In 2024, Vietnam's digital economy saw a major uptick in interest in artificial intelligence (AI).

In 2025, the geopolitical and economic landscape is expected to remain complex, affecting production, investment and trade activities.

A large number of European companies foresee an improvement in the macroeconomic outlook for Vietnam in the first quarter of 2025.

Experts have identified Vietnam’s distinctive cuisine as one of the major strengths of the country’s tourism, and said that this should be tapped more as an attraction alongside Vietnam’s beautiful landscapes and valuable heritage.

Dotted by charming small towns from the mountains to the west and the ocean to the east, Vietnam is renewing efforts to tap its natural resources to help drive tourism in the central region.

Southern Vietnamese provinces and cities have made great economic strides over the last four decades since the region’s liberation and the national reunification in 1975, substantially contributing to Vietnam’s development.

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), Vietnam`s index of industrial production (IIP) in the first four months of 2015 rose by 9.4% compared to the same period last year.

A workshop on how to further enhance connection among eight northwestern provinces to tap their tourism potential and strength took place in Phu Tho province on April 25.

Vietnam is working towards a new stage of economic development by accelerating its economic restructuring, and new growth model shifting and improving its market economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, Head of the Inter-sector Steering Committee for Economic International Integration chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee held in Hanoi on April 16.

The European Union (EU) plans to provide around 400 million EUR (425.8 million USD) in non-refundable assistance for Vietnam from 2014-2020 to help the country develop sustainable energy projects.

Hanoi People`s Committee has issued a programme to provide support for businesses in their brand development.

Eleven Japanese banks, including Mitsui Sumitomo Banking Corp and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), will provide a 81 billion JPY (680 million USD) loan for the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to build a thermal power plant.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung provided guidance on inter-ministerial coordination in macro-economic management and operation during the first quarter of 2015 while chairing a meeting in Hanoi on March 30.

The garment and textile industries in Thailand and Viet Nam should strengthen co-operation to improve competitiveness and exploit the ASEAN market, delegates said at a recent meeting held in HCM City.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has requested drastic actions to restructure State-owned enterprises (SOEs), with a focus on equitisation and withdrawal of State capital from non-core business lines.

Vietnamese engineers have worked to master advanced oil rig construction technology and have now exported their giant oil platforms.

Vietnam has opportunities to expand exports of wood products this year, especially to the US market, delegates said at a conference on March 12.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the total retail sales of consumer goods and services achieved 542.6 trillion VND in the first two months of 2015, increasing by 11.4 percent against the same period of last year.

Ho Chi Minh City is to continue playing its role as an engine of Vietnam’s growth and a nucleus of development in every aspect in the southern key economic zone, experts agreed at a March 6 workshop in the city.

The World Bank (WB) Board of Executive Directors has approved an additional 100 million USD loan for an ongoing project to help improve living standards for the poor in six northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam.

The ASEAN Community, scheduled to establish in 2015, is expected to greatly benefit tourism sector as the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) among ASEAN members will take effect in all member countries.

The Government has adopted Resolution 01/NQ-CP detailing key tasks and measures to realise the 2015 socio-economic development. The resolution has set a target of reaching a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.2 percent and a 10 percent rise in export value in 2015.