Solutions to Expansion of Import-export Financing Operations at Agribank Thanh Hoa in the Process of Participation in Free Trade Agreements

This research aims to describe solutions to expansion of import-export financing operations at Agribank Thanh Hoa in the process of participation in FTAs (Free Trade Agreements). This paper presents the results of the study titled “Impacts of FTAs on Vietnam’s Economy - Finance”, clarifying the opportunities for and challenges to Vietnam’s economy - finance from joining the FTAs and influences on Vietnam’s commercial banks during the involvement in the FTAs. It also emphasizes the current situation of lending operations in Agribank-Thanh Hoa Branch (hereinafter referred to as Agribank Thanh Hoa), Complete solutions group credit activities financed import-export in Agribank Thanh Hoa, including solutions for executive management, professional solutions group credit for export financing, solutions group strategic human and banking technology and policy solutions for customers

微小トンネル接合アレイにおけるクーロン閉塞現象に基づいた非線形電気的特性の強化とその応用

This thesis aims to enhance nonlinear characteristics of single-electron (SE) logic devices and fabricate SE devices.　For the first main goal, the nonlinear characteristics of SE logic gates including SE four-junction inverter (SE FJI) and SE NAND gates were improved by using the numerical method. With a continuous input signal, the SE FJI and SE NAND gates have a disadvantage of gradual switches between high and low output levels, resulting in unclear decisions about output states in the transition region. To overcome this disadvantage, the switching was enhanced to become sharp by adding an SE input discretizer (ID) between an input terminal and a main device (SE logic device). The ID discretizes the continuous input signal into a discrete intermediate signal which is then forwarded into the main device. Parameters of the ID were calculated from the conditions of the Coulomb blockade (CB) phenomena and confirmed from Monte-Carlo simulation using SIMON program to achieve the sharp switching at the designed threshold voltage. On the one hand, the addition of one ID to each input of SE logic device exhibited the sharp switching. Namely, an SE FJI with an ID (ID-FJI) achieved the sharp switching and its unclear region was reduced to 0.011 times in comparison with the solo FJI. An SE NAND gate with two separate IDs (ID-NAND) exhibited the sharp switches and its unclear regions were decreased to 0.33 times in comparison with the solo NAND gate. On the other hand, the addition of two serially-cascaded IDs to the SE FJI (2ID-FJI) formed a hysteretic inverter. In addition, stochastic resonance was enhanced remarkably by using the 2ID-FJI, which was equivalent to the use of an ideal hysteretic inverter.　For the second main goal, SE devices were realized by using gold nanoparitcles (Au NPs). Drain, source, and gate electrodes were fabricated by combining standard electron beam lithography (EBL) and evaporation techniques. The technical difficulty in the fabrication process was reduced by forming the wide (_ 200 nm) gap between the drain and source electrodes. After that, arrays of small tunnel junctions were formed by dropping solutions of Au NPs. Characteristics like capacitively-coupled single-electron transistor (C-SET) and resistively-coupled SET (R-SET) were confirmed at 77 K. Moreover, the CB gap was not only observed but also modulated by applying the gate voltage at room temperature (287 K).電気通信大学201

Sharing forest resources in the Northern Uplands of Vietnam : an institutional analysis

