Vietnam Defence Forum

[Viet]

#INTEL
JULY 19, 2017 / 1:05 PM / 7 HOURS AGO
Vietnam plans oil reserves equivalent of 90 days of imports by 2020


HANOI, July 19 (Reuters) - Vietnam's prime minister has approved a plan for the country's total crude oil and oil product stocks to be at least 90 days' worth of net imports by 2020.

The southeast Asian country joins developing nations such as China and India in establishing an oil buffer that will enhance their energy security as imports have jumped while domestic production is on the decline.

The 90-day net import level is a standard set by the International Energy Agency for its OECD members.

Vietnamese refineries will be required to maintain crude stockpiles equivalent to 15 days of their processing capacity and 10 days of oil products output, a government statement said on Friday. These would be equivalent to 30-35 days of Vietnam's net imports, it said.

The government said it planned to keep commercial oil stockpiles stable at 35 days of net imports while crude and oil products reserves at import terminals and those held by trading companies are expected to reach 20 days of the country's net imports by 2025.

The statement did not provide details on where the oil reserve storage facilities are located.

Vietnam has imported 280,492 tonnes of crude oil in the first half of this year, up 1.6 percent from a year earlier, according to government data.

The country's two refineries are estimated to meet about two-third of Vietnam's demand when its second refinery starts operations later this year.

(Reporting by My Pham; Editing by Mark Potter)

 

[Aung Zaya]

Looking great. It is good for Myanmar not to rely too much on a single big country (ha ha you know what I mean) but to spread your cards on many parties. If Viettel and HAGL succeed, many other Vietnamese companies will follow with investments

ah yes. currently 3 big Vietnam firms ( HAGL , Viettel , BIDV ) are investing in Myanmar. many vietnam firms are seeking partnar for their business as Vietnam are stronger than ever.
http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/351362/vietnamese-firms-eye-investing-in-myanmar.html

 

[Viet]

http://www.reuters.com/article/refinery-vietnam-idUSL3N1KA2MZ

Another important step toward energy independence. The $9 billion oil (200,000 bpd) refinery Nghi Son is to start operation, with the first oil supertanker to be loaded up with 270,000 tonnes of crude oil from Kuwait's Mina Al Ahmadi port on Aug. 1 for delivery. Vietnam needs to build up fleets of armed escort vessels to protect the oil giant tankers against pirates and other unwanted guests.

Vietnam first domestic made small robot capable to detect chemical and radioactive material

 

[Carlosa]

Can Vietnam’s Military Really Mind Its Own Businesses?
The debate over the military’s role in economic activities continues to rage on.

By Nguyen The Phuong
July 20, 2017

http://thediplomat.com/2017/07/can-vietnams-military-really-mind-its-own-businesses/

The land disputes that surfaced recently in Dong Tam and the debate over whether or not to use the notorious Tan Son Nhat golf course to expand the highly overloaded Tan Son Nhat International Airport has ignited another sensitive but interesting issue within Vietnam: the role of the military in economic activities.

The golf course, which was inaugurated in August 2015, is infamous for occupying an enormous 157-hectare area that many critics say should be instead preserved for expanding the busy airport. Public opinion has been continuously posing questions about how this piece of military-owned land has been used and whether or not it was used properly for “security and defense” purposes (which it is definitely not in this case). Major General Lam Quang Dai, deputy political commissar of the Vietnam’s People Air Force, said in an interview:

The 157-hectare golf course is the military’s reserved land to protect Ho Chi Minh City as well as the Tan Son Nhat Airport. While it is idle, the government can use it for economic development. When it is needed, the ministry will recall the land.

The golf course debate and Dong Tam land disputes, which were highly disturbing for both party and military elites, raised a huge debate on social and state media about the role of the military in any economic activities.

As a communist country, there is no doubt that the relationship between the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) and the Vietnam’s People Army (VPA) is a typical symbiotic relationship. The military complies with civilian wishes by supporting the legitimacy of the VCP’s single-party rule, while civilians agree to preserve the military’s somewhat circumscribed role within the political system.

This mutual connection is enhanced by several factors, and one of those factors is the extent to which the military is to be allowed to conduct and manage economic activities. Apart from the political reasons for doing so, this factor is formalized and acceptable due to the fact that the state would not be able to cover the entire defense budget. In that sense, economic gains from various military-owned companies and enterprises is also strengthening this steady “commercialization” of the VPA.

