(VOV) - Forty years since the war ended, the US has become the largest purchaser of commodities from Vietnam while Vietnamese students comprise the eighth largest foreign student community in the US.

Vietnam’s economy has started to thrive while most of Asian economies is slowing economically and moving towards consumer-led growth, the Standards & Poor (S&P) fund said in its recent report.

(VOV) - At a seminar in Hanoi on December 18, key leaders in the timber and forest products industry talked about global trends in the field and other pertinent technical and managerial issues.

TCREIT is the first public REIT to be launched in Vietnam, with the initial charter capital of VND50 billion (US$2.35 million). At least five million fund certificates at VND10,000 each will be offered.

Thailand and China have agreed to double their bilateral trade to US$120 billion in the next five years from an estimated US$60 million at the end of this year.

(VOV) - The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank group is providing a trade facility of up to US$10 million to TienPhong Commercial Joint Stock Bank (TPBank) to enhance its support for local enterprises and help boost international trade opportunities, according to an IFC press release on December 17.

(VOV) - The management board of the Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP) on December 17 granted investment licences to two new investors in the global supply chain of Samsung Electronics.

Thailand’s Robins department stores have launched three big promotions for shoppers during this festive season.

Economists have repeatedly urged to think of solutions to escape the reliance on Chinese goods, but the task remains difficult.

As oil prices continue to fall, oil and gas giant PTT Plc has said it will delay three oil refinery and facility projects worth an estimated US$3 billion each in Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia, Thai media reported on December 17.

The European Parliament (EP) adopted an official resolution ratifying the Vietnam – EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), at a plenary session in Strasbourg city, France, on December 17.

French mass retailer Casino Group has announced plans to sell its operations in Vietnam, including the large supermarket chain Big C, in an attempt cut debt and focus on core markets.

Joining free trade agreements should have boosted Vietnam's exports but the anticipated inflow of imports is posing a challenge to local production, urging the use of trade defence instruments.

The picture of Vietnam’s monetary policy in 2015 is brighter than that in 2011, affirmed Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Hong at a seminar on the management of the policy in the period and its impact on the economy in Hanoi on December 17. 

The maximum interest rate paid to individuals depositing US dollars in local banks will be zero percent per year from December 18, the central bank announced.

A conference on boosting international cooperation in the agricultural sector in the new phase of global integration was held in Hanoi on December 17. 

The US Federal Reserve (FED)’s decision to raise interest rates by 0.25 percentage points on early December 17 has not prompted the State Bank of Vietnam to change its policy on stabilising foreign exchange rates, experts said.

The central province of Quang Tri has raked in over VND1.4 trillion (US$62.2 million) from tourism services so far this year, a year-on-year increase of 11%.

(VOV) - Malaysia’s Public Bank Berhad based out of Kuala Lumpur recently filed to become the sixth wholly-owned foreign bank in Vietnam, according to officials at the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV).

(VOV) -The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao have co-hosted a seminar promoting Vietnam's rice and farm produce trade.

Vietnamese and Chinese businesses signed four contracts worth VND485 billion (over US$21 million) at a seminar on trade promotion in northern Quang Ninh province on December 16.

(VOV) - The 4th international exhibition and conference for rubber industry and tyre manufacturing Rubber & Tyre Vietnam Expo 2016 is scheduled for April 26-28 in Hanoi-based National Convention Centre, expecting to attract 39 exhibitors from ten countries around the world.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines conducted 365 flights between Vietnam and Indonesia in 2015, carrying more than 100,000 passengers and over 1,000 tonnes of cargos.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines’ branch in Germany has seen an impressive business performance with an estimated EUR58.3 million in revenue this year.

(VOV) - Auto Motors Vietnam – the importer of Renault cars in Vietnam, and Mai Linh Group agreed to launch the electric taxi service next year in Vietnam under a deal signed on December 16 to reduce gas emissions in major cities.

The owner of DreamPlex, a co-working space in Ho Chi Minh City, and CEO of the Trung Thuy Group, a real estate company, Nguyen Trung Tin, still remembers the stress of opening four businesses four years ago.

Vietnamese Mobile World JSC last week issued seven million shares worth nearly VND535.5 billion (US$23.56 million) in bonuses for about 900 staff members, the first employee stock option plan (ESOP) ever excuted by a listed retailer in Vietnam.

A central bank inspection has found irregularities at Vietnam Export-Import Commercial Bank (Eximbank), an Eximbank leader told shareholders at a recent extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

Competitive salaries and benefits can help retain talented staff at companies but other factors such as career growth opportunities are important as well, business leaders have said at a recent seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam's economic growth will slow down by 1.36 percentage points next year from this year's estimate of 6.5% if crude oil prices slump to US$30 per barrel as recently forecast by international analysts.