November 13, 2006 at 9:10 am
· Filed under Opportunities
I found this in my email sent by corporate sec last week, Valerie Lim
Age Limit For Company Registration To Be Lowered - Enterprising young Singaporeans can legally start businesses at age 18 once law is changed.
Instead of waiting until they turn 21, enterprising teenagers will soon be able to legally undertake business transactions, enter partnerships and become directors at the age of 18, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has announced.
This is part of the Government’s drive to foster a business-friendly pro-enterprise environment that will support companies and entrepreneurs in three key areas — tax framework, regulatory regime, and enabling infrastructure.
The changes will take effect after the law is amended.
Meanwhile, the MOF is also looking to keep costs low for businesses by shortening the period companies need to keep transaction records to 5 years from the current 7 years.
What great news! I always believe Entrepreneurship should start as early as possible. I salute the government for making this move. By the way, for those who are complaining and whinning about the red tapes in Singapore when starting a business, you might want to know that Singapore is one easiest country to set up a business (in the world). I know because I have some horrible experience in overseas. Incorporation in Malaysia take you at least 4 weeks!
I feel really happy whenever our EAP graduate put business idea into “ACTION”. All the best, SAM!
If you are looking to chill out with Live band and pool table, head down to “Unplugged Bar” at Key Point (along Beach Road), #01-32. A really cosy and nice environment. Oh, SAM suggested to use the BAR as EAP networking place. All EAP graduate has 15% discount on the house by saying that you are EAP graduate. Now, it is Integrity.
Dear all, it has been awhile since I update this blog because I was away in Vietnam for 8 days! Yup, this is part of my market research for our company expansion plan for 2007 and 2008. I travel from the south of Vietnam: Ho Chi Min City (HCMC/Saigon) to Central: Hue and finally to the north capitol: Hanoi! You can be sure of some rich content from this trip with photo and videos clip from my new Nokia N93.
Before I share my trip experience, this is some fact about Vietnam:
Geography
Vietnam borders Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over 1600km (1000mi) along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. The country’s two main cultivated areas are the Red River Delta (15,000 sq km/5400 sq mi) in the north and the Mekong Delta (60,000 sq km/23,400 sq mi) in the south. Three-quarters of the country is mountainous and hilly; the highest peak, at 3143m (10,310ft), is Fansipan in the northwest.
Government Type
Communist state
Government Leaders
Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister (head of government)
Nguyen Minh Triet, President (head of state)
People
84% ethnic-Vietnamese, 2% ethnic-Chinese, also Khmers, Chams (a remnant of the once-great Indianised Champa Kingdom) and members of over 50 ethnolinguistic groups.
Religion
Buddhism is the principal religion but there are also sizeable Taoist, Confucian, Hoa Hao, Cao Daists, Muslim and Christian minorities
Overview
Four great philosophies and religions have shaped the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity. Over the centuries, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have melded with popular Chinese beliefs and ancient Vietnamese animism to form what is known as Tam Giao (or ‘Triple Religion’).
Vietnamese (kinh) is the official language of the country, although there are dialectic differences across Vietnam. There are dozens of different languages spoken by various ethnic minorities and Khmer and Loatian are spoken in some parts. The most widely spoken foreign languages in Vietnam are Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), English, French and Russian, more or less in that order.
Popular artistic forms include: traditional painting produced on frame-mounted silk; an eclectic array of theatre, puppetry, music and dance; religious sculpture; lacquerware and ceramics.
Vietnamese cuisine is especially varied - there are said to be nearly 500 different traditional dishes that include exotic meats (but consider carefully before you eat a rare animal) and fantastic vegetarian creations (often prepared to replicate meat and fish dishes). However, the staple of Vietnamese cuisine is plain white rice dressed up with a plethora of vegetables, fish (which is common in Vietnam), meat, spices and sauces. Spring rolls, noodles and steamed rice dumplings are popular snacks, and the ubiquitous soups include eel and vermicelli, shredded chicken and bitter soups. Fruit is abundant; some of the more unusual ones include green dragon fruit, jujube, khaki, longan, mangosteen, pomelo, three-seed cherry and water apple. Vietnamese coffee (ca phe phin) is very good; it’s usually served very strong and very sweet.
Pre 20th Century History
The sophisticated Bronze Age Dong Son culture emerged around the 3rd century BC. From the 1st to the 6th centuries AD, the south of what is now Vietnam was part of the Indianised kingdom of Funan, which produced fine art and architecture. The Hindu kingdom of Champa appeared around present-day Danang in the late 2nd century and had spread south to what is now Nha Trang by the 8th century. The kingdom existed in part through conducting raids in the region. The Chinese conquered the Red River Delta in the 2nd century and their 1000-year rule, marked by tenacious Vietnamese resistance and repeated rebellions, ended in AD 938 when Ngo Quyen vanquished the Chinese armies at the Bach Dang River.
