Economy and commerce
Facing budget hurdle, Vietnam turns to private investors for transport projects
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the transport ministry to create more favorable policies to attract private investment into public infrastructure projects, saying the government’s financial resources are limited. The state budget cannot be spent extravagantly, and sovereign bonds cannot be issued excessively or ...
Lao businesses struggling in AEC
It is essential to improve the level of professionalism in the business sector to enable local operators to survive the rising tide of competition, leading entrepreneurs have suggested. The establishment of the ASEAN Community on 31 December, in particular the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), introduces the free flow ...
Rice warehouses are put back on the table in talks with China
Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce announced last week a $400 million proposal by three Chinese firms to build state-run rice warehousing facilities to increase the Kingdom’s storage capacity. Lacking such capacity has been a longstanding issue that sector experts say has in part hampered ambitions of reaching the ...
ASEAN: Ten become one
With the arrival of the new year, Southeast Asia has finally embarked on an important new journey that has been years in preparation. The hope is that the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will bring a new era of growth, though many say there won’t be conspicuous changes ...
Vietnam weakens dong fixing as it adopts market-based rate
The State Bank of Vietnam reduced the dong’s reference rate for the first time since August, after saying over the weekend that it is moving to a more market-based methodology in setting a daily reference rate versus the dollar. It lowered the fixing by 0.03 percent ...
What is the value of the Mekong river?
Putting a value on the Mekong River and measuring the impact it has on the gross domestic product (GDP) of downstream countries has for a long time been a strategic target of bureaucrats and non-governmental organizations seeking to measure and protect the world’s twelfth longest ...
Laos-Japan economic zone to benefit local community
The new specific economic zone (SEZ) being developed through cooperation between Laos and Japan should bring economic and other benefits to the government, local administrations and people by being a model on transparency of investment. Relevant officials made the comments about the project recently on the ...
SE Asia stocks: most markets set for losses in 2015, Vietnam outperforms
Southeast Asian stock markets ended down in thin trade on 31 December as investors stayed away ahead of holidays, with all markets posting losses in 2015 except for Vietnam. Singapore’s key Straits Times Index dipped 0.1 percent in mixed trade, with losses in most big caps offsetting gains in several blue ...
Sugar posts 1st gain in 5 years as El Nino ends surplus
After four bitter years, sugar mills can look forward to sweeter prospects in 2016. Prices have rebounded 50% since reaching a seven-year low in August. Raw-sugar futures traded in New York posted a 5% gain for the year, their first annual advance since 2010. The market ...
Cambodians filling majority of hotel rooms this New Year’s
As the year-end festivities get into high gear, provincial tourism officials are reporting a sharp increase in Cambodians travelling to popular holiday spots across the country to ring in the New Year. The temple town of Siem Reap this year is seeing an increase in hotel ...
