Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung left Hanoi on May 21 for a three-day working visit to Japan where he is scheduled to attend the 15th international conference on “The Future of Asia” in Tokyo by Nikkei newspaper.

Better export management is considered an effective way of promoting the image of Vietnamese businesses and their products around the globe.

Many Vietnamese people have preferred to use foreign currencies to the domestic currency for a long time without knowing that the practice is illegal, and this habit must change as soon as possible.

According to the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), the rate of inflation remains high despite being lower than the 2008 level and it is impossible to resolve the high trade deficit in a short period of time.

In its recently released annual report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that Vietnam be designated as a country of particular concern, reasoning that the country still prohibits, monitors and discriminates religious activities, including Christianity. However, the recommendation does not reflect the true situation in Vietnam.

Domestic and foreign analysts say that the Vietnamese economy is showing 'green shoots' of recovery and that the government should carry on with its current stimulus packages and prevent inflation from rising in the post-crisis period.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong left Hanoi on April 22 to pay official visits to Russia, the Czech Republic and Belarus. The trip aims to further strengthen the traditional friendship and multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between Vietnam and these European countries.

Approximately 80,000 hectares of farmland are reclaimed annually to build industrial parks, residential areas and public works. Using some agricultural land for industrial development is essential, however, this has been carried out beyond sustainable limits in some localities.

By rolling over loans, businesses can pay off old loans at higher interest rates, thus reducing their financial burden and decreasing the amount of bad debts to banks nationwide.

The Government has approved a 4-percent interest rate subsidy programme to help businesses in difficulties access bank loans to maintain production. But rumours of a rollover of subsidised loans among eligible businesses are going around.