Controversy

Controversial express railway project to go before NA next year The Saigon Times Daily Passengers get on board a train. The North-South high-speed railway project will be submitted to the National Assembly in May next year – PHOTO: LE ANH HCMC – The Government will submit the controversial North-South high-speed railway project to the National Assembly (NA) in May next year. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the State Appraisal Council will consider the big-ticket project for 90 days and must send it to the NA’s appraisal agency 60 days prior to the NA’s sitting, in line with the 2014 Public Investment Law, the local media reported. Due to the project remaining controversial, the State Appraisal Council has hired foreign consulting firms to assess the project, thus prolonging the appraisal time. During the evaluation process, the council will consider the documents of the project and the views of consulting firms, the relevant ministries and … [Read more...] about Controversial express railway project to go before NA next year

Finance minister Đinh Tiến Dũng on Tuesday said that the controversial asset tax will not be on the agenda at least until the next National Assembly (NA) semester, or 2021.— VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang HÀ NỘI — Finance minister Đinh Tiến Dũng on Tuesday said that the controversial asset tax will not be on the agenda at least until the next National Assembly (NA) semester, or 2021. During a group meeting of the NA on socio-economic affairs, Dũng took the chance to explain the ministry’s controversial new asset tax, saying that the ministry had not proposed it but was only carrying out the Party and the Government’s decisions. Dũng said that the asset tax was in fact mentioned previously in Resolution 19 of the 11th Central Committee of Việt Nam’s Communist Party in 2012 and also appeared in the tax reform strategy for 2011-15 signed by Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng. More recently, the Politburo in 2016 issued Resolution 07 on the restructuring of the State budget and public … [Read more...] about Controversial asset tax not yet on Gov’t agenda

A view of Cái Bàu Island in Quảng Ninh Province’s Vân Đồn District. The Government Office has announced to postpone the adoption of the draft law on Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units of Vân Đồn, Bắc Vân Phong and Phú Quốc until the next National Assembly session. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The vote to approve the controversial draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units will be postponed until the sixth National Assembly session, to commence in October, instead of the on-going fifth. According to a special announcement released early on Saturday morning from the Government Office, the postponement aims to provide the Government with more time to study and complete debates on the draft law. The Law on Special Administrative and Economic Units of Vân Đồn, Bắc Vân Phong and Phú Quốc had been built carefully and elaborately to institutionalise Party resolutions and materialise the 2013 Constitution to create a legal … [Read more...] about Adoption of controversial draft law on special zones postponed

Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung (centre) at a meeting with citizens of Hoàn Kiếm District in December 2018. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — A recent Hà Nội policy barring citizens from taking photos, videos or audio recordings without permission during meetings with public servants has created controversy, with many criticising its implications for transparency efforts. Nguyễn Đức Chung, Chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee, signed the Decision on regulations regarding reception of citizens on January 3. Chung said the policy is meant to “prevent cases where groups of people coming to the offices record videos or audio and post doctored versions online to serve other purposes.” The head of the municipal government also said audio-capable security cameras have already been installed in all of the city’s citizen reception halls. “We would comply with citizen requests to extract the camera feed, and have necessary papers to … [Read more...] about Controversy over Hà Nội’s no-recording policy

One of two Lexus cars given by a private company to Cà Mau provincial authorities, prompting public concerns and a Government promise to investigate. — Photo dantri.com.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — The Government will direct authorities to investigate the controversial gifting of luxury cars by private companies to officials in the southern province of Cà Mau and the coastal city of Đà Nẵng. This was promised by Mai Tiến Dũng, head of the Government Office, at the monthly cabinet meeting held recently. The Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Finance, Government Inspectorate and Ministry of Justice, to look into the matter. The findings will then be made available to the media. According to media reports, two Lexus GX 460 currently in use by the Cà Mau People’s Committee – each costing about VNĐ3 billion (US$131,000) – were given as presents by Công Lý Ltd last March, ostensibly strictly for use in  “inspecting and directing climate change response activities.” … [Read more...] about Luxury car gifts to be probed

