In early spring when rice is harvested and the ‘polang’ flowers brings a red cover to the sky, Central Highlanders carried indigenous products on their back and followed the forest trail along the mountain ranges, heading to the coastal region to barter goods in exchange for salt.

With an 11-year high economic growth rate last year and a significant improvement in growth quality, the economy is expected to ascend higher this year.

The Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it will focus on innovative campaigns to expand export markets.

Vietnam will remain an attractive investment destination in 2019, though impacts of the US-China trade tension that triggered a downturn in global stock markets in 2018 will not end soon, said Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of VinaCapital Andy Ho.

Vietnam’s tourism industry aims to reach total revenue of over VND700 trillion (US$30.1 billion) in 2019, said Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai at the conference on January 21 on tasks and orientations for 2019.

Viet Nam has so far protected 69 products with geographical indications (GI) and six foreign ones. Over the past 10 years, the number of protected GIs has increased by 3.5 times.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry held a meeting on January 23 to discuss measures aimed at removing the obstacles facing trade and investment between the two countries.

In 2018, despite enormous competition pressure from markets around the world, Vietnam’s agricultural export turnover still rose strongly, reaching a record of over US$40 billion.

A press conference, hosted by the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD in Hanoi on January 22, introduced a new forum to promote links between production and consumption of Vietnamese farm produce in 2019.

For people looking for peace and quiet as well as stunning vistas, Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong features a number of easy-to-reach destinations that soothe the soul.