(VOV) - The Ministry of Construction has forecast that sales of cement and clinker in Vietnam will jump on-year by up to 4% to 74 million tonnes in 2015, of which domestic sales will be 54 million tonnes and exports 20 million tonnes.

Vietnamese businesses are oblivious to the pressures of competitiveness in the wake of ASEAN moving up the ladder from AFTA to ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of 2015.

A Japanese delegation held a working session with Ho Chi Minh City authorities on June 10 to seek cooperation opportunities with the city on the construction of the main metro station and an underground commercial centre in front of the Ben Thanh market. 

A conference on establishing a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Vietnam was held at the Far East Institute under the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) in Russia on June 8.

The number of businesses halting operations declined 5.3% to 22,700 in the first five months of this year, with many waiting for opportunities to return the market, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dang Huy Dong.

(VOV) - Vingroup has announced the launch of retail specialty stores BeautyZone, Sportsworld, ShoeCenter and Fashion MegaStore boasting an impressive assortment of fashion and accessories.

Vietnam earned around US$875 million from shipping nearly 2.1 million tonnes of rice abroad in the first five months of 2015, posting year-on-year declines of 10.7% in volume and 13.6% in value, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). 

(VOV) - Vietnam and the European Union (EU) will conduct the next round of negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (EV-FTA) in Brussels, Belgium this week.

(VOV) - The first batch of Vietnamese litchi weighing about 3 tonnes will be shipped to Australia on June 10. 

PetroVietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Corporation (PVFCCo) has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to a consortium of local and foreign firms to develop a fertilizer complex in Ba Ria-Vung Tau (BR-VT) Province.

HSBC will shed almost 50,000 jobs and take an ax to its investment bank, cutting the assets of Europe's biggest lender by a quarter in a bid to simplify and improve its sluggish performance.

Vietnam is seeking to give bigger ownership to foreign stock investors in line with its international trade commitments, the country's finance minister said on June 9.

The competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products, including seafood, is decreasing in the global market, leading to a sharp fall in exports, experts warn.

An Indian delegation comprising executives from six major leather companies that supply the footwear, furniture and automotive industries met around 20 Vietnamese counterparts in HCM City on June 9 to explore business opportunities.

Three new high-tech zones will be developed from local budgets and private capital by 2030, according to a master plan approved by the Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho will spend US$44.1 million to build three hi-tech agricultural zones, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Van Tam at a meeting held in the city on June 9.

Society values successful businessmen more than ever, leading almost 70% of Vietnamese adults to desire to run a business, Dr Luong Minh Huan from the Institute for Business Development said during a start-up forum held on June 9. 

Cooperation in research and technology transfer on construction, infrastructure and transport between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) was discussed at a conference held on June 9 in Ho Chi Minh City. 

The 8th Vietnam Economists Annual Meeting (VEAM 2015) took place on June 9 in northern Thai Nguyen province, bringing together leading economists, lecturers and experts from Vietnam and all over the world, including Germany, Italy, France, Australia and the Netherlands. 

Ho Chi Minh City will do its utmost to foster relations between Vietnam and Peru as well as between the city and the South American country, especially in the economy and trade, said a municipal senior official.

Vietnam pledged to implement signed trade agreements and conclude 14 free trade pacts with 55 foreign partners, including 15 members of the G-20, towards creating a basic foundation for the Southeast Asian country to integrate deeper into the international community and widen future cooperation opportunities.

(VOV) - Twelve Vietnamese shrimp farmers have been certified as having achieved four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) status for shrimp or any species, the Global Aquaculture Alliance has announced.

(VOV) -This year's Vietnam Midterm Business Forum (VBF) was held on June 9 at the Crystal Grand Ballroom at the Lotte Hotel in Hanoi with hundreds of representatives from the public and private sectors in attendance.

(VOV) - On June 16-17, representatives of prominent French medical companies will visit Hanoi and HCM City to meet with local importers and seek business partners throughout the nation.

The increasing number of giant US companies pouring money into Vietnam recently is likely to make the country the leading investor in Vietnam in the near future, reported Dau tu online. 

Potential opportunities to promote trade links between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) were introduced at a recent meeting between representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese community and businesses in the RoK. 

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry from the Russian province of Primorye plans to open its representative office in the central port city of Da Nang in 2015, the chamber’s President Boris Stupnitsky has told “Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep” (Business Forum). 

The Central Highlands’ pepper market has heated up with the presence of Chinese businessmen who are scrambling to compete with Vietnamese to buy pepper.

(VOV) - Hong Kong has temporarily stopped importing poultry and poultry products from Vietnam for fear of the avian flu (H5N1 and H5N6) that is occurring in Dak Lak and Dak Nong provinces.

Improving credit growth, an active secondary bond market, and volatility in the foreign exchange market has combined to reduce trading volume in the primary bond market.