Singapore top daily The Straits Times on September 13 quotes Grace Fu, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, as saying that Vietnam, with a young and hard-working population, offers opportunities for Singapore’s firms despite recent fiscal challenges.

Speaking to Singaporean reporters in Hanoi on September 12, Fu, who is accompanying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on an official visit to Vietnam from September 11-13, urged Singapore companies to pay attention to the country with a population of nearly 90 million, pointing to opportunities in several growing industries like manufacturing, financial services and tourism.

"Labour cost is very low... and with their greater linkages to the world through various free trade agreements as well as the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) for example, we see this as great potential for us to tap," she said.

Fu added that Singapore is keen to help Vietnam create a more robust regulatory framework and to share its experiences.

Another daily, The Business Times, in its September 13 issue, quotes Fu as saying that despite financial challenges, there are still plenty of opportunities for Singapore investments in Vietnam - not just in financial services, but also in such areas as manufacturing and tourism.-VNA