Trade – Investment

Vietnam earned USD36.37 billion from exporting agro-forestry-aquatic products in 2017, setting a new record for the total turnover in a year and representing a year-on-year increase of 13 percent, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2017 is estimated to expand by 6.81 percent, surpassing the Government’s set target of 6.7 percent.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved adjustments to the plan for the construction of Ho Chi Minh city’s metropolitan region by 2030, with a vision to 2050.

The 2017 financial market overview report released by the National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) on December 26th revealed that the banking sector dealt with VND70 trillion of bad debt for the whole year, a 40% rise from last year.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has approved adjustments to the master plan for Vietnam’s inland container depot development to 2020, with a vision to 2030.

The Vietnamese market will see more state-owned enterprises (SOEs) equitised in 2018, following the State’s divestment from the Sai Gon Beer Alcohol Berage Joint Stock Company (Sabeco) and Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has approved an equitisation plan of the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG).

According to the Central Highlands Steering Committee, the region has attracted more and more investment, which helps boost socio-economic development.

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

Hanoi’s Department of Industry and Trade eyes a pickup of 7.7-8.1 percent in export revenue, 8.2 percent increase in Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and 11 percent surge in total retail sales.

Maximum credit growth this year is forecast to be just 18-19 percent, meaning that the banking system will not use up the increased room of 21 percent.

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) plans to sell 20 percent stake, equivalent to VND4.35 trillion (USD194.77 million), to foreign and domestic investors through open auction in 2018.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD150 million loan to help improve economic connectivity and raise living standards in four of Viet Nam’s northeastern provinces by enhancing basic infrastructure and services. The assistance is expected to help over 212,000 people.

(CPV) - The Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper on December 18th coordinated with the Scientific Council of Central Party agencies to host a seminar on bringing into life the Resolution of the fifth plenary meeting of the 12th Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) on developing the private economy.

Vietnamese businesses are participating in the ASEAN Natural & Organic Show in India from December 15th-17th.

A seminar bolstering trade and investment between Vietnam and the Czech Republic was held in Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague on December 15th.

A high-ranking delegation of Ho Chi Minh City had a working session with leaders of the World Bank (WB) in Washington DC, the US, on December 15th, seeking for the institution’s support in many fields.

Russian Export Centre and E&N Group on December 14th opened Russian Gastro House in HCM City’s District 1 to help Russian companies introduce their products directly to Vietnamese customers.

The Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Corporation (Vinacomin) has signed a contract to supply alumina to Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for three years from 2018-2020.

(CPV) - Each year, Vietnam’s coffee exports to the Middle East market reach up to USD12 million. The world's second biggest coffee exporter, mainly ships raw materials, however, this story is likely to turn a new page with the entry of a new local brand, King Coffee.

“It is necessary to make more effort and measures to improve competitiveness of Vietnamese logistics firms.”, said Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh at the Vietnam Logistics Forum 2017 in Hanoi on December 15th.

The total amount of goods Saigon Union of Trading Co-operatives (Saigon Co.op) planned to supply for three months before, during and after the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2018 is more than 130,000 tons, a 15% rise over a year earlier.

(CPV) - A new World Bank (WB) report, jointly launched on December 14th with Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MoF), will support the development of a sound financial reporting institutional framework, by improving understanding of high-quality corporate financial reporting and auditing.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project to reshuffle the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) in 2017-2020, aiming to make the firm a strong economic group with high technology and a highly professional governance model.

With economic growth of about 10.2%, the northern province of Quang Ninh has exceeded its set target and achieved a higher rate than the country’s average.

(CPV) -The Australian Government and the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment on December 13th jointly launched Aus4Reform to boost the productivity and competitiveness of Vietnam’s economy.

The first Vietnamese Coffee Day opened on December 10th at the Lam Vien Square in Da Lat city, aiming to boost productivity and quality while adding value to homegrown beans.

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap will organise an investment promotion conference in Cao Lanh city from December 18th-19th to call for investment into 33 local projects.

The State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) collected VND137 billion (USD6 million) after auctioning 5.35 million shares of the Viet Nam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation (Vinaconex) on the Hanoi Stock Exchange on December 8th.

More than 30,000 visitors attended the 2017 Vietnam-China International Tourism and Trade Fair in the northern province of Quang Ninh from December 1st to 7th.