1. Agriculture, forestry and fishery

Agricultural, forestry and fishery production in April 2019 was generally stable. During the month, localities focused on tending the winter-spring paddy in the North, harvesting padd, winter-spring crops and cultivated summer-autumn paddy in the South. The situation of African swine fever initially calmed down, but the price of pork still decreased compared with that of over the previous month. In the first 4 months of the year, the fishery maintained a good increase in production but Pangasius farming in the month was not favorable due to the decrease in pangasius export to the US and China markets, enterprises dropped the purchasing price of fish.

      a) Agriculture

As of April 15, the country cultivated 3,116.6 thousand hectares of winter-spring paddy, equaling 100.6% of over the same period last year. Northern provinces basically completed the winter-spring paddy cultivation with an area of ​​1,112.6 thousand hectares, equaling 98.9% of over the same period last year, of which Red River Delta region reached 515.1 thousand hectares, equaling 98. % (a reduction of 10.5 thousand hectares) due to some localities changed production structure and land use purpose. Currently, winter-spring paddy in Northern provinces grew well, and which was in the stage of standing and creating rice. However, it was forecasted that in due to the increase of  temperatures would make pests and diseases on paddy became complicated, especially sheath blight, paddy blast, plant hoppers, the agricultural needed to closely monitor developments of shape pests and diseases, timely conducted measures to handle pests so as not to affect the growth of paddy. In Southern provinces, winter-spring paddy cultivation reached 2,004 thousand hectares, equaling 101.5% of over the same period in 2018, of which area increased mainly in Ca Mau with 37.9 thousand hectares due to changing paddy to winter-spring paddy.

As of mid-April, southern provinces harvested 1,648.7 thousand hectares of winter-spring paddy, holding 82.3% of the cultivated area and equaling 107.8% of over the same period last year, of which Mekong River Delta reached 1,526.2 thousand hectares, holding 95.1% and equaling 108%. However, long lasting hot weather on a large scale affected paddy yield, production of winter-spring paddy was recorded drop in the region compared with that of over the same period last year. According to the preliminary report, the yield of winter-spring paddy in Mekong Delta this year was estimated at 67.5 quintals / hectares, falling by 1.4 quintals / hectare compared with that of over the previous winter-spring crop; production reached 10.8 million tons, falling by 5.5 thousand tons.

On harvested winter-spring paddy areas, localities conducted field cleaning, plowing and drying the soil to cultivate the summer-autumn crop. As of April 15, Southern provinces cultivated 497.9 thousand hectares of summer-autumn paddy, equaling 112.4% of over the same period last year, of which Mekong River Delta reached 484.9 thousand hectares, equaling 111.6%, progress of summer-autumn paddy cultivation this year was recorded faster than that of over the same period because the winter-spring crop was cultivated and harvested early. Currently, summer-autumn paddy was in the stage of seedling to plant, paddy grew well. However, it was forecasted that this year’s summer-autumn paddy would faced difficulties due to long lasting hot weather, especially the risk of drought, water shortage in the Central and Central Highlands provinces in the dry months so the agriculture needed to manage tightening the crop calendar, recommending localities to apply cultivation techniques to limit the impact of drought on production, and at the same time ensured irrigation water for paddy.

As of mid-April, localities across the country had planted 404.8 thousand hectares of maize, equaling 99.8% of over the same period last year; 67.5 thousand hectares of sweet potatoes, equaling 95.7%; 134.2 thousand hectares of groundnut, equal to 97.2%; 16.6 thousand hectares of soybeans, equaling 107.8% and 590.4 thousand hectares of vegetables, equaling 105.7%. In general, the crops was planted in the right time so which grew well.

Buffalo and cattle husbandry was recorded stable in the month, poultry farming was good, particularly pigs farming still faced difficulties, although recently some localities announced the end of African swine fever but due to widespread of epidemics affecting to the development of the population and livestock outputs. Pig population in April was estimated to drop 0.8% of over the same period last year; Buffalo decreased by 2.9%; cattle population increased by 3.1%; poultry population grew by 6.8%.

