Economy and industry
Power projects mired in land-use discord
Several contentious issues are dogging implementation of key projects managed by the Southern Power Management Board, contradictory regulations and land evaluation and compensation rules that residents are not ready to accept. The board currently manages investments in 79 power projects that are designed to meet ...
200,000 university graduates are jobless; who is to blame?
Educators argue that it is unreasonable to blame the education sector for the high number of unemployed university graduates.“This is a misconception. Vietnam now runs a market economy and you must not expect the number of university graduates to be exactly equal to the number ...
Export licenses for Vietnam
The Ministry of Commerce is calling for producers and exporters who have been dealing in dried tobacco leaves and milled rice to apply for licenses to export to Vietnam. Vietnam agreed to waive all duties on 300,000 tons of rice and 3,000 tons of dried tobacco ...
Luang Prabang tourist numbers top 600,000
Tourist arrivals during 2016 to the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang rose to more than 601,000, from over 500,000 in 2015, and this number is expected to rise further in 2017, the local tourism authority said. Head of the province’s Information, Culture and Tourism ...
Vientiane targets economic growth of 11 percent
Vientiane authorities are aiming to grow the capital’s economy by 11 percent this year and expect that GDP will increase by 41.6 trillion kip. It is also anticipated that the capital’s residents will have an annual average per capita income of US$5,000. The agriculture and ...
Fixing food loss with disruptive tech
Most wasted food perishes before it has even entered the consumer’s consciousness – between the farm and the supermarket shelf. A new initiative aims to change our food system by inspiring innovation and collaboration. The tragedy of food loss is best expressed in numbers: More than one-third ...
VN sugar production down 13%

Sugar output in the 2015-16 crop was 1.23 million tonnes, a year-on-year drop of 12.7 percent, said Phạm Quốc Doanh, Chairman of the Việt Nam Sugarcane and Sugar Association, at a seminar in HCM City last week of sugar producers, distributors and consumers. Together with 185,000 ...
PM okays new bypass, road in Mekong Delta
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved construction of a bypass and road that will connect with National Highway No. 91. The 15.3-km long bypass, which will go around Long Xuyên City, will extend from National Highway No. 80 and the Lộ Tẻ intersection to ...
Government to shell out B900bn on transport
The government plans to spend almost 900 billion baht to develop all modes of transport this year. Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on January 2 the investment plan will comprise 36 infrastructure projects, covering air, marine and land transportation, worth a total of 895.7 ...
Kasy town to be relocated to make way for railway
The urban centre of Kasy district in Vientiane province will be relocated to an area near the Kasy road to allow for construction of the Laos-China railway. A plot of flat land located in the Kasy road area has been allocated, requiring the relocation of ...