Viettel, Ericsson sign deal to boost GSM network

Fri, 05/20/2005 - 16:26

HA NOI — Ericsson, the world’s leading mobile systems supplier, signed an agreement yesterday with Viettel, Viet Nam’s third-largest mobile phone company, to expand Viettel’s Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network.

The Swedish firm said that under the agreement it will provide Viettel, which is run by the Vietnamese military, with core and radio network access equipment, service layer platforms, network rollout and support services.

Information about the agreement’s value and timeframe for implementation was not revealed by Ericsson.

Tourism up, but VNAT not satisfied

Fri, 05/20/2005 - 16:24

HA NOI — Even though tourism continues to soar, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism believes there is still room for improvement.

During the first quarter of 2005, 36 per cent more foreign tourists entered the country than during the same period last year, according to Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

The number of local tourists has also risen by 7 per cent during the same period.

VNAT expects to welcome 3.2 million overseas tourists this year, up 14 per cent from last year.

Vietnam mobile market heats up

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 16:27

16:21' 16/05/2005 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet – The mobile market in Vietnam is proving to be very lucrative, and is expected to have a high growth rate in future, according to experts at the second Mobile Vietnam Meeting.

In 2005, two additional providers were licensed to establish mobile phone services - the 092 network for Hanoi Telecom Corporation, and the 096 network for the Vietnam Power Telecom Corporation (VP telecom - bringing the number of domestic mobile phone service providers to six.

Last Star Wars movie to hit screens in Vietnam

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 12:10

The final Star Wars film, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, will possibly be released in Vietnam in June, local Tuoi Tre newspaper reported May 18.

The sixth and final installment of the Star Wars saga is due to come out in the U.S. on May 19, and hit screens in the Asian-Pacific region one week later.

The movie will open in cinemas in Vietnam in June, Tuoi Tre said.

Disney goes on air in Vietnam

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 12:08

Starting May 19, Disney programs will be broadcast on the cable channel HCMC Television as part of the company’s plans to penetrate into Vietnam’s potential market, local newspaper Tuoi Tre reported.
Disney-owned TV channels Disney and Playhouse Disney will debut on HTV with the theme “Hello Vietnam.”

Vietnam builds first wind power complex

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 12:06

Vietnam is developing its first wind power generators at a cost of 820 billion dong ($52 million) to meet soaring demand for energy, officials said on Wednesday.

Construction of the wind power complex has begun in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh, 650 km (404 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City, officials from the Central Region Wind Power Development and Investment Co., the project operator, told Reuters.

Vietnam pumps nearly 25 bln VND to upgrade central port

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 12:04

Three Vietnamese groups have pumped nearly 25 billion VND to upgrade the major Ky Ha port in central Quang Nam province in order for the port to receive larger ships by the end of June.
After construction is completed, larger ships with loading capacity of up to 10,000 tons can dock at Ky Ha port in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone.

Since the middle of this year, the Vietnam National Maritime Bureau has invested 3.5 billion VND to dredge the waterway leading to the port to 6.5 meters deep.

Vietnam signs deal for construction of first oil refinery

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 11:53


An international consortium led by French group Technip signed a 1.5 billion USD deal May 17 to build Vietnam's first oil refinery, the biggest ever investment in the country, AFP reported.

Officials from Technip, Japanese engineering giant JGC Corporation and Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas signed the deal with state-owned giant PetroVietnam in Hanoi.

The long-awaited deal is seen as crucial to giving Vietnam energy autonomy as, despite being a major crude producer, the nation has to import its refined products.

Overseas Vietnamese musician Pham Duy returns home

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 11:50

The renowned Vietnamese musician and composer Pham Duy, 86, can happily say he is no longer an “overseas” Vietnamese after he arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday to spend the rest of his days.
After arriving Tuesday morning, Thanh Nien spoke with Duy at the Saigon Star Hotel, where he would stay in the coming time, about his big move.

How do you feel now?

Fisheries sector to fund promotion

Wed, 05/18/2005 - 11:45

Workers process shrimps for export in the Nam Hai Food Ltd Company in the southern Can Tho Province’s Tra Noc Industrial Zone. The fisheries sector will inject roughly US$88,000 into a promotion campaign designed to increase its exports to the US and Japan. — VNA/VNS Photo Trang Duong
HA NOI — The Ministry of Fisheries is planning to spend VND1.4 billion (US$88,000) on promotional campaigns encouraging shrimp exports to Japan and the US, Viet Nam’s two biggest markets, in an attempt to address the disappointing export levels for the first months of this year.

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