Trade promotion programmes helped generate more than US$583 million in contract value and transactions in 2017, according to the Việt Nam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade).

Việt Nam can fully meet Qatar’s demand for tropical fruits, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường.

Việt Nam maintained its position as an important investment destination for Japanese companies, with some 70 per cent of operational Japanese-invested firms making plans for business expansion here.

Many banks have planned to set up more branches and transaction offices in the early days of the new year to seize new business opportunities.

Thousands of Japanese goods imported into Việt Nam will enjoy a zero percent tariff, in line with the Southeast Asian country’s commitments to lower tariffs, as outlined in the Việt Nam - Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA) and the ASEAN - Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AJCEP) for 2016-19.

As of January 20, FDI projects disbursed $1.05 million, 10 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Shares declined on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) yesterday, dragged down by blue chips despite rising demand on the southern bourse.

The State Bank of Việt Nam (SBV) has issued a document asking credit institutions and branches of foreign banks to push the resolving of non-performing loans in 2018.

Despite concerns from economic experts about the undetermined scale and scope of Việt Nam’s undocumented market transactions, authorities are adamant that the illicit economy is under control and will soon be regulated heavily.