But the recent controversies show that the debate on the military’s role in economic activities continues to rage on in Vietnam. Kicking off the debate this time around was a rarely heard opinion from a somewhat strong voice supporting “de-commercialization”: Colonel General Le Chiem, who is the deputy minister of national defense. As he elaborated a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Ho Chi Minh City:

The Ministry of National Defense is now considering having the military stop doing business… The provisional policy could be implemented with the military completely divesting from all companies it has a stake in, as well as privatizing all military-run enterprises.

He also underlined that once the military no longer has a share in those companies, it will “focus on enhancing and modernizing itself to better fulfill its duty of protecting the Party, the state, and the people.”

After this surprising announcement from Le Chiem, public opinion, especially those from economic and epistemic communities, became enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of the military being completely cut off from economic activities.

These voices discussed how to privatize military-owned enterprises by dividing them into two categories. The first set of enterprises, which is currently building weapons and other logistical support for VPA and conducting research and development (R&D) in defense technology, should be completely separated from business-driven incentives. The second set of enterprises, where business activities mostly overlap with their civilian counterparts (in sectors such as telecommunication, banking and finance, and real estate), should be completely privatized. Public opinion also called out for the National Congress to issue resolutions supporting the smooth transfer of this de-commercialization process.

The interest groups within the military supporting commercialization have immediately fought back, and they seem to have the upper hand for now. The official media outlet of the VPA, The People’s Army Newspaper, published a three-issue editorial defending the rights of the military to do business, calling it “a long-term strategic policy.” Then the newspaper even organized a small conference discussing the importance of the VPA’s business activities in defending and developing the country’s economy. In another meeting between senior defense and civilian officials with the leaders of Viettel Corporation, one of the biggest military-owned enterprises, Minister of National Defense General Ngo Xuan Lich once again elaborated the rightfulness of the long-term policy that allow the military to do business when he said:

Participating in economic activities has been and will be an important mission of the military but this is always the factor attacked by reactionary forces… They insist that the military should not be engaged in business activities. Our principle is that the Party is the sole and ultimate leader of the military.

Those fierce responses from high-ranking officials in the military are a firm reminder that the VCP will not lose its control over the VPA anytime soon. It is a warning signal to any groups both within and outside the military establishment not to challenge the leadership of the party and pursue “de-commercialization” of the VPA. More importantly, it is also an indication that the pro-modernization and pro-professionalization factions within the military elites are minorities at this time, as they could not exert their influence even in an advantageous environment created by recent events.

Moreover, the strength of the factions supporting business and economic activities is also deeply rooted and ought not to be underestimated. First of all, the military is still getting the necessary level of modernization to tackle external threats, which in turns reduces the urgency of the push for greater professionalization.

Second, there are no serious cases of corruption within the military elites and military-owned enterprises, and therefore no threat to the legitimacy of the military in doing business.

Third and finally, many enterprises run by the military are in fact efficient and bring back many benefits for the state, with some examples including the Viettel Group, the logistics company Saigon New Port, or the Military Bank. The reality of the military being involved in economic activities in Vietnam is also not new and has a historical record that can be traced back decades, which is also one of the arguments of pro-business faction.

More importantly, the Vietnamese military is also implementing its own reformation of economic and business activities. Major General Vo Hong Thang, head of the Economic Department of the VPA, has mentioned several details about the ongoing reforms, including restructuring all military-run enterprises to reduce unnecessary running costs and raise more benefits, privatizing those not relating to defense and military missions, and accepting the bankruptcy of some of the least efficient companies.

The idea is that the military will only control those enterprises that are highly beneficial or important for the military-industry complex in a number of sectors such as communications, agriculture, shipbuilding, and air services. It is worth noting that as of 2017, 88 military-owned enterprises remain and will be subjected to reform in the future, down from a whopping 300 just few years ago.

Nguyen The Phuong is an associate researcher from the Saigon Center for International Studies (SCIS).

 

[Carlosa]

Interesting news from a Thai newspaper, originally from Reuters about Vietnam that the Vietnamese media is silent about (as far as I know):

Vietnam pollution fight hits supplier to global fashion brands

• 21 Jul 2017 at 14:17 REUTERS

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/ase...-fight-hits-supplier-to-global-fashion-brands

Picture shows a protesting camp set by villagers to block entrance of Hong Kong's Pacific Crystal textiles factory after villagers accused the company of polluting local water in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi on July 13. (Reuters photo)

HANOI -- Vietnamese villagers blockading a textile plant that serves global fashion brands are seeking the permanent closure of the factory due to pollution concerns, highlighting a growing readiness in Vietnam to campaign over environmental issues.

