Other top stories - Indo & Myanmar
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Bid to increase exports of Beerlao
Lao Brewery Company (LBC) plans to increase its exports after winning control of about 99% of the domestic beer market.
Kitsama Vongsay, a director of LBC, said the company is working towards continuous improvement.
“In a highly competitive environment, we pay special attention to management and the improvement of our product quality,” he said. “We believe our customers nationwide support our efforts.”
Kitsama said that since Laos was participating as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)'s Free Trade Area (Afta), the company had been preparing for a number of years for an expansion in production, through the development of a second plant, so that it could satisfy both domestic and overseas demand.
Currently, LBC has 12 agents overseas and 15 branches throughout Laos. The company plans to increase exports of Beerlao, he said, which, if achieved, would see production levels rising strongly over 2007.
The company's aspirations with regard to exports follow the Lao government's focus on exports over the coming years. The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce is targeting US$1 billion in revenue from exports by 2010, according to a report from Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
To reach the target, the government is stepping up efforts at attracting foreign investment and encouraging investors to focus on the country's leading economic sectors. The government has also created favorable conditions for export companies, the report said.
Laos has earned about $2.7 billion from exports since 2005. This accounts for 79% of the country's five-year plan, which lasts through until 2010. - Agencies.
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Nha Trang woos real-estate investors
Real-estate enterprises have recently made huge investments in high-grade apartments and resorts in Khanh Hoa province's central coastal city of Nha Trang.
Nha Trang has attracted about a million visitors, both locals and foreigners, so far this year, a year-on-year increase of 29%. The city is looking to lure one million foreign arrivals during the period 2010-2015.
Vo Lam Phi, chairman of the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, said recently that Nha Trang will become a tourism-urban-zone offering high quality tourism products.
Ongoing infrastructure upgrades to the local airport at Cam Ranh and roads are making the area much more attractive to property investors, according to a report from Vietnam News Agency (VNA). Cam Ranh is expected to receive three million dong (US$182 million) in investment to upgrade the airport's buildings and runway.
At present, numerous real estate projects are being built in the area, such as the Phu Quy tourist zone, Nha Trang Diamond resort, and Diamond Bay .
General director of Sofitel Vinpearl Resort and Spa, Michael Brabsche, said the company will continue to build on the island of Hon Tre in the near future, with plans for a restaurant, a 10,000-square meter spa resort and an entertainment area with a golf course and high-grade villas.
Nha Trang bay has been voted one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world, according to several online polls. The city recently hosted the Miss Universe 2008 pageant. - Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
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MAI's international flights restart
Myanmar Airways International (MAI), Myanmar's sole national flag carrier, resumed its normal flight schedule on Firday (August 1) thanks to it securing the hire of a Boeing 737-400 aircraft from Thailand's Nok Air, according to local media.
The Voice quoted sources from MAI as saying that the 150-seater aircraft was a replacement for the airline's McDonnell Douglas MD-82, which was reportedly barred from using Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International Airport over safety concerns and an issue over premiums.
In the past, MAI has rented aircraft from several other airlines, including an Airbus 319 (from Bhutan's Druk Air), along with forging code-sharing agreements with Singapore's Jet Star, Malaysia's Malaysia Airlines, and Thailand's Thai Airways International (THAI) on routes between Yangon and Bangkok and Yangon and Kuala Lumpur, the report said.
MAI is a joint venture between state-run Myanmar Airways and the Region Air of Singapore, which was set up in 1993 to operate services between Yangon and Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. - Xinhua News Agency, Agencies. |
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HCMC targets energy savings
Maintaining an annual growth rate of 10-14% in the energy sectors uses up US$8 billion from state coffers – money that could be saved if energy were used more efficiently, according to a senior Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) official.
Vietnam’s potential for power savings is between 10-40%, which could translate into financial savings if energy consumption were more efficient, said Huynh Kim Tuoc, director of HCMC Energy Conservation Center.
While other countries consider energy saving to be the biggest power source, Vietnam has strived to save 3-5% of energy consumption during the 2007-2012 five-year plan, he said.
To make $1,000, Vietnam needs 500 kg of oil TOE (ton on energy). HCM City requires 384 kg of oil TOE, while Japan only uses only 100 kg.
The country also needs to cut the elasticity co-efficient, a ratio of energy growth to the growth in gross domestic products, which currently ranges from 1.46-1.86.
A drop of 0.1 in the co-efficient would save the nation $500 million, Tuoc said, adding that Thailand is attempting to reduce the index from 1.3 to 1.1 from 2005 to 2010. Worldwide, the index hovers around 0.9-1.
Tuoc stressed the importance of saving energy for businesses since energy costs accounted for 30-50%, sometimes even 70%, of production costs and carry the risk of closures to the front door of many firms in HCMC.
A recent survey by the Energy Conservation Center among 8,000 households, businesses, and agencies in HCMC and neighboring Can Tho and Binh Duong provinces shows a remarkable change in energy-saving awareness.
“Previously, the center had to implore or even pay businesses to provide consulting services. The situation has reversed now, with around 20 companies waiting for the center’s assistance in energy saving solutions,” Tuoc said.
The center now offers energy-related consulting services to 30 provinces and cities nationwide. It has consulted 1,800 out of HCMC’s 2,600 enterprises. - Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
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Mystical Myanmar FAM trips 2008
Myanmar Marketing Committee (MMC)’s Travel Trade FAM Trips are running until September 2008 for travel professionals worldwide, including travel writers and photographers.
The Mystical Myanmar FAM Trip covers Bagan, Inle Lake, Mandalay, and Yangon. The trip takes place over nine days and eight nights.
The Classic Myanmar FAM Trip and Fascinating Myanmar FAM Trip run on fixed departure dates, and the schedule covers five days and four-night stays. Participants can choose to visit either Bagan, Mandalay, and Yangon, or Bagan, Inle Lake, and Yangon.
Further information, itineraries, and booking forms can be downloaded from http://www.myanmar-tourism.com.
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Indochina & Myanmar 
Indochina & Myanmar
The Indochina region and Myanmar are rich in cultural heritage and just one step away from Thailand. From Angkor Wat to Yangon, the Annamites to the Plain of Jars, find out about destinations and keep abreast on events with our guides and news articles.
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