Mozilla unleashes sleek new Firefox Web browser

A fast, sleek new version of Firefox was released on Wednesday to vie Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Google Chrome in the fiercely competitive market for Web browsing software.

A screen displays the logo of the open-source web browser Firefox

Nonprofit group Mozilla made Firefox 4 available as a free download to computers powered by Windows, Mac OS X or Linux operating systems in more than 80 languages.
Firefox 4 was billed as six times faster than its predecessor and boasted features including a "Do Not Track" signal to opt-out of having online activities recorded by websites for targeted online ads or services.
The open-source Web browsing software was also designed as a stage for rich video or game graphics based on the HTML5 standard being touted as a boon for online visual experiences.
"Firefox puts users in control of their Web experience, providing a streamlined user interface, fun new features, a boost in speed and support for modern Web technologies," Mozilla said in an online message.
Powerful new versions of Chrome and IE9 Web browsers were released earlier this month by Google and Microsoft, respectively, putting pressure on California based Mozilla to release a finished version of Firefox 4.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the most widely used Web browser in the United States followed by Firefox, Chrome and Apple's Safari.

Vietnam’s two biggest cities slip in business competitiveness

Vietnam’s two biggest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, dropped in the Provincial Competitiveness Index of 2010, which was announced in Hanoi on March 16.

Danang continues ranking the first in the PCI

Hanoi fell 10 levels, now standing at the 43rd among 63 cities and provinces nationwide, and Ho Chi Minh City dropped seven levels to the 23rd.
These cities are all big urban areas with strong development of infrastructure, but are ranked at the bottom of the list in terms of land access, with Ho Chi Minh City taking the rank of 62nd and Hanoi at 63rd.
The country’s third largest city, Haiphong, also slipped 12 levels from its 2009 ranking.
Meanwhile, the central city of Danang held its position as the best performer for the third year in a row, followed by Lao Cai and Dong Thap provinces.
Mekong Delta localities have continued witnessing improvements in the quality of economic management. The region accounted for nine of the 22 provinces and cities given "excellent" or "high" rankings in the 2010 PCI.
The 2010 PCI survey carried out by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the 6th of its kind in Vietnam, represents the views of 7,300 private Vietnamese enterprises and 1,000 with foreign investment. The ranking is based on nine aspects, including land access and security of tenure, transparency and access to information, ease and time taken for regulation compliance.
VCCI Deputy Secretary General Tran Huu Huynh was cited by Voice of Vietnam Radio as saying that although Vietnam’s business environment has improved, there still remain challenges facing the country. The PCI survey is a useful tool to help localities work out effective action plans for development.

Businesses worry over invoice printing backlog

Thousands of Vietnamese enterprises are waiting for invoices from printing houses while the deadline for issuing self-printed invoices nears.

Many companies waiting for invoices from Lien Son Co. Ltd.

Under the Ministry of Finance’s regulations, after March 31, local businesses will be responsible for producing their own invoices instead of acquiring them from tax agencies.
However, due to a large volume of orders, many printing houses are saying that they cannot meet the demand by March 31. Meanwhile, tax agencies said that they will not sell invoices to companies during the period these companies wait for the invoices from the printing houses.
Mr T.Q.V., an accountant from Petrolimex Joint Stock Insurance Co.’s Binh Thuan Branch, said his firm made a large order from Lien Son Co. Ltd. in late 2010. They have only received a small portion of their order.
He has come to Ho Chi Minh City-based Lien Son Co. Ltd. seven times to ask about the status of their order, but he walks away only with promises, as the deadline nears.
Ms T., an accountant from an asphalt supply company, said her company ordered invoices from the Finance Printing Company’s Ho Chi Minh City Branch, in mid-December but, to date, they have not received any firm date for the delivery of their order, even though the printing company had said they would have them by late January.
“Every day, customers come to my company and complain about late invoices, causing big losses for us,” T shared.
Finally, she had to go to a tax agency to buy invoices. She is considering lodging a complaint against the printing house.
Many companies decided to cancel contracts with Lien So. Co. Ltd. in search for another printing house despite their higher fees, so that they could ensure getting their orders on time.
Recognising the demand of such companies, the Finance Printing Company’s Ho Chi Minh City Branch has already opened a quick service which can complete the invoice printing for 4-5 hours. However, this service comes at a higher price.
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Printing Association has proposed that the General Department of Taxation and Ho Chi Minh City Taxation Department allow companies who face problems and delays in their invoice orders to continue buying invoices through the second quarter of this year.
The printing houses explain that the invoice printing backlog is simply due to demand that is higher than their capacity. Many printing companies also face labour shortage after Tet.