        b) Forestry

In April, the country’s concentrated forests area was estimated at 27.1 thousand hectares, rising by 0.4% of over the same period last year; number of dispersed planted trees reached 6.8 million, falling by 12.3%; wood production reached 1,228 thousand m3, an increase of 4.1%; firewood production reached 1.4 million ste, falling by 2.2%. Some provinces saw a high increase in wood production of which Quang Tri was estimated at 166.2 thousand m3, by 6.2% over the same period last year; Quang Ngai reached 138 thousand m3, by 6.2%; Nghe An reached 128.4 thousand m3, by 12.3%. Generally for the first four months of the year, the concentrated forests area was estimated at 59 thousand hectares, rising by 0.9% of over the same period last year; number of dispersed planted trees reached 22.5 million, falling by 3.7%; wood production reached 3,942 thousand m3, an increase of 4.3%; firewood production reached 5.3 million ste, falling by 1.7%.

Forest protection and forest fire prevention measures were implemented effectively. In April, the whole country was recorded 90.8 hectares of forest devastation, falling by 44.4% of over the same period last year, of which forest fired area was 30.8 hectares, a decrease of 67.2%; 60 hectares of destroyed forest, falling by 13.6%. Generally for the first 4 months of this year, the damaged forest area was 200 hectares, falling by 44.7% of against the same period last year, of which the forest fired area was 59.8 hectares, a decrease of 62.7%; cleared forest area was 140.2 hectares, a decline of 30.4%.

        c) Fishery

Fishery production in April was estimated at 689.8 thousand tons, rising by 5.7% of over the same period last year, of which fish reached 520 thousand tons, rising by 5.8%; shrimp reached 68.2 thousand tons, rising by 5.2%; other fisheries reached 101.6 thousand tons, rising by 5.5%.

Aquaculture production in April reached 348.4 thousand tons, rising by  6% of over the same period last year, of which fish reached 255.1 thousand tons, rising by 5.5%; shrimp reached 56 thousand tons, rising by 7.5%; other fisheries reached 37.3 thousand tons, rising by 7.2%. Pangasius farming was not favorable because raw material pangasius tended to decrease from March[1], Pangasius exports main markets (US and China) decreased, export enterprises reduced buying price of raw materials to ensure profit, but at current prices farmers still made profit from 1,000-2,500 VND / kg. Pangasius production in the month was estimated at 116.4 thousand tons,  rising by 6.7% of over the same period last year, of which An Giang reached 109 thousand tons, rising by 10.7%; Dong Thap reached 33.7 thousand tons, an increase of 4.5%; Ben Tre reached 13.4 thousand tons, growing by 8%. Brackish shrimp water was recorded for harvest, super-intensive shrimp farming was expanded so the yield was recored high. Black tiger shrimp production in April was estimated at 20.8 thousand tons, rising by 5.1% compared with that of over the same period last year; white shrimp production was estimated at 31.7 thousand tons, growing  by 8.9%.

Fishery production in April was estimated at 341.4 thousand tons, rising by 5.3% of over the same period last year, of which fish gained 264.9 thousand tons, rising by 6%; shrimp reached 12.2 thousand tons, falling by 3.9%. The weather in the month was recorded favorable for marine catchings, production of marine catching reached 326.5 thousand tons, rising by 5.7% of over the same period last year.

Generally, in the first 4 months of the year, fishery production was estimated at 2,156.5 thousand tons, an increase of 5.1% of over the same period last year, of which aquaculture production reached 994.6 thousand tons, rising by 5, 3%; production of fishery catching reached 1,161.9 thousand tons, a growth of 4.9% (marine catching production reached 1,111.6 thousand tons, a growth of 5.2%).

  1. Industrial production

Industrial production in April and the first 4 months of 2019 achieved good results compared to the same period last year, of which the manufacturing, playing a key role in promoting overall growth, continued to maintain 2-digit growth; the production and distribution of electricity ensured a good response to production activities and people’s usage with a higher growth rate of gross output compared to the overall growth of the whole industrial activities.

The index of industrial production (IIP) in April 2019 was estimated to increase by 0.6% over the previous month and by 9.3% over the same period last year, of which the IIP of the mining and quarrying, the manufacturing, the production and distribution of electricity, the water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities increased by 2%, 10.5%, 9.4%, and 6.8%, respectively.

