Saigontourist Travel Service Company has welcomed nearly 18,300 visitors on Meeting, Incentive, Conference, and Exhibition (MICE) tours so far this year, an annual increase of 17 percent.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Vietnam Rubber Industrial Group and the Vietnam Rubber Association held a meeting in HCM City on July 17 with the Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to discuss the possibility of cooperation.

One of Israel’s top businessmen said on July 17 that his country should develop more trade with Vietnam.

Hanoi’s real estate remains a rich potential market and investors can be confident of the prospect of this market, according to the US real estate service firm, CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

A seminar on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in finance will be held in Hanoi from September 16-19, the Ministry of Finance announced on July 17.

IDG Ventures Vietnam on July 17 announced its strategic investment in Mua-Ban (Buy-Sell) joint stock company and Pyramid Consulting Vietnam (PyCo).

Reforming administrative procedures for taxation on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is the main topic of a seminar held in Hanoi on July 17.

The latest survey by the HSBC Bank shows that 67 percent of Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) believe that the economy will maintain its current growth or achieve an even higher rate.

The textile and garment sector is striving to fulfill its yearly target of exporting US$9.5 billion worth of products despite having faced a lot of difficulties caused by soaring raw material prices and permanent shortages of skilled workers.

More than 200 local and international firms are displaying their latest hi-tech products and services at the 13th annual Vietnam Computer Electronics World Expo 2008 (VCW) which opened in Ho Chi Minh City on July 16.

Vietnam has decided to slash import tariffs by half on eight commodities, mainly foodstuff, farm products and engines, coming from Laos.

Vietnam’s tra and basa catfish exports will reach over 500,000 tonnes, earning a total of more than US$1.2 billion this year, according to a forecast from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

General Electric (GE) Day will be held for the first time in Hanoi on July 25 to mark the 15th anniversary of GE Group’s operations in Vietnam.

Many economists shared their forecast on the expected consumer price index (CPI month on month) saying that they expected it to slow down to between 1.5 and 1.7 percent in the remaining months of the year against the current increase of over 2 percent month.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade says the country’s import value will stay at US$80.2 billion this year, US$6.5 billion lower than expected.

Many places in Vietnam are raising white-legged shrimps in an effort to diversify their products and increase their output.

The US’s cotton associations have pledged to help Vietnam to develop its textile and garment industry, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS).

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to develop the Lang Son-Hanoi-Hai Phong- Quang Ninh economic corridor with 2020.

A study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on India-Vietnam trade shows that Vietnam has become a potentially lucrative export market for India.

Local companies must offer higher quality products at lower prices to raise their exports to the Hungarian market, said Nguyen Luc, chief representative of the Southern Vietnam Craft Villages Association and director of VietAsia.

The Government will continue to restructure State-owned enterprises (SOEs) with a focus on converting them into stock companies, according to Pham Viet Muon, deputy head of the Committee for SOEs Renewal and Development at a press conference on July 10.

Vietnam will widely open its retail market to foreign businesses on Jan 1, 2009. When this happens, what will domestic businesses do to compete with them?

Vietnam’s exports will continue to rise in the second half of this year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

For lack of capital resources banks have recently refrained from providing loans for projects in real estate and other sensitive areas, which positively helps to dampen speculation, said Prof. Dr. Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of National Resources and Environment.

The second rural industrial fair in the northern region will take place at the Hai Phong International Exhibition and Fair Centre from September 3-7.

State owned corporations and groups have stopped or postponed 609 projects, including major projects of the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group.

The Public Telecom Fund will allocate about VND1 trillion (roughly US$62.5 million) for development of public telecom services in rural and mountainous areas.

Vietnam aims to increase the growing acreage for hybrid rice to 70 percent of the country’s total rice acreage by 2010, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Ministries and economic sectors should continue to adopt effective solutions to curb runaway inflation following positive signs in the national economy in June, according to a senior trade expert.

Ho Chi Minh City and French localities’ cooperation in economics, trade, investment, tourism, healthcare and education has achieved practical results, said Chairman of the Vietnam-France Friendship Association, Duong Quang Trung.