Around 30% of Japanese businesses that are intent on investing overseas consider Vietnam as their prime choice, according to a recent survey by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO). JETRO reported that it will conduct a fact-finding tour in the near future of key industrial zones in northern Vietnam, such as Hanoi, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam, Haiphong and Quang Ninh for 26 Japanese businesses. JETRO chief representative in Hanoi Atsusuke Kawada said his agency anticipates that the visit will facilitate Japanese businesses gain a better understanding about the northern region’s investment environment, encouraging them to invest in the country.                                                                                                                                                      VOV

The delegation, led by Dien Quang Company Director General Ho Quynh Hung, are making the visit at the invitation of Levent Çakıroğlu, CEO of Arçelik, one of Turkey’s leading industrial groups.

On July 11, the provincial People’s Committee chairman Le Thanh Cung paid a working session with Bac Tan Uyen district leaders to learn about local construction and development of socio-economy, national defense and security.

The provincial People’s Committee chairman Le Thanh Cung yesterday chaired a meeting to listen to results on assistance for enterprises over the past time.

The provincial Economics and Budget Committee just held a meeting to assess results of implementing the provincial People’s Council’s Resolution on socio-economic development in the first half of this year and set out ey measures for the remaining months of 2014 in a bid to submit to the upcoming 12th session of the provincial People’s Council.

PM Dung speaks at the session (Photo: VNA)

Le Binh Hung, Head of the Southern Agency of Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) said that Binh Duong’s collective economy in the first half of 2014 mobilized many resources, diversified business scopes and overcome difficulties to reach good results. But, mobilization task  to set up new cooperatives did not changed a lot…

This was the assessment of provincial People’s Committee at the 17th session of the 9th provincial Party Committee’s Executive Board held yesterday, July 8. At the session, many main measures for the remaining six months of the year were considered and approved to help the province successfully make 2014’s tasks.

Over the past years, movement of good production and business and wealth-making in Tan Uyen town develops strongly. To enjoy a stable life, many farmers in cooperation with local authorities positively contribute their labor and asset to build rural infrastructure facilities and implement socio-cultural works and so on.

Samsung in Bac Ninh province contributed nearly VND 1 trillion in taxes to the province the first half of the year, authorities said. At a meeting held by the Ministry of Finance on Friday, the vice chairman of Bac Ninh province, Mr. Nguyen Luong Thanh, said in the first half of the year, the province earned VND6.7 trillion ($319 million), or 50% of its estimate. The official said that Bac Ninh was able to fulfill its budget revenue plan thanks to contributions of foreign firms, mainly Samsung. In the first half of the year, this company paid taxes of VND974 billion ($46.3 million). At the same time, all non-state enterprises paid a total of VND300 billion ($15 million) of taxes, or 33% of the plan. "Without foreign enterprises, Bac Ninh’s budget would face many difficulties," Thanh said. Officially opened in Bac Ninh in 2009, Samsung is now the largest investor in the province with $3.5 billion in the high-tech complex manufacturing electronic components. In the last two years this firm paid taxes worth over VND1 trillion/year. Last year its export turnover reached nearly $24 billion, equivalent to 18% of Vietnam’s total exports. Recently, Bac Ninh provided the company an investment certificate for the $1 billion screen project of Samsung Display. Samsung's new plant will have a capacity of 4 million products a month, with revenue in the first year (2015) expected to be $1.5 billion and $6 billion in 2020.                                                                                                                              VietNamNet Bridge

