VCCI
Posted: Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Tiếp tục đọc “PCI 2016: Positive Improvement in Business Environment, Local Governance”
PCI 2016: Positive Improvement in Business Environment, Local Governance
Tác giả: Trần Đình Hoành
I am an attorney in the Washington DC area, with a Doctor of Law in the US, attended the master program at the National School of Administration of Việt Nam, and graduated from Sài Gòn University Law School. I aso studied philosophy at the School of Letters in Sài Gòn.
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I have worked as an anti-trust attorney for Federal Trade Commission and a litigator for a fortune-100 telecom company in Washington DC.
I have taught law courses for legal professionals in Việt Nam and still counsel VN government agencies on legal matters.
I have founded and managed businesses for me and my family, both law and non-law.
I have published many articles on national newspapers and radio stations in Việt Nam.
In 1989 I was one of the founding members of US-VN Trade Council, working to re-establish US-VN relationship.
Since the early 90's, I have established and managed VNFORUM and VNBIZ forum on VN-related matters; these forums are the subject of a PhD thesis by Dr. Caroline Valverde at UC-Berkeley and her book Transnationalizing Viet Nam.
I translate poetry and my translation of "A Request at Đồng Lộc Cemetery" is now engraved on a stone memorial at Đồng Lộc National Shrine in VN.
I study and teach the Bible and Buddhism. In 2009 I founded and still manage dotchuoinon.com on positive thinking and two other blogs on Buddhism.
In 2015 a group of friends and I founded website CVD - Conversations on Vietnam Development (cvdvn.net).
I study the art of leadership with many friends who are religious, business and government leaders from many countries.
I have written these books, published by Phu Nu Publishing House in Hanoi:
"Positive Thinking to Change Your Life", in Vietnamese (TƯ DUY TÍCH CỰC Thay Đổi Cuộc Sống) (Oct. 2011)
"10 Core Values for Success" (10 Giá trị cốt lõi của thành công) (Dec. 2013)
"Live a Life Worth Living" (Sống Một Cuộc Đời Đáng Sống) (Oct. 2023)
I practice Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi for health, and play guitar as a hobby, usually accompanying my wife Trần Lê Túy Phượng, aka singer Linh Phượng.
Under-the-table fees block Vietnam enterprises’ way
Last update 12:00 | 14/04/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – If embezzlement continues, breakthrough reforms initiated by local authorities will not bring the desired effects, Dang Dinh Dao from the Institute for Economics & Development Studies has said.
VCCI, in its 2016 PCI report, pointed out that there are still many ‘big stones’ that block enterprises’ way, including lack of transparency, difficulties to access land, unfair environment and under-the-table fees.
VCCI, in its 2016 PCI report, pointed out that there are still many ‘big stones’ that block enterprises’ way, including lack of transparency, difficulties to access land, unfair environment and under-the-table fees.
State management agencies have established ‘one-stop-shop’ units to ease administrative procedures that people and businesses have to follow. However, the units still cannot help. Businesses still have to spend three months on procedures which can be completed in one month. Tiếp tục đọc “Under-the-table fees block Vietnam enterprises’ way”
Asset recovery remains low
Last update 15:11 | 14/04/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – Asset recovery in civil lawsuits, particularly those relating to major economic corruption, remains low as authorities have found it difficult to verify the financial status of defendants, said Le Quang Tien, head of Ha Noi’s Department of Civil Judgment Enforcement.
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| Asset recovery in civil lawsuits, particularly those relating to major economic corruption, remains low as authorities have found it difficult to verify the financial status of defendants. — Photo daibieunhandan.vn |
This was just one of the difficulties that civil judgment enforcement bodies faced when executing court rulings, Tien said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Ha Noi’s Department of Civil Judgment Enforcement was concentrating on ten major economic corruption cases in which defendants must return over VND269 billion (US$12 million).
“The assets that need to be recovered are huge, but the authorities have not been able to confirm if the defendants have sufficient funds to pay or not,” he said. Tiếp tục đọc “Asset recovery remains low”
VN-China border defence friendship exchange to be held in May
Last update 11:46 | 14/04/2017
The fourth Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchange is scheduled to take place in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau and Yunnan province of China in May.
Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh inspects preparations for the 3rd Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchange in 2016
The event will be co-chaired by Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Sen. Lieut. Gen Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China.
Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh on April 13 visited Lai Chau province to inspect preparations for the event. Tiếp tục đọc “VN-China border defence friendship exchange to be held in May”
Overseas remittances fall, worrying real estate developers
Last update 14:00 | 09/02/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – Kieu hoi (overseas remittances) to Vietnam unexpectedly decreased in 2016, raising concerns among real estate developers as kieu hoi are an important source of capital for the property market.
According to Izumi Devalier from HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation), 70 percent of kieu hoi are poured into business.
According to the State Bank, one-fifth of kieu hoi in 2015, or $2.5 billion, flowed into the real estate market.
According to Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of the State Bank’s HCMC Branch, only $5 billion of kieu hoi had been remitted to the city by the end of 2016.
In general, the volume of kieu hoi to HCMC accounts for more than 50 percent of total kieu hoi to Vietnam. This means that the total kieu hoi volume to Vietnam in 2016 was no more than $10 billion. The figure was much lower than the $12.2 billion in 2015.
| Kieu hoi (overseas remittances) to Vietnam unexpectedly decreased in 2016, raising concerns among real estate developers as kieu hoi are an important source of capital for the property market. |
For many years, kieu hoi has been considered an important capital source like FDI (foreign direct investment) and ODA (official development assistance).
According to the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM), in 1999-2015, Vietnam received $120 billion worth of kieu hoi and was among the biggest kieu hoi receivers in the world. Tiếp tục đọc “Overseas remittances fall, worrying real estate developers”
Vietnam PM demands probe of child killing self after rape accusation ignored
Updated : 04/15/2017 11:47 GMT + 7
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered an urgent investigation to be launched into the death of a teenage girl, who killed herself after no probe was conducted into her accusation of multiple rapes by a neighbor.
The premier has tasked the Ministry of Public Security with working with police in the southernmost province of Ca Mau to bring justice to the girl, 13-year-old H.M.K, the Government Office said in a statement on Friday.
The decision came after several media reports questioning the way Ca Mau police handled the alleged rape of K. in late 2016, according to the document. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam PM demands probe of child killing self after rape accusation ignored”
Ngăn chặn kịp thời nhóm người định bán quả bom 220 kg – Timely intervention made as scrap collectors about to cut 230kg bomb in central Vietnam
Dân Trí
Dân trí Nhóm người rà phế liệu phát hiện một quả bom nặng 220 kg và đang có ý định bán thì được chính quyền huyện Triệu Phong, tỉnh Quảng Trị ngăn chặn kịp thời.
Sau khi nhận được tin báo từ chính quyền, Dự án Renew thuộc Tổ chức Viện Trợ Nhân dân Na Uy (NPA) – một tổ chức nhân đạo hoạt động trong lĩnh vực giảm thiểu nguy cơ bom mìn – đã tiếp cận quả bom và tiến hành vô hiệu hóa trước khi vận chuyển đến khu vực hủy nổ tại bãi cát thuộc xã Triệu Trạch, huyện Triệu Phong. Tiếp tục đọc “Ngăn chặn kịp thời nhóm người định bán quả bom 220 kg – Timely intervention made as scrap collectors about to cut 230kg bomb in central Vietnam”
Scientists propose ‘breeding’ artificial beach in Nha Trang
Updated : 04/14/2017 20:05 GMT + 7
Scientists at the Vietnam National Institute of Oceanography (VNIO) have concluded a two-year study on ‘breeding’ artificial beaches in coastal Nha Trang City for tourist activities.
The study, submitted this month to the Department of Science and Technology of Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam, looked at possible locations in Nha Trang where new, artificial beaches can be created, as well as preservation solutions for the city’s existing natural beaches.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hong Long, a former VNIO president who led the study, the research was aided by Japanese experts with experience in the field. Tiếp tục đọc “Scientists propose ‘breeding’ artificial beach in Nha Trang”
Permanent measures sought to prevent fish deaths in Saigon’s iconic canal
Updated : 04/15/2017 08:20 GMT + 7
Experts and authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are concerned over the mass fish deaths occurring in an iconic canal following unseasonal rains.
The phenomenon has been happening for years along the Nhieu Loc- Thi Nghe Canal, typically at the beginning of the annual rainy season, though unseasonal downpours earlier this month seem to have had the same fatal affect on the canal’s marine life.
