Vietnam posts good economic performance in January

Vietnam has, this month, seen high growth in industrial value and export turnover, and stable agricultural production, according to the government's regular monthly meeting.

At the two-day meeting ending on Tuesday, the cabinet members said the country in January is estimated to gain industrial production growth of 15.7 percent, compared with its target of 15. 5 percent, and export turnover of 2.8 billion U.S. dollars, up 16 percent over last January, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Vietnam is also predicted to make import revenue of nearly 3.2 billion dollars, up 10.8 percent. By Jan. 1, it grew nearly 2.5 million hectares of winter-spring rice cop, including over 1.8 million hectares in the southern region, and basically contained bird flu.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai asked relevant ministries, sectors and localities to strengthen activities to ensure sufficient water for the rice crop, raise fowls on industrial scale, foster industrial production and export, stabilize prices of key commodities, prevent wasteful use of state money and assets, and combat wrongdoing among state caders.

The cabinet members discussed some bills, including the draft laws on technology transfer, tax management, vocational training and sports at the meeting.

The government will have to submit to the National Assembly a total of 62 bills and state ordinances, and 300 decrees this year, said the news agency report.

The assembly has set major socioeconomic targets to be realized in 2006, including gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 8 percent; and growth rates of 3.8 percent in agriculture, 10.2 percent in industry, 8 percent in service and 16.4 percent in export turnover.

Vietnam posted an 8.4 percent GDP growth, and export turnover of more than 32.2 billion dollars in 2005.

Source: Xinhua