Ministry takes blame for late monopoly removal
HANOI - Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang said his ministry is partly to blame for delays in giving advice to the Government over a plan to break up monopolies in fuel and electricity sectors.

Pig farmers in crisis
CAN THO/HCMC - Constant pig price drops over the last six months have placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of farmers in the Mekong Delta.

Brick kilns to close late this year
HCMC - The Ministry of Construction has asked provincial authorities to complete a roadmap for closing down all manual brick kilns, which now number an estimated 9,000, by the year-end.

Vietnam plans five trade promotion offices in China
HANOI - The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to establish five trade promotion offices in China this year in an effort to boost export sales and expand trade promotions there, said Do Thang Hai, general director of Vietrade.

Inter-bank rate skyrockets
HCMC - Several banks majority held by the State chased up the inter-bank interest rate by around one percentage points on Thursday, pushing the overnight rate on the market to some 5%-6% a year compared to a mere 1% a fortnight ago.