PM asks SBV to lower loan interest rates
HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the nation’s central bank, to slash interest rates, make loans more accessible and focus on lending to key economic sectors. This was done at the regular Government meeting held yesterday when PM Chim emphasized the
Over three-fourths of available Covid vaccine doses in HCMC expire
HCMC – HCMC now has over 339,370 Covid-19 vaccine doses in stock, but only 81,800 of them are yet to expire, data from the city’s Department of Health showed. The figures were revealed on March 3, as National Assembly deputies looked into the city’s management of Covid-19 vaccines and
Long Thanh airport project’s completion date to be rescheduled
HCMC – The investor of the Long Thanh International Airport project has sought an additional six months to get the passenger terminal construction package done, meaning the first phase of the project cannot be finished in September 2025 as earlier planned. The proposal was made in a letter which
VND110-trillion package for social housing withdrawn
HCMC – The Ministry of Construction has backed off from the VND110-trillion credit package for banks to lend on to developers and buyers of social housing, according to a statement released yesterday, March 2. The ministry’s package is to recapitalize commercial banks so that they can lend on to
Bac Lieu proposes building expy
HCMC – The government of Bac Lieu Province has written to the Ministry of Transport proposing developing a 58-kilometer-long expressway connecting the province with two other Mekong Delta provinces – Hau Giang and Soc Trang. The Ha Tien-Rach Gia-Bac Lieu expressway will pass through Hau Giang with
AFD may cut off aid for Can Tho embankment project
HCMC – A river embankment project in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho may lose France’s financial aid. If the project is not completed before June 15, the French Development Agency (AFD) will stop financing the project, and the local government must tap its budget to fund the remaining components
Lai Chau, Vinh Phuc rocked by mild quakes
HCMC – A series of quakes struck Lai Chau and Vinh Phuc provinces this morning, March 3, rattling local homes but causing no major damage. The first quake, measuring 4.4 on the Richter magnitude and 16 kilometers in depth, hit Muong Te District in the mountainous province of Lai Chau at 4:49 a.m.
Ministry wants rethink of high tax on second home
HCMC – The Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the Government turn down the HCMC government’s proposal to impose a higher property tax on people who own a second home. It reasoned that the proposal still had inadequacies as owners of several small houses or plots of land would have to
China becomes largest buyer of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products
HCMC – China has overtaken the U.S. as the largest buyer of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products, with its imports amounting to US$1.27 billion in the year’s first two months. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam’s total exports of agro-forestry-fishery
SBV sets new credit growth limits for banks
HCMC – Eight commercial banks have received new credit growth quotas for this year, with seven of them entitled to lend less than last year. The credit growth limit of HDBank is 11%, MB Bank 9%, ACB 9.8%, VIB 9.5%, TP Bank 9.1%, VPBank 9%, BIDV 8.3% and MSB 13.5%. These rates are lower than the […]
Vietnam Airlines, Air France to resume codeshare flights
HCMC – Vietnam Airlines will cooperate with Air France to resume codeshare flights between Vietnam and France from March 26. A joint venture agreement between the two carriers was implemented in 2017. However, their flights were suspended due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The cooperation
Overwhelmed Yen Bai-Lao Cai expy needs expansion
HCMC – The Yen Bai-Lao Cai road section, part of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway in northern Vietnam, needs expanding to cope with a rising traffic volume that poses a risk of traffic congestion and accidents, according to the Ministry of Transport. The ministry has written to the People’s