The European Council On May 31 approved a decision to allow the European Commission (EC) to start negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Vietnam.
 Vietnam may have a 5.7 per cent economic growth this year and also reduce inflation to below 10 per cent, forecast the World Bank in a report on May 23 in Hanoi.
 A few foreign airlines are potentially mapping out routes to Vietnam.
A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has asserted Vietnam’s indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, and demanded a stop to actions violating the country’s sovereignty.
New ASEAN website helps protect consumers The ASEAN Committee for Consumer Protection (ACCP) has launched a new website, www.aseanconsumer.org, to help consumers with recalled or banned products, explain the compensation mechanism and provide general information.
Finland’s flagship carrier opens rep. office in Vietnam Finland’s flagship carrier Finnair on May 3 opened its representative offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Finnair flies to 60 destinations in Europe and 11 in Asia.
Indonesian newspaper hails Vietnam as Asia’s new rising star “Vietnam is an emerging country with an average of above 7 percent economic growth during the first decade of the 21st century, despite facing major economic and security challenges.
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