The Middle East and Africa are promising markets for Vietnamese exports, but exporters would face challenges there and have to adopt appropriately careful strategies, officials said at a conference in HCM City on Thursday.

Đồng Tháp Province in the Mekong Delta has become a magnet for foreign investment, especially those from Australia, speakers said on September 27 at an investment conference held in HCM City.

A new report revealed by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Economics University (NEU) on Thursday concluded the Government should support the development of inclusive business models designed to support the sustainable development and drive growth.

Low consumption, high inventory and continuously plunging prices mean tough times for domestic sugar mills, said chairman of the Việt Nam Sugarcane and Sugar Association (VSSA) Phạm Quốc Doanh.

Focusing on healthy products and working closely with farmers can make Việt Nam’s food products competitive, experts have said.

Shares advanced on Thursday on the two national stock exchanges, propped up by foreign purchases and the information that Việt Nam’s stock market was added into the FTSE Russel’s watch list for a possible market status upgrade.

A display area for the products of the provinces along the Việt Nam - Laos border opened on September 27 in Đồng Hới City, Quảng Bình Province by Việt Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Laos

The latest US tariffs on Chinese auto parts was likely to hit Việt Nam’s rubber industry, said head of the Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA)’s Rubber Development Consulting Division Trần Thị Thúy Hoa.

The People’s Committee in Khánh Hòa Province’s Vạn Ninh District has asked provincial authorities to lift a ban on land transactions in the district.

The country should revise Decree 83 on petrol trading, especially regulations related to the calculation of output prices to ensure a transparent petroleum market, said Đỗ Hoàng Anh Tuấn, deputy minister of Finance Ministry.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade released the results of an auction for 94,000 tonnes of imported sugar this on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

With the US economy still strong, the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate on Wednesday for the third time this year but showed no indication it would be more aggressive in efforts to head off inflation.

The US-China trade war is escalating sharply. In the most recent move, the US imposed a 10 per cent tariff starting from Monday on US$200 billion of Chinese imports. These tariffs will then rise to 25 per cent on January 1. In retaliation, China has decided to impose taxes on about $60 billion worth imports from the US together with the publication of a white paper about US trade frictions. For Việt Nam, the trade war will bring opportunities and risks. Việt Nam News reporter Mai Linh talks with industry associations about possible impacts of a trade war between the world’s two largest economies on their industries.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected Việt Nam’s economic growth will be 6.9 per cent this year, taking 0.2 percentage points off from their April forecast as exports, agriculture, construction, and mining are expected to slow in the second half of the year.

Banks are confident about meeting their profit targets for 2018 despite the central bank curtailing credit expansion in the second half of the year.

Many heavyweight stocks declined towards the end of the Wednesday’s session, driving down the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange’s VN-Index for a second day.

The green housing market needs support from the State, businesses and consumers to keep up with strong global development, experts said at a seminar on Wednesday in Hà Nội.

The Ministry of Finance will apply the technological achievements of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) to build a smart governance foundation, provide financial services and participate in the development of digital economy.