As many as 15,707 new enterprises with total registered capital of nearly 79.39 trillion VND (3.78 billion USD) were established in the first quarter of 2013, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The registered capital in the first quarter dropped 16.1 percent compared to the same period last year, while the number of newly established enterprises declined by 6.8 percent.

Compared with the fourth quarter of last year, the decline in capital and the number of firms was even higher at 26.7 and 9.4 percent, the ministry noted.

All cities and provinces reported a decline in the number of newly-established firms in the first three months, of which the mountainous provinces of Bac Kan , Hà Giang, Yen Bai and Kon Tum saw the strongest decrease of more than 35 percent. The falling figures in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City respectively were 13 and 7.8 percent.

The number of newly-established firms in agro-forestry and fisheries experienced the strongest drop of 34.7 percent. Information and communications also reported a drop of 29.5 percent. New firms in finance, banking, insurance, real estate and construction, which were hot industries last year, also declined between 18 and 20.5 percent.

The ministry also reported that in the first quarter, around 15,200 firms dissolved or ceased operations, up 19.92 percent year-on-year.

Hanoi and HCM City had the highest number of firms which dissolved or ceased operations in the period.

The decline proved that domestic firms were facing continued difficulties in production and business, the ministry noted, adding that a major problem facing local firms was credit access due to unresolved bad debts and reluctant banks.

The State Bank of Vietnam ’s Credit Department said that its measures to boost credit had left outstanding loans in the banking system for the first two months of the year at minus 0.16 percent against late 2012./.