The tax on imported sugar, as stipulated by the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), will be maintained at 5% from the beginning of this year, instead of zero per cent as previously rumoured.

The Minister of Commerce has developed the Import Potential Index (IPI) on the import potential of 168 countries with the objective to revise Thailand's export strategy in alignment with the real export potential of each country. 

VOV.VN - Vietnam aims to earn between US$19.5 - 20 billion from leather and footwear exports in 2018, up 10% from 2017, according to a conference in January 12.

The Thai Rice Exporters Association revealed that rice exports reached a record high last year with most of the demand coming from Benin in West Africa. 

The Thai National Shippers’ Council (TNSC) believes the export sector could have expanded by no less than 10% in 2017 and has forecast 5.5% growth in 2018. 

VOV.VN - Machines, equipment and tools topped the list of imported product groups in the first 11 months of 2017 with a value of US$30.74 billion, accounting for 16% of the country’s total imports (up 20.7% comparing to the same period of the previous year).

Shrimp exports increased sharply last year and the trend will continue this year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Directorate of Fisheries has said it will strive to earn an export value of aquatic products of US$8.5 billion this year, up 1.2% annually. 

Vietnam’s textile and garment industry targets a year-on-year increase of 10% in export value, to US$34 billion, in 2018.

VOV.VN - The sales generated by traditional craft villages in Hanoi are estimated at more than VND20 trillion for 2017, according to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

Foreign traders not present in Vietnam will have the right to export or import under Vietnamese law and international treaties that the country has signed.

Fruit and vegetables have surpassed traditional farm produce such as rice, rubber, tea, and cashew nuts to become a major foreign currency earner in the agricultural sector. 

Vietnam maintained a trade surplus of about US$2.7 billion this year, the same figure as 2016, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang will strive to raise its export revenue by 6% to US$2.65 billion in 2018.

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s exports in 2017 were fruitful despite many difficulties caused by natural disasters and import markets. The Ministry of Industry and Trade predicts that Vietnam will earn US$200 billion from exports this year, 13% more than last year, exceeding the set target.

There are only two months left before Tet. This is the peak season for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment, including biscuits and cakes.

The exchange value of gas and condensate of the Bien Dong 1 project carried by the Bien Dong Petroleum Operating Company (Bien Dong POC) hit US$511 million in 2017, a rise of eight percent compared to the yearly plan.

 Hanoi’s Customs Department has announced that it collected 21.5 trillion VND (around 947.1 million USD) for the State budget as of December 29, up 4 percent from the estimated figure of 20.65 trillion VND.

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s aquatic product exports are forecast to hit US$8.5 billion next year, up nearly 3% from 2017, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP). 

A recent survey conducted by Vietnam Report revealed that finance and banking stocks would be the ones to watch out for in 2018 as a number of reputable financial institutions (FIs) schedule to hold their initial public offering (IPO) next year.

VOV.VN - 2017 has been a good year for the paper sector which has seen production capacity grow at a rate of 50% and exports increase by 14.5%. 

Exports of forestry products increased by 9.2 percent from 2016 to US$7.97 billion in 2017, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNForest).

Vietnam has become the first country allowed to export star apple to the US after 10 years of negotiations, with the first batch of the fruit from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang exported to the market on December 26.

Dairy giants Vinamilk, TH true Milk, Nutifood and Anova Milk are rolling out ambitious strategies to export their products to China, a market with 1.4 billion people.

This year’s merger-and-acquisition movement is coming to a somewhat quiet close in terms the fourth quarter of completions, but deals that have been stuck in due diligence or with approvals are finally moving forward.

Contrary to pessimistic forecasts earlier in 2017, after a drop in 2016, the country’s rice exports had a successful year in 2017, with some higher-than-expected figures.

Vietnam’s exports of textile and garment in the last two months of 2017 was estimated at US$5.27 billion, bringing the total export revenue this year to US$31 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.23%.

Despite untapped potential for development, Vietnam’s bamboo and rattan sector is still facing challenges that are preventing a growth spurt, according to industry insiders.

The list of SOEs (state owned enterprises ) subject to equitization is long with many well-known names. 

During the 10-year period (2007-2016), Vietnam was consistently the largest shrimp supplier for Switzerland, accounting for over 50% of total Swiss shrimp imports.