Exporters to US face tough year ahead

Trade barriers, rising production costs and competition from China will make this year a challenging one for Vietnamese exporters to the US market, a senior official said on Friday.
Nguyen Duy Khien, head of the American Depart- ment under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, told a seminar held in HCM City that the Vietnamese economy had faced a "complicated situation" since the beginning of this year.
"The increase in the cost of raw materials has made domestic exporters less competitive, especially in the wood, textile and garment and processed foodstuff sectors," he said.
Businesses had also faced difficulties in accessing bank credit, and the resultant capital shortage had hampered expansion of production for exports.
Besides, severe competition from other countries, especially Chinese businesses, would continue to affect Vietnamese export activities this year, Khien said.
In sectors considered Vietnam's strengths like textiles and garments, footwear and furniture, China accounts for a major share in the US market.
Currently, China has surpassed Canada to become the biggest exporter to the US market. Last year, Chinese exports to the US reached USD364.04 billion, accounting for approximately 19.17 percent of US's import turnover.
Trade barriers
The US would continue to impose trade barriers to protect domestic production with legal instruments like the Farm Bill and the Lacey Act which had caused difficulties in the export of Vietnamese shrimp, tra and basa fish, Khien said.
He said the US had a complicated law system and many technical barriers as well as food safety and hygiene regulations, which are different in different states, so Vietnamese firms would find it difficult to navigate them.
Furthermore, most Vietnamese exporters were small businesses that found it very difficult to meet the technical standards set by the US market.
Khien suggested that exporters take several steps to improve economic relations between the two countries.
He said they should carry out market research on the demand as well as legal and technical barriers before trying to penetrate into the US market.
Currently, the overseas Vietnamese community in the US was about 1.3 million, and they should be used as a resource to enter the market as well as a consumer base for Vietnamese products.
Businesses should also pay attention to building and upgrading their websites frequently. Websites play an important role in international trade, especially with US partners. US businesses had the habit of looking for information on the Internet before contacting suppliers, Khien said.
He said the Government needed to provide more policy support to local businesses so that they could improve production and increase their competitiveness. The Government should help organise more trade promotion programmes to popularise Vietnamese trademarks and brands, he added.

Seafarers Union inaugurated to protect HCM City fishermen

Vietnam Seafarers Union HCM City (VNU HCM City) officially came into existence on March 20.
The union's goal was to protect the interests of fishermen and other offshore workers, said Dr Le Tuan, head of VNU HCM City.
"We are planning to organise activities to assist our members, while collecting their opinions on how best to serve their interests, which we will submit to relevant authorities.
We will also arrange training courses," he added.
He also said the union would clamp down on boat owners who registered their vessels in other countries to bypass Vietnamese regulations.
Tuan said Vietnamese vessels were often detained in overseas ports for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of appropriate documentation.
As a result, crew members often went short of food, lost wages and could not contact their families.
He cited the recent case of the Phuc Hai 5 vessel that was detained in Indonesia. The 27 crew members had to live off food provided by local agents and other sailors.
He also said numerous seamen were unaware of their legal rights, which the union would address.
Tuan added that union officials would urge all seafarers to register with the union so that they could be legally protected.
Hanoi's Vietnam Seafarers Union was inaugurated in 2008. It also has a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City.

Black market for USD thrives despite ban

The recent crackdown on the unofficial trade of USD has had the unexpected effect of simply moving the points of trade.

Transactions on the roadside

Since the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has made moves to put a stop to unofficial market for foreign currencies, the trade has simply moved to other locations.
The demand for USD remains high, and those who are willing continue to find ways to profit from a surfeit of customers.
The unofficial foreign currency exchange rate is hovering about between VND19,800 and VND20,400 to buy, and between VND21,700 and VND21,900 or even VND22,000 to sell one USD.
In the meantime, the official rate is between VND20,870, and VND20,865, depending on whether you want to buy or sell.
An owner of one tea stand, who also deals in foreign currency, said, “Since the recent tightening of regulations, we have a third party make the transaction and bring the USD for our customers.”
This was on March 16, when she was selling USD at the price of VND21,700.
Other transactions are often carried out openly on the roadside. However, vendors have started to take some precautions since hearing about the recent bust, on March 8, of a large illegal transaction, amounting to USD400,000.
In addition to foreign currency exchange, these vendors trade in gold bars and jewelery.
Although the SBV has requested that commercial banks provide foreign currency exchange services to meet demand, this service does not seem to have been able to replace the black market.
Ms. Thu Huyen, of Giai Phong Street said, “I find it’s very difficult to buy USD to support my relative’s studies in Singapore. When I go to the gold shops on Ha Trung, they just say ‘no’. At the banks they require so many documents that it makes it nearly impossible.”
Nguyen Ba Hung finds himself in the same situation. He needed USD5,000 for debt settlement. But, despite several days trying to trade in his money at banks, he has failed to acquire the USD he needed.
Concerning this issue, a banking official said commercial banks can only sell USD to individuals who provide required documents. On the other hand they encourage customers to trade in their USD.
“It’a not that banks are running out of foreign currency, but our policy is to keep a reserve of these currencies for import and export reasons,” he said.