The legislature sets the goals that the national GDP would grow 6-6.5 per cent in the year, and GDP per capita would stand at between US$4,700 and $4,730. The processing and manufacturing industry is also projected to account for 24.1 per cent - 24.2 per cent of the GDP.

Suffering from declined overseas shipments, export businesses in some industries now need more assistance from the Government to navigate difficulties and challenges, insiders have said.

Deposit interest rates have set a new record low.

Exports of surimi (fish paste) and fishmeal could reach US$1 billion a year in the near future, according to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

VN's draft Hydrogen Production Strategy by 2030, with a vision towards 2050, aims is to strive for hydrogen production capacity from renewable energy processes, producing green hydrogen and other processes with carbon capture reaching 100 - 500 thousand tonnes by 2030 and targeting around 10 - 20 million tonnes by 2050.

The Ministry of Transport has recently issued a circular on seaport services fees, including cargo loading and unloading fees.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai on December 27 asked the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to effectively put in place issued policies and those expected to be adopted in order to untangle knots facing businesses, control inflation, and spur socio-economic recovery and development, thus achieving the targets set for 2024.

The forestry sector is set to harvest 17.5 billion USD from exports and 23 million m3 of wood from planted forests in 2024, Trieu Van Luc, Deputy Director of the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has unveiled.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) plans to implement several policies to support the business sector and people, and promote the country's economic growth in 2024, according to Minister Ho Duc Phoc.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) aims to increase total export turnover in 2024 by about 6% compared to 2023 and maintain a trade surplus of about 15 billion USD for the ninth consecutive year.

Ho Chi Minh City has attracted more than 1 billion USD, both new and adjusted capital, to its industrial parks so far this year, surpassing its plan by 83.57%, the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA) said on December 27.

The 2023 export performance is anticipated to serve as a catalyst for the rice sector, enabling it to explore new markets, strengthen the reputation of Vietnamese rice, enhance national food security, and foster sustainable production and exports in the future.

Nearly 160,000 new enterprises have been established in Vietnam in 2023, up 7.2% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Business Registration Management Agency.

The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu continues to create favourable conditions for foreign investors, including those from India, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Van Thieu said on December 27.

The total revenue to the State budget as of December 25 surpassed 1.69 quadrillion VND (nearly 69.5 billion USD), up 4.5% compared to the yearly estimate, heard a conference hosted by the Ministry of Finance in Hanoi on December 27.

Together with electronic devices, agricultural products like rice, coffee, tea, pepper, chilli, dragon fruit and processed food are Vietnam’s key export items to Guangdong, China, according to an official.

The banking sector will continue to face great challenges in 2024, especially those from bad debts when Circular 02/2023/TT-NHNN of the State Bank of Vietnam on credit institutions and foreign bank branches' debt rescheduling and maintaining loan categories to help clients in difficulties expires on June 30, 2024.

Vietnamese auto maker VinFast has announced its participation in Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, one of the biggest tech events in the world, taking place from January 9 - 12, 2024 in Las Vegas city, the US.

Việt Nam may record a year-on-year increase of 11 per cent in the rice export volume in 2023 to over eight million tonnes.

FTAs with new markets such as Israel and the UAE will create more opportunities to promote trade and investment, especially exports, of Việt Nam in 2024