A surge of US$5.9 billion in overseas foreign currency deposits by local commercial banks in the third quarter of last year was normal, said director of the State Bank of Việt Nam’s Forecast and Statistics Department, Tô Huy Vũ.

Vietnamese shares fell sharply on both local markets yesterday as energy stocks suffered from recent falls in oil prices.

Enterprise revenue, average total expenditure and number of workers are some of the factors considered in new regulations for becoming a hi-tech enterprise.

HCM City’s Industrial Production Index increased by 5.7 percent in the first quarter, the highest growth rate in the past five years.

Japanese oil firm Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd (Idemitsu) and its partner Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd. (KPI) applied to register a joint venture company in Việt Nam to sell petroleum products.

Some of the listed companies with foreign currency loans faced with lower business results in the first quarter this year due to higher prices from forex differences and a ban in foreign currencies lending.

The business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales in Viet Nam reached US$4.07 billion last year, increasing 37 per cent compared to that of the previous year.

The application of trade defence instruments must ensure harmonisation of interests between producers and consumers in the long term, Hồ Nghĩa Dũng, president of the Việt Nam Steel Association said.

The Vietnam Environmental Industry Association called for the creation of incentives to promote the development of the industry at a conference in Hà Nội last week.