Business in brief in 14 September 2012
                            
                               
                                                  
                             
                   The  Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the Cultivation  Department to build up the logo of Vietnamese Good Agriculture  Practices (VietGap) for agro-products farmed at home. The logo for  local farm produce recognized as VietGap products is expected to bring  benefits for local farmers who have been decrying that their logos are  imitated in the market. The logo will also help local consumers tell  VietGap products from other ones. The Cultivation Department said in the  coming time it will organize a nationwide contest to seek the most  suitable logo and to attract the attention of consumers towards VietGap  products at the same time. Vo Mai as board member of Song Tien Gap Club  told the Daily that such a logo should have been launched from the  beginning when the VietGap program kicked off in 2008. However, it is  better late than never, noted Mai, who is also vice president of the  Vietnam Gardening Association.
Vedan  Taiwan group, a major producer of food and beverages in Taiwan, plans  to target ASEAN this year, to counter the flat market in China last  year. Vedan’s first-half revenues reached NT$ 5.4 billion (US$ 180  million), down 3.6% year on year (YoY), with net profits of NT$ 110  million (US$ 3.67 million), sizably soaring 127% YoY. K.X. Yang, chief  executive officer (CEO) of Vedan Taiwan, announced two major programs  for ASEAN business deployment, including tapping the markets in Myanmar  and Indonesia, and promoting beverages in Vietnam with 20,000 retailers.  With the firm’s deployment in ASEAN this year, its revenues rose over  50% in the first half, coupled with steady revenue performances in  Thailand and Vietnam. The firm launched two new beverages including  green tea and green tea with lemon flavor in Vietnam in June, and will  launch one to two kinds of soft drinks in the first half of 2013 to  build brand.
Mekong  Delta provinces have so far earned nearly US$1.2 billion from exporting  84,000 tons of Tra fish to 133 countries, including more than half to  the US, EU and ASEAN countries. However, due to a fall in the price  of Tra fish from VND28,000 to VND22,000-22,500 per kilo, fish breeders  tend to narrow the scale of fish production for export. It is forecast  that processing factories will be running short of materials by the end  of this year. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has  urged the Mekong Delta authorities to maintain at least 5,500 hectares  of breeding areas to yield 1.2 million tons of Tra fish. It has also  asked local fish breeders to pay more attention to improve the quality  of products for exports.
Vietnam, Thailand and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have agreed to cooperate in the energy sector. The  agreement with Thailand was made at talks between Vietnam’s Deputy  Minister of Industry and Trade, Le Duong Quang and Thailand’s Minister  of Energy, Arak Cholatanon, on September 13, on the fringes of the  ongoing 30th ASEAN Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh. They agreed  to adopt a joint statement on the deal, under which, both countries will  put forward appropriate cooperation models and mechanisms to increase  the efficiency of joint initiatives between their business communities.  They also agreed to hold a bilateral energy forum on implementation of  joint projects. Earlier, on September 12, the RoK’s Deputy Minister of  Knowledge Economy, Lee Kwansup, pledged to further assisting Vietnam in  human resources training to develop its energy and technology sector.
A  forum on promoting investment in industrial zones and coastal economic  zones was opened in the capital city of Tokyo on September 13. It is  part of the Vietnam-Japan Meeting 2012 which is taking place in Japan  from September 13-17. The event drew more than 300 delegates including  major investors and businesses from Japan and Vietnam. At the forum,  representatives from five localities of Vietnam namely Haiphong, Thua  Thien-Hue, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh and Vung Tau, introduced their potential  for developing industrial zones, as well as investment encouragement  policies. Japan is currently Vietnam’s leading foreign investor with  more than 1,700 projects worth US$28 billion.
The  European Commission (EC) has announced a probe into the evasion of  anti-dumping tax by companies shipping disposable Chinese-made lighters  to the EU from Vietnam. Vietnams Competition Management Agency, a  part of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, confirmed that a EC agency  will investigate seven Vietnamese companies who export lighters, and  work with local customs agencies to collect for more information about  the case. The investigation began in June and will continue until April  next year. Although the probe is mainly focusing on the lighter  manufacturers in China, the Competition Management Agency said the  results will affect all Vietnamese lighter exporters to the EU market as  well. 
