Vietnam’s business environment will improve considerably if the country can address the two key issues on business conditions and export-import management, an expert told a workshop reviewing the six-month enforcement of Government Resolution 19 on the business climate and competitiveness.

The national index of industrial production fell 0.78% in the third quarter from the same period last year, causing a year-on-year decrease of 0.74% in the first nine months of this year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported on September 24.

A Philippine corporation has secured its entry into Vietnam’s infrastructure business with the completion of its 4.1-billion-Philippine-Peso (US$87.5 million) investment in a Vietnamese company, the Manila Bulletin newspaper reported on September 23.

The southern province of Binh Duong recorded a trade surplus of US$2.5 billion in the first nine months of this year.

Hanoi continued seeing positive economic development in its third quarter with gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth of 9.2%, higher than those of the previous quarters and the same period last year, according to Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment Ngo Van Quy.

The formation of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of this year caught interests from business executives participating in the Vietnam CEO Forum 2015, organised in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24. 

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam held the third round of talks on an agreement on trade promotion and facilitation in the Development Triangle between the three countries in the Lao province of Champasak on September 23-24.

The southern province of Binh Duong attracted nearly US$1.5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months of this year, up 27% from the same period last year and surpassing this year’s target by 47.7%.

Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has asked the Prime Minister to issue a special operation mechanism for three Power Generation Corporations (Gencos) before they are equitised, local media reported on September 23.

The consumer price index (CPI) in September slipped by 0.21% against the previous month and increased by only 0.4% over last December, as announced at a press conference in Hanoi on September 24.

(VOV) - China, the largest customer of Vietnamese rice, has stepped up purchases after its August imports struck a five-month low, according to officials at the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).

(VOV) - A Vietnam-China international trade fair is to open in Lang Son city’s Trade Fair Centre on October 15-22, expecting to lure 250 enterprises with a variety of products to be showcased at nearly 400 booths.

(VOV) - Many different kinds of farm produce will be showcased at Vietnam Farm Expo 2015 slated for October 1-5 at Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre (TBECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnamese Goods Week 2015 is set to kick-off on September 27 in Hanoi, HCM City and Danang to increase awareness of Vietnamese goods as well as their competitiveness. 

Vietnam and most of other countries in Southeast Asia are encountering challenges in ensuring equal and sustainable agricultural production, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on September 23.

(VOV) - The 11th Vietnam International Woodworking Industry Fair (Vietnamwood 2015) is set to get underway in Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City on October 14-17.

(VOV) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into stainless steel imported from Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, China and Taiwan.

The government has estimated that it will lose around US$77 million of tax revenue annually between 2016 and 2025, when new free trade agreements (FTAs) take effect and eliminate a majority of import duties. 

The use of banned drugs in livestock is alarming, as the authorities have detected toxic substances in many provinces on several occasions.

Would you pay for someone else to get in line for you, or would you accept less than US$100 just to queue for almost a day to buy the new iPhone smartphones on behalf of others?

Vietnam has yet to have a modern, large-scale pulp production chain, despite the approval of several projects, Vu Ngoc Bao, general secretary of the Vietnam Pulp and Paper Association told Vietnam Economic Times.

Domestic beverage companies were urged to improve their distribution system to protect their domestic market shares amid anticipated rising competition pressure associated with intensive international integration.

Cashew nut exports for the rest of the year are expected to fall due to raw material shortages, according to the Vietnam Cashew Association.

Office rent prices in Hanoi are currently decreasing by 10-20%, while more suitable renting options are available for tenants, according to Greg Ohan, Director of the office leasing services section of CBRE Vietnam – a subsidiary of the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm.

Russia was the 17th largest investor in Vietnam as of late June with 107 projects worth nearly US$2 billion, as heard at a September 23 press conference in Hanoi on bilateral economic and trade cooperation. 

Vietnam’s tuna exports have rapidly increased in recent years, and the country still holds potential for more growth in this area, according to industry insiders.

(VOV) - Vietnamese exports of pangasius (sold as basa, tra and swai) to Mexico have plummeted as a result of fierce competition with Chinese tilapia, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

(VOV) - The experts at the National Economics University have a message for Vietnam— speed up economic reforms aimed at improving labour productivity, or get left in the dust.

(VOV) - Doors are opening for the country’s fruit exporters, said Director Phan Huy Thong of the National Agricultural Promotion Centre on September 22 at an agricultural forum in Tien Giang.

Vietnam is ranked 52th out of 141 countries in this year’s Global Innovation Index (GII), up 19 places from last year, said the Ministry of Science and Technology.