Vietnam racks up $1.29 billion in trade surplus in two months The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some 95.81 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 percent. Vietnam’s trade balance posted positive, 1.29 billion USD, in the first two months of the year, the General Department of Customs said on December 28. The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some 95.81 billion USD, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 percent. Of the total, exports amounted to 48.55 billion USD, a yearly hike of 23.2 percent, while imports were estimated at 47.26 billion USD, or 25.9 percent higher than the same time last year. Foreign-invested companies accounted for 76.4 percent, or 37.07 billion USD, of Vietnam’s total export turnover. Meanwhile, the domestic sector shipped abroad 11.48 billion USD worth of products. There were nine commodities joining the billion-USD export club, including telephones and parts (9.3 billion USD, up 22.8 percent year-on-year); electronics, computers and parts (6.9 billion USD, up 27.3 percent); equipment, machines and parts (5.5 billion USD, up 72.6 percent); footwear (3.2 billion USD, up 15.4 percent); and wood and wooden products (2.4 billion USD, up 51 percent). They made up 73 percent of the country’s export turnover. The US was Vietnam’s biggest importer as it splashed out 14.2 billion USD on Vietnamese products, or 38.2 percent higher than the amount it spent the same time last year. China came second with 8.5 billion USD, followed by the EU with 6.3 billion USD, ASEAN 4.2 billion USD, the Republic of Korea 3.4 billion USD, and Japan 3.2 billion USD. Meanwhile, the country spent big (47.26 billion USD) on imports, with foreign-invested sector purchasing 31.64 billion USD worth of products from abroad for production, up 31.4 percent, while that of the domestic sector surged 16 percent to 15.62 billion USD. In the two-month period, China was the largest exporter of Vietnam, with revenue …
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Health crisis fails to impede business confidence
In June last year, Ngo Dinh Vuong halted the operation of his garment factory in Quang Minh Industrial Park in Hanoi’s Dong Anh District due to the health crisis. The factory was opened in late 2018 and is the third to have been opened by Vuong in the northern region of the country since 2016. Then in July, the second factory, based in Hung Yen Province, faced the same plight, leaving the first factory operating moderately also in Hung Yen. The three factories are managed by Hoang Yen Garment and Trading JSC, established in 2016, where Vuong is the director. However, in early January, the two factories with halted operations began resuming operations as some big contracts have been landed with local and foreign experts. This would allow 800 workers to have incomes. “We are happy that all of our three factories are in full operations now,” Vuong told Nhan dan Online. Hoang Yen Company’s case is among more than 11,000 enterprises resuming operation in the first two months of this year nationwide. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), also in the first two months of 2021, the economy saw 18,100 newly-established enterprises with total registered capital of VND334.8 trillion (US$14.55 billion), employing 172,800 new labourers – up 4% in the number of enterprises, 52.2% in capital, and 9.7% in the number of labourers as compared to those in the same period of last year. In particular, the average registered capital of each newly-established business in the two months of the year is VND18.5 billion (US$804,347), up 46.4% year-on-year. If an additional VND385.6 trillion (US$16.76 billion) registered by 6,500 operational enterprises is included, the total registered capital inserted into the economy in the first two months is VND720.4 trillion ($31.32 billion). In February, despite the Lunar New Year, the number of newly-established firms hit more than 8,000 registered at VND179.7 trillion (US$7.81 billion), down 20.3% in the number of enterprises …
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Digital strategies to spur e-commerce: experts
A logistic centre in HCM City. Companies are expected to implement digital strategies to continue to reach customers. (Photo courtesy of Shopee Vietnam) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Companies are expected to implement digital strategies to continue to reach customers, experts said while alluding to trends in the e-commerce market this year. Shopee, a leading e-commerce player in the country, in a note predicting trends this year, said: “The pandemic pushed businesses, from premium brands to micro-entrepreneurs, to quickly adopt digital strategies if they sought to reach customers amidst the lockdowns .” As online selling becomes a growing revenue channel for brands and sellers, e-commerce platforms need to work with them to help engage their customers in a differentiated manner and grow their online presence, it said. It cited its own example of working with POND's to integrate its AI-powered beauty tech solution, Skin Advisor Live into the online shopping experience, offering shoppers free personalised skincare analysis online to help them make a more informed buying decision. POND's was also able to tap into Shopee’s engagement tools such as livestreaming to interact with its target audience. There are more than 20,000 global and local brands on Shopee Mall, offering a wide selection of products ranging from everyday to premium items. The company works closely with these brands to create new and unique shopping experiences. The e-commerce market is expected to see more changes this year as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a broad, deep and irreversible shift to online for businesses and consumers. Tran Tuan Anh, Managing Director of Shopee Vietnam, said: “2020 was an especially transformative year for e-commerce. As consumers adhered to social distancing measures and stayed home, they turned to online platforms not just for their daily needs but also for entertainment and interaction. “This led to online shopping evolving from a …
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