HANOI RESOURCE CENTRE

Consumer sovereignty in the framework of social justice, economic equality and environmental balance, within and across borders

News

  • More input needed to draft new law on legal documents

    August 14, 2014

    HA NOI — Representatives from small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) and experts met in Ha Noi yesterday to discuss the role of enterprises in the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.

    The conference was organised by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ministry of Justice, and the Public Participation and Accountability Facilitation Fund.

    A survey of the chamber shows that most SMEs learned of the new laws through internet and television.
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  • China probing more than 1,000 auto sector firms: state media

    August 13, 2014

    More than 1,000 companies in China’s auto sector, both domestic and foreign, are “involved” in anti-monopoly probes by the government, state media reported Wednesday.

    The China Daily quoted an official at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) saying that probes into state-owned and Chinese private enterprises were also taking place.

    It was not clear how many of the firms were Chinese or foreign, or how many were suspected of wrongdoing.
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  • Electronics firms ignore consumer rights

    August 13, 2014

    HCM CITY — With a population of more than 90 million, Viet Nam is an attractive market for domestic and foreign producers and distributors of electronic products, but many companies continue to ignore consumer rights’ laws, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

    Speaking at a seminar on protecting consumers’ rights in the electronics sector in HCM City yesterday, Ho Tung Bach of the Ministry’s Domestic Market Department, said with increasing income, demand for electronic products had increased strongly in recent years.

    According to GFK, a market research company, Vietnamese consumers spent a total of nearly VND35 trillion (US$1.64 billion) for electronic products in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 27.5 per cent, he said.
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  • Viet Nam to prioritise developing the ASEAN Economic Community

    August 13, 2014

    JHA NOI — Viet Nam and other ASEAN countries would accord top priority to developing the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), delegates at a seminar held in Ha Noi yesterday were told.

    Speaking at the event titled “Upgrading Viet Nam’s position towards AEC 2015 and beyond”, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Cam Tu said Viet Nam should be active in building the ASEAN community as well as upgrading its position. It is important for the country to focus on infrastructure development.

    “The countries should work together to share experiences and initiatives and grasp the advantages of the AEC to overcome challenges in the future such as migrant labour, institution building and regulatory reforms,” Tu said.
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  • Probe launched into customs food tests

    August 13, 2014

    HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the General Police Department for Crime Prevention to investigate 16 tonnes of allegedly tainted grass jelly after three ministries provided conflicting test results.

    The VND1.1 billion (US$52,900) batch of grass jelly imported by the HCM City-based 3K Trade and Manufacture Co., Ltd Company from China arrived at Sai Gon Ports in late June.

    Jelly samples tested by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3 (QUATEST 3) showed the goods met safety standards. The Ministry of Health’s Viet Nam Food Administration also confirmed the jelly conformed to national guidelines.
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  • Banks targeted in ‘enormous’ Australian class action

    August 12, 2014

    SYDNEY – An “enormous” class action over credit card late fees charged by financial institutions, including Citibank and Westpac, on behalf on all their customers was filed in an Australian court Tuesday.

    The action — which could become Australia’s biggest consumer lawsuit — was filed by lawyers Maurice Blackburn against Westpac, Citibank, St. George, BankSA and ANZ in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

    The open class proceedings mean that “all customers who have ever been charged a late fee, not just those that signed up to the original class actions”, could benefit if the lawsuit is successful, the firm said.
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  • Ministry tries to manage sugar inventory

    August 12, 2014

    HA NOI — The Ministry of Industry and Trade late last week required businesses to cease importing sugar for re-export via auxiliary border gates in the northern province of Lao Cai.

    This move was intended to block the illegal sale of this sugar in the domestic market.

    Ha Huu Phai, head of the Viet Nam Sugar and Sugarcane Association in the northern region’s branch told Dau tu (Viet Nam Investment Review) newspaper that this would help the domestic sugar and sugarcane industry to partly remove difficulties faced by high inventories.
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  • Decree stipulates network marketing rules

    August 11, 2014

    When multi-level marketer Nuskin Viet Nam launched its business in Viet Nam over a year ago Dang Ngoc Thanh of HCM City’s Tan Binh District started participating in some of its programmes in the hope of becoming its member.

    Since then he has been plying relatives, friends, and company colleagues with information about Nuskin products. He takes every opportunity to coax his relatives into buying Nuskin products.

    Thanh’s behaviour has made many wary of him and try to avoid him since they were constantly bombarded with Nuskin-related information or asked to buy its products.
    Read more

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