The State Bank of Việt Nam (SBV) has issued a circular to allow credit institutions and foreign bank branches to extend loans in foreign currencies to some borrowers in 2019, rather than cutting them off at the end of last year as planned.

Total retail sales of goods and services in Việt Nam reached nearly VNĐ4.4 quadrillion (US$191 billion) in 2018, representing a rise of 11.7 per cent against the previous year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The Vietnamese manufacturing sector continued to record solid growth in December, helping the country show the strongest upturn in ASEAN during the last month of 2018.

State budget collection totalled VNĐ1.42 quadrillion (US$61.7 billion) in 2018, seven per cent more than the target for the full year, according to the Việt Nam State Treasury.

Petrol retail prices were reduced, the ministries of Industry and Trade and Finance announced.

Vietnamese start-ups are still not paying adequate attention to registering intellectual property, although this type of intangible asset plays a significant role in their future development.

The General Department of Taxation’s plan of taxing business households with annual revenue from VNĐ100 million (US$4,350) is causing controversy.

Analysts and securities firms are hoping Vietnamese shares will perform better in 2019, but there are still many challenges that will clearly weigh on market sentiment.

Many textile and garment enterprises has been improving operation to prepare themselves for the list on the stock market.