Though the reason behind the phenomenon has already been determined, a variety of proposed solutions has failed to bring about a permanent fix. Tiếp tục đọc “Permanent measures sought to prevent fish deaths in Saigon’s iconic canal”
Vân Đồn special economic zone must be superior: Deputy PM
vietnamnews
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| The special preferential policies for Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone must make it superior to the country’s existing economic zones and on par with similar models in the region and world over. – Photo VNA Trung Nguyên |
HÀ NỘI — The special preferential policies for Vân Đồn Special Economic Zone must make it superior to the country’s existing economic zones and on par with similar models in the region and world over.
During a meeting with provincial authorities on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình required the northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh to map out and propose specific incentive policies at the earliest to develop Vân Đồn quickly into a special economic zone. Tiếp tục đọc “Vân Đồn special economic zone must be superior: Deputy PM”
Mass grave of 150 martyrs found in Đồng Nai
Update: April, 14/2017 – 17:00 vietnamnews
A sandal belonging to the Vietnamese martyrs found at the mass grave in Biên Hòa airport, Đồng Nai Province on Thursday. — Photo tuoitre.vn
Viet Nam News
ĐỒNG NAI — A mass grave containing remains of some 150 Vietnamese martyrs in the American War was discovered on Thursday in the southern province of Đồng Nai.
The Steering Committee on Search, Collection and Excavation of Martyrs’ Remains, also known as Steering Committee 1237, announced it had found the mass grave at about 10am after several days of digging at a site at the Biên Hòa airport. Tiếp tục đọc “Mass grave of 150 martyrs found in Đồng Nai”
Vietnam struggles with environmental crimes
Last update 08:40 | 10/02/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – More than 50 serious pollution cases were discovered in 2016, including the mass fish deaths in four provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue in the central region.
Seven ministries and more than 100 Vietnamese and foreign scientists spent 84 days and nights to trace down the culprit which caused the mass fish death catastrophe. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) finally gathered enough evidence to force Formosa Ha Tinh, the steel complex developer from Taiwan, to admit its behavior of discharging untreated waste water which caused mass fish deaths and serious pollution to coastal areas.
The mass fish death was raising public concern while another scandal was discovered. The Ky Anh Urban Environment Management & Construction Company was caught landfilling waste sludge, which was hazardous waste from Formosa. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam struggles with environmental crimes”
Vietnamese physicists publish article in int’l research journal for first time
Last update 08:09 | 10/02/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – On January 10, 2017, for the first time in Vietnam’s physics history, an article about nuclear physics by Vietnamese authors was published in an international scientific journal.
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| Mr Nguyen Quang Hung |
The article titled “Simultaneous microscopic description of nuclear level densities and radiative strength functions” was published in Physical Review Letters 118, 022502 (2017). It was the work of a team of Vietnamese scientists: Nguyen Quang Hung from Duy Tan University, Da Nang City, Vietnam, Nguyen Dinh Dang from RIKEN, Wako, Japan and Le Thi Quynh Huong from Khanh Hoa University, Nha Trang City, Vietnam.
According to Hung, in order to appear in Physical Review Letters, research must satisfy one of three criteria. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnamese physicists publish article in int’l research journal for first time”
Air pollution from vehicles top concern of city authorities
Last update 07:30 | 11/02/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – In HCMC and Hanoi, air pollution caused by vehicles is even more serious than pollution from industrial zones, environmental experts say.
The HCMC Transport Department has reported that pollution caused by transport activities has become alarming.
There are more than 8 million vehicles in HCMC, including 7 million motorbikes, which produce a huge volume of emission, worsening air pollution and harming people’s health. The figure is 6 million in Hanoi. Tiếp tục đọc “Air pollution from vehicles top concern of city authorities”
Government paves the way for the development of sport betting businesses
Last update 14:00 | 10/02/2017
VietNamNet Bridge – A government Decree 06 dated February 3 on legalizing horse, dog and football betting, to take effect on March 1, is expected to pave the way for the development of sport betting businesses.
Under the decree, the government will allow only one company to provide the international football betting service for a limited period of five years. After the trial period of five years, the government will review the performance of the business before deciding whether to continue licensing it.
The company must have minimum charter capital of VND1 trillion.
Nguoi Lao Dong commented that foreign investors target football betting, which is believed to be a very profitable, though the decree only allows betting for international football matches. Tiếp tục đọc “Government paves the way for the development of sport betting businesses”
CVD 