Aug. 25 – The Ministry of Labor, War Invalid and Social Affairs has been tasked to manage wage rate regulations at foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) for unskilled and skilled workers.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) said it will help expedite the establishment of grassroots trade-unions at FIEs. It added that only a third of operating FIEs had grassroots trade-unions despite the country’s labor code that required all companies to establish one within six months of obtaining their license.

Aug. 21 - Indian power equipment company, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has bagged a US$50 million contract to build a 200-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plant in Vietnam.

The Nam Chien Hydro Power project aims to meet the country’s growing energy demand and join its rapidly growing power sector that is expected to expand by 16 percent annually. The project will be financed through a US$45 million line of credit given by the Indian government and managed by the Export Import Bank of India.

Aug. 8 - Vietnam has surpassed India to move to second behind China in apparel exports to the United States, shipping garments worth US$4.76 billion in May this year against India's exports of US$3.14 billion.

Out of the total US$73 billion dollars annual imports by the US till May-end, Vietnam managed to capture 6.55 per cent share while China remained the largest exporter to the American market with 30.6 per cent share, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Aug. 5 - Vietnam is doubling export duties on steel to 20 percent to limit overseas sales of the product.

According to the official Vietnam News Agency, the new duty will replace the current 10 percent tax and be imposed on steel billets and finished products from Aug 10.

HANOI, July 31 - Vietnam welcomed an estimated 2.6 million international arrivals in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 6.6 percent, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said Tuesday.

The number of foreign tourists rose by 3.1 percent to more than 1.6 million while the percent of foreigners coming to Vietnam for business surged 38.4 percent to 505,500. Foreign visitors originated mainly from China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Australia the VNAT said.

July 16- The Vietnamese Commerce and Information Technology are making the final preparations for the launch of a portal for foreign markets on September 1st.

The new portal also aims to attract local business.

In addition, there will be versions of the Vietnam export portal in English and other foreign languages that will showcase Vietnamese enterprises and products.

July 10 - Russia's second largest mobile phone operator Vimpelcom is investing almost US$270 million in a joint venture with Vietnam's Global telecommunications Corporation.

Vimpelcom announced Tuesday it had secured a 40 percent stake in the GTEL-Mobile venture and will start providing services in Vietnam next summer.

July 7 - Work has begun on what will be Vietnam's largest steel plant, part of a US$7.9 billion complex that will include a deep-sea port, Thanh Nien reported Monday.

The complex, located in central Ha Tinh province and run by Taiwan-based Formosa Heavy Industries Corp., will be Vietnam’s largest steel production facility when it is completed, with an expected annual capacity of 7.5 million tons.

The plant is expected to take four years to complete and cost an estimated US$7.87 billion. The project is the largest foreign direct investment Vietnam has seen and when completed, will employ around 10,000 locals.

June 12 - Vietnam will soon have its very first casino at the Ho Tram Strip resort in southern Vietnam. To be constructed at a cost of US$4.2 billion, the casino which will only be accessible to foreigners, is one of the largest investments in Vietnam's tourism infrastructure. The builders, Canadian-based Asian Coast Development, say that the casino will be part of a resort which will have two five star hotels.

Vietnam has become the most popular destination for the hospitality industry in south east Asia, as it offers the same climate and low cost conditions as neighboring Thailand or Indonesia, but is not yet saturated. This has spurred an impressive volume of infrastructure development and construction activities to cater to the country's newfound source of income.

June 4 - Vietnam emerged as the most attractive emerging market destination for retail investment  in the seventh annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), a study of retail investment attractiveness among 30 emerging markets conducted by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

Vietnam's leap to first place in the 2008 GRDI from fourth place in 2007 was driven by strong GDP growth, changes to the country's regulatory structure favouring foreign investors and increasing consumer demand for modern retail concepts, the report said.

The report states that while Vietnam's US$20 billion retail market pales in comparison to India or China, the absence of competition and 8 percent GDP growth, make it an attractive expansion opportunity for global retailers.