Trade – Investment

(CPV) - The Governments of Australia and Vietnam on March 31st held the biennial high level consultations on development cooperation to discuss the results of their long-term development cooperation, and the importance of its transformation into an economic partnership.

Ho Chi Minh (HCM) city, in the first three months of the year, continued to see higher economic growth compared to the same period last year, through positive influences like total social investment capital, number of newly-established enterprises, Foreign Direct Investment, exports and capital mobilization through banks.

Vietnam has trade relations with more than 200 countries around the world, in which the country bagged more than USD100 million in about 70 markets, according to the 2016 export and import report released by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on March 29th.

The Ho Chi Minh city’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) in March 2017 decreased 0.09% from the previous month, and increased 5.6% over a year earlier, according to the city Statistics Office.

Vietnam posted a gross domestic growth (GDP) rate of 5.1% in the first quarter of 2017, signalling a slowdown compared to the first-quarter rates of 6.12% in 2015 and 5.48% in 2016.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in March 2017 increased 0.21% from the previous month, rising by 4.65% over a year earlier.

As of March 20th, budget collection in Ho Chi Minh city reached VND20.746 trillion, up nearly 20% compared to the same period of 2016 or fulfilling 19% of the year’s plan, reported the city Customs Department.

Export turnover of agricultural, forestry and seafood products reached an estimated USD2.9 billion in March, bringing the figure for the first quarter of 2017 to USD7.6 billion, a year-on-year rise of 7.6%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(CPV) - Policy of investment to build infrastructure of Song Cong 2 Industrial Zone (IZ), in Song Cong city, the northern province of Thai Nguyen, has received the nod from Prime Minister (PM) Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

(CPV) - The sixth International Maritime Exhibition (INMEX) on March 29th opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh city.

The enterprise establishment registration situation in March 2017 hit a record high within the past six years, according to the Enterprise Development Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

(CPV) - The Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, German Development Cooperation, Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), and Naturland co-hosted a workshop to develop an organic development declaration to jointly strengthen the organic sector and its potential.

Construction of the second Thaco-Mazda automobile manufacturing factory was officially kicked off in the Chu Lai – Truong Hai complex, the central coastal province of Quang Nam, on March 26th.

(CPV) - Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Vuong Dinh Hue has agreed with the Ministry of Transport’s proposal of temporarily stopping the privatization of three hospitals of the ministry.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) capital in Vietnam amounted to USD7.71 billion in the first quarter of 2017, a two-fold increase from the two previous months and a year-on-year increase of 91.5%, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA).

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung urged contractors to accelerate the construction of the Song Hau electricity centre during his inspection at the site in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang on March 24th.

In the first two months of the year, Vietnam imported USD238.5 million of household electrical appliances and components, up 5.15% over a year earlier, according to statistics of the General Department of Customs.

On March 23rd, Keppel Land Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) to promote investment cooperation, under the witness of Vietnamese Prime Minister (PM) Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong.

On March 22nd, the Binh Duong provincial People’s Committee presented investment certifcates (phase 1) to 21 projects with a total pledged capital of more than USD1.3 billion.

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) group has signed a deal with Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to increase cooperation and share information, meeting the development and integration trend.

(CPV) - New cooperation opportunities have been opened up as Dutch Vice Minister for Agriculture, Ms. Marjolijn Sonnema, is traveling to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city from March 20th - 23rd, 2017.

(CPV) – “The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) highly praised the cooperation of Israeli organs and firms with Vietnam, and it offers the most favourable conditions for enterprises of the two sides to connect and establish cooperation.”

(CPV) - The 12th international trade show for Vietnam’s expanding food, drink and pharmaceutical industries (ProPak Vietnam 2017) opened on March 21st at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, in Ho Chi Minh city.

The Binh Thuan Alliance of Dragon Fruit Processing and Exporting Cooperatives on March 19th shipped a consignment of more than 163 tonnes of dragon fruits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

From March 20th to 23rd, a delegation of 20 companies, universities and research institutes, led by Ms. Marjolijin Sonnema, Deputy Minister in charge of agriculture of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs is visiting and working at Ho Chi Minh city, Vinh Long and Hanoi.

APEC business conferences and forums will be in full swing in September and November, said Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) at a press conference in Hanoi on March 21st.

(CPV) - The Nam Dinh provincial People’s Committee has received the approval of Prime Minister to research the implementation of the highway section from Ninh Binh to Nam Dinh under Public Private Partner (PPP) type in the 2017-2021 period.

(CPV) - Ho Chi Minh city now has more than 900 kilometers of waterways, offering huge potential to develop public transport by waterway; reducing pressure for road transport in the inner hub, according to the city Department of Transport.

The Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries (VASI) was officially established in Hanoi on March 18th with a view to contributing to relevant policy planning and connecting domestic and foreign markets.

Foreign direct investment in real estate is recorded to be on the rise in Ho Chi Minh city, marking a convenient factor for the real estate market.