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Chairman of Vietnam’s largest beverage arrested

Tran Quy Thanh, chairman of Vietnam’s largest private-equity beverage firm Tan Hiep Phat, was arrested on April 10 alongside his two daughters. The 70-year-old businessman and his spouses were charged with illegally appropriating property, abusing trust to misappropriate assets and tax evasion under the Penal Code.

The police department proceeded with the arrests following an investigation upon filed individual reports in HCM City and Dong Nai Province that had accused the family of several crimes and being involved in several highly-valued properties in the two localities since November 2020. The police also searched the offices and homes of the three defendants for more evidence. Further investigations are ongoing. Beverage producer Tan Hiep Phat sells products in Vietnam and 16 other countries and has VND276 billion (US$11.7 million) of charter capital.

HCM City war museum, USAID join to hold a war consequences exhibition

Visitors at the War Remnants Museum in HCM City. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) on April 10 partnered with the HCM City-based War Remnants Museum to initiate an exhibition to highlight joint efforts in resolving and overcoming war consequences. The exhibits will include mine and UXO actions, environmental remediation, and assistance for individuals suffering from the war.

The exhibition is scheduled to open in 2025 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam and the 50th anniversary of the war's end. It will be the first achievement of the Letter of Intent agreed upon by USAID and Vietnam’s Office of the Standing Board for the National Steering Committee on Overcoming the Post-War Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Toxic Chemical Consequences in Vietnam (Office 701) in 2021. On April 10, Vietnam also sent the remains of the two US soldiers that died during the war to their home nation.

Vietnam’s first smart highway built in Khanh Hoa

Telecom company Elcom and Son Hai Group on April 10 agreed to develop an Intelligent Transportation System for the Nha Trang - Cam Lam highway project, making it the first smart highspeed route in Vietnam. The project, worth VND350 billion (nearly US$15 million), will facilitate the highway with surveillance cameras, electric tolls, and a communication network. The two companies expect to finalize the project by the end of August 2023.

Nha Trang – Cam Lam highway is one of the nine components planned for the first stage of the 653-kilometer North-South Expressway East project. The highway is 49 kilometers long, stretching through the two districts of Dien Khanh and Cam Lam, and Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province. The project was inaugurated in September 2021 with a total investment of VND7.6 trillion (US$324 million) and is expected to operate in June 2023.

F1 race may return to Vietnam

Vietnam could host one of the races in the 2024 Formula One World Championship, according to Formula 1 news site Grandprix. The sites reported that F1 Group CEO Stefano Domenicali had met Vietnamese officials to discuss whether Vietnam may be the host nation for one of the F1 races next year. Besides Vietnam, South Africa is also a strong hosting candidate.

Vietnam had a chance to host the F1 race in April 2020 in Hanoi. The preparation for the race was complete, and a track was built next to the My Dinh National Stadium. The track covers a total area of nearly 300,000 square meters. The race was canceled as the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, and most of the infrastructure was dismantled. The 2023 F1 season has 23 races, with Singapore being the only Southeast Asian host, on September 17.

Binh Duong Province posts highest industrial park fulfillment rate

Binh Duong Province has the highest rate of industrial park fulfillment in the country, with 95% of the area of local industrial parks being taken. The southern province is home to 31 industrial parks that cover more than 12,700 hectares of land. The area data accounts for a quarter of all southern industrial park areas and 13% of the nationwide area. Of the figure, 29 industrial parks have been properly operated.

According to the Industrial Park Management Unit of Binh Duong Province, foreign direct investment (FDI) projects remain the key to creating jobs for local people. To date, FDI capital poured into Binh Duong Province is worth US$39.7 billion, making it the second hub of FDI projects after HCM City. Taiwanese companies have invested nearly US$6.3 billion in Binh Duong, and Japanese and Singaporean investors have disbursed US$5.9 billion and US$5.4 billion, respectively.

Hanoi tax department warns of scamming apps

The Hanoi Tax Department has warned that taxpayers should not download and install unknown applications from untrusted links to avoid scams and frauds. The agency has also published an instruction that guides local taxpayers to use the official tax-paying app eTax Mobile developed by the General Tax Department. The app is now available on both Apple Store and Google Play.

According to the local tax department, some scammers have faked the identity of government officials to ask taxpayers to install falsified apps. The illegal apps will allow scammers to take over the smart devices of taxpayers and hack their information and money. Official tax-related information is public on the department’s website at http://hanoi.gdt.gov.vn, and other social media pages on Facebook and Zalo.