Sell from home opportunities

Boycotts affording opportunities By Quoc Hung & Thuy Dung Some restaurants and cafes in Hanoi and HCMC have no longer used disposable plastic straws and cups – PHOTO: QUOC HUNG The boycott campaign against disposable plastic products, especially straws and cups, is urging plastic manufacturers to renew their production strategies, while giving them opportunities to switch to more environment-friendly product lines. At a recent meeting in Strasbourg (France), the European Parliament voted for a ban on single-use plastic cutlery, cotton swabs and straws, among others. This vote paves the way for a ban on disposable plastic items to be widely effective in all members of the European Union from 2021 onwards. Meanwhile, in South Korea, disposable plastic bags have been completely banned from certain grocery stores since April 1. Groceries larger than 165 square meters will be subject to fines worth up to three million won (about VND61 million) if they fail to comply … [Read more...] about Boycotts affording opportunities

Foreign startups seek opportunities at startup exchange By My Huyen MK Biotech products are on display at the Startup Exchange, held in HCMC on August 23 – PHOTO: MY HUYEN HCMC - Forty-eight foreign startups from 11 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Thailand, displayed their products at the local Startup Exchange on August 23 in HCMC, while competing with 150 local startups to boost the promotion of trade in Vietnam. With a large and young population, Vietnam is considered a potential market for international startups. The fact that young Vietnamese are interested in new experiences will create opportunities for tech startups to expand their business in the country, said executives from foreign startups at the event. South Korea’s MK Biotech company, which showcased biotechnology at the event to produce stem cells, said its products have been welcomed by food producers and medical organizations that use stem cells for the treatment of diseases. The firm … [Read more...] about Foreign startups seek opportunities at startup exchange

Many returnees choose to live by springs. - Photo nongnghiep.vn Viet Nam News NGHỆ AN – Before Bản Vẽ Hydropower Project was built in 2004, the Government established a resettlement area for all who lived in the zone that would be affected—and in some cases totally submerged—by the project. Now, people are leaving the resettlement area for land near their old village in Hữu Khuông Commune, Tương Dương District, aiming to find better livelihoods and educational opportunities for their children. Lương Văn Quế, one of the returnees, said that the resettlement area in Thanh Chương District was too isolated. Moreover, the lack of clean water and land left them feeling they had no future. Selling the house for VNĐ40 million (US$1,760), he took his wife and three children back to the old commune. Quế’s family is among 114 households of Hữu Khuông Commune trapped in the situation. Most of them sold their houses, farms and land in the resettlement area. They gather into groups … [Read more...] about People resettled for hydropower project return home

Amazon enables enterprises to access 300 million customers By Thuy Dung Representatives of Vietnam’s Trade Promotion Agency and Amazon attend an event to announce their collaboration on January 14 – PHOTO: THUY DUNG HANOI – Joining the Amazon ecommerce platform has opened up opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises to access its 300 million customers around the world. To make the most of it, local firms are advised to prepare themselves with improved sales skills, knowledge of foreign languages and understanding of the requirements on product quality and origin. Vu Ba Phu, head of the Trade Promotion Agency, said that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country can leverage the ecommerce platform to introduce their products to many customers, at an event to announce the collaboration between the agency and Amazon Global Selling, held on January 14. Through the platform, local sellers can also sell locally made products to customers around the world, helping … [Read more...] about Amazon enables enterprises to access 300 million customers

More S.Korean firms eye Vietnamese market The Saigon Times Daily Many South Korean products are up for sale at a store in Vietnam. Most of the South Korean firms surveyed want to invest in the local market - PHOTO: NLDO HCMC - Most of the South Korean firms surveyed want to invest in the local market, said Hong Sun, vice chairman of the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KorCham). Firms in the manufacturing industry as well as those in the fields of retail, food and foodstuff plan to expand their businesses in Vietnam. A group of South Korean startups on a recent visit to Vietnam seeking business cooperation opportunities expressed their desire to tap the potential of the thriving local market where items made in South Korea are popular, reported Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper. Sales of South Korean cosmetics and fashion products in the local market and other Southeast Asian countries are on the rise and are expected to surge impressively in the coming years, helped … [Read more...] about More S.Korean firms eye Vietnamese market