The Vietnamese economy is expected to grow at a moderate pace of 5.4% in 2014 as its macroeconomic stabilisation performance continued to improve, said the World Bank in a report released on July 8. Vietnam can grow at a faster pace if structural reforms are accelerated.However this growth rate is below potential, said Victoria Kwakwa, the World Bank’s country director for Vietnam, adding that Vietnam's growth will not exceed 5.5% before 2016. The World Bank noted that Vietnam’s growth is mainly helped by stable foreign direct investment flows and strong manufacturing exports, while slow reforms in State-owned enterprises and the banking sector remained a drag on growth. Kwakwa said Vietnam’s long-term growth will depend on whether it can enhance economic efficiency and competitiveness by addressing those structural problems. The General Statistics Office reported last week that Vietnam's economic growth quickened in the second quarter of 2014, growing by 5.25% compared with the revised 5.09% expansion rate in the January to March quarter. The Vietnamese Government set a growth target of 5.8% for the whole of 2014. In its latest report, the World Bank noted that Vietnam has achieved some success in inclusive growth, as the average income of the 40% poorest grew by 9% annually between 1993 and 2012, exceeding the 7% of the remaining 60%. However, World Bank economist Gabriel Demombynes, pointed out that concerns over inequality are growing, especially among urban residents who are more aware of differences in living standards. The World Bank stated that rising concerns about inequality require the Government to focus on further removal of barriers to equality of opportunity when formulating socio-economic development policies.                                                                                                                                 Nhan Dan Online

Thanks to attention of provincial leaders, all level sectors and local authority, Lai Thieu orchard – a specialty brand name of yore in Thuan An town in particular and Binh Duong in general has been gradually recovered. Tourists come back Lai Thieu orchard is entering harvests. Along to roads from An Thanh ward to Thuan An town’s hub, hundreds of fruit booths seem to invite tourists to try tasting the famous land’s specialty fruits. Bui Ngoc Vi, vice chairwoman of An Son commune People’s Committee said that thanks to advantaged weather, local fruit growers this year enjoy an abundant crop. Most of the orchard is laden with fruits, especially mangosteen gives a double output compared with the previous years. In a long time, owing to disadvantaged weather plus environmental pollution, Lai Thieu orchard was impacted badly, triggering a heavy loss of output and quality. This made many small traders import fruits from other localities. This element made Lai Thieu fruits become oblivious. Therefore, this year’s abundant harvest of fruits in Lai Thieu helps local growers not only increase income but recover Lai Thieu fruit trademark. Possibly speaking, most of tourists everywhere want to taste Lai Thieu’s specialty fruits. Le Quang Hieu in district 12 in HCMC, a tourist said that in many formative years, Lai Thieu orchards lacked of tourist sites but now there are many restaurants and tourism areas ready to cater for tourists. The most impressive thing for Quang is distinctive taste of Lai Thieu’s specialty fruits. He hoped that he would enjoy Lai Thieu’s specialty fruits again. “Recently, more and more tourists flock to Lai Thieu orchards. As businessmen, we are very happy. Thanks to local authority’s attention to prestige and quality, we gradually know how to attract tourists sustainably”, Pham Thi Hien, a fruit seller in Hung Dinh ward said. Trademark recovered Over the past time, the provincial administration ratified many projects and held seminars and talk-shows to find out solutions to recover Lai Thieu fruits’ trademark. Notably, the Lai Thieu fruit festival 2013 and supportive programs for fruit growers contribute to revive prestige of Lai Thieu specialty fruits. More and more tourists flock to Lai Thieu orchard. This is a joyful signal for Binh Duong famous trademark of yore. Apart from assistance from local sectors and authorities, people are aware of developing tourism business. Much orchard's owners actively invest and newly plant and take care of their fruit gardens to develop tourism business sustainably. For instance, Vo Van Trung, Nguyen Van Ngoan in An Son commune repair roads, dredge canals and newly plant fruit trees to attract more tourists. Besides, along with local people, many investors arrive at Lai Thieu to develop eco-tourism business. This is one of important elements helping trademark of Lai Thieu tourism recover its position. 20km away from Ho Chi Minh City in the North and about 10km away from Thu Dau Mot city in the South, Lai Thieu orchard is a green tourism site for people. Lai Thieu orchard is a famous locality for hundreds of years in which Lai Thieu mangosteen is listed in top 50 famous fruits of Vietnam. Lai Thieu orchard has about over 1,230ha, focused mainly on An Son commune with over 400ha.                                                                                               Reported by B.Minh - Translated by A.C

Since early 2011, the People’s Committee of Dau Tieng district has spent more than VND1.113trillion on infrastructure investment in 11 new rural communes. Of the total figure, VND769bln was used for basic construction; VND352bln for production-business and more than VND12bln for other activities.