Manufacturing sector experienced a positive end to 2017, according to report accompanying Nikkei Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index.

 Below are the ten major events that shaped the year.

Cyber-attacks, including the rise of ransomware, cost Vietnamese users some VND12.3 trillion (542.8 million) last year, according to a report from leading local online security firm the Bach Khoa Internetwork Security Center (BKAV).

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called for strict punishment of organizations and individuals who commit violations in military land use and management.

The Ministry of Finance is once again looking at raising VAT rate from the current 10 per cent to 11 per cent in 2019 and then 12 per cent in 2020, after it issued a proposal in August last year calling for a 12 per cent rate starting next year.

The Vietnam Steel Association has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Trade Defence to assist Vietnamese steel producers in anti-dumping investigations of corrosion-resistant steel and cold rolled steels launched by the US. 

 A 3.9-magnitude earthquake hit the northwestern province of Dien Bien, about 295 km west of Hanoi, at 3:14am on January 8.

 The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) reported that it had passed 1,152 petitions from the business community to relevant State agencies as of the end of November 2017, and 954 of which had received replies.

The Hanoi People’s Court opened the first instance trial on January 8 for Trinh Xuan Thanh and his accomplices on several charges of wrongdoings at the company.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Saigon Heat defeated Formosa Dreamers 99-85 at the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) at Changhua Stadium, Chinese Taipei, on January 6.

 The Power Generation Corporation 3 (Genco 3) will put more than 267 million shares, accounting for 12.8 per cent of its charter capital, up for sale in its initial public offering (IPO) in February 2018.

 The National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) estimates that credit growth in 2017 will be at 18.7-19.3 per cent in its annual financial market review.

 Vietnamese cities and provinces have been rushing to seek licences for large-scale and costly seaports to cash in on growing interest among domestic and international investors and rising trade, triggering concerns over a supply-demand imbalance.

 Power Generation Corporation 3 (EVNGenco 3) of Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) will put VND6.6 trillion ($290.6 million) worth of shares on sale at its initial public offering (IPO) and offer stakes for strategic investors.

 Below are the ten most noteworthy “ups-and-downs” of the Vietnamese stock market over the course of 2017, from the launching of a brand new market to unprecedented criminal prosecutions and billion-dollar state divestitures.

 After nearly eleven months of thorough preparation, the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HSX) finally scheduled the debut of a new securitised option called covered warrant (CW) for March 2018.

 A Ministry of Construction circular requiring state-funded construction projects to use eco-friendly building materials is expected to lure foreign investors into this sector, bringing with them equipment and products new to the market. 

Amid concerns over US anti-dumping measures and anti-subsidy rates on corrosion-resistant and cold-rolled steel from Vietnam, local steelmakers are finding their way to self-reliance.

  Vietnam’s determination to build an enabling and action-oriented government to serve people and enterprises was reflected in its 2017 administrative reforms.

 VietNamNet Bridge – English fluency targets set by a national project are too high and not backed by sufficient inputs, experts say.