VinSmart Company, a subsidiary of Vingroup, announced on March 20 that its Vsmart smartphones would be distributed in Spain by Media Markt.

Three Taiwanese-funded enterprises on March 21 signed deals to invest a total of 30 million USD at the Minh Hung Sikico industrial park in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

Vietnam and Laos would combine forces in cooperative economy, heard a meeting in Hanoi on March 21 between President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) Nguyen Ngoc Bao and head of the National Economic Research Institute of Laos Bouasone Bouphavanh.

Experts talked about the role of Ho Chi Minh City as a bridge connecting to European markets during a ceremony to launch the Whitebook Briefing 2019 on March 20.

The Saigon Securities Incorporation (SSI) and a group of seven foreign financial institutions, led by Taiwan’s SinoPac bank, signed a trust loan contract worth 55 million USD during a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on March 21.

As many as 250 businesses from 28 countries and territories worldwide, including Vietnam, are participating in the International Coffee & Tea Industry Expo 2019 which opened in Singapore on March 21.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Ho Chi Minh City Branch (VCCI-HCM), in collaboration with the China Foreign Trade Center, held a conference on March 20 to introduce the 125th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) and a business exchange between Vietnamese and Chinese enterprises.

The Vietnamese rubber industry enjoyed robust growth in exports but experienced a fall in export prices in the first two months of 2019.

The import-export procedures and specialised inspections have been reformed in a positive way, making it easier for foreign businesses, including those from Japan, to invest in Vietnam.

VinaCapita Fund Management Joint Stock Company (VCFM), one of the most experienced asset management companies in Vietnam, on March 20 announced the establishment of its fourth open-ended fund - the VinCapital Insights Balanced Fund (VIBF).

Vietnam’s retail market needs a comprehensive development strategy to boost domestic trade, experts said at a conference in Hanoi on March 20.

The State Bank of Vietnam adjusted the daily reference exchange rate down for the second day, setting the rate at 22,953 VND per USD on March 21, dropping 5 VND from March 20.

The NutiFood Nutrition Food JSC and golf legend Greg Norman – Tourism Ambassador of Vietnam for 2018-2021 – inked a cooperation deal on March 20 to popularise Vietnamese coffee to the world.

More than 9,500 new businesses were established in the Mekong Delta in 2018, heard a meeting among regional business leaders in Can Tho city on March 20.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) plans to focus its investigations on businesses that use high volumes of energy as part of its mission to save energy.

Members of the Asian Farmers’ Group for Cooperation (AFGC) gathered at their 19th annual meeting in Da Nang city on March 20 to share experience in dealing with challenges from climate change facing farmers across Asia.

The Vietnam International Packaging, Label, Thermal Transfer, Printing Technology Equipment and Supplies Exhibition 2019 (VPSE 2019) kicked off in Hanoi on March 20.

The northern province of Thai Nguyen is striving to develop Thai Nguyen city as a catalyst for its development, at the cost of 100 million USD, including 1.8 trillion VND (77.5 million USD) in loans from the World Bank.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue highlighted the close links between growth models and economic restructuring during a seminar in Hanoi on March 20.

Rice exports are expected to recover in the second quarter of this year, boosted by encouraging market signs.