Economy and commerce
Vietnam's Deputy PM seeks Laos’ support to Vietnam-invested projects
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Somdy Douangdy in Hanoi on 10 September, during which he proposed that Laos support the implementation of Vietnam-invested projects there. Keep reading ...
Higher PPP investment limit urged
The Thai government hopes to ease its public debt burden by luring the private sector to invest more in multibillion-baht infrastructure projects, especially in telecommunications and transport, through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Keep reading ...
ADB set to slash Thai GDP growth forecast
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will revise down its GDP growth forecast for Thailand to lower than 2.9% this year following the country’s slower-than-expected performance in the first half. However, the new growth forecast, due to be announced on 22 September, will be higher than 2.5%, ...
Vietnam scores low for budget transparency as public participation remains 'limited'
Scoring only 18 out of 100 on an open budget index compiled by the International Budget Partnership, Vietnam’s budget transparency is deemed “scant” and far below the world average score of 45. The performance is slightly worse than that of 2012, when the country scored 19, according ...
Analysts: Vietnam primed for financial derivative market
Vietnam’s financial market holds promising potential and the basic foundations to develop derivative products, financial experts told a seminar held by the Hong Kong-based Asia Risk magazine in Singapore on 9 September. Keep reading ...
Mekong dwellers struggle to adapt to tides of change
Since its founding, the inhabitants of Can Tho city have sold their wares atop the water, which has become a tourist spectacle. This has been the way of life for as long as any resident here can remember, but things are changing. In recent years, local communities ...
Vietnam signs bilateral tourism cooperation agreements with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
Tourism officials from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar discussed solutions for luring tourists to their region and integrate their tourist industry as they met in Ho Chi Minh City on 9 September. The five countries are member of a political, economic, and cultural bloc known ...
Guarantees for SME lending set to jump
Loan guarantees for small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) are expected to surge 67% to 10 billion baht a month in the wake of the new credit guarantee portfolio scheme by Thailand’s state-owned Credit Guarantee Corporation. Keep reading ...
Mega Mekong travel expo opens 10 September
Vietnam and the Mekong region’s largest travel exhibition – the International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC 2015) – will be held from 10 to 12 September at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the People’s Committee of Ho ...
Vietnam, Egypt step up bilateral trade ties
Representatives from about 70 Vietnamese and Egyptian enterprises shared information on business opportunities at a forum in Cairo on 7 September. Keep reading ...