Hundreds of people from Hai Duong, 50km east of Hanoi, have kept watch in shifts day and night since April to stop work at the Pacific Crystal Textiles mill, operated by Hong Kong-based Pacific Textiles. Among those affected by the stoppage is Japanese clothing giant UNIQLO.

The blockade marks another challenge to the communist state's authority stemming from industrial pollution at a time when Vietnam is seeking more foreign investors to maintain one of Southeast Asia's highest growth rates. A toxic spill from a Taiwanese-run steel mill in central Vietnam last year sparked unprecedented protests.

The factory in Hai Duong opened in 2015 as a venture between Pacific Textiles Holdings Ltd and garment maker Crystal Group. Initial investment in the plant was reported at the time to be least US$180 million.

Villagers said they started to notice a bad smell last year.

"It was an unbearably rotten, foul, pungent smell," said 60-year-old war veteran Vu Dinh Vinh. It got worse at night.

When he and others investigated, he said, they found the smell came from water discharged from the factory. (continues below)

Farmer Vu Dinh Vinh shows the place where he said villagers found waste water released by Hong Kong's Pacific Crystal textiles factory in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi on July 13. (Reuters photo)

The company was fined 672 million dong ($30,000) for that December spill, according to a statement on the Hai Duong authority's website in February. Water was found to have breached limits for acidity and alkalinity balance, colour, total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand.

But villagers said they were still concerned, accusing the factory of continued pollution and setting up their blockade on April 12.

When a delegation from the local authority visited on Wednesday to give the villagers a three-day deadline to move, they said they were not going anywhere.

"We want to expel the factory and never let it produce again," said 70-year-old Bui Van Nguyet.

Pacific Textiles said there had been only one discharge of waste water, on Dec 24, 2016, and that it had not reached the nearby river. Villagers were wrong to say pollution had continued, it said.

Pacific Textiles' head of corporate social responsibility, Eugene Cheng, told Reuters steps had been taken to stop any discharge of waste water with the help of the local government.

"We did not understand the reason or motive behind them to shut down the factory as some of the villagers' relatives are also working for our factory," Cheng said.

Financial impact
In regulatory announcements, the company has reported a "significant financial impact" because of the blockade at the factory, which had accounted for 10% of its sales.

This week, Pacific Textiles said it was waiting for the local People's Committee and industrial park to "clear the blockage".

Local authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UNIQLO's owner, Japan's Fast Retailing, told Reuters it indirectly sourced fabric from the mill and had shifted production elsewhere for now. It said it had verified the steps Pacific Crystal had taken to remedy the situation after the spill.

"Fast Retailing is serious about running an ethical, sustainable business, and operates all supplier relationships under a strict code of conduct," spokesman Aldo Liguori said.

Fast Retailing believed the dispute with farmers related to the initial terms of the sale of the land, he said, adding that neither it nor Pacific Crystal was involved in discussions.

Villagers said the dispute with the local government over the sale of the land, which had been going on for more than a decade, was a separate issue.

"This is entirely about pollution," said Vinh.

Pacific Textiles did not specify which customers it supplied from the factory but its website says it has relationships with brands including Calvin Klein and Victoria's Secret. The latter's owner, L Brands, told Reuters no production for any of its brands came from the plant. Calvin Klein owner PVH Corp did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Gap Inc said it worked with both Crystal Group and Pacific Textiles, but did not source from or work with this plant.

Attention to pollution in Vietnam has grown since last year, when a spill from a Formosa Plastics Group steel plant poisoned sea life along more than 200 km (125 miles) of coastline, prompting long-running protests.

The government has told companies they must meet environmental standards in order to stay in the country.

The state has also shown a readiness to tackle environmental campaigners, whose protests have tested the limits of strict laws to limit criticism and maintain public order. One of Vietnam's most prominent bloggers, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is known by her pen name of Mother Mushroom, was jailed for 10 years this month for anti-state propaganda.

 

[xiao qi]

(Kiến Thức) - Tập đoàn xuất nhập khẩu vũ khí Nga Rosoboronexport vừa lên tiếng xác nhận sẽ bán 64 xe tăng T-90S và T-90SK cho Quân đội Nhân dân Việt Nam.

