REUTERS – Global equity markets and oil prices bounced back on Tuesday after data for January on business activity in the euro zone showed signs of recovery while the U.S. service sector grew last month for a third year of back-to-back monthly expansion. Wall Street followed the equity rally in Europe, opening higher, with major U.S. and European stock indexes up almost 0.7 percent or more. A... 

U.S.-based Starbucks Coffee Company opened its first store in Vietnam at the New World Hotel in downtown HCMC last Friday, sparking curiosity in a country with a different culture of coffee drinking. With a total area of 500 square meters, the store is under the management of Coffee Concept Vietnam, a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s Maxim Group. John Culver, president of Starbucks Coffee China and Asia-Pacific,... 

Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade, or VietinBank, on Monday signed an agreement to borrow around US$155 million from two German banks, Dusseldorf branch of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH. According to a statement released by VietinBank on Monday, Euler Hermes, an export insurance company of the German government, provides insurance service of up to 85% of the... 

The local market opened the week with a retreat in both the index and liquidity on Monday as buyers were cautious of the recent rally of the VN-Index and sellers turned more active towards the end of the day. MSN, GAS and BVH were the main forces to pull the VN-Index into the winning territory. The big three’s advance, especially GAS, in part explained why there were moments the VN-Index was positive... 

Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, or Vinacomin, on January 18 issued VND2.5 trillion worth of five-year bonds with the coupon of 14.5% in the first year. A source told the Daily that institutional investors expressed stronger response towards this issuance compared to the previous one last July. Vinacomin at that time sold only 17% of the VND3 trillion worth of bonds launched on the... 

Given the foreseen saturated urea fertilizer demand at home and increasing output, companies in the local fertilizer industry will have no other choice but to ship products overseas this year despite the challenging conditions. Local fertilizer producers including Ca Mau and Ninh Binh fertilizer companies saw 2012 as a successful year as sales increased, while smaller manufacturers also managed... 

Despite poor demand in the context of the current economic difficulties, the local market last year witnessed vigorous competition among existing retailers and newcomers. Total sales of retail commodities and consumer services in 2012 marked up 16% against 2011, a modest growth compared to the 20-25% in previous years, the General Statistics Office reports. A.T Kearney removed Vietnam out of the... 

CAN THO – After a long falling streak, prices of purple-fleshed sweet potatoes in the Mekong Delta have suddenly picked up on the threshold of the Lunar New Year. Traders are now buying the first-grade purple sweet potatoes at VND1.1-1.2 million per 60-kilo bag, up VND500,000-600,000 against a month ago, said Son Van Luan, chairman of the sweet potato co-operative Tan Thanh in Binh Tan District,... 

Saigontourist Travel Service Company on Monday opened the biggest travel information center in HCMC, at 102 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1. Having an area of 650 square meters, it consists of several booths providing information for both domestic and international tourists. From next month, there will be other services such as hotels, insurance, shopping, ATM booths and cafés available at the center... 

Changing new bank notes at the HCMC branch of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has become a much more common practice in recent days, especially with Tet around the corner. Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy director of SBV’s HCMC branch, said his agency had launched onto the market a large volume of new bank notes with face values of below VND100,000. Not many bank notes whose face values were VND20,000...