After decades of policies favoring centralization, Vietnam has been moving toward decentralization in the forestry sector since the 1990s. This shift began with the provision of incentives for allocating and/or leasing forest and forest land to state- and non-state stakeholders for long-term management. Along with forest land allocation, the government has implemented various nationwide reforestation, afforestation, and forest protection programs. These programs are the Greening the Barren Hills Program (known as Program 327) from 1992 to 1998, the Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program (known as Program 661) from 1998 to 2010, the Program 661s successor - the Plan for Forest Protection and Development from 2011 to 2020, and the Payments for Forest Environmental Services Program (PFES) from 2011 to today. The goal of these programs is to provide incentives to encourage farmers to participate in forest conservation activities. To date, there is limited research using the institutional approach on incentives and on the implementation of decentralization programs. There is also a lack of research on innovative ways to improve administrative and transaction cost aspects of these programs. A greater understanding of how these programs have been implemented at local levels, how they affect local forest management efforts, and the role of stakeholders is crucial to provide insights and policy recommendations for future forest conservation policies. This dissertation aims to fill this research gap by analyzing the implementation of current national forestry policies through an institutional approach and by proposing the acknowledgment of the role of state bodies, namely, state forest enterprises (SFEs), as implementing agencies at local levels under the Payments for Forest Environmental Services Program. This research is based on data collected from individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in 2012 and 2014 in Da Bac district, Hoa Binh province in northwestern Vietnam. Despite the important role of the transaction cost analysis for assessing the effectiveness of institutional arrangements within natural resource management, this type of analysis is often neglected in policy analysis. Therefore, this studys analysis of transaction costs borne by participating farmers in Program 661 contributes to the small handful of empirical studies on private TCs associated with natural resource management activities. Moreover, proposing SFEs to function as intermediaries in the implementation of the PFES Program contributes to the limited number of studies on innovative ways to reduce transaction costs of managing this program. In addition, the dissertation contributes empirical evidence on the institutional analysis of the PFES scheme. This topic has rarely been studied and the inclusion of institutional interplay is the least researched area in the literature. As Vietnam is the first country in the region to initiate the PFES scheme nationwide, the lessons learned from the design of the PFES scheme and from its implementation in the field are valuable to other developing countries with similar conditions. Future research should evaluate national forestry policies by examining public transaction costs faced by implementing agencies. This will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of forestry policies and programs and thus help the development of future policies and programs.Nachdem im Forstsektor Vietnams jahrzehntelang politische Maßnahmen eingesetzt wurden, welche eine Zentralisierung begünstigen, bewegt sich das Land nun seit der 1990er Jahre auf eine Dezentralisierung des Forstsektors zu. Der Wandel kam zustande, indem Anreize zur Verteilung und/oder Verpachtung von Waldgebieten und Waldbeständen an staatliche und nichtstaatliche Interessenvertreter zur langfristigen Bewirtschaftung geschafft wurden. Neben der Verteilung von Waldflächen hat die Regierung zahlreiche flächendeckende Wiederaufforstungs-, Aufforstungs- und Waldschutzprogramme eingeführt. Beispiele für solche Programme sind das Greening the Barren Hills Program (auch bekannt als Programm 327) von 1992 bis 1998, das Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program (auch bekannt als Programm 661) von 1998 bis 2010, das Folgeprogramm für Programm 661 Plan for Forest Protection and Development von 2011 bis 2020, und das Payments for Forest Environmental Sevices Program (PFES) von 2011 bis heute. Ziel dieser Programme ist es, Anreize für Bauern zu schaffen, sich an Aktivitäten zum Schutz der Wälder zu beteiligen. Es gibt bis heute nur in begrenztem Umfang Forschungsarbeiten, die sich mit dem institutionellen Ansatz zu solchen Anreizen und der Implementierung von Programmen zur Dezentralisierung befassen. Weiterhin fehlt es an Forschungsarbeiten zu innovativen Möglichkeiten, um die administrativen Kosten und Transaktionskosten dieser Programme zu senken. Ein besseres Verständnis dafür, wie die Programme auf regionaler Ebene implementiert wurden, wie sie sich auf regionale Bemühungen in der Waldbewirtschaftung und auf die Rolle der Interessenvertreter auswirken ist elementar, um Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen und politische Handlungsempfehlungen für zukünftige Waldschutzmaßnahmen zu geben. Die vorliegende Dissertation zielt darauf ab, diese Forschungslücke zu schließen, indem die Implementierung der gegenwärtigen Maßnahmen in der Forstwirtschaft auf regionaler Ebene durch einen institutionellen Ansatz analysiert werden. Es wird empfohlen, die Rolle der staatlichen Organe, nämlich der staatlichen Forstbetriebe, als implementierende Behörde auf regionaler Ebene unter dem Payments for Forest Environmental Services Program anzuerkennen. Basis dieser Forschungsarbeit sind Datensätze, die aus einzelnen Tiefeninterviews und Fokusgruppen-Diskussionen aus den Jahren 2012 und 2014 im Da Bac Gebiet in der Hoa Binh Region im Nordwesten Vietnams gewonnen wurden. Obwohl die Transaktionskostenanalyse sehr wichtig ist um die Wirksamkeit von institutionellen Regelungen innerhalb der nachhaltigen Ressourcenbewirtschaftung zu bewerten, wird diese Art der Analyse in der Politikanalyse oft vernachlässigt. Daher trägt die vorliegende Studie mit ihrer Analyse der Transaktionskosten, welche von den am Programm 661 teilnehmenden Bauern zu tragen sind, zu den wenigen empirischen Studien über private Transaktionskosten, die in Verbindung mit einer nachhaltigen Ressourcenbewirtschaftung stehen, bei. Überdies ist der Vorschlag, staatliche Forstbetriebe als Vermittler bei der Einführung des PFES-Programms einzusetzen, ein Beitrag zu der begrenzten Anzahl an Studien über innovative Möglichkeiten zur Reduktion von Transaktionskosten, die bei der Verwaltung des Programms entstehen. Außerdem umfasst die vorliegende Dissertation empirische Zusammenhänge zur institutionellen Analyse des PFES-Schemas. Dieses Thema wurde noch kaum untersucht, und die Einbeziehung institutioneller Zusammenspiele ist in der gegenwärtigen Literatur sehr wenig erforscht. Da Vietnam als erstes Land das PFES-Schema landesweit eingeführt hat, sind die aus der Gestaltung des PFES-Schemas und der Implementierung im Feld gewonnenen Erkenntnisse wertvoll für weitere Entwicklungsländer mit ähnlichen Bedingungen. Zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten sollten die nationalen forstwirtschaftlichen Maßnahmen auswerten, indem die öffentlichen Transaktionskosten, mit welchen die durchführenden Organisationen konfrontiert sind, analysiert werden. Dies würde ein umfassenderes Verständnis zur Wirksamkeit von forstwirtschaftlichen Maßnahmen und Programmen ermöglichen, und folglich die Entwicklung zukünftiger Maßnahmen und Programme unterstützen

