HCM CITY — Economists outlined strategies to develop HCM City into a financial centre by 2010 and listed its advantages and challenges at a seminar held in the city yesterday.

BALI — A US$25 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to Sai Gon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Sacombank) will help Viet Nam’s small – and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gain access to badly needed credit, including lease finance, the bank said yesterday.

Public Administration Reform is relatively new in Vietnam, implemented in a context where knowledge of and experience in modern State management was limited with old approaches employed of, “trial and error” or “doing by learning.” As a result, the Doi Moi (Renovation) Process, initiated in the 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) 1986, focused largely on formulating concepts and key, guiding principles for the PAR process, and establishing contents, directions, guidelines and me

Though have been paid attention since the beginning of the 20century by many countries, competition is a new field to Viet nam.Therefore, cooporation with international organization as well as gaining experience from foreign competition organizations are considered the priority by the Competition AdministrationDepartment in the last few years.

Consumer protection is one of the responsibilities of state management and is the responsibility of business entities. In practice, the more the market economy develops and the more the trade liberalization increases, the more problems that effect consumer's interests.

* The Consumer’s Rights - The right to select the goods or services, the right to obtain right information or guidance necessary for the consumption purpose relating to the quality, the prices, the direction for use of goods or services; and his safety of life, of health and of environment shall be protected during the course of using the goods or services; the consumer shall be provided with necessary knowledge on consumption.

In the international trade, anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard measures are considered as 3 pillars of trade remedies system and being applied to protect the domestic market in face of the import of foreign goods. In principle, anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures are applied to deal with unfair competition acts of the imports. However, while anti-dumping measure is against the act of selling products at low prices in order to control the whole market then gradually eliminate competitors

On the occasion of the annual meeting between the Prime Minister and enterprises organized by the Government Office and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in early February, Vietnam Business Forum of VCCI would like to introduce excerpts of the important speech by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on the development pace of Vietnam’s business community in recent years.

- Business entities having business registration shall register, declare the standard of the quality applicable for their goods, services. - Business entities must ensure exact and true information, advertisement on their goods, services; post up the price of goods, services; declare the conditions, the duration, the location of the warranty and provide clear instructions relating to the use of goods, service to the consumer.

The consumer shall lodge complaints to the following agencies and organizations in the following ways: