1 - February exports up 25.1%

Of the figure, the domestic invested sector contributed US$2.5 billion, up 86.3% while the remaining US$1.8 billion is contributed by the foreign invested sector, down 14%.

The increase in February export turnover is attributed to the increases in exports of some key agricultural products such as coffee, up 74.4%; cashew nuts, up 83.3%; tea, up 60%, pepper, up 186.9% and rice, up 98.2%, against the same period last year.

Especially, in February, domestic gold traders boosted the exports of gold as the domestic gold price is lower than that on the world market.

In February, Vietnam is estimated to import US$4.4 billion worth of products, down 28.6% against the same period last year, but up 32% against January. Of this, domestic invested businesses imported an estimated US$2.8 billion worth of products while foreign invested businesses imported products worth US$1.6 billion.

(website www.nhandan.com.vn ngày 2/3/2009)

2- UK Times upbeat about Vietnamese banking sector

According to a report in the UK’s Financial Times supplement, “The Banker” magazine, on March 1, despite the global economic crisis, Vietnam’s banking sector has every reason to remain optimistic.

Although they have had to cope with numerous difficulties throughout the year, the majority of the nation’s domestic banks announced significant profits last year.

In recent months, the State Bank of Vietnam has decided to transform the  branches of five international banks into wholly foreign-invested banks in Vietnam.

This decision was made in accordance with Vietnam’s WTO commitments to strengthen the competitiveness of its financial and banking sectors.

The establishment of these subsidiary banks will help them to expand their operations in Vietnam./.

(website www.vietnamplus.vn/VNA)

3- Vietnam leads the way in gender gap eradication

Vietnam has been recognised as the southeast Asian country with the best record in eradicating the gender gap over the last 20 years.

According to a World Bank report, released at the end of 2007, Vietnam’s Human Development Index (HDI) and Gender Development Index (GDI) were ranked 105th and 109th, respectively, out of a list of 177 countries.

The country’s gender gap index was ranked 68th out of 130 surveyed nations by the Global Gender Gap Report 2008. It was also placed 31st in the world and first among eight ASEAN countries for its proportion of female parliamentarians.

These achievements were attributed to the efforts of the State, coupled with the contributions of ministries and departments, as well as the assistance of a number of international organisations in implementing an action plan to advance Vietnamese women.

Thanks to the success of the plan, women now constitute almost 50 percent of the country’s workforce, and 83 percent of those participating in economic activities, of which skilled female workers account for more than 47 percent.

The number of women who were provided health care services last year exceeded 85 percent of the female population and the rate of HIV-positive pregnant women stabilised at 0.34 percent of all pregnancies.

The nation’s achievements in gender equality also include the growing presentation of women in leadership and in improvement in the public awareness of gender issues.

However, a number of difficulties still need to be adequately addressed, such as the prevalence of domestic violence, an increase in the number of women with HIV/AIDS, child abuse, both physical and sexual, and a gender imbalance in the number of Vietnam’s babies.

During a meeting to discuss the advancement of Vietnamese women on Feb. 26, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan instructed Vietnam’s ministries and departments to usher in a range of laws pertaining to gender equality and domestic violence, as well as educating the general public, particularly ethnic minority women, of the importance of gender equality./.

(website www.vietnamplus.vn)