During the next few centuries, Vietnam repulsed repeated invasions by China, and expanded its borders southwards from the Red River Delta, populating much of the Mekong Delta. In 1858, French and Spanish-led forces stormed Danang after several missionaries had been killed. A year later, Saigon was seized. By 1867, France had conquered all of southern Vietnam, which became the French colony of Cochinchina.
Modern History
Pro-independence forces, dominated largely by the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, resisted French domination during and after WWII. Ho Chi Minh’s declaration of Vietnamese independence in 1945 sparked violent confrontations with the French, culminating in the French military defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
The negotiation of the Geneva Accords of 1954 between the Vietnamese and the French temporarily divided the country into two zones (the Communists assumed control of the north and the anti-Communist, US-supported Ngo Dinh Diem took the south). Free elections were to have been held across the country in 1956, but Diem reneged on the plan - Ho Chi Minh seemed likely to win - and instead consolidated his own power in various ways, including fixing a referendum. Western powers embraced his government.
Political and ideological opposition quickly turned to armed struggle, prompting the USA (who’d been a covert presence since at least 1945)and other countries to commit combat troops in 1965. The Paris Peace Agreements, signed in 1973, provided an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of US troops - signalling a famous victory for Ho Chi Minh. Saigon eventually capitulated to the Communist forces on 30 April 1975.
Going straight from the fat into the frying pan, Vietnam had barely drawn breath from its war with America when it found itself at loggerheads with Khmer Rouge forces along the Cambodian borders. A protracted round of fighting eventually saw China enter the fray in support of Cambodia and the killings continued until the UN brokered a deal, with Vietnamese forces being pulled out of Cambodia in 1989. Although the Khmer Rouge continued to snipe from the borders, it was the first time since WWII that Vietnam was not officially at war with any other nation. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR in 1991 caused Vietnam and Western nations to seek rapprochement.
Recent History
In July 1995 even the intransigent USA re-established diplomatic relations with Hanoi, although Hanoi initially refused to sign trade agreements with the US in 1999 (this was finalised the following year). The US, on their part, talked about normalising relations but over 25 years later there’s still a lot of soul-searching, hand-wringing and post mortems going on, accompanied by a slather of angst-ridden films and a handful of unplugged guitar tunes. John McCain, on a visit to Hanoi, talked about ‘the wrong guys winning the war’. Vietnam went through something of a postwar economic boom, before suffering the economic setbacks that plagued the entire region when the foreign investment bubble burst in the late 1990s. It has recently recovered part of this ground, and some pundits predict it will be the next Asian ‘tiger’ economy.
Day 1 to 3: Ho Chi Min City (HCMC) /Chu Ci /Vin Long /Can Tho
First impression of Ho Chi Min is buzzing with activities! Motors, motors and more motors bike on street! The population of HCMC is 8.5 million and there are estimated 5 million motor bikes! Do not bother to wait for the traffic to stop because it wouldn’t. The trick is to walk slowly across without sudden knee jerk reaction such as sprinting half way (This is extremely dangerous for the motorists and yourself) and the traffic will swamp you through with their smoke. Take a look below,
Vietnam is the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia with an average of 8.5% year to year growth rate. 60% of the country population is below 30 yrs old. Imagine the engine thrust for the next 10 yrs to come. The images and knowledge I had about Ho Chi Min and Vietnam before the trip was gathered from all the American war movies and the below clip will illustrate how rapid this country is developing,
An average wages for blue collar in HCMC is US$70 - US$150 and white collar is US$200 - US$1,500 with IT personnel being paid the highest at the moment (for the local). A good meal in a classic dinning place would cost between US$10 - US$20 for 2, where local dinning could be less than a US$1! Rental range from US$200 in District 3 and beyond, US$500 in District 1 (heart of the city) and US$5000 for a very big villa!
And guys, what they say about Vietnam woman is true: Beautiful, demur, soft spoken, resilient, hard working and they look elegant in their tradition white dress and hat (even they are riding and cycling!!!). Almost all of them have long silky straight hair. No wonder more Sg man are marrying Vietnam ladies. Take a look (Pardon the low resolution of this clip because I switch to a low res mode in N93 without knowing),
Coming up the famous Chu Chi tunnel that terrorize the U.S during the Vietnam War. An underground tunnel that was 400km long and at least 10 m deep! So stay tune…
In the mist of chasing for dollar and cent, stop and ponder, why is the last time you have shown gratitude for the people around and the things that you possess? I urge you to take a few minutes and click on the pictures and look at messages especially on the screen saver.
In addition, for those who are seeking opportunity, check out the affiliate program on the website.
