By Thach Thao  February 16, 2019 | 08:00 am GMT+7 Police investigate a scene where Canadian-Vietnamese Vo Duy Nghiem was splashed with acid in the central province of Quang Ngai. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Bao Vietnamese police are hunting two people who assaulted a Canadian-Vietnamese couple with acid and knives earlier this month. The attack happened the night of February 9 as Vo Duy Nghiem was driving a motorbike with his girlfriend Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram riding pillion. The couple, both 26, were on their way to dinner near Khe Hai Beach in the central province of Quang Ngai when two masked persons on a motorbike splashed acid on Nghiem. As he writhed in pain, they slashed his tendons and knee joints three times before riding away. Nghiem and Tram were taken to a hospital later. He was found to have his cornea and 80 percent of his body burnt by the acid. Tram escaped with minor acid burns. Nghiem, born in Vietnam, moved to Canada after finishing high school. The … [Read more...] about Acid splashed, tendons slashed in attack on Canadian-Vietnamese man
Graffiti stain Hanoi’s houses during Tet
Residents in Hanoi's Au Co and Nghi Tam streets are complaining about their walls received large amounts of graffiti during the Tet holiday. Graffiti is making people angry on many streets in the capital yet local authorities said they face challenges in dealing with offenders. In Tay Ho District, thousands of the unwanted drawings painting on the two-kilometre dyke along Au Co and Nghi Tam streets had been cleared before Tet. However, the houses of hundreds of families had been stained with the drawings during the holiday. Graffiti seen on the door of some shops on Au Co Street According to a local man, Nguyen Tien Hoai in Au Co Street, almost all the houses along the street suffered as the works were painted at night or early in the morning. “I once saw two foreign men drawing on the door of our neighbour's house," Hoai said. "I chased them away but then sneakily came back to finish their work." Another resident, Le Cam Tu, said that on the Lunar New Year Eve when their … [Read more...] about Graffiti stain Hanoi’s houses during Tet
New-generation FTAs pin hopes on future agricultural growth in Vietnam
Both the CPTPP and EVFTA trade pacts, expected to come into effect this year, are set to increase the access that Vietnamese farm produce enjoy in demanding overseas markets. New generation FTAs, along with their advantages, are set to bring in new challenges to the agricultural sector. Imminent golden chances The agricultural sector is set to achieve an annual growth rate of at least 2.9 per cent during 2019, with export turnover amounting to between US$42 to 43 billion. With trade agreements already signed and about to come into force, many local businesses and farmers are standing on the threshold of making a fortune. Of note, aquatic exports such as cod, surimi, shrimp and crab to Canada and Japan will be immune from tariffs once the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans - Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) takes effect. Tra and basa fish (catfish), major export staples to Mexico, will enjoy a tax rate of 0 per cent in the third year after the trade pact comes into … [Read more...] about New-generation FTAs pin hopes on future agricultural growth in Vietnam
Ministry seeks to lower taxable prices of domestic cars
Ministry seeks to lower taxable prices of domestic carsThe Saigon Times Daily Cars and other vehicles are held up in a heavy traffic jam near downtown HCMC – PHOTO: TL HCMC – The Ministry of Finance is studying a plan to cut the prices for the calculation of special consumption tax on locally made cars with nine seats or below. However, this may raise the risk of violating international commitments, according to a report from the ministry to the prime minister. The report responds to the opinions of cabinet members on a draft Government decree that amends and supplements a number of articles of Decree 108/2015 on the Law on Special Consumption Tax. The ministry said in the report that special consumption tax on domestically produced commodities, including cars, are based on the selling prices of producers. To raise the ratio of local contents, lower product prices and enhance competitiveness among locally made and imported cars, the ministry has put forward a tax … [Read more...] about Ministry seeks to lower taxable prices of domestic cars
Pepper prices at record lows during harvest season
Pepper prices at record lows during harvest seasonThe Saigon Times Daily A local farmer harvests pepper in this file photo. The pepper prices in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province saw a sharp decline, at VND45,000-VND46,000 per kilogram – PHOTO: VNA HCMC – The price of pepper has declined to a record low of VND45,000-VND46,000 per kilogram as the harvest season has begun in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. The sharp price fall has provoked concern among local pepper farmers, VietnamPlus reported. The pepper harvest in the province started at the end of the Tet holiday. Nguyen Tan Linh, residing in the province’s Kim Long Commune, Chau Duc District, said that his family had an abundant harvest of pepper this year when the one-hectare garden yielded over four tons of the crop, but their happiness was short-lived as the pepper prices tumbled. The sharp pepper price slump, which was attributed to the world pepper price drop and the large pepper inventory in the … [Read more...] about Pepper prices at record lows during harvest season