(VOV) -Leading economists have forecast pepper exports to remain at high levels this year, amounting to 150,000 tonnes in volume and raking in more than US$1 billion in total revenue.

(VOV) - The Vietnam International Retail and Franchise Exhibition (VIETRF) running from October 30–November 2 in HCM City kicked off with 170 companies from 12 countries featuring many household name products and services.

Trade between Vietnam and the US continues to expand in spite of domestic and international economic difficulties.

(VOV) -It is not the right time to consult the Long Thanh airport construction project with the National Assembly (NA) that is scrutinizing public debt-related issues, said Transport Minister Dinh La Thang.

(VOV) - The cost of leasing office space in the third quarter of the year jumped 2% in Hanoi and 1% in HCM City, according to an office rental report recently released by Savills Vietnam. 

(VOV) - The 2014 Vietnam International Baby and Kid Fair, Vietbabyfair, running from October 30–November 1 has kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City with 95 enterprises from 16 countries around the globe displaying their wares in 142 pavilions.

(VOV) - Major flower growers in the Central Highland city of Da Lat have imported an estimated 18 million varieties of lilies from Europe in preparation for the 2015 Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

The ongoing establishment of the Mekong Delta Development Institute is expected to strengthen economic, social and scientific-technological cooperation between the region and the Republic of Korea , Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam said in a workshop in Can Tho city on October 29. 

(VOV) - Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City’s People Committee Le Hoang Quan said the city and Gimpo will further boost bilateral cooperation in various fields.

(VOV) -Deputy General Director of the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDC) Vu Ngoc Anh and head of Prosperity of the British Embassy, Andrew Holt signed a grant contract on WTO trade facilitation agreement between the two countries in Hanoi on October 29.

(VOV) - Nearly 200 businesses from 10 nations and territories around the globe attended the 14th Vietnam International Textile & Garment Industry Exhibition (VTG 2014) which opened in HCM City on October 29. 

(VOV) - Vietnam takes the lead in the world in rice export. It ranks ninth in exporting high quality seafood, vegetables and tropical fruit, said the Republic of Korea’s Consul General Oh Jae Hack at a seminar in HCM City on October 29. 

The Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Co. (Vinamilk) is now the largest dairy producer in Vietnam, holding half of the liquid milk market share, according to the company’s CEO Mai Kieu Lien. 

Residents in the Central and Central Highlands have asked for hydro-power developers to give top priority to ensuring local livelihoods and protecting the environment while undertaking their projects.

(VOV) - The Asian-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) ICT Summit 2014 opened in Hanoi on October 29 with the participation of 700 delegations from nearly 20 regional countries.

(VOV) -The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will pursue its low interest rate monetary policy designed to stimulate the economy, said Deputy Director of the SBV’s Monetary Policy Department Nguyen Thi Thu Ha at a recent press briefing in Hanoi.

(VOV) -The two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Malaysia is projected to climb to a record high of US$10 billion in 2014, according to Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Azmil Mohd Zabidi.

(VOV) - Vietnam suffered a trade shortfall of US$303.8 million with neighbouring Laos during the first nine months of the year, according to the latest statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

(VOV) - The military-run telecom group Viettel plans to commence construction of a new third-generation (3G) mobile phone network in Tanzania this November with services expected to begin by July 2015.

Developing value-added services is a must for telecom service providers to survive, as voice mail and SMS are no longer reeling in high profits, Le Nam Thang, deputy minister of the Information and Telecommunications, said at a seminar held in HCM City on October 28.

Vietnam should perfect its market economy institution and accelerate administrative reform to increase its national competitiveness in order to maximise the benefits of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) once it is established in 2015, a conference heard in Hanoi on October 28. 

(VOV) - The Governor of Saitama Prefecture of Japan, Kiyoshi Uedaon, has praised the Vietnam investment environment, saying the prefecture will encourage its business community to invest in Vietnam.

(VOV) - More than 150 foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) on October 28 gathered at a forum at the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Bac Ninh to discuss investment and cooperation opportunities and obstacles.

(VOV) -VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company (VietJet Air) clinched a strategic cooperation deal with Indian regional airline Air Costa aiming to boost air travel between the two nations.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will be imposing penalties for the first time on banks offering poor quality Automated Teller Machines (ATM) service. 

(VOV) - The Korea Rural Community & Agriculture Corporation (KRC) and Dong Thap provincial People’s Committee on October 27 signed a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement to collaborate in agriculture. 

(VOV) - Vietnam wood and timber exports in the first 10 months of the year leading up to November jumped 12.8% on-year to US$4.98 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

(VOV) - Fujitsu Limited and FPT Corporation on October 28 announced that they will cooperate to field trial Fujitsu's food and agricultural cloud service in Vietnam. 

(VOV) - Vietnam and India are the two strongly emerging dynamic economies in Asia, laying important foundations for both sides to share opportunities and fully tap potential for wider cooperation in all fields in the future.

Several types of vehicles will enjoy import tariff cuts beginning next year in line with Vietnam's commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on tax reduction.