VOV.VN - Vietnam will continue to develop stable, sustainable and substantial relations with neighbouring countries, major powers, important partners, and traditional friends in 2021, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.

VOV.VN - An international exhibition displaying the year’s leading innovations opened on January 9 in Hanoi alongside the ground-breaking ceremony for the national innovation centre.

International economic integration was a bright spot in Vietnam’s external affairs activities in 2020, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son has said.

Vietnam’s success in curbing the coronavirus so far, while its Southeast Asia neighbours struggle, is helping the country power ahead in economic growth and attracting major funds, and foreign investors, said foreign experts on the Gulf Today newswire on January 7.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) targets a credit growth rate of 12% in 2021, equivalent to the growth of 12.13% last year, according to SBV Deputy Governor Dao Minh Tu.

The disbursement of public investment was estimated at VND398 trillion (US$17.24 billion) as of the end of December, meeting 82.8% of the Government’s plan – the highest rate in the 2016-20 period, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Vietnam ranked third globally in terms of economic optimism in a survey recently conducted by Gallup International, behind Nigeria and Azerbaijan.

Vietnam has emerged as an economic bright spot with a growth rate of 2.91% in 2020, which is attributable to the country’s efforts in containing COVID-19 and timely support policies to people and businesses, international organisations said.

VOV.VN - Vietnam is likely to meet its target of reining in inflation at a rate of below 4% in 2021, although experts warn that unfavourable factors could impact market fluctuations.

Vietnam posted the fastest growth in Asia in 2020 and will once again be among the most outstanding performers in the region this year, according to the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC).