Vietnam eases foreign ownership rules

Thu, 07/24/2003 - 17:51


By Amy Kazmin
Financial Times; Jul 22, 2003


Vietnam has eased restrictions on foreign ownership of listed companies as part as an effort to stimulate interest in the country's three-year-old equity market.

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved an increase in the foreign ownership of listed companies to 30 per cent, addressing a Vietnamese legal anomaly that allowed foreign investors to hold up to 30 per cent of unlisted enterprises, but capped their holdings in listed firms at 20 per cent.

Foreign lawyers permitted to operate in Viet Nam

Thu, 07/24/2003 - 17:41


(07/24/2003 -- 12:34GMT+7)

Ha Noi, July 24 (VNA) - Foreign lawyers' organisations and foreign lawyers are now allowed to operate in Viet Nam under a decree signed on Tuesday by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

This decree stipulates that the Vietnamese Government will ensure non-discrimination among foreign lawyers' organisations and foreign lawyers practising in Viet Nam and will protect their ownership of their investment capital and other legal interests.

Viet Nam's film Vua Bai Rac to be shown in the U.S. and Canada

Tue, 07/22/2003 - 17:58

(07/22/2003 -- 12:05GMT+7)

Ha Noi, July 22 (VNA) - The Canada-based BM Films International Firm has bought the copyright to the film, Vua Bai Rac (King of Debris), planning to show it at cinemas, on TV and to publish on VCDs in the U.S. and Canada in the next ten years.

Under a contract with the Vietnamese Feature Film Company- the manufacturer, the BM Films International Firm will facilitate the film's participation in festivals, design posters and make English and French captions.

Vietnam to tap around 30m tonnes of crude

Tue, 07/22/2003 - 17:51

Nhandan.org.vn, July 22, 2003

Vietnam's oil and gas industry plans to extract between 30-32 million tonnes of crude equivalent and between 12-19 billion cubic metres of gas by 2010, meeting 60-70% of domestic demand for oil and gas products.

Officials forecast the demand for oil and gas products to jump from 12 million tonnes in 2005 to 17 million tonnes in 2010 and 26 million tonnes by 2020.

Vietnam Buddhist Sangha develops together with nation

Tue, 07/22/2003 - 17:48

Nhandan.org.vn, July 22, 2003

Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, vice permanent president of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), has confirmed that VBS has always joined the nation in every step of development. The most venerable condemned the liking human rights conditions on non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam, considering it a brazen interference into Vietnam's internal affairs, ignoring the international law.

Vietnamese health spending rises

Thu, 07/17/2003 - 11:02



HCM CITY — Yearly health care spending by Vietnamese increased from a per capita average of VND10,200 (US$ 0.73) in 1999 to VND15,200 ($1) in 2002 Statistics General figures show.

But while the urban-rural income gap narrowed slightly there was a significant difference in health care spending between urban and rural Viet Nam.

The figures show that rural residents spent about VND13,100 for health care each year but the figure for urban Vietnamese was about VND22,200.

The difference for hos-pitalisation was much greater.

Statement by VN's Foreign Ministry Spokesman on Smith Amendment

Thu, 07/17/2003 - 10:29

STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESMAN OF THE VIETNAMESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

On 15 July 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives approved several amendments to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of the 2004 – 2005 fiscal year, including one concerning Vietnam which imposes human rights conditions on and links them to non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam.

Statement of the NA Foreign Affairs Committee

Wed, 07/16/2003 - 15:35

Statement of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Vietnam National Assembly

1. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Vietnam National Assembly strongly objects to the approval on 15th July 2003 by the US House of Representatives of the Amendment to HR 1950 Bill on Foreign Relations Authorization, wherein the issues of “democracy” and “human rights” are exploited for the purpose of gross interference in the internal affairs of Vietnam, thus jeopardizing the relations on an equal footing between the two countries.

Statement of the NA Council of Ethnic Nationalities

Wed, 07/16/2003 - 15:33

Statement of the Council of Ethnic Nationalities of the Vietnam National Assembly

1. The Council of Ethnic Nationalities of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam resolutely rejects the slanderous assertions and wrongful measures in relevance to the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands of Vietnam put forth in the Amendment concerning Vietnam introduced within the framework of HR. 1950 Bill on Foreign Relations Authorization which was adopted by the US House of Representatives on July 15th, 2003.

Peaceful, stable environment key to development

Mon, 07/14/2003 - 17:11


HA NOI — A guaranteed peaceful, stable environment that fosters socialist-oriented socio-economic development is the best way to benefit the nation, says Viet Nam Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

The General Secretary, who was summing up at the Central Committee’s 8th plenum that ended in Ha Noi last week, said safeguarding the nation could not be simply defined as protection.

Pages