VN/News-VET-093099

[Dao Van <daotb@yahoo.com>]

Thursday, Sep 30, 1999 US$ 35 million to train teachers for primary
schools

(VET)- The Ministry of Education is
reported to have submitted to the government a project worth US$ 35
million to train teachers of primary schools for consideration; US$ 25
million of which are expected to come from the loans of the World Bank
WB and Asia Development Bank ADB, and the rest will come from the
domestic counter-capital.  The project will last for 6 years starting
from the year 2000, aimed at upgrading the quality of teachers at
primary schools in 10 provinces, which are faced difficulty or shortage
of teachers.  The project is also aimed to provide facilities for
teachers' training schools and compiling textbooks and improving method
of teaching.  Part of the budget of the project will be used to send
teachers for further training overseas. 



Crude oil price up

(VET)- According to the Ministry of
Trade the price of Vietnamese crude oil has risen twice as much as that
of the beginning of the year.  The average price in September is US$
21.92 / ton or an increase of US$ 10.78 over January this year.  The
Petroleum Trading Company had as of September 17,1999 exported 10.4
million tons of crude oil, earning the export values of US$ 1.25
billion.  Crude oil is one of the Vietnam^Òs Top Ten export items. 



Registration fees expected to go down

(VET)- The Ministry of Finance has
submitted to the government a proposal for the reduction of registration
fees for houses, cars and motorbikes by 50 percent.  Mr.  Pham Van
Huyen, vice general director of the Vietnam Taxation Administration told
VET reporter that Finance Ministry suggested that registration fee for
houses be cut by half from 2 percent down to 1 percent; and the
registration fee for cars and motorbikes be cut down from 4 percent to 2
percent.  The move is designed to encourage the owners to register their
vehicles for legal use. 



US earthcare firm to go ahead with garbage treatment plants

(VET)- Tuoi Tre ( Youth Newspaper)
reported that the US Earthcare Vietnam LLC Company has been granted a
license to build garbage processing plants for fertilizer production in
Quy Nhon of Binh Dinh province; Tam Thang Industrial Zone of Dak Lak
province in central Vietnam, and in Soc Son District of the capital city
of Hanoi with the combined capital of US$ US$ 22.3 million. 

The Earthcare Company is reported to have submitted another application
for the establishment of a fourth one in Dong Thanh, Hoc Mon District of
HCMC. 



Japanese Government to grant 20 billion Japanese yen to Vietnam

(VET)- Vietnamese MPI Minister Tran
Xuan Gia and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Takeshi Nakamura signed on
September 29 in Hanoi a note, on which Japanese Government would grant a
loan worth 20 billion yen in the context of the Miyazawa initiative to
overcome the outcome of the regional currency crisis and to boost the
economic reform. 

The loan is expected to last 30-years including a 10-year-grace period
and an annual interest rate of 1.8 percent.  The new loan brings Japan's
total ODA credit to US$4.79 billion since the resumption of ODA loans to
Vietnam in November 1992.  OECF will cease to exist today, merging with
JEXIM to become the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC)
tomorrow. 



An Indonesian soccer club wishes to sign Vietnamese mid-fielder Hong Son

(VET)- Thanh Nien (Youth Newspaper)
reported that Indonesian first division side Pesijia Timur expressed its
interest in signing with Nguyen Hong Son, 28 years old, top mid fielder
of Vietnam national squad and Army Club.  The offer is reported to have
been submitted to Vietnam Football Federation VFF for consideration, and
if the offer was accepted, Son would be the first Vietnamese player to
transfer overseas. 

As an army Officer Hong Son would face some difficulty in his transfer. 
Moreover no regulation on such matter in Vietnam Football has been
issued yet. 

Vietnamese top striker Le Huynh Duc of HCMC Police Club and of the
national squad; Pham Nhu Thuan, defender of both the Army club and the
national squad and Vu Dzung, an army goal keeper were said to be subject
of a transfer request in August. 



Lufhansa Cargo expected to open flights to Vietnam

(VET)- Tuoi Tre (Youth Newspaper)
quoted Business Times USA published on September 28 as saying that based
on the good relationships with Vietnam Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo of
Germany intended to open more cargo flights to Vietnam next year. 
According to Lufthansa the car flights are expected to open flight
schedules starting from winter of the year 2000. 



Switzerland^Òs technical assistance to help Vietnam^Òs public management

(VET)- Director Nguyen Ngoc Hien of
Vietnam's National Institute of Public Administration
(NIPA) and the Swiss ambassador to
Vietnam, Jurg Leutert signed on Tuesday an agreement, on which the Swiss
Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) would grant a US$400,000
technical assistance project designed to strengthen NIPA's capacity to
train officials to further the progress of national reform of public
administration.  The first phase of the longer-term co-operation will be
carried out from October 1999 to June 2001. 

