VietNamNet Bridge - The VN Index has increased by 14.4 percent this year, staying firmly at the 9-year peak. However, many divestment deals have been made by foreign investment funds.  

VietNamNet Bridge - It will be difficult to curb inflation if unreasonable measures are used to reach a GDP growth rate of 6.7 percent and low inflation rate of 4 percent in 2017.

“GDP growth has important significance for Vietnam as it creates resources for investment & development, generates jobs, and increases the budget revenue,” said Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment (MPI).

VietNamNet Bridge - The low GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2017 is a hot topic of discussion at the ongoing National Assembly session. 

VietNamNet Bridge - To obtain a 6.7 percent GDP growth rate in 2017, Vietnam needs to change its economic structure, experts say. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The government still insists on a 6.7 percent GDP growth rate target this year, though economists warn it will be out of reach.

VietNamNet Bridge - The government successfully reined in the inflation rate at below 5 percent in 2016 as planned. However, curbing inflation will be a difficult task for 2017.

VietNamNet Bridge - In South East Asia, a business with capitalization value of $1 billion, or VND22.4 trillion, would be listed as a medium-size company. However, for Vietnamese, $1 billion is considered a milestone for many businesses.

VietNamNet Bridge - About 70-80 percent of the profit made by foreign banks comes from services, while credit makes up 10-15 percent.

VietNamNet Bridge - The recently released World Bank report about farm produce supply chain shows worrying issues about Vietnam’s agriculture.

VietNamNet Bridge - Economists have urged the government to reconsider the role of consumption and select it as the springboard to promote economic growth in the future.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has set the ambitious goal of achieving $10 billion in revenue from e-commerce by 2020. The figure was $4.07 billion in 2015.

VietNamNet Bridge - Though it has $112 million in a new fund, Mekong Capital has chosen to invest in only two companies, a sign that foreign investors have changed funding strategies.  

VietNamNet Bridge - One fifth of the kieu hoi (overseas remittance) volume in 2015 has gone into the real estate sector, according to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

VietNamNet Bridge - The petrol price increase was the major cause behind the higher consumer price index (CPI) in April, the highest increase in the last five years in the same period.  

VietNamNet Bridge - The HCM City Taxation Agency has vowed to keep a keen eye on businesses which have conducted capital transfer deals and paid royalty fees to holding companies.

VietNamNet Bridge - All Chinese goods can be sold in Vietnam, from farm produce to automobiles, from toothpicks to electronics and from clothes to thermopower technologies.

VietNamNet Bridge - The topic of the dialogue at the Vietnam Development Partner Forum (VDPF), the forum for Vietnam and its development partners, was about the resources Vietnam will rely on to develop its economy. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Analysts have said the strong investment wave of investors from South Korea, Japan and the US would act as a counterpoise to rising Chinese investment.

VietNamNet Bridge - The budget deficit is higher than the permitted level, while the public debt nearly has reached an alarming rate. But huge projects capitalized at trillions of dong are still proposed.