The  Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced plans for a business trip  for domestic engineering enterprises to seek new business opportunities  in the US cities of New York, San Francisco and Chicago. The trip,  from October 5-15, aims to help local firms to explore market trends in  developing support products used by the machinery engineering industry  in the US, establish relationships with US firms as well as better  advertise the advantages of Vietnamese support products in the  engineering industry. During their stay in the US, the businesses would  get the chance to meet representatives from engineering companies to  exchange co-operation opportunities and participate at the MetalCon  International 2012 expo, one of the biggest exhibitions on the machinery  engineering industry in the US. 
Two-way  trade between Vietnam and countries in the Americas exceeded US$18  billion during the first seven months of this year, up 19% against the  same period last year, according to the Vietnam General Department  of Customs. During the period Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus with  nearly $13.4 billion in export revenue and more than $4.6 billion in  value of imports, representing a year-on-year increases of 20% and 16%  respectively. The US remained Vietnams biggest trading partner in the  region, with export-import turnover rising 20% to $13.9 billion during  the period, followed by Brazil ($1.1 billion), Canada ($903 million),  Argentina ($530 million) and Mexico ($473 million). Vietnams key export  items to these countries included garments and textiles, wooden goods,  footwear, seafood, machinery and accessories. Its imports from the  Americas included computers, electronics and components, foodstuff and  materials. 
Credit rating firm Moodys has maintained its "stable" outlook for Sacombank. The  banks standalone credit capacity continued to be rated at E+,  equivalent to long-term credit at B1, thanks to its branch and ATM  networks, assets value (the sixth largest in Vietnam), and lower bad  debt and higher capital adequacy ratio compared to the market average,  among others. Moodys also rated deposits in dong and foreign currency  as B1 and B2, the highest among Vietnamese institutions.
HSBC  Bank Vietnam has been named Best Foreign Commercial Bank in Vietnam for  the seventh straight year by Hong Kong-based FinanceAsia magazine. The  bank has 18 outlets and 200,000 customers across the country. Finance  Asia praised HSBCs continued efforts to expand operations and diversify  services despite the testing market conditions. The joint stock DongA  Bank has won the Best Foreign Exchange Provider in Vietnam 2012  (Wholesale Banking category) from another magazine, Asia  Banking&Finance.
Norwegian  company Brodrene Dahl, a provider of materials for ship piping systems,  yesterday opened an office and warehouse in Dong Xuyen Industrial Park  in Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province. Its general director, Alexander  Hellesen, said around 3,000 tons of pipes, fittings, flanges, valves,  and actuators are in stock at the warehouse ready for delivery to  customers in Vietnam.
Representatives  from the Japan Transport Co-operation Association (JTCA) and Marubeni  Corporation proposed a plan to improve and develop the central city of  Da Nangs ports and metro system, respectively. Meeting with the  citys administration on Wednesday, JTCAs representative Tetsuo Yoshida  proposed a plan for improving the cargo demand capacity of Da Nang port  and enable it to receive passenger ships in the future. The central  city has finalized its Master Plan on the future transport and  infrastructure development in 2020-30, of which a metro system is the  top priority. In a meeting with the citys administration, the Japan  International Co-operation Agency (JICA) Vietnam said it would help  improve the citys Lien Chieu water supply plant and Tien Sa port with  funds totaling US$86 million from the Asia Development Bank.
Mekong  Aviation JSC (AirMekong) is offering over 220 discounted tickets on its  domestic routes each day from now to October 14, the carrier announced  last week. The routes included in the promotion are from HCM City to  Buon Me Thuot, Pleiku, Phu Quoc, Con Dao and Quy Nhon as well as from  Ha Noi to Da Lat, HCM City, Buon Me Thuot, Pleiku, Con Dao and Phu Quoc.  During the period, the carrier will also increase flights on some  domestic routes to meet anticipated demand.
The  Property & Management Company (MPC) was appointed by real estate  developer Novaland to manage the Sunrise City residential complex, which  recently made its debut in HCM Citys District 7. The US$500  million complex, which includes 12 sky-high buildings ranging from 30 to  35 floors, was built by international contractors including Bureau  Veritas, Surbana and Kumho E&C. Headquartered in Ha Noi, PMC  currently manages a number of property projects nation-wide with total  area of 500,000 sq.m.