Foreign direct investment could sharply jump in the second half of this year, after the amended Investment Law and Enterprise Law take effect in July 2015.

Domestic fertiliser makers say they will face difficulties if they are not granted exemptions from value-added tax on input materials they need for production.

Tax-related policies are among key measures the Government has taken to improve the business community's capacity to cope with competition when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) begins operations late this year.

The southwest province of Tay Ninh and its neighbouring Cambodian province of Svayrieng along with the Ministries of Transport of Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed on the building of two goods storage sites for joint customs checks at the Moc Bai-Ba Vet border gates. 

A delegation from the China Business Association - Ho Chi Minh Branch (CBAH) led by President Miao Ren Lai visited southern Binh Duong province on March 27 to evaluate the local investment climate. 

Investors, both foreign and Vietnamese, have expressed their willingness to obtain concessions to exploit highways, the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has confirmed.

Spain’s Meliã Hotels International, one the largest hotel companies worldwide, and M.I.K Corporation- a leading real-estate investor and developer in Vietnam- recently entered a partnership to present the first Sol resort in Vietnam – Sol House Phu Quoc.

The finance ministry (MoF) has increased the export duty on gold jewellery of more than 95% purity from zero to 2%.

Vietnam is tightening management over its booming economic zones as success gives way to inefficiency. 

(VOV) -Vietnamese coffee exports in the three months leading up to April dropped 41.4% in volume and 37.3% in value according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

(VOV) -The number of new business startups in the three months leading up to April jumped by 3.8% compared to the same period last year to 19,049, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

U.S.-based Procter & Gamble on March 26 broke ground on a US$100 million razor plant in southern Vietnam to mark its 20th anniversary of operating in the Southeast Asian country.

(VOV) -De Heus LLC on March 27 launched in Vinh Phuc province its 5th factory in Vietnam producing high quality feed for pigs, poultry, cattle, and aquaculture fish farming.

(VOV) -Sales of new cars in Vietnam are set for another milestone year of continuous growth, highlighting the strength of the auto industry in the Southeast Asian nation if automobile manufacturers are on target with their forecasts.

(VOV) - Deputy Head of the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) Nguyen Phuong Nam recently said that businesses in the agriculture sector need to be more diligent in opening new markets and breaking down non-tariff barriers. 

Farmers in the northern province of Hai Duong are busy on their litchi farms as they prepare to export the first batch of this local specialty to the US.

(VOV) - The US remains top importer of Vietnam’s seafood, accounting for 18.62% of the country’s total seafood export revenue in the first quarter of this year.

(VOV) - LG Electronics on March 27 inaugurated its new facilities in the northern port city of Hai Phong. 

The domestic ice cream market is still controlled by Vietnamese brands, but the makeup of the market is expected to change in the near future.

(VOV) - The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) on March 26 awarded a US$700 million grant to the Cong Ly Construction-Trade-Tourism Company Ltd. to carry out the 300-megawatt (MW) wind power project in Vietnam, the third phase of the Bac Lieu Wind Farm project.

Local petroleum retail prices remain unchanged at VND17,286 (US$0.80) per litre on March 26, while the Government has asked the stabilisation fund to be reduced.

Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of US$1.8 billion in the first three months of this year, accounting for 9% over the total export-import turnover.

Disbursement of foreign direct investment (FDI) increased 7% to end at US$3.05 billion in the first quarter of the year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Foreign Investment Agency.

The foreign exchange (forex) market cooled down on March 26 after the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) committed to keeping the exchange rate stable.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has demanded the use of technological advances to modernise public administration through e-government systems, considering it essential for a better business climate. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has requested drastic actions to restructure State-owned enterprises (SOEs), with a focus on equitisation and withdrawal of State capital from non-core business lines. 

(VOV) -A ceremony was held on March 26 in Binh Son district, Central Quang Ngai province by the Dung Quat Shipyard Company (DQS) to inaugurate upgraded versions of two oil exploration facilities. 

Vietnamese coffee accounted for one-fourth of Singapore’s total coffee import volume in 2014, marking its strong foothold in the regional market. 

(VOV) - Agro-forestry-fishery exports in the first quarter of the year fell 13.2% on-year to US$6.13 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). 

(VOV) -Businesses from throughout the Asian region are seeking to expand the market share for their products and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Laos after learning about its rapid development over recent years.