Việt Nam has negotiated with China for the latter to import Vietnamese pork under large commercial contracts, Trần Thanh Nam, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development, said on Monday.

Enterprises in the tourism sector have been encouraged to use digital platforms as the use of smartphones, laptops and the number of internet users in the country has dramatically increased.

A conference on the Industrial revolution 4.0 was held in Hà Nội recently to discuss opportunities and challenges for Vietnamese enterprises brought by the revolution.

The State needs to establish agencies specialising in the study of the market, so as to reduce risks of oversupply or shortages in farming products, said Đặng Kim Sơn, former head of the Policy and Strategy Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The imposition of 5 per cent export tax on cement is weighing down the industry, which has been facing a severe surplus of supply over demand in the local market.

The Viglacera Corporation Jsc. (Viglacera) held an auction yesterday at the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) for120 million shares at a starting price of VNĐ12,300 (US$0.54) per share.

Consumer price index (CPI) dropped by 0.53 per cent in May from the previous month, mostly due to a sharp fall in food prices, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said on Monday.

The finance ministry wants to increase environmental protection tax on petrol and oil to ensure sufficient budget collection, as the country has to cut import taxes to fulfil international commitments.

Shares rose on both local markets on Monday but market growth slowed down during the day as banks and brokerages failed to extend gains.