Generally for the first 4 months of 2019, the IIP was estimated to increase by 9.2% over the same period last year, lower than the increase of 10.7% in the same period of 2018 but higher than the increase of 7.4% and 6.6% in the same period of 2016 and 2017. Of which, the IIP of the manufacturing increased by 10.9% (the same period last year increased by 12.9%), contributing 8.3 percentage points to the overall increase; the IIP of the production and distribution of electricity increased by 9.2%, contributing 0.8 percentage points; the IIP of the water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities increased by 7.3%, contributing 0.1 percentage points; particularly, the IIP of the mining and quarrying was equal to the same period last year (the IIP of the extraction of coal increased by 13%, the IIP of the extraction of crude oil and natural gas decreased by 4.1%).

In 2-digit industrial activities, the first 4-month IIP of some activities increased significantly over the same period last year, contributing mainly to the overall growth of the whole industrial activities: the manufacture of coke, refined petroleum products (77.5%); the manufacture of basic metals (40.6%); the manufacture of motor vehicles (18.6%); the manufacture of rubber and plastic products (14%); the extraction of metal ores and the manufacture of wood, products from wood, bamboo and neohouzeaua (13.8%); the mining of hard coal and lignite (13%); the manufacture of textile (12.1%). Some industrial activities experienced a moderate or slight increase in the IIP: the manufacture of fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) (5.4%); sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (4.8%); the manufacture of tobacco products (4.3%); the manufacture of electronic, computers and optical products (1.9%) (the same period last year increased by 23.6%). Otherwise, the IIP of some activities showed a decrease, including the repair, maintenance and installation of machinery and equipment (2.3%); the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products (4%); the extraction of crude oil and natural gas (4.1%); other mining and quarrying (stone, sand, gravel …) (1.4%).

In the first 4 months of this year, the IIP of some industrial products increased significantly over the same period last year: petrol and oil (70.3%); iron and crude steel (67.1%); televisions (42.6%); liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (29.8%); fabrics from artificial yarn (19.5%); automobiles (18.3%); chemical paint (15.8%); clean coal (12.8%); beer (12.2%); urea fertilizer (12.1%). The IIP of bar, angle steel slightly increased by 3.1%. However, a number of products showed a downturn trend in the IIP, including natural gas (0.4%); animal feed (0.7%); motorbikes (3.1%); NPK mixed fertilizer (5%); refined sugar (6.5%); crude oil (8.3%); mobile phone components (24.6%).

In the first 4 months of 2019, the index of industrial production of 59/63 provinces and cities directly under the Central Government increased over the same period last year, of which the IIP of Thanh Hoa took the lead with an increase of 42.8% because Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC came into operation since mid-2018; the IIP of Tra Vinh increased by 38.3% due to the increase in electricity production of Duyen Hai Thermal Power Plant; the IIP of Ha Tinh increased by 34.9% mainly due to the contribution of the Formosa Group. Some industrial large shared provinces showed an increase in the 4-month IIP compared to the same period last year: Hai Phong (23%); Quang Ninh (13.2%); Vinh Phuc (12.9%); Hai Duong (9.5%); Dong Nai (7.8%); Quang Nam (7.7%); Binh Duong (7.5%); Thai Nguyen (7.3%); Ha Noi (6.8%); Ho Chi Minh City (6.6%); Can Tho (6.2%); Da Nang (4.1%). Some localities saw a decrease in the IIP over the same period last year: Ba Ria – Vung Tau (0.4%) due to continued declining in the extraction of crude oil; Gia Lai (5.6%) owing to a reduction in sugar production; Hoa Binh (11.3%) mainly due to a decline in electricity production; Bac Ninh (11.9%) due to a sharp drop in the manufacture of mobile phone components.

The number of employees working in industrial enterprises as of 1st April, 2019 increased by 1.4% over the same period last month and by 2.3% compared to the same period last year, of which the number of employees in State owned enterprises decreased by 0.4%; the number of employees in non-state enterprises, FDI enterprises increased by 2.1%, 2.8%, respectively. At that time, the number of employees working in the mining  and quarrying enterprises decreased by 0.7% compared to the same period last year; otherwise, the number of employees working in the manufacturing, the production and distribution of electricity, the water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities increased by 2.4%, 3%, and 1.9%, respectively.

