Sunday, January 9, 2011

High gold price fails to deter shoppers

Demand for gold jewelry on the domestic market has not significantly changed despite the fact that the cost of gold has climbed to its highest ever level, according to industry experts.

"In recent days, we have had a large number of customers across the country," said General Director of Bao Tin Minh Chau Joint Stock Co Vu Minh Chau.

Chau added that as the wedding season approached, his company had seen no change in customer volume.

Sai Gon Jewelry Holdings Co (SJC) reported business had remained unchanged.

"The number of people buying wedding jewelry still remains high. However, the number of customers shopping for everyday jewelry is down 20 percent," said Tran Thi Ngoc Suong, head of SJC's Jewelry Department.

To maintain customer volume, gold companies have designed a variety of new products comprising less gold.

"Our company has introduced many new products. We cut down the gold weight so that more customers can afford them," said Chau.

He added that with only about VND1 million (US$52), customers could buy a wedding ring.

"We use modern technology, which helps us produce light weight gold jewelry," he added.

The company has also organized a number of discount promotional programs.

These new methods seem to be working for the gold companies, attracting large numbers of mid-income earners.

"It is a clever choice to buy cheaper wedding jewelry with good design when the gold price is so high," said Van Anh, a customer.

The price of gold on the domestic market has significantly increased. It climbed to VND31.64 million ($1.600) per tael (1.2 troy ounces) on Monday.

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ASEAN Summit helps increase intra-bloc strength

The ASEAN Summit to be held in Hanoi from October 28-30 will help consolidate the bloc’s economic strength, said ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan Monday.

He earlier said ASEAN will hold a high-level meeting with its leading trade partners, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India .

The association also plans to organise a special high-level meeting with Russia , Australia , New Zealand and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he added.

The meetings on the sidelines of the summit will include the fifth East Asian Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN-BIS), he said, adding that the US and Russia Secretaries of State have been invited to attend the ASEAN Summit as observers.

According to the association’s leader, a master plan on ASEAN connectivity will be submitted to ten ASEAN leaders at the summit in Hanoi . The plan includes important policies on regional infrastructure development, especially in transport, energy and information technology, as well as people-to-people exchange activities through tourism, cultural exchange and education.

Meanwhile, the first meeting of ASEAN defence ministers with eight dialogue countries (ASEAN+8) scheduled for October 12 in Hanoi aims to encourage regional cooperation in security issues, including maritime security, anti-terrorism, peacekeeping, army medicine and disaster rescue, he said.

 

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ASEAN Summit helps increase intra-bloc strength

The ASEAN Summit to be held in Hanoi from October 28-30 will help consolidate the bloc’s economic strength, said ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan Monday.

He earlier said ASEAN will hold a high-level meeting with its leading trade partners, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India .

The association also plans to organise a special high-level meeting with Russia , Australia , New Zealand and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he added.

The meetings on the sidelines of the summit will include the fifth East Asian Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN-BIS), he said, adding that the US and Russia Secretaries of State have been invited to attend the ASEAN Summit as observers.

According to the association’s leader, a master plan on ASEAN connectivity will be submitted to ten ASEAN leaders at the summit in Hanoi . The plan includes important policies on regional infrastructure development, especially in transport, energy and information technology, as well as people-to-people exchange activities through tourism, cultural exchange and education.

Meanwhile, the first meeting of ASEAN defence ministers with eight dialogue countries (ASEAN+8) scheduled for October 12 in Hanoi aims to encourage regional cooperation in security issues, including maritime security, anti-terrorism, peacekeeping, army medicine and disaster rescue, he said.

 

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HCMC: Small projects gain additional capital

In contrast to the decreasing trend in large-scale investment projects,
many small and medium sized projects in Ho Chi Minh City received
supplementary capital in September.


According to HCM City ’s Department of Planning and Investment
(HCDPI), an additional 169 million USD was injected into 65 FDI
projects, mainly in industrial production, services and retail, an
average extra investment of 15 million USD per project.


This positive sign confirmed the improved confidence of small and
medium investors in the Vietnamese market’s development potential and
stability.


The Yuki Vietnam Company, that
manufactures parts for industrial sewing machines, invested an
additional 5 million USD to expand its workshops and purchase new
machinery and equipment. This is the third increase in the company’s
capital since 1994, raising its total investment in Vietnam to 20
million USD.


According to their Managing Director
Tsunoda Shinji, the company’s annual revenue in Vietnam currently stands
at around 16 million USD and is expected to increase to 24-26 million
USD in the near future. Its products are exported to India ,
Bangladesh and Indonesia .


The company is
urgently applying for a permit to sell directly in Vietnam , he said,
adding that at present, around 50 percent of Vietnamese garments
businesses use Yuki sewing machines.


