Foreigners, OVs to get VAT refunds as from July 1; Ford Vietnam gearing up to expand nationwide; Singaporean investors eye Vietnamese real estate market; VAMC sets annual target for debt purchases

VietNamNet Bridge – After more than two years of market decline due to the impacts of the economic downturn, the real estate market in Vietnam is making positive changes and some segments of the market have begun warming.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese real estate market is littered with many unfinished large-scale projects worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, and no one knows if and when they will be completed.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Danang, often cited as having the most beautiful beach on the planet, witnessed a remarkable surge in the development of luxury resorts in recent years. Now, many of them are sitting idle.

 Vietnam tops list of fastest growing ultra-rich; Vietinbank to open branch in Laos; March CPI sees lowest increase in a decade; Vietnam Logistics index launched; Japan's Nissin opens $75m auto facility

Vietnam targets US$2 bil bilateral trade with Laos; Hi-tech glass outsourcing factory inaugurated; Increased input imports stoke industry recovery; Garment exports up 44.9% in February; Vinatex in search of investment

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Construction has confirmed that the Ministry did not compile any project to support the real estate market with a VND100 trillion credit package as some newspapers reported in the last few days.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The real situation of the real estate market in 2013 can be described by the 10 figures.

 VietNamNet Bridge – While some institutions believe that the Vietnamese real estate market would recover soon after it bottomed out, others think that it is too early to talk about the market recovery.

 Dairy sector looks to triple cattle population; HCM City petition targets capital transfers; Induction stoves popular as gas prices rise; Cashew exports reach $1.5bn annual target

 VietNamNet Bridge – In November, Vietnam had four new FDI projects in the fields of real estate with a total value of approximately $300 million, the highest since the beginning of the year.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese economic slowdown is bottoming out but a return to trend growth is not soon to come, according to a research report by Standard Chartered Bank.

The decision by the Ministry of Finance on cutting down the VAT rate by 50 percent on commercial apartment projects has made buyers excited. However, sellers don’t feel happy about the new regulation because of the VAT refund problems.

 Imported pesticides saturate VN market; HCM City property market sees revival; Exports of rice to decrease sharply; Mobile phones press towards top of export list for first time

 VietNamNet Bridge – Eight years after it was licensed, the project to develop Binh Tien Tourist Park in Cong Hai Commune in Ninh Thuan Province's Thuan Bac District has made no progress. No facility has been built on the land where 72 families live.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The recent downturn in the hospitality industry has left many potential developers hesitant to pour money into new investments, while others are seeking opportunities to offload their hotels.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The majority of the Viet Nam Steel Corporation's (VNSteel) associate companies have reported losses and face difficulties due to the quiet real estate market and lower market prices.

 First realty project benefits from VND30-trillion loan scheme; Hitachi, HCMC strike US$370 million metro equipment deal; Housing market may revive; Standard Chartered has new office in HCM City

The number of profitable businesses managed by Nguyen businessmen was five times higher than the unprofitable ones. However, not all of them felt satisfactory about the business performance in the first three months of the year.

The VND30 trillion bailout is believed to help warm up the real estate market, provided that the money can be driven to the right addresses.