Customers buy vegetables at a supermarket in HCM City (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City has started its hugelysuccessful annual consumer price stabilisation programme for 2021.
To run until March 31 next year, it has attracted the participation of 50businesses, including some with popular brands, and six banks and credit institutions,who have earmarked 11.34 trillion VND (491 million USD) to lend to theparticipating firms.
Their long-term interest rates will be 6.5-11.3 percent and short-term interestrates will be 4.5 percent.
Face masks and hand sanitisers were added to the list of essential goods lastyear, and the 10 earlier ones are rice, noodles and vermicelli; sugar; cookingoil; eggs; cattle meat; poultry meat; vegetables; processed foods; seafood; andseasoning.
The programme also covers dairy products and items when schools function.
The goods sold under the programme normally meet 25-30 percent of marketdemand, but accounted for 35-50 percent amid the pandemic last year.
Firms in the programme need to stockpile 15-20 percent more goods than normalto prepare for COVID-19 emergency responses.
As usual, they have to register their prices with the Department of Finance,with those of essential goods being 5-10 percent lower than market prices and10-15 percent in case of school items.
Goods sold through the programme should be locally made with clear origins thatmeet hygiene and food safety standards and are of assured quality.
This year the city plans to help participating businesses expand their salesnetworks and encourage them to tie up with modern distribution channels likesupermarkets and convenience stores, develop sales points at traditionalmarkets, industrial parks, export processing zones, and outlying districts, andorganise mobile sales trips to enable more consumers to buy their goods.
It also encourages firms to invest more in improving packaging and designs anddiversifying their products./.
The Ho Chi Minh City authorities have approved a proposal on piloting a bicycle-sharing system in District 1 for one year starting August 1 in a bid to promote public transport, reduce pollution, and create a new tourism product.
Ho Chi Minh City treasures and wants to continue receiving support from international partners during its development process, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen has said.
Ho Chi Minh City needs to prioritise resources for transportation infrastructure, especially major roads linking its seaports, the municipal Transport Department has suggested.
China’s Laoling city, in coordination with VINEXAD, hosted a series of events in Ho Chi Minh City from August 7-9 to seek trade and economic cooperation with Vietnam.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Minh Vu led a delegation to Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri, and Kratie provinces from August 5-8, aiming to deepen economic ties and support Vietnamese businesses operating in Cambodia’s northeastern region.
Party General Secretary To Lam’s upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) is expected to mark a new milestone in the bilateral relationship, creating fresh momentum for trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.
In the context of the growing global digital economy, digital transformation and the promotion of e-commerce are key drivers helping Vietnam boost integration, enhance competitiveness, and expand export markets, according to the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency
Tilapia is considered highly competitive in export markets thanks to its affordability, ease of processing, and appeal across both high-end and mass-market segments.
In the first seven months of the year, Phu Tho attracted an impressive 651.7 million USD in foreign direct investment, including 35 newly licensed projects totaling 119 million USD in registered capital and 45 existing projects with an additional capital of 533 million USD.
Under the agreements, VinEnergo will invest in, install, and operate 43 MWp of rooftop solar power capacity and 45 MWh of BESS capacity across the three plants.
Under a draft to amend and supplement the Government's Decree 125/2020/ND-CP on administrative sanctions for violations of tax and invoice regulations, the Ministry of Finance has proposed classifying the failure to issue invoices into five different levels. Infraction levels will correspond to fines of 1 million VND to 80 million VND, depending on the nature and number of invoicing violations.
A new airline developed and invested by Sun Group — has officially announced a strategic partnership with Amadeus IT Group (Amadeus), one of the world’s leading travel technology companies. This agreement not only lays the foundation for a modern digital infrastructure but also marks a pivotal step in SPA’s global expansion strategy, enabling the airline to access international distribution networks and reach customers worldwide.
Of the total, 107,700 were new firms, with combined registered capital of 928.4 trillion VND (35.4 billion USD), up 10.6% in number and 5.5% in capital compared with the same period last year.
Experts agree that a combination of technology, enforcement, education and cross-border cooperation is essential to protect copyrighted content in Vietnam’s growing digital ecosystem.
Poland is Vietnam’s largest export market in Central and Eastern Europe, with key staples including seafood, textiles, footwear, coffee, and cashew nuts.
Cashless payments are growing at an impressive rate, averaging 30–40% annually. Vietnam’s per capita cashless transaction volume now trails only China, with total value of 295.2 quadrillion VND (11.26 trillion USD), or 26 times of its GDP.
A draft resolution on piloting a digital asset and cryptocurrency market is being developed, aiming to create a broad-enough regulatory sandbox that enables investor participation and provides practical grounds for policy refinement in areas such as risk management and anti-money laundering.
Customers buy vegetables at a supermarket in HCM City (Photo: VNA) 
