1. Macro economy

- Market price: consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.13% in July from the previous month and by 0.68% compared to December 2014. Compared to the same period last year, CPI of July rose by 0.9% and the average of the 7 first months of this year by 0.86%.

- State budget revenue - expenditure: Accumulated from January 01 to July 15, total State budget revenues is estimated at VND 476.49 trillion, equaling 52.3% of the yearly estimate; total State budget expenditure is estimated at VND 590.91 trillion, equaling 51.5% of the yearly estimate.

- Investment and development: in the first 7 months, realized FDI capital is estimated at USD 7.4 billion, which is an 8.8% increase from the same period last year (2.3% yoy); with 1,068 newly registered projects, increased by 20.1% over the same period last year; 341 projects registering to raise capital, up 13.7%. The amount of disbursed ODA and preferential loans is estimated at USD 3,500 million, an increase of about 10.1% over the same period last year.

- Industrial production: the index of industrial production (IIP) of July is estimated to rise by 1.1% over the previous month and by 11.3% as compared to July 2014.

For the first 7 months of the year, IIP is estimated to increase by 9.9%, which is much higher than that of the same period of the previous year (2013 by 5.2%, 2014 by 6.2%). Processing and manufacturing industry continued to recover strongly: compared to the same period last year, IIP of processing and manufacturing industry increased 10.1%, higher than the 8.1% increase of the previous year.

- Agriculture, forestry and fisheries: As of July 15, 2015, the whole country has cultivated 1,090.2 thousand hectares of winter crop, equaling 98.9% of the same period last year; 2,092.5 thousand hectares of summer-autumn rice, equaling 99% of the same period last year.

The area of early summer-autumn rice harvested reaches 604.3 thousand hectares, a 7.1% increase from the same period last year, primarily concentrated in the Mekong Delta region.

In July, thanks to rain in many regions, drought in the Central province, especially in the South Central region, was reduced. However, in recent days, in many Northern provinces, especially in Quang Ninh, heavy rains have caused flooding and landslides and affected agricultural production and people's life.

- Service:

Total retailed sales of consumer goods and services in the first 7 months was estimated to increase by 9.9% over the same period in 2014; if excluding the price factor, it by 8.3%, higher than the same period of the previous years (2013: 4.9%, 2014: 6.3%) is eliminated, it shows that the purchase power of the market continues to shift in a positive direction.

International visitors to Vietnam in July were estimated at 593.6 thousand arrivals, a 12.1% increase from the previous month and a 5.1% increase compared to July 2014 (14.2% decrease in same period in 2014). However, cause of sharp decrease of international visitors to Vietnam in the previous months, overall number of visitors of the first 7 months were nearly 4.4 million arrivals, a 9.4% decrease from the same period last year.

- Import and export: in July, total export turnovers is estimated at USD 14.5 billion, increasing by 1.2%; total import turnovers at USD 14.8 billion, by 2.3% from the previous month.

Generally for the first 7 months of the year, total export turnovers was estimated at USD 92.27 billion, an increase of 9.5% compared to the same period of 2014 (14.1% yoy); total import turnovers was estimated at USD 95.64 billion, an increase of 16.4% over the same period in 2014 (11.4% yoy); trade deficit was about USD 3.37 billion, equaling 3.7% of total export turnovers.

2. Social security, health care, culture and other social fields

- Labor and employment: In the first 7 monthsas much as around 929 thousand jobs were estimated to create, equivalent to 58.1% of the yearly plan and rising by 3.8% as compared to the same period last year with labor export of about 44.4 thousand people, equivalent to 69.3% of the yearly plan.

- Social security continues to be organized and performed well with Gratitude activities, visiting and giving gifts to families of war invalids, martyrs' relatives in celebration of 68 years of the War Invalids and Martyrs' Day; organizing meetings to show gratitude to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and people with meritorious services; providing health care and medical treatment for the policy objects. Policies on supporting the development of production and the lives of the poor, social protection beneficiaries, supporting in hunger relief for people in areas of natural disasters, floods... continue to be implemented.

- Cultural - art activities, communication and propaganda are paid attention to implement; reporting on the Party Congress at all levels, towards XIIth National Party Congress; the external activities of the Party and State leaders; timely providing information about the socio-economic situation and the new policies of the country on protection of sea and islands sovereignty; political situation in the region and in the world...

- Traffic safety: Compared to the same period last year, traffic accidents in the first 7 months of the year fell in all 3 criteria: number of accidents decreased by 12.39%, number of death toll by 3.67% and number of injury by 16.53%.

In general, in the first 7 months of 2015, the economy continued to recover and achieved positive results. Macro-economy is stable, CPI rose at a low level. Industry, particularly the processing, manufacturing industry continued to recover with growth rates much higher than the same period of the previous years. Total demand and purchase power were improved; total retailed sales of consumer goods and services rose; International visitors to Vietnam in July increased sharplyover the previous month and as compared to the same period last year. Credit growth was at higher rate compared to the previous year; interest rates and exchange rates remain stable. Disbursement of FDI, ODA and preferential loans reached a high level. Export maintains its growth momentum; import of raw materials, machinery and equipment used for production, business investment and exports increases; the trade deficit in the first 7 months remained under control (equaling 3.7% of total export turnovers; the target proposed by the National Assembly is 5%). In enterprise development, the amount of enterprises and newly registered capital soared, while the number of dissolved and decommissioned enterprises  decreased over the same period last year. Foreign affairs have made many achievements; social security continues to be guaranteed; political security, social order is firmly maintained; traffic accidents decreased in all 3 criteria (number of accidents, deaths and injury).

Besides the above-mentioned achievements, the economy still has many difficulties and challenges: the agricultural and fishery sectors still face many difficulties due to natural disasters, drought, rain, flooding and the difficulties of market, reduced export prices; export production and turnover of many agricultural and aquatic products are low in comparison with the same period last year. People's lives in the remote and isolated areas, areas affected by natural disasters, floods, and droughts are still in difficulties./.

MPI Portal