Vietnam, Malaysia see trade drop in H1

Trade revenue between Vietnam and Malaysia reached 5.48 billion USD in the first half of 2019, down 6.2 percent year on year, according to Vietnam’s Trade Office in Malaysia.
Vietnam, Malaysia see trade drop in H1 ảnh 1Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Trade revenue between Vietnamand Malaysia reached 5.48 billion USD in the first half of 2019, down 6.2percent year on year, according to Vietnam’s Trade Office in Malaysia.

Notably, Vietnam’s export earnings in the market dropped 2.6percent to 1.95 billion USD, while its imports experienced an 8.1 percent drop to3.5 billion USD, reported the office.

The sharpest plunge was seen in imports of petrol at 41.6percent, followed by machineries and spare parts at 20 percent, animal andvegetable oil at 14 percent, material plastics at 11.2 percent.

Household electrical appliances and accessories were theonly group that saw increase in import revenue in the market in the first halfof this year at 8.7 percent.

Meanwhile, exports of many major products were also down inthe period, including computers, electronic products and accessories (25.3percent), telephones (30.2 percent), crystal and crystal products (24.4percent).

However, rise was seen in other groups such as machineriesand accessories, transport vehicles, and fisheries.

In June alone, trade between Vietnam and Malaysia was 806.6million USD, down 14.6 percent over the same period last year, with imports declining19.3 percent to 485.7 million USD and exports falling 6.9 percent to 320.98million USD.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency, in the first sixmonths of 2019, Malaysia invested in 18 projects in Vietnam with total capitalof 21.28 million USD.

As of June 20, 2019, Malaysia ran 599 projects in Vietnamwith 12.5 billion USD, ranking eighth in 132 countries and territoriesinvesting in Vietnam.-VNA
VNA

See more

Using AI to search and process legal information (Photo: VNA)

Legal profession reshaped in age of artificial intelligence

In Ho Chi Minh City, digital transformation in the legal profession is not simply about introducing more technology into professional practice. It must also create ways of working that ensure technology serves people, while lawyers retain control and responsibility for the quality of legal services. This is particularly important in a metropolis with a large-scale economy and diverse legal needs.

Activities in Chan May Bay, part of the Chan May–Lang Co Economic Zone in Hue city. (Photo: VNA)

Hue steps up investment drive in Chan May–Lang Co Economic Zone

Covering more than 27,000ha, the Chan May–Lang Co Economic Zone is emerging as a key economic, urban, industrial and eco-tourism centre in southeastern Hue, with functional areas dedicated to seaports, industry, non-tariff activities, urban development and tourism.

The Ministry of National Defence's inter-agency inspection team visits La Gi Fish Port in Phuoc Hoi ward, Lam Dong province. (Photo: VNA)

Lam Dong's IUU fishing prevention efforts inspected

According to the Lam Dong provincial IUU Fishing Prevention Steering Committee, all 8,177 fishing vessels measuring at least 6 metres in length have been registered and updated in the national fisheries database VNFishbase.

A member of Minh Quang Cooperative in Hung Yen province works on a farm. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam aims to link half of farm cooperatives with enterprises by 2030

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will promote links between cooperatives, enterprises, science and technology organisations and other economic entities along with carrying out programmes to develop concentrated agricultural, forestry and fisheries raw material areas and enhance value chain production.

The night-time economy is increasingly seen as an important avenue for Vietnam’s tourism sector to extend visitors’ stays (Photo: VNA)

Revitalising growth momentum for night-time economy

The night-time economy has moved beyond being merely an add-on service to become a new growth driver for tourism. Night-time activities can “awaken” familiar heritage spaces and breathe new life into them. Art, light and music experiences after dark can create distinctive attractions while meeting the desire of middle- and high-end visitors to explore cultural depth.

A livestream session promotes green-skinned pomelos grown in Cho Lach commune, Vinh Long province. (Photo: VNA)

E-commerce reshapes rules of game

Once fixed fees, payment fees, infrastructure charges and service packages are included, sellers may have to spend around 24.5-27.6% of their revenue on platforms. The figure shows that the era of easy selling and low costs in e-commerce has officially come to an end.

Ho Chi Minh City targets third-quarter growth of over 11% (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City targets third-quarter growth of over 11%

Ho Chi Minh City will continue to implement drastic measures to achieve double-digit growth, targeting GRDP growth of at least 11.07% in the third quarter of 2026, 9.43% in the first nine months and 12.3% in the fourth quarter, with a view to completing the full-year goal of 10% or more.

MM Mega Market An Phu supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City is brightly decorated for the National Day holiday. (Photo: VNA)

Domestic consumption up over 13%, tourism continues strong growth

The total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenues in August were estimated at 679.8 trillion VND (26 billion USD), up 1.6% from the previous month and 14.9% year-on-year. In the January-August period, the figure reached 5.24 quadrillion VND, representing a 13.3% increase year-on-year.

A production line of Onaga Co., Ltd. (Japan) at HANSSIP (Photo: nhandan.vn)

Hanoi moves to maintain appeal to FDI inflows

In the first eight months of 2026, the capital city attracted more than 3.7 billion USD in FDI, equivalent to 83% of the plan set for the year. Newly registered FDI exceeded 572 million USD across 450 projects, up 175.78% in project numbers and 209.46% in capital compared to the same period last year. Additional registered capital topped 492 million USD, while capital contributions and share purchases exceeded 2.6 billion USD.

Saigon Marina IFC is the first private-sector project contributing to realising the goal of developing the Vietnam International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

VIFC offers various opportunities to attract forein investment

Turning the VIFC into an effective channel for international capital will require clear rules, quality projects and strong connections between investors and domestic businesses. Meeting these requirements will be key to transforming investor interest into concrete capital flows and investment projects in Vietnam.

Production line at Yadea Vietnam’s smart manufacturing plant, which has an investment of more than 100 million USD, in Tan Hung Industrial Park, Bac Ninh province. (Photo: VNA)

Development model for new era – An inevitable trend

International organisations broadly agree that shifting the growth model from reliance on traditional factors toward technology and innovation is no longer an option for Vietnam, but an imperative of the times.