The government has approved a plan to temporarily stockpile 200,000 tonnes of coffee to stabilize the export price, according to the Vietnam Association of Cacao and Coffee (Vicofa). 

Saigon Co.op will expand its retail network this year to neighbouring Laos or Cambodia, according to Ngoc Chau, a representative of the supermarket chain’s public relations department.

The visa-on-arrival service will be offered at Vietnam’s two major border gates of Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai in an effort to attract more than 4 million foreign visitors to the country this year.

Phu Quoc Island in the southern province of Kien Giang will be turned into a tourism and commercial hub for the country and the region.

The Vietnam Sugar and Paper Expo 2010 opened in Hanoi on March 8, offering chances for enterprises, especially those from India, to enhance cooperation in investment, production and provision of material the industries.

Tuna exports have shown positive signs of recovery since the early months of 2010, according to the Vietnam Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP).

The Vietnam Export-Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Vietnam Eximbank) has officially joined GlobePass, an alliance network of financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, to raise its prestige and service quality for both domestic and foreign customers.

The success of the 2009 ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) helped raise Vietnam’s tourism status in the region and offered opportunities for the country to promote its tourism potential abroad.

At least 15 percent of the visitors from the US and Australia, travelling to Vietnam by cruise ships, have returned to the country, says the Chairman of Viet Excursion Travel Company, Le Dinh Tuan.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has approved exports of about 100,000 tonnes of barite powder as the country’s production has already met domestic demand.  

The Vietnam Rubber Group will accelerate planting rubber trees in Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and South Africa in the near future.

A forum for women entrepreneurs took place as part of Vietnam’s National Week for Women to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8).

A tourism stimulus programme is being developed and will soon be announced. To make the programme effective, the most important factor will be to identify the right stimulus objective.

In the past two months, Ho Chi Minh City has granted licences to 29 foreign investment projects (FDI) worth US$333.4 million and five other projects to expand operation, a four-fold year-on-year increase.

Around 100 businesses have registered to take part in the “Potential, Co-operation and Development” event which will be held in Can Tho City on April 22-25.

The Prime Minister has issued a Government action program to ensure the effective implementation of legal policies on the management and use of State capital and assets by State groups and corporations.

776 businesses were voted for the High Quality Vietnamese Product Awards, organised by the Saigon Tiep Thi newspaper in Ho Chi Minh City on March 5.  

The Vietsovpetro joint venture enterprise and the Vietnam-Russia-Japan company (VRJ) welcomed on March 5 the first flow of oil from the Nam Rong-Doi Moi oilfield.

The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) has urged Vietnam to grant visa exemptions to more markets as a way of attracting foreign visitors in the context of the economic recovery of the global travel.

An executive from the national shipbuilding giant Vinashin is singing the praises of an international exhibition scheduled to take place in Hanoi from March 17-19.

The Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa) and the Vietnam National Coffee Corporation (Vinacafe) have asked businesses to buy 200,000 tonnes of coffee for storage to prevent a slump in coffee prices.

Amidst public worries about price hikes in the early days of the year, the government has asked relevant agencies to keep market prices in check, considering this a key measure to nip runaway inflation in the bud.

Vietnam and India have seen rapid growth in the digital entertainment market and online gaming, the US Pearl Research company has said.

The first international Home Décor and Gifts Fair-Lifestyle Vietnam will kick off at the International Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City on April 22.

Nguyen Thanh Huan, General Director of the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN)’s International Company and Laos’s Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Thongmi Vongvisay on March 4 signed a memorandum of understanding on the Nammo 1 hydro power plant.

The potential for Vietnam has to become a regional entertainment hub is highlighted by an agreement reached to investigate the feasibility of establishing MGM-branded theme parks and attractions in the country.

A delegation of 30 Malaysian firms will visit Vietnam next month to explore trade and investment opportunities, according to Le Van Loi, director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Institute of Information Technology for Business.

Vietnam’s aviation industry this year will grow by roughly 15 percent over last year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV).

Vietnam is the most attractive investment destination among ASEAN members for Japanese businesses, according to a survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2010, an international exposition of machinery and technologies for industrial parts, will take place at the International Centre for Exhibitions in Hanoi on May 20-22.