Southern province plans 1,500 bridges

Southern province plans 1,500 bridges

Ca Mau Province authorities have approved a plan to build 1,588 rural bridges at a total cost of VND453 billion (US$26.7 million) in 2009-10.

The bridges will help provide overland access to rural roads, residential areas, schools and health clinics, limiting waterway traffic and gradually eliminating the need for students to travel to school by river.

Nhan Dan (The People)

Just 1% of contraband cigarettes nabbed

Only seven million packs of cigarettes smuggled into Viet Nam are being seized and destroyed each year, accounting for a mere 1 per cent, it is estimated.

A recent study by WHO said around 5 million people in the world are killed by smoking every year, and the number is expected to rise to 8 million by 2020. In Viet Nam, around 40,000 fatalities are thought to result from smoking annually.

Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated sai Gon)

Crackdown on petrol adulteration

HCM City is drafting regulations to slap severe penalties on petrol stations that sell adulterated fuel.

The penalties will include increased fines and suspension of licences for up to six months.

Tuoi Tre (Youth)

Youth Union to enlarge talent fund

The HCM City unit of the Communist Youth Union plans to enlarge its Talented Youth Fund to provide more assistance to talented people up to age 35.

The assistance will be provided to students, teachers, and those involved in arts and culture, sports and physical culture, and science and technology. The fund, established in 1993, has funded 500 young talents, so far.

Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer)

Quang Nam EZ promoted in Seoul

A seminar on promoting investment in Quang Nam Province and its Chu Lai Open Economic Zone held in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this week saw more than 60 businesses participating. It aimed to provide information to Korean investors and businesses about opportunities for investing in the central province.

Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times)

Source: vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

Southern province plans 1,500 bridges

Southern province plans 1,500 bridges

Ca Mau Province authorities have approved a plan to build 1,588 rural bridges at a total cost of VND453 billion (US$26.7 million) in 2009-10.

The bridges will help provide overland access to rural roads, residential areas, schools and health clinics, limiting waterway traffic and gradually eliminating the need for students to travel to school by river.

Nhan Dan (The People)

Just 1% of contraband cigarettes nabbed

Only seven million packs of cigarettes smuggled into Viet Nam are being seized and destroyed each year, accounting for a mere 1 per cent, it is estimated.

A recent study by WHO said around 5 million people in the world are killed by smoking every year, and the number is expected to rise to 8 million by 2020. In Viet Nam, around 40,000 fatalities are thought to result from smoking annually.

Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated sai Gon)

Crackdown on petrol adulteration

HCM City is drafting regulations to slap severe penalties on petrol stations that sell adulterated fuel.

The penalties will include increased fines and suspension of licences for up to six months.

Tuoi Tre (Youth)

Youth Union to enlarge talent fund

The HCM City unit of the Communist Youth Union plans to enlarge its Talented Youth Fund to provide more assistance to talented people up to age 35.

The assistance will be provided to students, teachers, and those involved in arts and culture, sports and physical culture, and science and technology. The fund, established in 1993, has funded 500 young talents, so far.

Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer)

Quang Nam EZ promoted in Seoul

A seminar on promoting investment in Quang Nam Province and its Chu Lai Open Economic Zone held in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this week saw more than 60 businesses participating. It aimed to provide information to Korean investors and businesses about opportunities for investing in the central province.

Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times)

Source: vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

VN shops make top 500 regional list

Ha Noi — The HCM City Trade Co-operative Union (Saigon Co-op) won a gold award in a list of the top 500 retailers in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Sai Gon Jewelry Holding Company and Sai Gon-Nguyen Kim Trading Centre were given silver and bronze prizes respectively, at the awards ceremony held in China’s special administrative region of Macau on October 16.

Being included in the “Retail Asia-Pacific top 500” list is a criterion reaffirming the quality of service and prestige of the Sai Gon-Nguyen Kim Trading Centre in particular and Vietnamese retailers as a whole, the centre’s Marketing Director Pham Linh Phuong said.

The top 500 outstanding retailers among the Asia-Pacific region’s 14 economic members were rated by Retail Asia Magazine, in conjunction with Euromonitor, a market information supplier and KPMG, the world renowned financial consultants and auditors.

Retail Asia Magazine called Viet Nam’s retail market a “rising star” in the region. Meanwhile, the US consultancy firm A.T Kearney said Viet Nam has replaced India to become the world’s most attractive emerging retail market. The market would experience a further boom as of January 2009, when Viet Nam fully opens its retail market in accordance with WTO requirements, the firm predicted.

According to the General Statistics Office, Viet Nam earned US$45.5 billion in total retail revenue during 2007, and this figure is expected to reach $53 billion in 2010, with an annual growth rate of 20 per cent. —

Petrol prices fall by another 500 VND per litre

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam National Petroleum Corp. (Petrolimex) and the Military Petrol Company on October 17 reduced the retail prices of A92 and A95 petrol by 500 VND per litre and kerosene by 300 VND per litre to 16,000 VND and 15,200 VND respectively.

Petrolimex holds the largest market share (60 percent of the national market) among 11 domestic petrol and oil importers so its decision is expected to push small domestic petrol businesses to cut their prices in the near future.

However, consumers said that the decrease is not satisfactory given the current world oil price.

Specialist said that crude oil price in the New York market was 69.85 USD per barrel, a decrease by 52.5 percent from the peak in July. The price may continue to fall to below 50 USD per barrel, they added.-

Tonkin Gulf, sanctuary of 4,500 biological species

Hanoi (VNA)- Scientists have determined 4,499 biological species living in the Tonkin Gulf after conducting four surveys.
They include 60 species of wetland plants, 330 species of alga, six species of seaweeds, 318 species of ephemeral plants, 236 species of ephemeral creatures, 2,092 species of seabed creatures, 199 species of coral reefs, 1,198 species of sea fish, 22 species of sea birds and 38 species of sea beasts and reptiles.

The surveys were part of a scientific project on habitats of Tonkin Gulf natural resources and environment conducted recently by a group of scientists headed by Dr. Nguyen Tue Tuong from the Vietnam National Metrological and Hydrological Centre.–