Economy and industry
Laos, Vietnam further cooperation for ICT development
The Lao Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam have reached cooperation agreements in relation to the development of telecommunications and information communication technology. A signing ceremony in relation to the cooperation agreements took place in Vientiane on September ...
Terms announced on rice lending package
The government-owned bank charged with issuing $27 million in emergency loans to rice millers as part of an initiative aimed at propping up the struggling rice industry announced the terms of the credit lines on September 19, and said it would ensure that the funds ...
Calls for further protection for migrant workers
Myanmar’s preeminent trade union confederation has called on the government to take action to protect migrant workers from exploitation and unfair treatment abroad. Daw Htwe Htwe Thein, a director of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar, called for stronger regulation of employment agents who recruit ...
Thailand to overhaul sugar policy
Thailand, the world’s second largest sugar exporter after Brazil, is to overhaul its sugar production and distribution systems for the first time in more than three decades in order to avoid being challenged by Brazil at the World Trade Organization. The move is unlikely to make ...
Exporters warned over strict standards
Amid poor export prospects, Thai exporters are being warned of looming strict trade standards on food safety, sanitation and the environment, notably from the US, the EU and Japan. Pimchanok Vonkhorporn, deputy director–general of Trade Policy and Strategy Office under the Commerce Ministry, said stricter ...
Vietnam has one of the least powerful passports in Southeast Asia
Faring poorly on an international passport index, Vietnam possesses one of the least powerful passports in the region. Ranking 74th on the World Economic Forum’s Passport Index, Vietnam, together with Cambodia, possesses one of the least powerful passports in Southeast Asia. Citizens from the two countries can visit ...
Calls for new property investment law
Real estate associations have proposed amending the Law on Land and the Law on Trading Real Estate to create favourable conditions for investors in property investment. Le Hoang Chau, chairman of HCM City Real Estate Association, said the association proposed amending the two laws to permit ...
SMEs and start-up businesses: essential solutions to Vietnamese-French relations
President Francois Hollande met with the community of French start-up businesses in new technologies, French Viet Tech during his recent visit to Vietnam. The event opened additional opportunities for Vietnamese-French economic cooperation and improved the effectiveness, dynamism, and creativity of French enterprises in Vietnam. Small and medium-sized ...
PM weighs in on rice lending
Rice millers said on September 18 they welcomed the prime minister’s announcement that the government would make over $20 million in funds available shortly to support cash-strapped millers and prop up falling paddy prices.“We’ve been waiting for these loans for a long time like fish waiting ...
Investment grows at SEZs
Over US$1 billion has been disbursed in various business activities and the development of special and specific economic zones, driven by growing regional economic integration. Almost 300 companies from Laos and overseas are now investing in the SEZs, with a total registered capital of almost US$8 ...
