NDO/VNA – About VND 745.4 trillion (US$ 32 billion) was collected for the State budget in the first half of 2019, equivalent to 52.8 percent of the year’s target and up 13.2 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF). 

NDO - Government revenues in the first six months of 2019 were estimated at VND745.4 trillion (US$32 billion), equivalent to 52.8% of the target and up 13.2% compared with the same period of last year. 

NDO – Keeping the growth rate of 6.8-7.0% as the set target for 2019 requires a stronger reform effort to improve the business environment and enhance the resilience of the economy in handling risks amidst a volatile international economic environment, experts have said. 

NDO - The growth forecast for Vietnam’s economy in 2019 has been upgraded to 6.96% from an earlier estimate of 6.56-6.81% by the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR). 

NDO - Vietnam and Mexico have agreed to focus on improving their two-way trade turnover through the enhancement of trade promotion, diversification of import-export structure and coordination in the effective implementation of the CPTPP. 

NDO/VNA – The first edition of the White Book on Vietnamese Businesses was launched at a ceremony in Hanoi on July 10. 

NDO – A ceremony was held in Hanoi on July 10 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) to launch the Trade Facilitation Programme. 

NDO/VNA – Car sales reached 281,473 units during the January-June period, a year-on-year rise of 21%, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) reported on July 9. 

NDO – The 2019 Vietnam – Cambodia Trade and Investment Promotion Forum was held on July 9 in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. 

NDO/VNA - Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee for Business Renovation and Development in Hanoi on July 8 to review equitisation, divestment and restructuring of State-owned enterprises (SOEs). 

NDO/VNA – Work started on July 6 on a factory that is set to supply clean water to more than 100,000 residents in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre. 

NDO/VNA – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a working session with some major Vietnamese businesses in Hanoi on July 6 to seek ways to facilitate bilateral trade and investment. 

NDO – The signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) last June is expected to help completely eliminate import tariffs on Vietnam's goods and services to the EU after only a short period (seven years). This is the highest level of commitment that a partner has ever offered to Vietnam, which is expected to open the door for Vietnamese goods to enter the EU market. 

NDO/VNA – The Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) began on July 4 the trading of five-year Government bond futures contract, a new product in the derivatives market.