SOEs face punishment over infoThe Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has asked the Government to handle the State-owned enterprises (SOEs) that failed to disclose their business information in 2017. By the end of 2017, only 265 out of 622 SOEs had sent reports to publicise their information on MPI’s business information portal. According to the ministry’s report, by the end of 2017, only 265 out of 622 SOEs had sent reports to publicise their information on MPI’s business information portal. They include the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, Vietnam Express Corporation, Viet Nam Northern Food Corporation, Agriculture and Rural Development Bank and enterprises under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. As of December 31, 2017, only 20 out of 84 governing bodies disclosed their business information in line with the decree.

Ly Hoang Nam runner-up at India F3 FuturesTop Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam finished runner-up at the India F3 Futures tennis tournament on March 17. Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam. — Photo mediacdn.vnNam, world No 475, lost to Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India, world No 235, 3-6, 4-6 in the men’s singles final after 67 minutes. This is the first time Nam has entered the international event’s final match in the men’s singles category since early this year. Earlier, Nam also reached the finals in the men’s doubles at the India F2 event.

Catfish sector plans $2b export target in 2018The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has targeted to earn US$2 billion from catfish exports this year, accounting for 31.5 per cent of the fishery industry’s total export value. To meet its targets, Oai said that the industry needs to improve the quality of catfish breeding, besides enlarging export markets. Van further said catfish farms are lacking high-quality catfish breeds, which negatively affects the quantity of fish during the growing process. At the conference, experts also expressed their concern about the importing of Vietnamese catfish via a small-scale by Chinese buyers. According to Vo Dong Duc, director of Caseamex, it is troubling that China has recently imported a substantial amount of Vietnamese catfish via a small-scale.

Online retail market may fall into Chinese hands: expertsVietNamNet Bridge - Three giant e-commerce corporations, Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com of China, have arrived in Vietnam. Many foreign retail chains have entered Vietnam and expanded their network in the domestic market, such as Lotte, Aeon and MM Mega Market. The same thing may happen in the online retail market. Many foreign retail chains have entered Vietnam and expanded their network in the domestic market, such as Lotte, Aeon and MM Mega Market. The same thing may happen in the online retail market.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 19/3Banks offer preferential credit packages to businessesBanks have launched credit packages with preferential interest rates, aiming to assist capital sources for businesses and further boost domestic production. In fact, many Vietnamese enterprises, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still facing long-standing difficulties in accessing loans. The conference was organised by the Netherlands Embassy in Viet Nam and saw the participation of some 150 enterprises from the two countries. It is expected that in the 2018-20 period, the WB will lend Viet Nam about US$4 billion, according to Achim. Head of Project Administration Unit of ADB in Viet Nam Steven Schipani said the ADB would focus more on transport, energy and water supply this year.

Organ transplantation technology needs new policyVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s organ transplantation technique is now on equal footing with developed countries, experts say. The organ transplant center saw a sudden surge in the number of people registering to donate organs after their deaths. Speaking about organ transplant techniques, Quyet said that Vietnam's technique is approaching world levels. “The hospital once carried out seven organ transplant operations – 3 kidney transplant operations with organs from living people, 2 kidney transplant operations from brain-dead people, and one liver and 1 heart transplant operations,” Quyet said. If they have an organ transplant, they will recover just one week after the operation and can return to work after several months.

Addressing a rally in Moscow after the early results were declared, Mr Putin said voters had "recognised the achievements of the last few years". In some areas, free food and discounts in local shops were on offer near polling stations. Mr Navalny was excluded from the election because of an embezzlement conviction that he said was manufactured by the Kremlin. In his first reaction to the news, Mr Navalny indicated he had been unable to contain his anger. Mr Putin was scheduled to speak at a rally scheduled for the fourth anniversary of the annexation - the same day as the election.

Mountainous village develops community tourismWith its natural beauty and investment of local authorities, Si Thau Chai village in Tam Duong district, the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau has been becoming a spotlight in developing community-based tourism, and an ideal tourist destination. About 40 km from Lai Chau city, Si Thau Chai village in Ho Thau commune, Tam Duong district, is home to 62 households of Dao ethnic minority people. Situated 1,400m above sea level, Si Thau Chai has cool weather all year round. I’m looking forward to the next time,” said Nong Thi Sam from Lai Chau city, Lai Chau province. With its natural beauty, Si Thau Chai is a promising destination for anyone.-VNA

Environmental protection tax opposed by some economistsVietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has proposed raising the environmental protection tax to offset the decrease in tax collection caused by tariff cuts under foreign trade agreements (FTAs). MOF has proposed raising environmental protection taxes on oil and petroleum products, from VND3,000 (13 US cents) to the ceiling level of VND4,000 (17 cents) per liter, commencing on July 1, 2018. MONRE estimated that the GHG volume in Vietnam was 247 million tons in 2010 and would surge to 300 million in 2012, 423 million tons in 2016, and reach 466 million tons by 2020. Dang Dinh Dao, former head of the Institute Economics & Development Studies, said the reasons cited by MOF for the tax increase plan area is unreasonable, and it is not the right time to raise the environmental protection tax. “MOF is trying to impose an even higher tax when Vietnamese businesses are already burdened with taxes,” he said.

