VOV.VN - The huge potential of the Vietnam pharmaceuticals market is impossible for foreign companies to ignore, said Ravi Uduy Bhaskar at a March 17 trade exchange in Ho Chi Minh City.

Dairy company FrieslandCampina Vietnam has been rated one of 20 Best Places to Work in 2015 in a poll done by executive search company Anphabe and global market survey giant Nielsen.

VOV.VN - A private-equity arm of Standard Chartered Plc and Goldman Sachs have invested a combined US$28 million in Vietnamese start-up M_Service, the operator of mobile e-wallet MoMo, the companies have unveiled in a joint statement.

The domestic steel market has seen a price surge and hoarding before temporary safeguard measures recently imposed on two types of steel imports into the Southeast Asian country, experts said.

The world's leading mobile phone manufacturer Apple Inc. plans to invest up to US$1 billion to build an Asia-focused database center in Vietnam, according to local media.

Vietnam shipped abroad approximately 440,000 tonnes of rice in February, up 5.44% against last month and 117% from a year ago, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). 

Singapore's Orchid Capital Investments has become the second foreign investor to sell off its stake in Vietnamese consumer giant Masan Group Corp., since the beginning of this year, according to a Vietnamese media.

VOV.VN - Thai businesses had invested US$7.88 billion in 428 projects in Vietnam during the first two months of this year, ranking 11 out of 112 foreign investors in Vietnam.

VOV.VN - Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) has been cited byJapan’s Nikkei Asian Review in the Asia 300 list (Asia’s most dynamic companies). 

VN Index will climb to reach the highest level since 2008 as a rising economy and earnings draw investors, Bloomberg Business news reported on March 15. 

VOV.VN - On March 17, Hoa Sen Group started construction on a plant covering 20.4ha at the cluster of Kien Khe I industrial parks of northern Ha Nam Province at a cost of VND3,000 billion.

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang met with about 50 German and overseas Vietnamese businesspeople at Vietnam Trade Office in Berlin on March 16 as part of his working visit to Germany to boost trade and investment between the two countries. 

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat held talks with Bangladeshi Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Muhammed Sayedul Hoque in Hanoi on March 16 to discuss measures to intensify cooperation in aquatic farming. 

Analysts have lowered their forecasts for Singapore's 2016 growth from 2.2% to 1.9%.

A Vietnam- India Business Forum was held at the headquarters of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi, India on March 16.

Businesses in Vietnam are disadvantaged when it comes to both paying taxes and getting refunds.

The Nestle Group began the construction of a new food and beverage manufacturing factory in the northern province of Hung Yen on March 16 with the total investment of US$70 million.

Beverage companies seek to delay until the beginning of 2017 the application of amended regulations on calculating their special consumption tax, claiming they need more time to adjust their production plans.

A conference is underway in Hanoi from March 15-18 to introduce soft loans from the French Development Agency (AFD) for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that do not require government guarantees.

ANIERM, a Mexican import-export association, has recently inaugurated representative offices in 45 countries, including Vietnam.

Restructuring and equitising State-owned enterprises in the agricultural sector must be implemented quickly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat said.

Authorities from the northern province of Ha Nam have promised optimal conditions for the Kolon Industries Group from the Republic of Korea (RoK) to run its business in the locality.

The Aviation Airport Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) held the first meeting for shareholders in Ho Chi Minh City on March 16.

A seminar held in Hanoi on March 16 discussed utilising support tools for online exports, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities pledged to create the best conditions for foreign businesses to expand investment, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh La Thang confirmed at a meeting in the city on March 16.

A conference was held in Hanoi on March 16 to review Vietnam’s legal framework against the commitments of the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) on investment. 

Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung has spoken highly of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s support for Vietnam in assessing the country’s macro-economy. 

Vietnam is comprehensively switching to a market economy and considers this the guiding principle of steering the economy, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Van Binh told International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Indonesia and Belgium have agreed to intensify economic cooperation, especially in fields of trade and investment.

A Russia – Malaysia business council was established on March 15 with a view to strengthening collaboration in economy, science, technology and culture.