Cement, steel, chemical fertilisers, feeds and milk were listed as having relatively healthy competitive behaviours.

The assessment was reported by the Competition Management Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hanoi on October 14 for the first time.

However, some products of the above-mentioned five industries, including imported powder milk and construction steel, were criticised for unhealthy competitiveness due to their misleading advertisements.

The report, which covered 10 economic sectors, slammed five other industries, namely aviation, banking, insurance, petroleum distribution and telecommunication, for unhealthy competitive behaviour, citing abuse of advertisements and discounts to gain market share.

Deputy Director of the Competition Management Department Vu Ba Phu emphasised that the report aimed to establish and maintain a fair and healthy competitive environment for all economic sectors in Vietnam .

The report was expected to increase awareness of competition policies and law among enterprise circles, Phu said.

Dr Dinh Thi My Loan, General Secretary of the Vietnam Retailers Association, said the ranking was based on the impact of price changes, consumer responses and concerns about the surveyed industries or products.

Loan, however, said the report wording remained “soft and yet fully reflecting customer worries”.

Her view was shared by another expert, Vo Tri Thanh, Deputy Rector of the Central Economic Research and Management Institute, who said the report should be subjected to objective evaluation by experts.

The report, prepared under the sponsorship of the Beyond WTO programme, will be released in HCM City on October 20, following its Hanoi release.

The Competition Management Department unveiled a plan to conduct research and supervise the competitive structure of several other economic sectors for inclusion in the annual report./.