Free trade agreements set out ambitious labour standards for companies and stress the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR), experts have said.

Twelve of 17 markets in the Asia Pacific recorded declines in MasterCard’s Index of Consumer Confidence, but Myanmar, Vietnam and India are still extremely optimistic in their outlook.

The four foreign giants that are forecast to make changes in the Vietnamese market in the future are the Republic of Korea's CJ Group, Ayala Corporation of the Philippines, Thailand's SCG and Thailand’s Central Group.

Vietnamese meat processor Vissan will sell fresh pork that meets the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practices (Vietgap) standards from April 15.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will open up opportunities for foreign organisations to land their investment in the Vietnamese financial market in different kinds, as heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 12.

The central province of Quang Tri plans to organise a conference this weekend to call for investment in its key socio-economic development projects in the 2016-2020 period. 

Credit this year will flow more into production and business instead of non-production industries as done previously, experts said.

The role of the State in investment activities has been spotlighted at a conference in Hanoi on April 12.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) will divest from non-core businesses in 59 State-owned enterprises under its management in the second quarter of this year, planning to collect VND6.367 trillion (US$275 million), according to Transport Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong.

Cars offering taxi services on technology platforms like GrabTaxi and Uber must put signs reading “TAXI E” [E for "electronic"] on their roofs, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has proposed. 

The southern region has received US$1.7 billion worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first quarter of 2016, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency.

VOV.VN - The Marujyu Corporation, headquartered out of Japan, inaugurated on April 12 a US$2.1 million factory in the northern province of Ha Nam formed for the primary purpose of producing metal components for heavy industry.   

Vietnam is on the right path, Director-General of the World Trade Organistion (WTO) Roberto Azevêdo said.

VOV.VN - On April 13-16, the 26th Vietnam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2016) will host the National Exhibition of Belorussian Equipment and Industrial Products at the Hanoi International Exhibition Centre.

Despite the impact credit tightening from the government, the real estate market is expected to continue its marked upswing for 2016.

The Vietnamese Embassy and Trade Office in Egypt held a trade and investment promotion conference in Aswan province on April 11 to draw local businesses’ attention to Vietnam. 

Enterprises appreciated the Ministry of Transport’s work to build a decree to regulate charges of marine transport and port services, said an official from an export association.

Remittances to HCM City in the first quarter of this year are estimated to have reached US$1.15 billion, up US$250 million against last month.

Relending ODA (official development assistance) capital instead of allocating capital is one of the methods Vietnam could use the capital source more effectively as ODA for Vietnam will be cut in the near future.

After falling for two months, auto sales staged a strong recovery last month with a total of 24,802 units sold, more than twice the February figure.

A Vietnamese realty firm has said it will launch an enviro-friendly realty project in Ho Chi Minh City soon.

After keeping costs low for so long, tra fish prices shot up recently, yielding higher profits for farmers.

After drastic restructuring in the Vietnamese banking system, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) still need to be made by an additional 34 commercial banks, according to Sandeep Mahajan, World Bank (WB)’s Lead Economist for East Asia-Pacific. 

Center Power Tech Vietnam, a subsidiary of China’s Vision Group, on April 11 put into operation the third phase of its factory at Nhon Trach 2 Industrial Park in Nhon Trach district,the southern province of Dong Nai.

Opportunities to export to the US and the US’s requirements for imported food and pharmaceuticals were brought to light during a seminar held in Hanoi on April 11.

A large vessel carrying 2,000 TEU anchored at Cai Mep International Port in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau on April 11 to ship the goods to Northern Europe.

Vietnam still enjoys strong growth prospects among the large developing ASEAN economies though its economic growth is expected to moderate to 6.2% in 2016, the World Bank (WB) says. 

 The national power system produced a total of 40.9 billion kWh in the first quarter, an increase of 14.25 percent against the same period last year, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). 

 A Japanese institutional investor, Mizuho ASEAN Investment LP, has invested US$9.3 million in Pham Nguyen Confectionery Company Ltd. 

VOV.VN - A ban on Mango shipments from Vietnam to Australia is to be lifted, according to a post by the Chinhphu online newspaper.