HÀ NỘI  — The Government will not accept resignations from officials under investigation, according to the Law on Officers and Public Servants, said Mai Tiến Dũng, Chairman of the Government Office regarding the resignation recently submitted by Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Hồ Thị Kim Thoa. At a press conference held after a monthly Government meeting on Thursday, Dũng said the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission proposed agencies consider striping Thoa of her titles. If the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat agrees with the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, Thoa will have all her current positions striped. Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc will assign Minister of Home Affairs and Party Delegation to Ministry of Industry and Trade to carry out the stripping. On July 31, the Party Delegation to the Government received a report about Thoa’s resignation letter. Earlier, on Monday, the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission issued a … [Read more...] about Resignation from controversial official rejected

The National Assembly will hold off on voting on the adoption of the controversial draft law on special administrative-economic zone until the next meeting of the legislative body in May next year.—  VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly will hold off on voting on the adoption of the controversial draft law on special administrative-economic zone until the next meeting of the legislative body in May next year. General Secretary of the National Assembly Nguyễn Hạnh Phúc made the announcement late Friday, explaining that the time will be spent on further study and research to consolidate the law. Nguyễn Khắc Định, chair of the NA Legal Committee, said the draft law is a new and unprecedented project, providing a never seen before breakthrough in mechanisms and policies in the context of intensive economic integration, which needs to incorporate feedback from the public and experts alike. The process of drawing feedback has already been started by the Government, NA … [Read more...] about Draft law on special economic zone continues to be put on hold

2018 a memorable year for some things By Bradley Winterton Giselle, one of HBSO’s most successful ballets in 2018 - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO HCMC - All in all, 2018 was a year that brought considerable pleasure, to me at least. Most satisfying was having two letters published by the UK’s most prestigious literary weekly, the Times Literary Supplement (TLS). Their subject was the classic American novelist Henry James as he appeared in a book by Edmund Trelawny Backhouse, an Englishman who lived in Beijing from 1898 to 1944, the year of his death. Backhouse involved himself in many things, but his name was blackened by the publication in 1977 of a book, Hermit of Peking , by the Oxford historian High Trevor-Roper, which made him out to be a liar on a monumental scale. My first letter, published on October 12, urged the publication of Backhouse’s memoir The Dead Past , dealing with the years before he went to China. His second volume of memoirs, Decadence … [Read more...] about 2018 a memorable year for some things

Cai Lay tollgate to resume operations after Tet The Saigon Times Daily Vehicles can pass freely at the Cai Lay tollgate in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang – PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH HCMC – Fee collection might resume at the long-suspended Cai Lay tollgate after the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, a source from the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam told Tuoi Tre Online newspaper. Nguyen Van Huyen, head of the directorate, said that leaders from the Transport Ministry will soon work with authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, where the controversial tollgate is located. The two sides are likely to keep the tollgate at the current site and provide discounts for all kinds of vehicles, he said. For example, car drivers will pay VND15,000, down from the previous VND35,000 per trip. In addition, authorities plan to offer fare reductions and exemptions to nearby households within a radius of 10 kilometers from the tollgate. Preliminary … [Read more...] about Cai Lay tollgate to resume operations after Tet

Time to reopen Cai Lay tollgate remains unknown By Trung Chanh The Ministry of Transport has yet to decide on the resumption of toll collection at Cai Lay tollgate - PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH CAN THO – The Ministry of Transport plans to work with the government of the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, where the long-suspended Cai Lay tollgate is located, to consider a time to resume the operations of the tollgate, said Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat. At a meeting between the Ministry of Transport and the Tien Giang government, held today, January 25, Deputy Minister Nhat confirmed that the toll collection at the controversial tollgate would not be resumed on February 14 as earlier announced. Tien Giang Vice Chairman Pham Anh Tuan noted that the date of resumption would be decided by the Ministry of Transport. However, Tuan proposed the ministry ask the operator of Cai Lay tollgate, Tien Giang Investment Co., Ltd, to install a nonstop toll collection system. … [Read more...] about Time to reopen Cai Lay tollgate remains unknown