Cutting interest rates and corporate income and added value duties, and extending loan payments and tax and social insurance collections were among the proposals raised by businesses at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on March 17.
HCM City (VNA) – Cutting interest rates andcorporate income and added value duties, and extending loan payments and taxand social insurance collections were among the proposals raised by businessesat a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on March 17.
During the seminar, held by the HCM City Institute forDevelopment Studies, representatives of enterprises also called for supportfrom authorities in trade promotions to diversify their markets and seek alternativematerial sources.
According to Tran Thien Long, Vice Chairman of the HCMCity Association for Industrial Park Businesses, his association hadcoordinated with the HCM City Export Processing Zone and Industrial ParkAuthority to conduct a survey on the impacts of COVID-19 among 200 firms.
The survey unveils that businesses that rely onmaterials from China, especially those in mechanics, machinery, processing andgarment-textile, have been seriously impacted and faced material shortages.They have yet to find alternative suppliers.
Other problems include the absence of new orders, hugestockpiles, late payments and high production costs.
The enterprises said that in the first quarter ofthis year, their turnover is expected to drop 25-50 percent. The number oflabourers has also contracted significantly.
Nguyen Van Khanh, Vice Chairman and General Secretaryof the HCM City Leather and Footwear Association, said many enterprises mayhave to suspend operations in early April due to material shortages.
Vietnam’s leather and footwear exports to the EU – itsmain market – have been disrupted as the bloc is now the epicentre of COVID-19.
Fifty travel companies in the city also reported thatbetween January and February, the number of domestic and foreign touristarrivals stood at only 335,762, down 62 percent year-on-year.
The municipal People’s Committee has proposed thePrime Minister remove difficulties for firms operating in sectors such astourism, agriculture-rural areas, exports and support industry, as well assmall-and medium-sized enterprises, high-tech firms and Saigon co.op.
HCM City has also asked for permission to access the250 trillion VND (10.7 billion USD) credit package designed to supportthose affected by the COVID-19 outbreak./.
Citizens of ASEAN countries or those from other countries who have stayed or transited ASEAN member states within 14 days before the date of their entry into Vietnam will be subject to compulsory concentrated quarantine for 14 days since the date of arrival, starting from 0am on March 18.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has affirmed that Vietnam, as a leading garment exporter, is able to meet demand for face masks of people in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.
Nearly 200,000 members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, young people, and local residents in Ho Chi Minh City joined hands for a two-week voluntary social service campaign.
A key change in the draft decree is a provision requiring bank transfers for gold transactions valued at 20 million VND (765 USD) and above, to enhance transparency and verify customer identities.
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On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
Outcomes of ABAC III will shape ABAC’s final policy recommendations to be submitted to the ABAC-APEC leaders’ dialogue, scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea this November.
This is the second year the magazine has released the ranking, which is based on total revenue and key financial indicators of enterprises from seven countries in the region: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
At the summit, publishing, tech, and media sectors will discuss emerging trends, business models, and sustainable solutions for digital publishing development in Vietnam.
This year’s “Vietnam Goods Week” marks a significant milestone as it is being held simultaneously for the first time in four locations across Asia: Japan, Hong Kong (China), Cambodia, and Malaysia, from June 19 - 22.
According to NordCham Vietnam Chairman Thue Quist Thomasen, the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses to contribute to green and sustainable growth.
The analysis from an investment perspective shows that the economy’s growth has been heavily capital‑driven, yet efficiency remains low as reflected by Vietnam’s Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR) being significantly higher than global and regional averages. This underscores the imperative to enhance capital‑use efficiency.
Illustrative image (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