Việt Nam sẽ nhận các xe tăng T-90S và các trang bị vũ khí cho hải quân theo khoản tín dụng mà phía Nga dành cho Việt Nam. Đó là phát biểu của ông Alexander Mikheev, tổng giám đốc Rosoboronexport cho biết với báo chí tại triển lãm hàng không quốc tế (MAKS 2017) tại thành phố Zhukovsky, ngoại ô thủ đô Moskva.
Ông cũng cho biết rằng, trước khi kết thúc năm 2017, chúng tôi có thể ký kết với Thái Lan một số hợp đồng vũ khí hải quân và không quân.

Xe tăng chủ lực T-90S. Nguồn ảnh: Wikipedia
Trước đó vào tháng 4, tập đoàn xe tăng Uralvagonzavod đã rò rỉ một báo cáo cho biết một số hoạt động trong năm 2016. Trong đó, đặc biệt cho biết trước khi kết thúc năm 2017, Uralvagonzavod sẽ chuyển giao cho Việt Nam 64 xe tăng T-90S và T-90SK. Nhưng ngay sau đó, báo cáo này đã bị gỡ khỏi trang web của tập đoàn.
Cần lưu ý rằng, Việt Nam là một trong những đối tác quan trọng nhất của Nga trong lĩnh vực hợp tác kỹ thuật-quân sự.
Đặc biệt phía Quân đội Nhân dân Việt Nam đã được trang bị 2 tiểu đoàn tên lửa phòng không S-300PMU-1, 35 máy bay chiến đấu đa năng Su-30MK2, 2 tàu hộ vệ tên lửa Gepard-3.9 ( 2 tàu tiếp theo đang đươc thử nghiệm chuẩn bị bàn giao), 2 tiều đoàn tên lửa phòng thủ bờ biển Bastion-P, cùng 6 tàu ngầm diesel-điện Kilo 636.1 và nhiều trang bị vũ khí khác.

Russia officially confirms they sell 64 t90s tanks for Vietnam

 

[xiao qi]

The Vietnamese team of six high school students won four gold medals at the 2017 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)

 

[TenLua]

The Vietnamese team of six high school students won four gold medals at the 2017 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)

Where is indonesia? How come i don't see indonesia?

 

[xiao qi]

Where is indonesia? How come i don't see indonesia?

They are not good at math, I guess, While Thailand got the long jump to get the higher location in IMO.

 

[TenLua]

They are not good at math, I guess, While Thailand got the long jump to get the higher location in IMO.

I find indonesians not being good at math hard to believe. I think they just dont want to participate.

 

[xiao qi]

I find indonesians not being good at math hard to believe. I think they just dont want to participate.

No, They attended, their rank was 31st http://imo-official.org/year_country_r.aspx?year=2017

 

[TenLua]

No, They attended, their rank was 31st http://imo-official.org/year_country_r.aspx?year=2017

Lolol. Caste system at work. All the smart indonesians are struggling to survive while all the dumbshit kids of the indonesians elites get a higher education.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Lolol. Caste system at work. All the smart indonesians are struggling to survive while all the dumbshit kids of the indonesians elites get a higher education.

Beating Israel & Germany. 31 is not a bad spot. Also contrary to what you believe its just a friendly contest.

Also caste system is dead in indonesia not even the hindu here believes in it.

 

[Viet]

Interesting news from a Thai newspaper, originally from Reuters about Vietnam that the Vietnamese media is silent about (as far as I know):

Vietnam pollution fight hits supplier to global fashion brands

• 21 Jul 2017 at 14:17 REUTERS

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/ase...-fight-hits-supplier-to-global-fashion-brands

Picture shows a protesting camp set by villagers to block entrance of Hong Kong's Pacific Crystal textiles factory after villagers accused the company of polluting local water in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi on July 13. (Reuters photo)

HANOI -- Vietnamese villagers blockading a textile plant that serves global fashion brands are seeking the permanent closure of the factory due to pollution concerns, highlighting a growing readiness in Vietnam to campaign over environmental issues.

Hundreds of people from Hai Duong, 50km east of Hanoi, have kept watch in shifts day and night since April to stop work at the Pacific Crystal Textiles mill, operated by Hong Kong-based Pacific Textiles. Among those affected by the stoppage is Japanese clothing giant UNIQLO.

The blockade marks another challenge to the communist state's authority stemming from industrial pollution at a time when Vietnam is seeking more foreign investors to maintain one of Southeast Asia's highest growth rates. A toxic spill from a Taiwanese-run steel mill in central Vietnam last year sparked unprecedented protests.

