Briefs

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi continue to lead Vietnamese localities in e-commerce, The Vietnam E-commerce Association (Vecom) announced at the 2017 Vietnam Online Business Forum in Hanoi on Friday.
The announcement came from the 2016 e-Business Index (EBI), based on a survey from more than 3,500 businesses in 54 provinces and cities across the country.
HCM City took the lead with 78.6 points, followed by Hanoi (75.8 points). Other localities in the top five include Da Nang (52.8 points), Binh Duong (43) and Hai Phong (42.2).
Meanwhile, the five provinces with the lowest points are Yen Bai (23.7 point), Tuyen Quang (23.2), Bac Kan (22.6), Ca Mau and Lang Son (21.2).
The gap between the country’s two economic hubs remains large compared with other localities. The EBI was first published in 2012 with the purpose of evaluating the application of e-commerce and comparing the development among localities.
The index was based on four criteria: information technology infrastructure and human resources, transactions between businesses and customers (B2C), transactions between businesses and businesses (B2B) and transactions between businesses and state agencies (G2B). |— Viet Nam News

Luxury segment dragging housing market in Vietnam 
At a meeting with the prime minister’s working group in mid-February, Vietnam’s Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha said the housing market was facing an oversupply of high-end developments, detracting from the market’s attraction to investors.
There was enough luxury housing to last until 2020, he said.
Many research reports also clearly show a supply and demand imbalance in the high-end home market due to a fall in demand and increase in supply.
Some had estimated the inventory at around 200,000 high-end homes in the period from 2011 and 2015, and this figure has now increased significantly. 
Another report said in the last three years the market added 50,000-60,000 apartments a year.
Incomplete statistics from the Vietnam Real Estate Association show more than 4,000 projects with a combined area of 460 million square metres, which is equivalent to 3 million apartments. — Viet Nam News