Besides Yuki,
the company Lotteria has also upped its investment by 7 million USD to
expand its network of fast food shops while the retailer Giant South
Asia has spent 15 million USD more on its warehouses and outlets.


However, this increase in production still faces several
difficulties, including a shortage of skilled workers. It requires
investors to have training plans 3-5 years before they decide to
increase their capital.


According to HCDPI’s
Deputy Director Lu Thanh Phong, in 2009, around 115 FDI projects in the
city, mostly small and medium sized, received extra investments of 317
million USD, up 1.8 percent against the previous year.


While holding the upper hand in attracting additional investments,
small and medium FDI projects have also recorded a rapid rate of
disbursement, said Nguyen Tan Phuoc, the Deputy Head of HCM City ’s
Export, Processing and Industrial Zone Authority./.

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Cement makers hit by coal shortages

Vietnam Cement Industry Corpo (Vicem)'s member companies need more coal to produce cement, officials from the group have said.

Le Van Chung, chairman of the corporation's management board, said cement factories at the corporation's member companies needed 5,000 tons of coal a day for production, but the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry Group (Vinacomin) provided half of their demand at 2,500-3,000 tons per day.

"We had to halt operations temporarily, and if we don't receive an adequate supply of coal in the coming days, many Vicem factories will stop production," Chung said.

Factories in Hoang Thach, But Son, Bim Son, Tam Diep, Hoang Mai, Hai Phong and Ha Tien are experiencing coal shortages.

Hoang Thach Cement Company director Dao Ngoc Binh said his company had three kilns that consume 1,200 tons of coal, but the company had to stop using one kiln on September 27 due to a lack of coal.

The company has about 600 tons of coal in stock, which is not enough to keep the remaining two kilns operational, Binh said.

Cement producers But Son, Bim Son, Tam Diep and Hoang Mai have between 5,000-10,000 tons of coal for production for the next 5-15 days.

The factories acted on their initiative to get more coal for their production, but at the moment, the member companies within Vinacomin did not have enough coal to sell to cement factories, Chung said.

Vicem estimated that the cement industry needed 4 million tons of coal to supply the factories for the remainder of the year, he said.

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Cement makers hit by coal shortages

Vietnam Cement Industry Corpo (Vicem)'s member companies need more coal to produce cement, officials from the group have said.

Le Van Chung, chairman of the corporation's management board, said cement factories at the corporation's member companies needed 5,000 tons of coal a day for production, but the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry Group (Vinacomin) provided half of their demand at 2,500-3,000 tons per day.

"We had to halt operations temporarily, and if we don't receive an adequate supply of coal in the coming days, many Vicem factories will stop production," Chung said.

Factories in Hoang Thach, But Son, Bim Son, Tam Diep, Hoang Mai, Hai Phong and Ha Tien are experiencing coal shortages.

Hoang Thach Cement Company director Dao Ngoc Binh said his company had three kilns that consume 1,200 tons of coal, but the company had to stop using one kiln on September 27 due to a lack of coal.

The company has about 600 tons of coal in stock, which is not enough to keep the remaining two kilns operational, Binh said.

Cement producers But Son, Bim Son, Tam Diep and Hoang Mai have between 5,000-10,000 tons of coal for production for the next 5-15 days.

The factories acted on their initiative to get more coal for their production, but at the moment, the member companies within Vinacomin did not have enough coal to sell to cement factories, Chung said.

Vicem estimated that the cement industry needed 4 million tons of coal to supply the factories for the remainder of the year, he said.

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Samsung to launch smartphone, tablet PC in Japan

SEOUL - South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it would release a smartphone and tablet PC in Japan before December, its latest move in an ongoing battle with US giant Apple.

The planned launch of the Galaxy S smartphone and its first tablet PC, the Galaxy Tab, in Japan comes amid growing rivalry with Apple at home and abroad.

Samsung launched its Galaxy S domestically in June, seven months after Apple's iPhone hit South Korea. Samsung has since launched its smartphone in China and other countries.

The company said NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile operator, would release the Galaxy S at the end of this month and the Galaxy Tab in late November.

More than 70 percent of Japan's mobile market is dominated by local brands, but Apple's iPhone has become the most popular smartphone since its debut in 2008.

Samsung said in a statement the Galaxy S has been "a phenomenal success" in the global smart market, recording worldwide sales of more than five million.

Global computer and handset makers have scurried to respond to the roaring success of Apple's iPhone and iPad.

Tablet PCs feature bigger screens than smartphones and have no keyboards, instead employing touchscreens or stylus pens as input devices.

The global table PC market is expected to expand to 30 million units next year, from 13 million this year, according to industry data.

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