New Briefs

by Joe Fotalattee

Vietnam’s State Utility EVN In The Red

Reuters is reporting Vietnam’s state utility EVN will experience losses of 64.9 trillion dong ($2.75 billion) this year.

According to a statement from the government, this will result in losses totaling 93.8 trillion dong for the nation’s leading electricity retailer over the past two years.

Vietnam earlier this month raised the average floor price for retail electricity by 13.69 percent, a move that is expected to pave the way for EVN to raise its prices.

Two Korean Businessmen Sentenced For Violating Immigration Laws

Lee Kwan Yuong, 55, and Seo Yuong Jin, 50, were found guilty of “organizing illegal entry into Vietnam” by a Da Nang court on Wednesday. ” and given a ten year jail sentence.

Two years ago they brought in 189 South Koreans to Da Nang illegally in violation of Covid safety regulations, Both have businesses and a home in the city. Lee serves as the association of South Koreans vice chairman in central Vietnam.

Between December 2020 and March 2021 Lee and Seo organized four flights to bring in South Koreans looking to enter Vietnam using their businesses. Seo took home VND85 million, while Lee made over 1 billion VND (US$42,400) from it.

Binh Duong A Top Location For Foreign Direct Investment

By the end of 2022, Binh Duong Province had attracted over 4,082 FDI projects with almost US$40 billion in registered funds, placing it second only to HCM City in terms of FDI attraction in the country.

With US$3.94 billion and US$3.14 billion, respectively, HCM City and Binh Duong were the top locations for FDI attraction in 2022.

In 2023, the southeast will still be the country’s main FDI magnet, according to the Foreign Investment Agency of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). The nation … Read more

By Joe Fotalattee

Vietnam Consumes Over 2 Million Dogs A Year

VnExpress reported on Sunday that numerous dogs were found butchered inside a house in the Binh Chanh District, HCMC.

Nguyen Hoang Trieu, 43, the other, initially resisted the police, but he was eventually overcome. Officers seized tasers, bags of chili powder, and tear gas cans from the man.

Nguyen Duy Khanh, the 43-year-old home’s owner, was eventually made to force the door open. The police found numerous dogs dead inside the home, but a drop in the bucket considering the country’s current dog meat consumption.

End Of COVID-19 Epidemic?
The bulletin on COVID-19 prevention on February 12 of the Ministry of Health reported that there were 41 new cases of COVID-19; 11 cases were announced to be cured; and no deaths. No vaccines were administered on Sunday.

Binh Duong Plans To Move Factories Out Of Residential Areas
According to a representative of Binh Duong Provincial People’s Committee, the relocation of industrial production enterprises out of residential areas and putting them into operation in concentrated industrial zones is a priority policy of Binh Duong province. The province is surveying, planning step by step, each locality in the process of relocation to ensure benefits as well as solve problems for businesses in the relocation area. The purpose of relocating production facilities out of residential areas in southern localities is to create civilized and modern living in its urban renewal. Planners are looking at improvements in areas such as Thu Dau Mot, Di An, Thuan An cities.

Ministry of Transport Cracks Down On Illegal Subcontracting
Nguyen Van Thang, the minister of transport, recently sent a document asking the departments of transport to strengthen the management and evaluate, inspect, and oversee the execution of the ministry-approved construction investment projects.

The Ministry of … Read more

by Joe Fotalattee

Writing On The Walls

When a real estate company starts being semi-honest with occupancy numbers, you know a real estate crisis is imminent.

VnExpress highlighted a Savills’ report that 90–95 percent of larger apartments of 90–110 square meters are vacant.

In the Phu Nhuan District’s Huynh Van Banh Street, an owner of a serviced apartment project told the outlet the majority of his two- or three-bedroom apartments were empty. According to him, his smaller apartments frequently offered “better living space and more utilities” than their larger counterparts.

According to Savills’ most recent serviced apartment report, one- and two-bedroom apartments in HCMC are in high demand because of their affordable rents.

