HCM City is seeking investment in high-tech, environmentally friendly projects to meet development demands in the next two years, according to the city’s Planning and Investment Department.

The Middle East and African regions have potential for developing economic, trade and industrial cooperation with Vietnam, according to an official of the Ministry of Trade and Industry at a seminar on trade and relations with the Middle East and Africa on July 31.

The annual International Medical and Pharmaceutical Exhibition will be held at the HCM City Exhibition and Convention Centre from August 21 to 24.

Domestic gold prices were transacted at VND18.62-18.68 million per tael on the morning of July 31, the lowest level over the past one month.

Vietnam achieved approximately VND56,427 billion in industrial production value in July, up more than 16 percent over last year’s corresponding month, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The extraordinary investment and management secrets of Warren Buffet, an investment legend and the second richest man in the US, will be shared at a seminar in HCM City on August 6.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Ocean Group signed an agreement in Hanoi on July 30 to jointly organise this year’s National Week for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

More than 2.6 million foreigners visited Vietnam in the past seven months of this year, an increase of 10.7 percent from a year ago, according to the General Statistics Office.

The country’s industrial output is estimated to reach VND382.3 trillion for the first seven months of this year, an increase of 16.4 percent over the same period last year, the General Statistics Office reported.

Vietnamese investors in Laos convened their third conference in Vientiane on July 29 to study business opportunities and update the local government’s policies on foreign investment.

Russia and Ukraine have imported large volumes of catfish from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the post-WTO technical assistance programme held a seminar in Hanoi on July 29 to discuss the results of the implementation of the Government’s Resolution on fast and sustainable economic development after Vietnam joined the WTO.

Ensuring the implementation of investment projects in Vietnam is the responsibility of both the Malaysian government and investors, Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade of Malaysia Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin told Ho Chi Minh City leaders on July 29.

Three major corporations from China are planning to pour around US$2 billion into Vietnam’s northern Thai Nguyen to turn it into an eco-industrial city, said a local official.

Hoan Vu Joint Operating Company ( HVJOC) has said that its commercial production already began at the Ca Ngu Vang (Golden Tuna) oilfield off Vietnam’s southern coast.

According to anti-crime experts, there are many gaps in Vietnam’s anti-money laundering legal system. Moreover, cash is used in most of transactions, so the country is likely to become a fertile ground for money laundering.

In the past seven months, Vietnam has imported US$1.3 billion worth of fertilizer and pesticide. The sum is equal to earnings from exports of 2.5 million tonnes of rice.

Specialists from the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) have warned that that any base interest rate cuts at present will put more psychological pressure on the market, as foreign investors expect the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to continue to introduce a tight monetary policy to curb inflation.

Vietnam has plans to become a world leader in the coffee market, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan.

A delegation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, led by head of the Export-Import Department Pham The Dung, paid a week-long visit to India from July 24 to study export credit insurance.

Martin Hutchinson, an international market and economic analyst, has said that investors should not underestimate Vietnam’s advantages and that the market remains attractive despite the global economic slowdown.

The prices of many products remain stable in most supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City one week after a spike in petrol prices. To attract customers, some supermarkets like Co.opMart, BigC and Metro have launched large-scale promotions that even offer prices lower than before.

More than 100 local and international clothing companies will take part in the 2008 Vietnam Fashion Fair at the HCM City International Exhibition and Convention Centre on July 30.

Gem, gold and jewellery exports in July fetched US$255 million, double the figure in the first half of the year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Australia’s low cost carrier Jetstar has announced that it will replace its three Sydney-Ho Chi Minh City flights with five Sydney-Darwin-HCMC flights per week on Airbus A320 as of September 2.

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) hold the lion’s share of State funding (up to VND402,800 billion) and their production and services make up about 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic products (GDP). The open question is whether or not their performance is really efficient.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) held a seminar on July 25 to help Japanese businesses have a better understanding of their opportunities and challenges while operating in Vietnam.

Inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first seven months of this year reached US$45.28 billion, doubling the previous year’s figure, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Apart from providing technical assistance and US$500,000 in non-refundable aid for the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) development programme, Japan has agreed to grant Vietnam US$600,000 to help increase professional skills for labourers.

In the international integration, enterprises have to cope with many anti-dumping lawsuits. As Vietnam is not yet recognised as a market-oriented economy, enterprises are often put at a disadvantage when getting involved in anti-dumping cases.