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.

According to an S&P Global report released on September 3, the Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) remained above the 50-point no-change mark in August and signalled a second consecutive monthly improvement in the manufacturing sector. That said, at 50.4 points, the PMI was down from 52.4 points in July and registered only a marginal strengthening in business conditions.

As global coffee prices surge, Việt Nam's coffee industry is presented with a significant opportunity to expand its export market share, industry insiders say. A recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization noted that coffee prices rose globally by around 40 per cent in 2024, largely due to unfavourable weather conditions caused by climate change.

Ho Chi Minh City is targeting economic growth of 10.3% in the last five months of this year to lift its full-year gross regional domestic product (GRDP) to at least 8.5%, in line with its newly issued plan to accelerate socio-economic development. The city posted growth of 6.56% in the first half of the year, or 7.49% excluding crude oil.