What do the new figures about professorship titles show about the state of academe? VietNamNet Bridge - The analysis of figures officially made public by the State Professorship Council shows that many problems continue to exist among Vietnamese academic staff. The number of ISI/Scopus articlesOfficial statistics show that 1,226 candidates were recognized as meeting standards for both the professor and associate professor titles in 2017. The number of professors/associate professors recognizedThe number of 1,226 candidates awarded the professor/associate professor titles in 2017 showed a 1.7 times increase compared with 2016. Analysts have questioned the sharp rise in the number of professors/associate professors recognized this year.

CPTPP to widen Vietnam’s inroads to partner marketsTwo-way trade turnover between Vietnam and almost all members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have surpassed $1 billion annually. Two-way trade turnover with Japan hit $33.4 billion in 2017, and Vietnam’s trade surplus reached $250 million. Other billion-dollar partners of Vietnam are Malaysia (export turnover of $4.2 billion, import turnover of $5.86 billion), Singapore (export $2.961 billion, import $5.3 billion), Australia (export $3.3 billion, import $3.16 billion), Canada (export $2.7 billion, import $0.774 billion), Mexico ($2.34 billion, $0.567 billion), Chile ($1 billion, $0.283 billion). Vietnam’s average export and import turnover with about 200 countries and territories hit $2 billion, while average with CPTPP members was 3.5 times higher, reaching $6.7 billion. To the biggest CPTPP market, Japan, there were five export item groups reaching a turnover in excess of $1 billion.

Import tax on Japanese cars will be removed from 2029According to CPTPP commitments, import tax on motor vehicles from Japan will be removed from 2029. Thereby, these items will no longer be subject to trade tariffs between the 11 countries in general and Vietnam and Japan in particular. Vietnam would eliminate tariffs for all cars 13 years after the CPTPP takes effect. If imported cars cannot pass these requirements, they are instead left to gather dust in storage. Vietnam imported only 17 cars with less than nine seats in January this year, compared to the 3,700 units in just a fortnight in January 2017.

Taxi associations request temporary policy to hamper Uber and GrabWhile local authorities plan to build a new decree on business and conditions for transportation business by automobile, Vietnamese taxi associations request a temporary policy to tighten the operations of Uber and Grab to replace the existing Decision No.24/QD-BGTVT on the pilot schemes for ride-hailing services. The taxi associations also showed numerous disadvantages during the implementation of the pilot programme in the past two years. The taxi associations also complained that two years is a long duration for implementing a pilot programme. In reality, the operations of traditional taxi firms have been seriously impacted by the appearance of Uber and Grab. Hence, the taxi associations proposed to build a temporary policy with the aim to stop extending the fleets and the geographic scale of the pilot programme.

Hanoi seeking ways to save low-priced daikon radishesHanoi authorities on March 16 held a meeting to seek measures to help farmers boost sales of daikon radishes which are facing incredibly low prices. After Tet Holiday, radish prices have dropped sharply due to the slow sales to around VND1,500-2,000 (6.5-8.6 US cents) per kilo. Hoang Thi Sang in Dong Cao Village said that it costs roughly VND3 million (USD136.3) for every 360 square metres of radish. Lots of farmers in Dong Cao Village have to pull out the radishes in order to plant other vegetables. Farmers in Trang Viet Commune have been estimated to lose around VND2 billion (USD91,000) in total for the slow radish consumption.

Hoi An beach among TripAdvisor's Top 25 in Asia in 2018An Bang Beach in Hoi An ancient town has been listed among the Top 25 beaches in Asia in 2018 by TripAdvisor. A corner of Hoi An BeachThe list is based on the votes of thousands of travelers from around the world. The beach is great for swimming and good food, TripAdvisor said, recommending May to September as the best time to visit. Located in the central province of Quang Nam, Hoi An was a leading trading port in Southeast Asia in the 17th and 18th centuries. It became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999.