The Ministry of Finance and the Kuwait Fund signed a loan agreement for a project to upgrade the irrigation system in the northern province of Nam Dinh on March 3 in Hanoi.

While Vietnamese businesses have to struggle to bring their products to the world market, foreign goods do not encounter the same obstacles when entering Vietnam.

Foreign direct investment into Vietnam via mergers and acquisitions is on an upward trend, underlining the growing appetite among foreign companies to acquire stakes in existing companies as the fastest way to strengthen their foothold in the country.

Although Vietnam saw its consumer price index slip in February due to plunging oil prices, purchasing power surged during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The Government raised more than VND24.5 trillion (US$1.15 billion) from bonds on the primary market in February, a drop of 12.2% from January, the Hanoi Stock Exchange reported.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has asked the Ministry of Transport to allow it to buy Terminal 1 (T1) at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

(VOV) - Vietnam Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and his Lao counterpart Khemmani Pholsena signed a new cooperation agreement on March 3 superseding the one that has been in effect since 1998.

(VOV) - Vietnam’s exports to Laos for January swelled 47.96% on-year to US$53.43 million according to the latest official statistics from the Vietnam Industrial and Trade Information Centre (VITIC).

(VOV) - While Vietnam seafood exports set records in 2014, the real story has been the spectacular rise in exports to China, which traditionally has not been a major market for seafood.

(VOV) - Vietnam’s richest person, real estate magnate Pham Nhat Vuong, got even richer this year and made the Forbes Magazine world’s list of top billionaires for the third consecutive year in a row.

(VOV) - The Vietnam-UK Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) convened its eighth session in London on March 2 to seek solutions to promote economic and trade ties between the two nations. 

Foreigners and Vietnamese expatriates will receive value added tax (VAT) refunds for goods purchased in Vietnam when exiting the country through Phu Quoc International Airport in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

The Prime Minister has outlined tasks to improve the efficiency of cooperation between Vietnam and donors of official development assistance (ODA) and preferential loans.

Although there are many well-off Vietnamese who are willing to spend money on expensive items, luxury malls may still not succeed in the market.

More and more foreign coffee companies are coming to Vietnam to make money from processing, while Vietnamese companies are content with modest profits from selling raw materials.

The manufacturing sector maintained its recent period of growth in February, with new orders and output both rising at faster rates than at the start of the year, HSBC's Purchasing Managers' Index reveals.

The Vietnam- the Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will serve as a milestone to strengthen the two countries' economic relations, expected to reach US$70 billion in trade by 2020.

A seminar to promote attractive destinations in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo was held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 2, with the participation of nearly 30 Vietnamese travel agencies.

The local business community in Vietnam is hoping that this will be breakthrough year in terms of reforming economic institutions and administrative procedures. They also hope that 2015 will herald an improvement in the business and investment environments to create strong and necessary support for enterprise development.

India and the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho look to expand their collaboration in garment and textiles, tourism, pharmaceuticals and high-tech agriculture.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao pledged easier access to loans, removal of bureaucratic delays, and stimulation of tourism investment during a meeting with hundreds of business representatives in the capital on March 2.

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang revealed Vietnam’s preparation progress for the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the conclusion of the 21st ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Malaysia.

Total foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached nearly US$1.2 billion in the first two months of this year, equivalent to just 77.5% of that in the same period last year.

(VOV) - All Vietnamese businesses that export goods for human consumption to the US market were required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to renew their registration between October 1 and December 31 of last year.

Vietnam is expected to start developing 4G services by the end of 2015, experts believe, adding that the services will ensure competitiveness and enjoy widespread popularity.

Japan's automaker giant Honda Motor Co. has targeted to double its made-in-Vietnam bike exports this year in an ambitious plan to become the biggest market share holder for motorbikes in more Asian countries, a Japanese business magazine reported recently.

(VOV) - Exports of Vietnam agro-forestry and aquatic products during the first two months of the year dropped by 1.9% compared to the same period last year for a total of US$4.177 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

After ending last year with encouraging results, several IT firms in HCM City have set higher business targets this year.

Nguyen Manh Ha, Head of Housing and Property Market Department spoke to the Vietnam Economic Times about prospects of the real-estate market in Viet Nam in 2015.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines expects to reduce both revenue and profit targets in 2015, while increasing its investment plan by almost two-and-a-half times, compared with the previous year.