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On the afternoon of April 28, 2026, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, together with elected representatives from Hai Phong city, attended a citizen outreach meeting after the first session of the 16th National Assembly. One issue the government is paying particular attention to is that, in the current difficult context, households and individuals engaged in business, and small enterprises have limited resilience to major fluctuations. The Prime Minister said that within days the government has urgently studied a plan to adjust tax laws, submitted to the National Assembly for enactment at the first session, and in the coming week the government will issue a guiding decree, proactively proposing to raise the income tax payable by household businesses and individuals from 500 million VND per year to 1 billion VND per year. The Prime Minister emphasized that to create a new development space, to foster a business-friendly, transparent, favorable, stable, and predictable investment environment, reducing costs for people and businesses, one of the government's key directives is to pursue strong measures in April to cut administrative procedures, reform business conditions, reduce conditional industries, shorten processing times, and lower compliance costs, while strengthening trust among people and businesses. He noted that this is crucial for promoting production and business, contributing to double-digit growth, and that this process will include independent evaluation, with input from industry associations and businesses, and that many ministries and agencies have already led with plans to cut conditions and procedures decisively, decentralize decision-making to localities, and simplify documentation. Additionally, the government directs rapid review of stalled projects with significant resources, reporting to competent authorities, and adding them into the program of the first session; these measures aim to create special and breakthrough policies to continue addressing and resolving. Central authorities have asked provinces to conduct comprehensive reviews, assign specific tasks, and empower local leaders to unblock projects. “When there is a conducive, transparent, stable investment climate with lower costs, surely people and businesses will feel confident to do business and contribute to growth,” the Prime Minister emphasized. Read more…
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
