Domestic retailers struggle to compete; Steelmaker to get $48m from SCIC to expand production; Demand for imported beer surges; Finance ministry seeks to remove advertising cap; VN investors eye Laos market

 Rolls-Royce launches showroom in Viet Nam; Credit growth projected at 4.5% in first eight months; Positive outlook for enterprises; Capital flow pours into local fibre industry;

 Property sector FDI rises in 2014; Footwear giants transfer orders into Vietnam; Japanese investors keen on coal power projects; Credit growth rises in two largest cities; Retailers offer special deals on school supplies

Foreign textile firms line up for TPP bonanza in Vietnam; Vietnamese goods hold sway in local markets; EBA cites Vietnamese company among world’s best run; Robins Department Store comes to Ho Chi Minh City

 S Korea-Mekong links grow; Credit growth hits 1.31%, raises doubts; Statistics show decline in FDI; The Gioi Di Dong files for public offering; Housing project offers special promotion; Vietnamese companies receive global recognition

 VietNamNet Bridge – Is there a relationship between the record high foreign exchange reserves and the record low credit growth rate?

 VietNamNet Bridge – Difficulties remain, yet there is reason for optimism, Nguyen Duc Kien, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Economics Committee, told Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economics Times).

 45 countries recognise Vietnam’s market economy status; Vietnam, Customs Union conclude 5th FTA negotiation round; Ministry to crack down on mineral exports; Sugar association asks for export relief

 Four oil refineries due to enter operation by 2030; Zero tax levied on two Cambodian import items; VietinBank to loan $7.8m to textile firm; VN forecast to return to fast growth; Work begins on $1.3b thermal power plant in Binh Thuan

 Anti-dumping measures on cold-rolled stainless steel; Industrial production grows by 7.4% in 2013; Credit growth reaches 11 percent; Expressway toll collection auctioned in HCM City; Leading mobile retailer prospers in 2013

 VietNamNet Bridge – While some banks have obtained high credit growth in recent months, others are still struggling to boost lending to meet this year’s credit growth targets.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The real estate community was all at wittering last week after learning that Vingroup (VIC) had transferred its upscale Vincom A Trade Centre in HCM City for VND 9.823 triillion (US$470 million).

A credit growth slowdown and stagnant production have posed challenges for the economy in the first quarter, economic administrators said at a meeting held in Hanoi on Tuesday by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.