Press digest – April 13

PM asks for speedier SOEs restructuring plan

The PM asked ministries, agencies and localities to work harder for the equitization of 289 businesses, ensuring benefits for the State, laborers and shareholders.

As many as 23 ministries, agencies, localities and economic corporations have submitted their State-owned enterprises (SOEs) restructuring plans to the PM. The PM has approved 19 plans which asked for the equalization of 106 more enterprises in 2015 and additional 109 in the 2016-2020 phase.

The PM urged the Ministry of Finance to tackle obstacles and difficulties in assessing the enterprises as well as host and cooperate with the Steering Board for SOEs Renovation and Development to review the SOEs restructuring works in the 2011-2016 phase and establish the overall SOEs restructuring plan in the 2016-2020 phase.

PM pledges more funding for drought measures in Ninh Thuan

PM Nguyen Tan Dung agreed with additional funding for the central province of Ninh Thuan to counter the local drought effects while working with local authorities.

Given such conditions, the government donated 300 tons of rice and VND40 billion (US$1.9 million) to buy water, food and new crops for affected families.

VN, China exchange growth experience

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Affairs Hoang Binh Quan shared Viet Nam’s growth experience with a delegation from the Development Research Centre (DRC) of the China State Council, led by President Li Wei, during their meeting in Ha Noi.

The Chinese delegation are visiting Viet Nam to exchange experience in economic development and national reform as well as seek stronger economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

VN helps Laos develop infrastructure

The Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) sealed credit contracts to provide roughly US$147 million for the construction of two infrastructure projects in Laos.

The bank is lending US$26.84 million to the Lao Government to build a 97-kilometre road, and US$120 million to launch an infrastructure development project in a district in Houaphan province.

Vietnamese swindlers arrested in RoK

Three Vietnamese swindlers were apprehended in the Republic of Korea after they were determined to be among six people conning 37 Vietnamese expats out of Ú$137,000.

Detained by the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency’s International Crime Investigation, three Vietnamese women married to RoK men and a fourth suspect, a male, were granted bail while they await further investigation. The remaining two are still being detained.

WB upgrades VN’s economic growth forecasts

The WB forecasts that Viet Nam’s economic growth will achieve 6% in 2015, 6.2% in 2016 and 6.5% in 2017.

In comparison with the forecasts released in October last year, the figures in 2016 and 2017 are higher than 0.5 percentage point and 0.4 percentage point, respectively.

HCM City, Binh Duong foster foreign investment

As of early April 2015, US$424.9 million has been poured in Ho Chi Minh City's industrial and export processing zones, reaching 60.7% of the plan and marking a year-on-year increase of 50.2%.

The figure included US$314.17 million from 10 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects, up 37.4% against the same period last year, and US$64.97 million was added to 14 operating FDI projects.

The southern province of Binh Duong has just granted investment certificates to 28 FDI businesses with a total capital of nearly US$304 million in the first phase of 2015.

Accordingly, the 20 newly-invested projects have US$202.5 million in capital and the current 8 projects are added by US$101.4 million.

The province attracted US$402 million in 85 projects the fist quarter of 2015.

HN’s real estate posts growth in Q1

The real estate market in Ha Noi has seen a strong recovery, especially the luxury apartment segment, the CBRE Viet Nam announced recently.
In the first quarter of this year, the market continued its recovery with the comeback of high-end apartments. Construction of some 4,879 new units has begun among 18 projects, an 82% against the same period in 2014.

By Thuy Dung