The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has ordered two electronic toll collection (ETC) service providers to distribute sufficient tags to vehicles and deal with any problems faced by road users before August 15.

The HCMC government has asked the municipal Department of Transport to step up procedures to develop the Saigon River-Thay Cai Canal section of the Beltway No. 4 project under the public-private partnership format.

The Government has given the nod to halve the most-favored-nation (MFN) import tariff on unleaded gasoline to 10% from the current 20%.

The Spanish Embassy in Vietnam announced on August 8 that newly designed passports of Vietnam will be recognized in Spain as they contain essential information in accordance with international regulations.

South Korea’s Samsung has said it is planning to manufacture transistor grids and open a research and development (R&D) center in Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has told the Ministry of Public Security to find ways to deal with the non-recognition of Vietnam’s newly-designed passports by three European Union countries.

Vietnam imported petroleum products worth US$5 billion the first half of the year, surging by 128% year on year.

Some 50 Indian firms are participating in the expos of four industries, coatings, rubber, paper and plastic, which began in HCMC on August 3, to seek business and investment opportunities in the city.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has said it is considering adding the Place of Birth (POB) field to newly designed blue-violet passports after three European Union countries have declined to recognize these passports.

The Spanish Embassy has announced a temporary suspension on issuing Schengen visas to Vietnamese who hold new blue-violet passports due to the lack of the holder’s birthplace field in the passports.