Recording excellent performances in 2017, Vietnam’s pharmaceutical giants have set high profit expectations for 2018 despite stiffening competition in the market.

On March 14, the representative of Amazon will announce the detailed strategy of the American giant in Vietnam.

The Department of Health in HCM City has recently issued 16 compulsory standards of operation for plastic surgery clinics in the city.

The Government issued Decree No. 08/2018/ND-CP (Decree) amending some decrees relating to business investment conditions under the state management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The world’s leading e-commerce player, Amazon, is planning to enter the Vietnamese market, announced the Viet Nam E-commerce Association (VECOM).

Renewable energy has attracted many foreign investors to Vietnam, including several Indian firms.

After a successful initial public offering (IPO), PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power)—the second-largest electricity producer in Vietnam—is ready to list its shares on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UpCOM) tomorrow and is looking for a strategic investor.

Up to US$291 million was poured into Vietnamese start-ups last year, a year-on-year increase of 42 per cent, according to a recent report by Topica Founder Institute (TFI).

Foreign-invested pharmaceutical companies in Viet Nam and legal experts think there is room for administrative improvement regarding current policies on imports and distribution.

Each of imported used automobiles must be examined for quality, technical safety and environmental protection since March 1, according to the Circular No. 03/2018/TT-BGTVT issued by the Ministry of Transport on January 10, 2018.

Last year marked an important milestone in the Vietnamese start-up community, featuring Government Scheme 844 towards a national innovation ecosystem by 2025, with attention from investors and the State as well. However, most local start-ups are in their early stages with limited capacity and capital-related obstacles.

The Government on December 30, 2017 issued Decree No. 163/2017/ND-CP ("Decree 163") regulating the logistics service business in replacement of Decree No. 140/2007/ND- CP (“Decree 140”) detailing the Commercial Law on the conditions for trading in logistics services and the limitation of liability for traders providing logistic services.

As Decree No.116/2017/ND-CP has tightened quality checks, it is very hard to import automobiles to Vietnam, but a huge investment wave is forming to hit the automotive industry.

The Government issued Decree 09/2018/ND-CP, detailing the Commercial Law and the Law on foreign trade management regarding goods purchasing and selling activities and other activities directly related to the sale and purchase of goods by foreign investors and economic organizations with foreign invested capital in Viet Nam (Decree 09).

Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), confirmed that removing unnecessary administrative procedures and business conditions will motivate Vietnamese businesses.

Although Vietnam's equitisation (partial privatisation) of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is normally slow at the start of each year, 2018 has so far brought a sense of urgency. We believe that the success of some recent initial public offerings (IPOs), in addition to new initiatives such as Decree 126 and the recently unveiled Committee for State Capital Management, underline a greater resolve on the part of the government to achieve its ambitious equitisation plans.

Last year saw a lot of merger and acquisition (M&A) activities in the Vietnamese property sector, with transactions totalling US$1.5 billion and the participation of many major foreign players.

The prime minister has issued comments on the business conditions for golf course projects.

Thanks to Vietnam’s issuing incentive policies to lure investment into the renewable energy sector, more and more foreign investors, especially those from South Korea, have expressed ambitions to join the field.

The Government issued Decree 146/2017/ND-CP (Decree 146) amending and supplementing some regulations on value added tax (VAT) and corporate income tax (CIT) of Decree 100/2016/ND-CP (Decree 100) and Decree 12/2015/ND-CP (Decree 12).