The total revenue from retail sales and services topped US$142.9 billion during the first 10 months of 2017, surging 10.7 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Excluding inflation, the increase would be 9.4 per cent, reaching the highest rate this year, GSO said. It was the second consecutive month with a growth rate of more than 9 per cent.

The growth showed that people’s purchasing power is improving and it is likely to remain stable this year, the office said.

Travel services, and sale of wooden products and building materials showed the highest growth rate at 15.2 per cent and 13.5 per cent, respectively, in the first 10 months of this year.

This was followed by retail sales in accommodation, restaurant and catering services with a growth rate of 12.5 per cent, revenue from food and foodstuffs showed a growth of 10.5 per cent, and education and cultural products of 9.9 per cent.

Other products that showed growth in revenue included textile and garments at 9.8 per cent, home appliances at 8.8 per cent, and transport services at 8.4 per cent. – Viet Nam News

New facility to spur export potential of Lao brands

The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) has launched the Branding Lao Promotion and Development Facility (BLPDF) to promote the uniqueness of Lao products and gain greater access to international consumers.

The facility is a collaboration between the LNCCI and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the theme “Brand Lao for Better Livelihoods”.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Somchith Inthamith, said Laos’ economy has been growing for several years.

Growth has been primarily driven by the non-agricultural sector through the export of natural resources, either extracted minerals or energy via hydropower.

But this has not resulted in much employment and livelihood creation.

The agriculture sector employs about 70 per cent of the population, but it is a sector characterised by low productivity and high vulnerability. – The Vientiane Times

Cheap flights to SEA Countries from Vietnam

Vietnam’s national carrier Vietnam Airlines has launched a promotional programme named “Flying to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore” with preferential prices of only 799,000 dongs (US$35.2) per ticket from Vietnam .

The programme offers attractive fares for regular travellers from Vietnam and will end on March 31, 2018.

When the customer buys two or three economy class tickets at the same time, the price of the second ticket will be reduced by up to 30 per cent and the price of the third ticket can be discounted by up to half of the price of the first ticket. These tickets must all have the same customer name, with the same itinerary, and the conditions are applicable for travel from now until the promotional programme ends.

Passengers have a variety of flight options on Vietnam Airlines to these destinations, with frequencies of one to two daily flights to Malaysia, five flights per day to Singapore and six flights per day to Thailand. – Viet Nam News