As the national economy found some bright spots in 2009 it is expected to grow at least 6.5 percent this year.

Vietnam has set a GDP target of 6.5 percent and has not choice but to implement the economic restructuring programme immediately to overcome the weaknesses of the economy, says a senior expert.

Hoa Loc co-operative in Hoa Hung commune, Cai Be district, Tien Giang province, has exported 10 tonnes of sweet mangoes to the Japanese market under an export contract for 100 tonnes signed with Japanese importers recently. 

A new Vietnamese-registered supertanker on February 11 carrying nearly 100,000 tonnes of diesel fuel docked at Van Phong Bay in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

Tosy Robotics Joint Stock Company will ship the first container of 5,000 ‘unidentified flying object’ toys to Japan.

Vietnamese rice exporters will not be significantly affected by the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), which zeroed out tariff on exports among six member countries of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), effective on January 1 2010, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Military-run mobile service provider Viettel said it has planned to expand its investment in foreign markets such as Africa, Asia and Latin America.

An engineering, procurement, construction and installation contract for an oil rig in the Dai Hung (Big Bear) oilfield has been signed between Vietsopetro (VSP) and the Dai Hung PetroVietnam Exploration and Production Corporation (PVEP Dai Hung) in Hanoi.

Italy’s main employers' association, Confindustria, in coordination with the administration of the Emilia Romagna region and the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy held a seminar on Feb 11-12 to help the manufacturing machinery sector find investment opportunities in Vietnam.

The Dung Quat Economic Zone’s Management Board has approved the first phase of a project to build an oil depot with a capacity of 600,000 m3 and a total registered capital of US$340 million.

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang has signed a decision to equitise the Vietnam National Petroleum Corporation (Petrolimex).

BIDV Insurance Co will make an initial public offering (IPO) in June and expects to list shares before the end of the year, according to the company’s deputy director, Ton Lam Tung.

Vietnam Airlines’ first short-range flight VN9293 departed from Taipei and landed safely at Can Tho airport on February 11.

The domestic price of gold on February 11 increased by VND700,000 per tael compared to transactions on the previous day after world gold prices staged a recovery.

Vietnam now has 97 cement production lines with a total design capacity of 57.4 million tonnes, according to general director of the Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation, under the Ministry of Construction.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a five-year plan to develop Vietnam’s rural areas.

The Malaysian Foreign Trade Promotion Company (Matrade) announced on February 11 that the country will increase its export services in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, China and Europe.

The Pha Rung Shipyard Company in the northern port city of Hai Phong handed over a 34,000 DWT cargo ship to Lavant Shipping Co., Ltd of Italia on February 10.

Ho Chi Minh City supermarkets, department stores and even street shops are overcrowded these days but there have been no price fevers thanks to abundant goods.

Overseas investments in Vietnamese businesses are likely to pick up strongly this year, according to Bui Quoc Trung, deputy director of the Foreign Investment Agency udner the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is likely to target Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and East Timor as traditional export markets.

With the lunar New Year Festival (Tet) drawing near, electronics superstores have launched a variety of promotion campaigns and are offering big discounts to lure more customers.

A week before Tet, food prices in Hanoi have kept increasing despite the ready availability of food products.

Despite lingering global economic problems, two-way trade between Vietnam and the UK is expected to become brisker this year, said Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in the UK AnThe Dung.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has directed ministries, sectors, food corporations and the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) to develop support for this year’s domestic rice production and export activities.

The Asia-Pacific Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to focus on Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and East Timor in 2010, describing them as traditional export markets in a fix.

Vietnam’s exports to China reached US$16 billion in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent, according to the Vietnam Trade Information Centre.

A delegation from the Sudan National Petroleum Corporation (SUDAPET), led by its CEO Salah Wahbi Hassan, has arrived for a visit to Vietnam to further promote the cooperation with the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam).

The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, will run Can Tho-Taipei flights on February 11-12 and Taipei-Can Tho flights on February 20-21, using Boeing 321s during the Lunar New Year festival.

Vietnam Airlines (VNA) has announced that the corporation will participate in around 30 international tourism exhibitions and invite 70 foreign tourist and media delegations to conduct surveys and promote the image of Vietnam's tourism.