Evaluating the Efficiency of Vietnamese Commercial Banks using Data Envelopment Analysis

This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method to estimate the technical efficiency and scale efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks. The overall technical efficiency was measured by CCR model and the technical efficiency in terms of managerial skills was evaluated by BCC model. The findings indicate larger banks functioned better than smaller banks in terms of management skills, but there was not much difference among the groups in terms of average overall technical efficiency. State-owned and listed banks obtained higher efficiency levels than non-state-owned and unlisted banks. Finally, M&A activities also showed some interesting results. The study provides strong discussion points for consideration in future policy development by practitioners and academics aiming to improve the efficiency of the banking system. A recommendation for further research is to use a different range of inputs/outputs and analyse the data using a combination of parametric and non-parametric tools. Keywords: Banking Efficiency, Commercial Banks, DEA, Financial Sector, Vietna

Relative socioeconomic advantage and mood during advanced pregnancy in women in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Mental health during pregnancy has not been investigated in Vietnam. Antenatal depression is an established risk factor for postpartum mood disturbance and two representative cohort studies have found rates of depression after childbirth in Vietnam two to three times higher than those in high income countries. AIM: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of depression in a cohort of pregnant Vietnamese women. This was the subsidiary aim of an investigation of sexual beliefs and behaviours in pregnancy in Vietnam. METHODS: Participants were recruited from antenatal clinics at Hanoi Obstetric Hospital. Inclusion criteria were to be in advanced pregnancy and appear well educated and confident and therefore potentially be willing to discuss sexual matters. Data were collected by individual structured interviews assessing socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive health, quality of intimate relationship and adequacy of support. Emotional wellbeing was assessed by the Vietnamese translation of the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). RESULTS: In total 61/74 (82%) of women approached to participate were recruited. The mean EDS score of 5.42 +/- 3.8, was similar to that of community cohorts in high income countries and only one participant scored above 15. The cohort was relatively socioeconomically advantaged with high rates of post-secondary education, secure salaried employment, reproductive autonomy and ability to afford higher quality antenatal care. Most participants were able to confide in their husbands and their pregnancies were welcome. Worse mood was associated with insecure casual work, crowded living conditions and experiencing critical coercion in the marital relationship. CONCLUSION: There is an apparently low prevalence of symptoms of depression in relatively socioeconomically advantaged pregnant women in Vietnam

Large displacements of FGSW beams in thermal environment using a finite element formulation

The large displacements of functionally graded sandwich (FGSW) beams in thermal environment  are studied using a finite element formulation. The beams are composed of three layers, a homogeneous core and two functionally graded face sheets with volume fraction of constituents following a power gradation law. The material properties of the beams are considered to be temperature-dependent.  Based on Antman beam model and the total Lagrange formulation, a two-node nonlinear beam element taking the effect of temperature rise into account  is formulated and employed in the study. The element with explicit expressions for the internal force vector and tangent stiffness matrix is derived using linear interpolations and reduced integration technique to avoid the shear locking. Newton-Raphson based iterative algorithm is employed in combination with the arc-length control method to compute the large displacement response of a cantilever FGSW beam subjected to end forces.  The accuracy of the formulated element is confirmed through a comparison study. The effects of the material inhomogeneity, temperature rise and layer thickness ratio on the large deflection response of the beam are examined and highlighted

The revolution in online learning and implication in Vietnamese universities

Online education has rapidly become popular worldwide in higher education. There are massive open online courses which could be found in Coursera and EDX. These courses ensure the availability and the accessibility of the online learning through videos with subtitles. Online learning not only gives students unprecedented opportunities to learn, but also reduces the cost of higher education. However, online learning presents unit challenges compared to traditional learning, especially in Vietnamese education. In this paper, we present the advantages and disadvantages of online learning. In particular, we will show the advantages and disadvantages of taking online courses of Vietnamese students. We will also share our experience as a tutor of Funix University which is the first online university in Vietnam. In addition, we will give feasible suggestions to improve the quality of online learning in Vietnamese universities, especially the quality of assessment in online learning. These suggestions could be applied in building new online courses in the universities