Vietnam has made it onto the list of the world’s five biggest textile exporters and producers, with textile and garment export turnover hitting 16 billion USD in the first half of 2018, up more than 14 percent year-on-year. 

 Condominium property prices remained fairly stable during the first half of 2018, with under 2 percent in fluctuations.

 The Vietnamese Government has agreed to join the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to prevent and fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

 Vietnam Airlines has announced that it will start to allow customers to buy tickets using QR code through the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) and VNPay.

 The Vietnamese economy continued to enjoy growth in the second quarter of 2018, following an impressive growth impetus in the first three months of this year, according to the Department of Planning under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

 The Ministry of Planning and Investment on July 9 released a report on the recommendations for the strategy and orientation of new-generation free trade agreement (FTA) attraction for 2020-2030.

 Police in the central province of Thanh Hoa on July 8 arrested two men trafficking 2kg of crystal myth and 4,000 meth pills. 

 The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s recent response to the continuous rise of USD prices has demonstrated its readiness to make an intervention in order to stabilise the foreign exchange market.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Minister of Information and Communications to keep a close watch on Facebook’s correction of its map on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

 Hanoi is determined to build a people-centered and business-oriented smart city by 2030, said Permanent Vice Chairman of the Hanoi City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Suu.

 The excavation of an ancient shipwreck discovered in Binh Son district, in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai, began on July 9.

 The Government has agreed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST)’s proposal to organise SEA Games 31 and Para Games 11 in Vietnam in 2021. 

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its relations with the US at a reception for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Hanoi on July 9.  

VietNamNet Bridge - Retail chains specializing in products for mothers and children now have to compete with private shops and vendors, whose low cost is a great advantage.

 The condominium market for sale showed signs of slowing down in the second quarter of this year.

 The Vietnamese dong will not depreciate much against the US dollar in the second half of this year, so the whole year’s slide will be 3 per cent at the most, the Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC) has forecast.

 The Government should create an ecosystem and suitable environment for new products and services as well as pioneer their use to promote the development of contactless payment methods. 

A majority of credit institutions in the country expect an upward trend in their business in the remaining months of the year, after making improvements in the first half of 2018, according to a survey by the State Bank of Viet Nam.

Military-run Viettel Group reported profits in eight of its 10 overseas markets including Peru, Cambodia, Laos, Haiti, Burundi, East Timor, Mozambique and Cameroon in the first half of the year.

 Viet Nam now has more opportunities to promote its tra fish exports to China, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).