Garment and Textile Exports to the U.S. Reach 926 Million Dollars

Ha Noi (VNA) August 2 - Viet Nam exported 25 categories of garments and textiles with quota management to the US worth more than 926 million USD in the first seven months of this year.

Of this export value, 18 products having automatic visas contributed around 500 million USD.

The 338/339 category was the biggest hard currency earner with 379 million USD, followed by the 347/348 category at 247 million USD.

The seven-month export value reached around 1.3 billion USD including the value of non-quota items.

Chairman: Party, State Policies Ensure Basic Needs of Religious Organizations and People

Ha Noi (VNA) August 2 - The implementation of the Party's resolutions on religious issues and the Ordinance on Religions and Beliefs has met the basic needs of religious organizations and people, said Ngo Yen Thi, Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

Vietnam Religious Ordinance Promulgated

Ho Chi Minh City, 29 July: According to Catholic priest Vu Quang Trung of Jesus Christ from the Hien Linh Monastery, the Government Ordinance on Religions and Belief and its guidance decree have helped usher in a new chapter for spiritual activities of religious people. The promulgation of the mandate clearly reflects the state respect for people's religious and belief freedom, and their spiritual needs and activities, the priest added.

Foreign University Opens New Campus in Saigon South

Australia’s RMIT International University in Vietnam inaugurated a brand new campus in Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon South July 25.

The new US$20 million school with a four-story main block can seat around 3,000 students.

The new 12.4ha site will also house a state-of-the-art medical center, theatre, and library.

Located some seven kilometers from the city center, the new campus will bring faculty and students together to study at one location.

Study Worries U.S. Catfish Industry

A study that suggests Vietnamese basa catfish are tastier than US pond-raised catfish has caused a stir among American catfish farmers across the country’s Southeast region.

The study, made public by Mississippi State University researchers last week, has drawn sharp criticism from Mississippi-based Catfish Farmers of America, a group that pushed for tariffs on the Vietnamese basa.

Vietnam Lifts Quota Fees for Textile Exports to U.S.

Vietnam’s Finance Ministry has decided to abolish the fees local textile manufacturers have to pay to obtain quotas for exports to the US market.

The abolition should boost nearly 800 local textile producers exporting to the American market, helping producers cut business costs and ease difficulties in export to the US so far, according to the ministry.

Out of the country’s biggest textile markets, only the US still upholds the imposition of quota restrictions.

Textiles are Vietnam’s second largest export earner after crude oil.

State Bank of Vietnam Plans to Liberalize Financial Market

Viet Nam News, (25-07-2005)

HA NOI — The central bank is considering expanding the categories of securities tradable on the open market in order to develop the financial market, a senior bank official said.

State Bank of Viet Nam’s (SBV) deputy governor Nguyen Dong Tien also told a conference held last week to review five years of the open market operation that the SBV would also ask the government to issue more short-term treasury bills for the purpose of expanding securities.

Leading U.S. Entrepreneurs Show Interest in HCMC

A delegation of leading American businesses expressed their wishes to invest in Ho Chi Minh City during a survey trip to Vietnam July 22 to 24.

Representatives from American Dye Golf Corporation, Salim Group, Dallas Pension and Consult Fund all showed serious intentions in carrying out projects in the city, according to Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Le Thanh Hai.

U.S. Consortium Gets Nod for HCMC Waste-to-Energy Plant

The U.S. Entropic Consortium has been given approval to commercialize a 300 million-USD waste-to-energy facility in Ho Chi Minh City, the Business Wire reported Thursday.

The consortium concluded its final negotiations this week after a major presentation to government officials. The approval is subject to a final design, technology and administrative review by the HCMC Environmental Protection Agency.

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