Vietnam’s Open Budget Index (OBI) has not been substantially improved but is ready to be changed, Joel Friedman, a senior fellow at the International Budget Partnership (IBP), said at a workshop revealing the index on January 14. 

Building production and logistics chains is one of the solutions proposed by a provincial official in the Mekong Delta in order to create breakthroughs in agricultural development.

A workshop to promote trade and economic cooperation between Vietnam and the British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) took place in northern Thai Nguyen province on January 14. 

India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of India Industry held the third cooperation conference between India, and Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) in New Delhi from January 11-13. 

Prospects for cooperation in economics and education between Vietnam and the US following the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement were highlighted at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14.

A Chinese enterprise delegation participated in a Vietnam-China business exchange programme in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked the coal sector to prioritise coal production for domestic use, thereby ensuring the stability of national energy reserve. 

The private sector should be more active in building linkages and forming production chains to strengthen their competitive power, experts said.

(VOV)- The central city of Danang’s business incubator entered operation on January 14 with the aim of boosting business start-up activities and nurturing business projects invested by municipal authorities, enterprises and individuals.

Japan’s Satake Group has expressed an interest in investing in hi-tech agriculture in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho.

(VOV) -Vietnam’s economy could shift more towards low-skilled jobs and less towards high-skilled ones compared with other ASEAN member nations, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

(VOV) - Nikkei Asian Review magazine has released a list of 50 most valuable companies in Southeast Asia in 2015 with PetroVietnam Gas Corporation (PV Gas) standing at 48. 

Pico failed to close the merger and acquisition deal with Central Group, but has not yet given up on the electronics retail market.

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) has recently announced that it will supply a 250 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) modular gas processing plant and advanced automation systems to PetroVietnam subsidiary, PV Gas.

In early 2016 many big names have visited Vietnam to look for opportunities in business cooperation or to implement projects.

Citi has lately inked an aircraft financing loan with Vietnam Airlines, allowing the latter to purchase two Airbus A321s from Airbus SAS (Airbus), in a bid to expand the airline’s fleet and operation.

Local retail petrol prices could be adjusted daily instead of every fortnight in the future, Do Thang Hai, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, said.

Many credit institutions are optimistic about their business this year thanks to a growing economy and the ability of businesses to take loans.

A brighter outlook is forecast for the Vietnamese economy this year and the following years amid difficulties and challenges, according to economic expert Nguyen Quynh Nga.

The Aromnat Co., Ltd of Thailand fails to meet requirements for exporting parent white-legged shrimp to Vietnam, according to Vietnam’s Directorate of Fisheries.

A national symposium was held in Hanoi on January 13 to review Vietnam’s economy last year, and point out the opportunities and challenges of international integration. 

Consumer credit was expected to develop rapidly in Vietnam in the next five years, driven by rising demand from a recovering economy with a young population.

Farmers and enterprises have met many difficulties in producing and selling organic produce due to the shortage of good seeds, training and cultivated land, said agricultural experts.

Only about 30% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gained access to bank loans, while the rest have to borrow from other sources at high interest rates, according to the Science Institute of SMEs Management (SISME).

Vietnam risks being flooded by imported steel products, warned Nguyen Van Sua, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA) at a meeting in Hanoi on January 13 to review the association’s performance in 2015.

(VOV) - Vietnam’s banking sector has pursued a flexible monetary policy, helping to drop interest rates and increase credit to an appropriate level. 

Khoai Chau banana was declared a collective trademark on January 12, becoming the fifth product in the northern province of Hung Yen receiving the Government’s protection.

Vietnam was forecast to reach an economic growth rate of 6.6 percent in 2016 just behind India with 7.4% growth, said economists in the survey on the world's worst-performing economies in 2016 carried out by Bloomberg. 

Foreign investors’ appetite for Vietnam’s agricultural sector is growing, with a string of new or expanded projects scheduled to come on line soon.

(VOV) - Instabilities in the Chinese securities market and escalating tension in the Middle East have affected the global stock market.