The Vietnamese corporate bond market is a young and growing market, but lacks control. Credit rating is one of the key steps to reducing risk and helping the market move towards proper development, according to experts.

Two decrees on the extension of deadlines for payment of taxes and land rental fees will take effect immediately after the Government’s approval, according to Dang Ngoc Minh, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Finance (MoF)’s General Department of Taxation.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has been developing a sandbox for fintech banking and gathering feedback on a draft regulating the sector.

The Minister of Planning and Investment has issued a circular giving guidelines on the supervision and assessment of foreign investment activities in Viet Nam.

Big data and AI are transforming the credit industry in Southeast Asia. This process is visible in Viet Nam where credit markets undergo rapid expansion. With some 60 million un(der)banked citizens short of credit history, digital credit scoring emerges as a magic tool to foster financial inclusion. This technology combines big data gleaned from smartphones and machine learning algorithms to assess borrowers’ creditworthiness. Despite its potential, this technology is being deployed in legal limbo. However, regulation is critical to foster fintech innovation while safeguarding the public interest.

Experts have warned that a firm legal framework and strict punishment measures are needed to manage virtual financial investment platforms, which they say are now out of control.

The rapid growth of overseas investment into Vietnam in recent years has led to an increase in demand for highly qualified workers. In addition, the emergence of many new industries while domestic human resources cannot meet demand in quality and quantity have opened up attractive opportunities for foreign workers.

Foreign investors maintained their trust in Vietnam despite countless difficulties last year and the country is viewed as a safe destination for development, a recent forum in Hanoi heard.

Vietnamese startups are still drawing in local investment capital as they emerge as the most sought-after targets for dealmakers.

With Vietnam tightening quarantine rules for foreign arrivals amid the backdrop of increased coronavirus cases in the community, the shortage of foreign employees will continue to linger.

The number of spam messages and calls have dropped since the Government issued new regulations, but there has been a slight spike of unwanted communications recently.

As of April 20, Viet Nam attracted US$12.25 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), equivalent to 99.3 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA).

Tax policies for the real estate sector must be carefully studied and introduced at the appropriate time to ensure feasibility and limit speculation, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Mergers and acquisitions can be an effective strategy to increase business value. Unfortunately, many transactions do not deliver their expected benefits due to a variety of breakdowns in the merger and integration process. Le Khanh Lam, tax partner at RSM Vietnam, explains how, by focusing on operational and process improvement, it is not too late to drive significant value to the organisation.

Support is to be provided to small and medium – sized enterprises (SMEs) enabling them to use intellectual property (IP) rights to build stronger, more competitive and resilient businesses, said Dinh Huu Phi, Director of the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam.

The Vietnamese economy could grow by about 6-6.3 per cent in 2021, said chief economist Pham The Anh from the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR) during a workshop recently held to announce the Vietnam Quarterly Macro-Economic Report.

Viet Nam will lure more foreign investment in the high-tech sector by offering more incentives and amending requirements for high-tech businesses.

The Government has issued a new decree aiming to promote the development of social housing.

The Ministry of Finance is studying the legal framework for managing cryptocurrencies on stock exchanges which would pave the way for legal cryptocurrency transactions in Viet Nam.