China has stepped up buying farm products from Vietnam, including coffee, rice and rubber as it grapples with harsh crop weather, but higher prices could stoke inflation in the Southeast Asian nation, government data and state media said.

Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai and Champassak province of Laos signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the fields of economics, culture and technical science in the period of 2011-2015.

Antiquated vessels with low loading capacity in contrast to modern fleets from foreign companies have been spelling hot water for Vietnamese shipping industry in the past 3 years.

The Vietnamese government will require state-invested enterprises to reduce the percentage of capital they invest in non-core business activities under a draft regulation compiled by the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

 Vietnam’s exports to South Korea are increasing strongly, but the level is still far from matching potential as many local companies still find challenges to penetrate deeply into the market, heard a seminar in HCMC on Wednesday.