The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has received significant dividend payments for 2016 from BIDV, Vietcombank, and VietinBank, totaling VND6.17 trillion ($271.375 million).

 In its latest assessment released on May 3, Moody’s Investor Service has affirmed the long-term and short-term deposit and, where applicable, issuer and senior debt ratings of eight Vietnamese banks as unchanged (B1 positive).

 Figures from ten Vietnamese banks reveal the cumulative bad debt ratio has increased from 1.87 per cent at the end of 2016 to 1.9 per cent as at March 31.

 A unit of monopoly electricity provider Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has unveiled a plan to build two solar power plants in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan with a combined capacity of 350 MW.

 With booming golf resort development across the country, Vietnam has come a world-class destination for golf tourism. 

 Foreign investors have made their ambitions clear for building green energy waste-to-power projects in Vietnam.

 Despite breaking the law by allowing the destruction of 116 hectares of forest in Phu Yen Province, the local authorities have only described their violations as ‘careless’. 

 The Ministry of Finance has just proposed that the People's Supreme Court ask those involved in the miscarriage of justice that saw Huynh Van Nen convicted to pay out compensation for their wrongdoings.

 The General Department of Fisheries said it rejected a Chinese fishing ban in the East Sea and would continue supporting local fishermen.

 The Government plans to borrow US$15.05 billion this year, according to a borrowing and debt payment scheme recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

 The draft circular to guide the implementation of certain clauses of Decree No.03/2017/ND-CP issued by the government on casino business has no clause restricting which casino in which region can pilot opening to Vietnamese customers.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has told the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to draw lessons and seek ways to improve the poor management of the farm produce market.

More Vietnamese mobile internet users access social networks daily than any other activity with their device, reported Appota in its report on the Vietnamese mobile market.

Before 2016, manufacturers offering lower selling prices had an advantage in the instant noodle market. But with the market now saturated, the presence of ‘real pieces of meat’ in noodle packages will determine the outcome of the competition.

The Mekong River runs through 6 countries in Asia, supplying 80 percent of regional demand for proteins, water and livelihoods.

 About 700 000 hectares of rice and other agriculture crops in Vietnam were destroyed by climate-induced natural disasters in 2016, reports the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 The textile and garment sector enters the second quarter (Q2) of this year with promising signs from new import markets, said General Director of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) Le Tien Truong.

 Consumer lending has the potential for explosive growth in Vietnam, but this can only happen with significant improvements in consumer satisfaction with credit institutions and loan conditions, experts say.

 Vietnam has successfully mass produced a combined vaccine against measles and rubella for the first time, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health said on May 3.

 Come June 3, singer Son Tung M-TP will be among an all-star lineup of renowned Asian artists performing in Bangkok, Thailand at what is billed as the largest digital music fest in the region.