The project has four objectives: facilitating continuous development of
curriculum; updating the curriculum and training materials for certain
middle and high-level civil servants; improving the training methodology
used in courses offered by NIPA; and training NIPA staff at well known
public management institutions. 



Green light given to new Vietnamese invested project overseas

(VET)- MPI is reported to have licensed
the HCMC-base Technology and Investment Trading Company to set up the
Petecinter Company Ltd in Russia. 

With the capital of US$280,000 for a duration of 10 years, the company
is expected to establish a retail and export, import trade center in
Russia and to boost Vietnamese exports to Russia and engaged in
transport, distribution and tourism and provide marketing, consulting
and legal services. 



Fujitsu Vietnam^Òs third plant to be put into pilot operation

(VET)- SGT quoted an official of The
Fujitsu Computer Products of Vietnam (FCV) in the southern province of
Dong Nai as saying that FCV^Òs third plant had been put into a pilot
operation. 

Its third plant, located at Bien Hoa Industrial Park 2, had three lines
for printed circuit board assembly with a combined monthly capacity of
300,000 items. 

He also said that the company had gone through a main auditing and
expected to receive an ISO 14000 environmental certificate next month
from Bureau Veritas Quality International of France.  The two
commissioned Fujitsu plants, which produce printed circuit boards and
wiring boards, were granted -ISO 9002 certificates for product quality
in September 1997 and September this year, respectively. 



Local students to be admitted to HCMC International School

(VET)- SGT reported that HCMC city
government has authorized the International School HCMC to admit
Vietnamese students from year 10 and applications are being accepted for
the second term commencing from October18. 

Of course only local students who are born into very high-income earners
could join the school. 

Founded in 1993 as a non-denominational, co-educational and'
multicultural international school, the HCMC International school aims
to provide a broad based education in English, and it currently has
recruited 450 students of three to 18 years old from more than 30
different nationalities and 52 foreign teachers. 



Vietnam boosts trade ties with South Korea

(VET)- Vietnam's Trade Minister Truong
Dinh Tuyen and his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-soo signed an
agreement at a meeting in Seoul on Monday aimed to removing the hurdles
to enhance bilateral trade and investment. 

Han has asked Vietnam to take measures for Korean telecoms and
construction companies to proceed smoothly with their infrastructure
projects in Vietnam; and to exempt licenses for experienced foreign
construction companies, expedite signing of the project to develop gas
fields in the country, and allow Korean fishing boats to operate in
Vietnamese waters. 

Tuyen in response called on Korea to increase the import quotas for
Vietnamese coal and gasoline, and simplify the import inspection
procedures for Vietnamese agro-products. 



Export up - import down

(VET)- Export sales have risen 17.2
percent in the first nine months of the year over one year earlier to
US$8.18 billion, while the import values have fallen 4.7 percent down to
US$8.21 billion, according to the report released by the Ministry of
Trade. 

Exports by foreign invested enterprises have risen 22.4 percent to
US$1.7 billion
(excluding crude oil), and spent US$2.2
billion on imports, or up 11.6 percent; and exports by domestic
enterprises risen 15.9 percent to US$ 6.4 billion, spent US$5.9 billion
on imports or down 9.7 percent. 

The imports of consumer goods have fallen 23 percent down to US$300
million.  The country's 1999 export turnover is estimated at US$10.7
billion, or an increase of US$700 million over the year target, and
import spending at US$ 11.3 billion as against the planned US$ 11.5
billion. 



Joint-stock banks turn to private sector

(SGT)- Some joint stock banks have
begun lending big to private firms, while State-run banks maintain their
focus on State companies. 


FULL TEXT



Policies needed to bolster consulting for SMEs

(SGT)- Vu Quoc Tuan, a member of the
Prime Minister's think-tank, has stressed the need for policies to
foster consulting services for small and medium enterprises (SME). 


FULL TEXT



Hai Phong hospital to get Czech help

(VNS)- The Czech Republic has promised
to donate US$430,000 to help the Vietnam-Czechoslovak Friendship
Hospital in Hai Phong modernize its medical facilities. 

A framework agreement to provide the money was made in the port city
yesterday signed by Hai Phong People's Committee chairman, Tran Huy
Nang, and Czech Republic Ambassador to Vietnam, Marek Skolil. 

The first stage of the three-year project will be implemented this year.
It will include the provision of new equipment and training by staff of
the Motol Praha Hospital in the Czech Republic.  Addressing the signing
ceremony, Ambassador Skolil said the Czech Government was also
interested in helping Hai Phong develop its mechanical engineering.  It
would also assist in developing shoe making and energy industries. 



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