The factory in Hai Duong opened in 2015 as a venture between Pacific Textiles Holdings Ltd and garment maker Crystal Group. Initial investment in the plant was reported at the time to be least US$180 million.

Villagers said they started to notice a bad smell last year.

"It was an unbearably rotten, foul, pungent smell," said 60-year-old war veteran Vu Dinh Vinh. It got worse at night.

When he and others investigated, he said, they found the smell came from water discharged from the factory. (continues below)

Farmer Vu Dinh Vinh shows the place where he said villagers found waste water released by Hong Kong's Pacific Crystal textiles factory in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi on July 13. (Reuters photo)

The company was fined 672 million dong ($30,000) for that December spill, according to a statement on the Hai Duong authority's website in February. Water was found to have breached limits for acidity and alkalinity balance, colour, total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand.

But villagers said they were still concerned, accusing the factory of continued pollution and setting up their blockade on April 12.

When a delegation from the local authority visited on Wednesday to give the villagers a three-day deadline to move, they said they were not going anywhere.

"We want to expel the factory and never let it produce again," said 70-year-old Bui Van Nguyet.

Pacific Textiles said there had been only one discharge of waste water, on Dec 24, 2016, and that it had not reached the nearby river. Villagers were wrong to say pollution had continued, it said.

Pacific Textiles' head of corporate social responsibility, Eugene Cheng, told Reuters steps had been taken to stop any discharge of waste water with the help of the local government.

"We did not understand the reason or motive behind them to shut down the factory as some of the villagers' relatives are also working for our factory," Cheng said.

Financial impact
In regulatory announcements, the company has reported a "significant financial impact" because of the blockade at the factory, which had accounted for 10% of its sales.

This week, Pacific Textiles said it was waiting for the local People's Committee and industrial park to "clear the blockage".

Local authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UNIQLO's owner, Japan's Fast Retailing, told Reuters it indirectly sourced fabric from the mill and had shifted production elsewhere for now. It said it had verified the steps Pacific Crystal had taken to remedy the situation after the spill.

"Fast Retailing is serious about running an ethical, sustainable business, and operates all supplier relationships under a strict code of conduct," spokesman Aldo Liguori said.

Fast Retailing believed the dispute with farmers related to the initial terms of the sale of the land, he said, adding that neither it nor Pacific Crystal was involved in discussions.

Villagers said the dispute with the local government over the sale of the land, which had been going on for more than a decade, was a separate issue.

"This is entirely about pollution," said Vinh.

Pacific Textiles did not specify which customers it supplied from the factory but its website says it has relationships with brands including Calvin Klein and Victoria's Secret. The latter's owner, L Brands, told Reuters no production for any of its brands came from the plant. Calvin Klein owner PVH Corp did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Gap Inc said it worked with both Crystal Group and Pacific Textiles, but did not source from or work with this plant.

Attention to pollution in Vietnam has grown since last year, when a spill from a Formosa Plastics Group steel plant poisoned sea life along more than 200 km (125 miles) of coastline, prompting long-running protests.

The government has told companies they must meet environmental standards in order to stay in the country.

The state has also shown a readiness to tackle environmental campaigners, whose protests have tested the limits of strict laws to limit criticism and maintain public order. One of Vietnam's most prominent bloggers, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, who is known by her pen name of Mother Mushroom, was jailed for 10 years this month for anti-state propaganda.

There are news and reports even in the state media, probably not in all details but they exist. striking a balance between protecting the environment and generating jobs is the key. Factory closures are too extreme measures, not sure if we achieve everything from closing down factories. Likely not. There are lots of technologies available nowadays to make every dirty technology clean, keeping country clean. Look, VN produces shoes and sells them to 100 countries. There are 100 other countries we want to export our shoes too.

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=15821&SEO=vietnam-sells-shoes-to-50-percent-of-the-world

Ok a bit off topic

 

[Viet]

Some news (maybe reposted)

100mm mortar made by z125 factory

Camouflage net produced by z176 factory, immun against radar waves and infrared sensors

"Russia has delivered considerable amounts of equipment to Vietnam and will in the future continue to support Vietnam in establishing submarine and logistics-technical facilities," said S. Ladgin on the sidelines of the MAKS 2017 aviation exhibition taking place in Russia.

Vietnam considers establishing a special naval aviation arm to better protect the Marine Corps and surface warships. That would require more investment into the airforce.

Russia wants to increase military presence in Camranh bay, so according to the words of Aleksandr Mikheev - General director of Rosoboronexport. That would require Russia to strengthen air defense in the bay.