Attention Foreigners: Visa Free Travel For 45 Days In A Modern Affordable City With Jobs, And They Won’t Fuck Up Your Coffee Order

Vietnam Airlines announced new flights to Bangkok from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The price of a one-way ticket between HCMC and Bangkok is VND1,154,750 ($48.96), taxes and fees included. In Thailand it easy to renew the free visa without leaving the country and professional jobs are plentiful in this modern metropolis.

Money Flows One Way

According to reports, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is considering increasing its current investment in Vietnam “significantly” in order to increase production at its chip testing and packaging facility.

Reuters reported that the potential increase in investment could be worth up to $1B, citing sources with knowledge of the situation. The previous investment in the nation by Intel (INTC) was $1.15 billion.

The largest chip packaging and testing facility owned by Intel (INTC) is currently located in Ho Chi Minh City.

Elephant Dies In Dak Lak

In the province of Dak Lak in the Central Highlands, a 34-year-old elephant passed away … Read more

By Joe Fotalattee

Boat Crash Drowns Pregnant Woman

On Sunday morning in Ho Chi Minh City, a boat carrying 12 people capsized along a river, killing a pregnant woman Nguyen Thi Huong, who was stuck onboard.

According to reports, a passenger boat traveling between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province along a section of the Dong Nai River struck a barge at about 9:30 am and capsized. The boat was transporting 12 people from Chau Doc 3 Pagoda on Ba Xe Islet in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, to Xua Wharf in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province.

Following the incident, the Dong Nai waterway police unit worked with its counterparts in Ho Chi Minh City to coordinate the rescue of the remaining 11 victims.A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City waterway police unit verified to Tuoi Tre that every passenger was wearing a life jacket.

Food Safety Authorities Fine Long Phat Co Ltd.
Food safety authorities in Dong Nai Province announced on Friday that they had fined the company VND240 million (US$10,234). Authorities previously discovered nearly 24 metric tons of spoiled foods, including chicken, beef, and animal organs at the company’s two warehouses in Bien Hoa City. The expired meat and goods were all destroyed by authorities.

Cargo Vessle Off VungTau Catches Fire A Panama ship carrying 4,530 cars from South Korea to Singapore caught fire and was left drifting. VnExpress reported the 12-story, 21,000-ton vessel with a length of 200 meters and a width of 32 meters caught fire first on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors.

There are 21 crew members on board, and they are all Russian. The boat also carries 1,356 tons of oil in addition to 4,530 cars, including used vehicles. The ship’s owner had requested assistance from the … Read more

By Joe Fotalattee

Two Bodies Found on Khe Hai Beach

On January 29, police officials in the Quang Ngai province’s Binh Son district reported that two bodies had recently been found washed up on the shore in the area.
People in Phuoc Thanh village, Binh Thanh commune, Binh Son district, which borders Hoa Dong village, Tam Nghia commune, found two unidentified bodies drifting into the sea at 6 am.  Residents contacted the police and Binh Son district police arrived at the scene after learning the news.

The two bodies were found face down when they were first discovered, according to the head of the Binh Thanh Border Guard Station. The two bodies were dressed in foreigner clothing, according to the commune’s leader in Binh Thanh. Authorities are clarifying the victims’ identities.

Vietnam Hopes To Prevent Internet Cable Problems

Tin Tuc reports General Secretary of the Vietnam Internet Association Vu The Binh said that in the next 5 years, Vietnam will probably need at least 2-3 more undersea cable routes to meet demand.  “The scenario that almost all undersea cable channels have problems is a very rare thing, we think that the carriers are less prepared for this situation. With more and more incidents of undersea fiber optic cables, the need to add new cables becomes more and more urgent,” Mr. Vu The Binh told Tin Tuc.

According to the Department of Telecommunications, Vietnam currently has 5 undersea fiber optic cable routes, while Thailand has 13, and Malaysia has more than 30 undersea fiber optic cable routes. Meanwhile, Singapore is the hub of the region. The problem of undersea fiber optic cables in Vietnam caused businesses to be affected by 30-40% of international traffic and had to expand to other land routes.

Da Nang Police Midnight Club Bust

Tuoi Tre… Read more