Chi Minh City was the top destination for foreign investors, attracting 1.05 billion USD, or 31.27 percent, followed by Binh Duong (434 million USD), Ninh Thuan (253 million USD), or 12.98 percent and 7.6 percent respectively. Hanoi’s export revenue is estimated to hit 2.09 billion USD in the Jan-Feb period, up 25.1 percent year-on-year while its import is valued at 2.49 billion USD, up 15.4 percent. Meanwhile, the value of imports in 2017 was estimated at 211.1 billion USD, 20.8 percent higher than 2016. As a result, the country maintained a trade surplus of about 2.7 billion USD, the same figure as 2016.

Prime Minister clarifies Government’s viewpoint on macro-economic stabilityPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted keeping macro-economic stability, creating a favourable environment for production and business, and promoting rapid and sustainable development as the tasks of the Government to steer the national economy in the future in a recent article. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc notes that keeping macro-economic stability is an important and consistent requirement in developing a socialist-oriented market economyHe wrote that keeping macro-economic stability is an important and consistent requirement in developing a socialist-oriented market economy. Particularly, the macro-economic stability continued to be maintained, featuring a great success and greatly contributing to production and business development and economic growth. Another solution is promoting production and business development to create a solid micro-foundation for macro-economic stability. Meanwhile, determinedly and persistently keeping macro-economic stability and not boosting growth at all costs is a consistent target in the Government’s steering work, the leader said.

Co-working spaces in Hanoi, HCMC see bright futureVietNamNet Bridge - Demand for offices is forecast to increase sharply in 2018 thanks to the improved economy, while the number of co-working spaces will also expand proportionally. In mid-2017, CBRE Vietnam, a real estate service provider, released a report on the popularity of co-working spaces in Vietnam. And in the last two years, co-working spaces have taken shape and developed. According to CBRE Vietnam, the supply of co-working spaces has increased by 58 percent per annum in the last few years. By the end of June 2017, co-working spaces amounted to 0.5 percent of total area of A- and B-class offices in Hanoi and HCMC.

Assets of King of Shrimp family reduce sharply after Eximbank scandalThe capitalisation of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (MPC) decreased by VND1.1 trillion ($48.7 million) after information that VND245 billion ($10.8 million) was appropriated from Chu Thi Binh’s—the wife of the “King of Shrimp”—savings account at Eximbank. As a result, the capitalisation of the corporation has shrunk by VND1.1 trillion ($48.7 million), to VND6.7 trillion ($295.3 million). Binh holds 17.47 million MPC shares, equalling 24.96 per cent of the charter capital, as the biggest shareholder. Their daughter, Le Thi Diu Minh, has also lost VND50 billion ($2.2 million) to now hold VND306 billion ($13.5 million) in assets. After a meeting with Eximbank, Chu Thi Binh, who lost VND245 billion ($10.8 million), will check the arrangement carefully before receiving VND14.8 billion ($0.65 million) ...

VN must bolster anti-bribery lawsVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam lacks necessary mechanisms to enforce provisions on bribery of foreign public officials and officials of international public organisations under the 2015 Penal Code, according to research conducted by Ha Noi Law University with support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). — Photo: VNNThe research provides case studies of laws and law enforcement efforts to curb bribery of foreign public officials in five countries – the US, the UK, South Korea, Japan and China - and applications for Vietnam. These five selected countries criminalize bribery of foreign public officials. The experiences of the US, the UK, South Korea and Japan indicate that the prosecution of bribery of foreign public officials should not be the first and sole solution. These countries criminalize bribery of foreign public officials not only to punish it but also to promote the use of preventive and self-detection mechanisms by businesses to avoid criminal liability.