Business News

Danang attracted US$94.9 million in foreign investment in the first 20 days of August, more than nine times the level a year earlier. The August inflows were driven mainly by 10 newly licensed projects worth US$94.8 million. The city also recorded three cases of capital contributions and share purchases in local firms totaling nearly US$0.1 million, while no existing projects adjusted their capital.

Vietnam’s wood and wooden product exports were estimated at US$1.45 billion in August, lifting the total in the first eight months of this year to US$11.1 billion, up by 6.3% year-on-year, government data showed. At a regular press briefing this morning, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said production and exports of wood products had posted positive results despite severe weather events, including storms, floods and landslides.

Following the reorganisation of provinces and cities across the country, the southeast remains its most dynamic economic hub, with foreign direct investment inflows in the first seven months of this year running into billions of dollars. HCM City led with US$6.2 billion, followed by Đồng Nai with US$1.8 billion and Tây Ninh with US$1.215 billion, emphasising the region’s standing as a key destination for international investors despite the structural changes in governance.

Việt Nam’s agriculture sector is cultivating a strong performance in 2025, with export turnover for the first eight months estimated at US$45.37 billion, up 12 per cent year-on-year, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phùng Đức Tiến reported. The trade surplus reached $13.07 billion, marking a 10 per cent increase.

China has overtaken the US to become Việt Nam's largest cashew export market, driven by the neighbouring country's recovering demand, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Statistics show that Việt Nam exported 96,000 tonnes of cashews worth US$608 million to China in the first seven months of 2025, up 29 per cent in volume and 47 per cent in value from a year earlier.

From a formerly war-torn, impoverished, and embargoed country, Vietnam has risen to become one of the world’s Top 20 trading economies. In 2024, total import-export turnover reached US$786 billion, up 15.4% from 2023, with a record trade surplus of US$24.77 billion, demonstrating successful integration and Vietnam’s strengthened position in global trade.

HCMC and Hanoi City saw strong growth in tourist arrivals and revenue in the first eight months of 2025, official data showed. HCMC welcomed nearly 5.2 million international visitors, up almost 50% from the same period in 2024, the city’s Department of Tourism said. Domestic tourist arrivals exceeded 25 million, a 7.5% increase, reported local media. 

HCMC attracted over 1.4 million visitors during the National Day holiday from August 30 to September 2, with the tourism sector recording total revenue of around VND4.1 trillion, official figures showed. Of the total, there were 45,600 international tourists. Local hotels and lodging facilities accommodated about 300,000 guests, with an average occupancy rate of 87%.