The ratio of bad debts at a number of credit institutions in HCMC in 2011 was still high, or even sharply rose compared to the previous year, said the central bank’s HCMC Branch. The branch unveiled the above information in a review report on last year’s performance and this year’s operation orientation. As per the report, the fifth-group debts – seen as the worst non-performing loans –... 

Vietnam’s business confidence index (BCI) has decreased sharply from 123 points in the third quarter of 2011 to 116 points at present. This is the result of a survey conducted by WVB Financial Intelligence Services (WVB Vietnam) from December 15, 2011 to January 16, 2012 at 158 businesses operating in 11 major industries and leading the country in terms of property, total revenue and number of staff. Nearly... 

There has been a slight increase in business confidence and outlook among European enterprises in Vietnam, according to the EuroCham Business Climate Index survey announced on February 1. The results of the survey showed that the EuroCham business climate index rose to 56 points after dropping 11 points in the fourth quarter of last year. About 36 percent of surveyed businesses express pleasure at... 

The overall retail sales of merchandise goods and services in January grows by only 3.2% against the previous month due to the low purchasing power caused by economic difficulties, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In its report, the ministry said that the total goods and services retail this month reached VND191 trillion, up 3.2% and 22% against the previous month and the same period... 

It is time to hammer out appropriate policies and institutions to restructure the economy, cultivate intensive growth, strengthen social security and protect the environment Over the past 10 years, the flaws of Vietnam’s extensive growth model have been increasingly evident. The economy has expanded considerably, but such development is far from consistent and sustainable. Worse still, growth quality... 

The 10-year record low inflation rate in January has arisen a hope among businesses that the lending interest rates would go down, and business’ difficulties would be eased. CPI increases only by one percent in January 15, 2012 NDHMoney has predicted that the consumer price index CPI in January 2012 would increase only by one percent over the previous month. If the scenario turns true, the CPI in... 

Housing for low-income people has become a buzzword in recent years but to buy a so-called low-cost home, average-income Vietnamese people must have to save money for more than 50 consecutive years. There is a huge demand for low-cost apartments but the prices of such homes are still way beyond the financial capability of most homebuyers. This is shown in a market survey conducted by CB Richard... 

Though the national economy has experienced a very difficult year, the retail market in 2011 still grew well with the total revenue of 90 billion dollars, making up 15-16 percent of Vietnam’s GDP. The demand rescued the market The Ministry of Industry and Trade has estimated that the total retail turnover in 2011 reached 1994 trillion dong, an increase of 29.3 percent over the previous year, an impressive... 

The latest report of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) showed a slight drop of 1% in auto sales last year against 2010, with some 110,900 vehicles sold by VAMA members. The downtrend beginning last year is believed by several auto firms to continue and even worsen in 2012, now that the economy will hardly escape internal and external woes unscathed while new policies make owning... 

Since its slide into difficulties four years ago, the local property market has remained challenging for developers as secondary investors have left the market while homebuyers are holding a wait-and-see attitude. The Saigon Times Daily talked to Brett Ashton, managing director of Savills Vietnam, as the company released its fourth quarter report on the property market on Wednesday. Excerpts: The Saigon...