Vietnam revealed an export growth rate of 28.1 percent in January compared to a year ago due to the recovery of the global economy causing high export price, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Among the export staples, machineries and equipment generated the highest growth, bringing in 210 million USD, up 139 percent compared to the same period last year. It was followed by electric... 

The industrial production value increased by 28.4 percent in January to 62.79 trillion VND as a result of the country’s economic recovery, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Bui Xuan Khu. The non-state economic sector maintained the highest growth rate of 31.1 percent. It was followed by the foreign-invested sector with a rise of 29.1 percent and the state-owned sector with 23.1 percent. Electricity,... 

Vietnam plans to import 260,000 tonnes of salt this year due to falling domestic salt output and value. Salt marshes nationwide have expanded by 16 percent to nearly 14,500 hectares so far but total salt output has decreased by 5 percent against last year. As domestic salt demand keeps increasing by 1.3 million tonnes per year, Vietnam is always short of salt. Vietnam had to import 138,000 tonnes... 

Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest commercial hub, grossed over 1.3 billion USD from exports in January, up 8.8 percent from a year ago. Of the amount, the state-owned economic sector contributed 53.1 percent (up 7.2 percent); the private sector, 20.6 percent (up 13.1 percent) and the foreign-invested sector, 26.2 percent (up 8.6 percent). The city-based businesses in the month exported 150,000... 

The national economy will gradually recover in 2010, resulting in a slight increase in the prices of construction materials such as steel and cement. It is predicted that construction materials will experience minor fluctuations in prices due to soaring input costs on the world market. Fierce competition between locally-made and imported steel However, the price of locally-made steel will not increase... 

To date, most infrastructure projects in Vietnam have been implemented either by state-owned enterprises or have relied on Official Development Assistance (ODA). However, in view of the extremely heavy demand for infrastructure in Vietnam and the relatively limited amount of ODA, particularly non-refundable ODA, that will be allotted to Vietnam over the coming years, it has been estimated that up... 

Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange could soon roll out afternoon trading sessions to heighten market liquidity. “After upgrading the technology system, the exchange (HoSE) will put an afternoon trading session, from 1pm to 2.30pm, into operation this year,” a top State Securities Commission (SSC) official said at a “Stock Market Development in 2010” meeting in Hanoi. The SSC official did not reveal...