Trade war likely to drag on, bring fewer benefits than expected By Minh Tam Delegates at the seminar “Escalating trade war: Vietnamese enterprises’ pleasure and concern” - PHOTO: TRAN LINH HCMC - Experts attending a seminar in HCMC today, September 6, agreed that the U.S.-China trade war would continue to drag on, with unpredictable developments, noting that Vietnamese enterprises have enjoyed fewer benefits from it than expected. At a seminar, themed “Escalating trade war: Vietnamese enterprises’ pleasure and concern,” held by The Saigon Times Group and securities firm Yuanta Vietnam, Dr Pham Sy Thanh, director of the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research's Chinese Economic Studies Program, noted that trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies will continue to escalate. Since June last year, both sides have imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s exports and have not reduced any tariffs. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the … [Read more...] about Trade war likely to drag on, bring fewer benefits than expected

A touch of the sun By Quoc Hung A worker installing a home solar energy system in HCMC. This source of renewable energy is becoming more popular in the city – PHOTO: THANH HOA The solar panel market is thought to be promising as the demand for this source of energy among households and businesses is on the rise in Vietnam, going alongside with the development of large-scale solar power projects nationwide Over the past few days, Vo Hong Van has been quite elated since the home solar power system installed on the rooftop of his house on Pham Van Hai Street in Ward 2, Tan Binh District, HCMC, has produced some initial desirable results. The electrical power generated by this system whose total design capacity is 6,375kWp can not only be used for his family but also sold to Tan Binh Power Company. Additionally, his home has now become cooler as the solar panels prove more effective than ordinary roofing sheets when it comes to heat resistance. This is one of the … [Read more...] about A touch of the sun

A social housing project in Đặng Xá commune in Hà Nội’s Gia Lâm District. VNA Photo Tuấn Anh Viet Nam News Compiled by Mai Phương HÀ NỘI – “Why do you want to buy a low-priced social house when you already own a house?” “Because I qualify and I can afford it.” The answers surprised me. Several people whom I know already own a house applied to buy low-priced social houses, too. Yet social houses are supposed to be sold only to poor people who don’t own a house as part of the Government’s low-income accommodation policies. The primary qualification to buy a social house is that the buyer does not already own a house. Another qualifying factor is that each household member has less than 8sq.m  of living space in a low quality home which is not State-supported. So what’s happening? “They are cheating, of course” said Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, an official specialising in administrative procedures for social housing projects in Hà Nội. The official is working for … [Read more...] about Social houses ’increasingly abused’: officials

Business leaders share views at WEF ASEAN Successful WEF on ASEAN concludes Deputy PM calls on young Vietnamese people to be less obedient Suu Kyi pleased with Myanmar’s progress PM meets with multinational corporations MTTS’s warmer machine for premature or sick newborns. Photo Courtersy of Trang Tuyết Ngà. Viet Nam News By Thu Vân The image of a white cloth covering dead newborn babies were shocking and vivid to Trang Tuyết Ngà. Shortly after returning from her studies in Denmark in 2003, Nga started to work for a U.S-based medical organisation in Hà Nội that connected doctors and foreign health care equipment designers. For her work Ngà went to the National Paediatrics Hospital occasionally, and very often she was left disturbed. “There were infants who died because they had difficulties breathing, or because they were born immature, and the hospital didn’t have enough good medical equipment to keep them alive,” Ngà said. Imported … [Read more...] about Vietnamese social entrepreneur helps save newborns at lowcost

Elderly patients wait for their turn to register for health check-ups at the Geriatric Department of Đống Đa General Hospital in Hà Nội. With a rapidly aging population, Việt Nam needs to improve healthcare services for the elderly. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Ngọc Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — There is a Vietnamese saying about parents’ care-giving: “When young, one relies on one’s father, and when old, one relies on one’s children”. It is believed that Vietnamese people in their old age should live with their children under one roof to receive their offspring’s care. Taking care of parents is also a sign of piety. Today, however, as grown-up children lead busy lives and pursue ambitious careers in cities far from their hometowns, many old people are left lonely. A recent national survey on the Vietnamese elderly shows a decline in the number of old people living with children. The number of old people living alone has increased sharply. Việt Nam has had an aging … [Read more...] about HN readies healthcare for aging population