Some localities with large share of the industry sector witnessed an increase in the number of employees working in industrial enterprises as of 1st April, 2019 compared to the same period last year: Hai Phong (8.7%); Binh Duong (6.2%); Quang Nam (5.6%); Hai Duong (2.6%); Dong Nai (2.5%); Can Tho (1.6%); Ha Noi and Vinh Phuc (1.1%); Quang Ninh (0.7%); Ho Chi Minh City (0.3%). However, the number of employees working in industrial enterprises in Thai Nguyen, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Bac Ninh, and Da Nang decreased by 0.3%, 7%[2], 9.6%[3], and 12%[4], respectively.

  1. Enterprises registration situation[5]

The number of newly-established enterprises and the registered capital of newly established enterprises in April reached the highest in the first 4 months of this year. In April 2019, there were 14,854 newly established enterprises in the whole country with a registered capital of 167 trillion VND, an increase of 19% in the number of enterprises 30.3% in the registered capital compared to the previous month[6]; the average registered capital of an enterprise was 11.2 billion VND, a rise of 27.3%; the total number of registered employees of newly established enterprises was 131.4 thousand persons, decreasing by 14.5%. In this month, there were 2,714 re-operated enterprises, a downturn of 44.4% over the previous month; 2,495 enterprises ceased for a certain period of time, a growth of 81.7%; 1,904 enterprises temporarily ceased and awaited dissolution, going up by 1.2%; 1,189 enterprises completed dissolution procedures, rose by 23.9%.

Generally, in the first 4 months of this year, there were 43,305 newly registered enterprises in the whole country with a total registered capital of 542.4 trillion VND, an increase of 4.9% in the number of enterprises and 31.7% in the registered capital compared to the same period in 2018[7]; the average registered capital of a newly established enterprise was 12.5 billion VND, went up 25%. If including 872 trillion VND of the additional registered capital of enterprises that recorded upward adjusment of capital, the total additional registered capital in the economy in the first 4 months of 2019 was 1,414.4 trillion VND. In addition, there were 17,463 re-operated enterprises, an increase of 52.6% over the same period last year, bringing the total number of newly registered enterprises and re-operated enterprises in 4 months of this year to nearly 60.8 thousand enterprises. The total number of registered employees of newly established enterprises in the first 4 months of this year was 449.1 thousand persons, jumping by 35.2% over the same period last year.

By economic activities, in the first 4 months of this year, almost of the newly established enterprises increased over the same period last year, of which: there were 16.1 thousand newly established enterprises in the wholesale and retail, repair of automobiles and motorbikes (accounting for 37.2% of the total number of newly established enterprises), an increase of 14%; 5.8 thousand construction enterprises (accounting for 13.3%), climbing by 1.8%; 5.5 thousand manufacturing enterprises (accounting for 12.7%), increasing by 8.3%; 3.6 thousand enterprises in the science, technology, consultation service, designing, advertisement and others (accounting for 8.4%), an upturn of 13.5%; 2,500 enterprises in the employment services, travel, renting and leasing of machinery, equipment and other support services (accounting for 5.8%), up 4.6%; nearly 2,500 enterprises in the real estate activities (accounting for 5.7%), a rise of 24% … Some economic activities, the number of newly established enterprises continued to decrease compared to the same period last year: there were 2 thousand enterprises in the accommodation and catering services (accounting for 4.6%), a decline of 4.3%; 448 enterprises in the financial, banking and insurance activities (accounting for 1%), down 13.3%; 200 mining enterprises (accounting for 0.5%), a downturn of 6.1% and 1 enterprise in the transportation and stogare, a drop of 99.9%.

In the first 4 months of this year, almost of economic regions had the number of newly registered enterprises increasing over the same period last year: The Red River Delta had 13.2 thousand enterprises, a rise of 8.3% (the registered capital was 130.4 trillion VND, went up 11.6%); The North and South Central Coast areas had 6.2 thousand enterprises, an increase of 7.7% (the registered capital of 54.9 trillion VND, a reduction of 1.8%); Central Highlands had 1.1 thousand enterprises, a surge of 10.7% (the registered capital of 13 trillion VND, expanding 122.6%); The Southeast had 18 thousand enterprises, going up by 3% (the registered capital of 291.9 trillion VND, up 55.4%); Mekong River Delta had 3.1 thousand enterprises, a growth of 1.5% (the registered capital of 30.5 trillion VND, a rise of 3.3%). Particularly in the Northern Midlands and Mountains areas had 1.7 thousand newly established enterprises, reduced 7.2% compared to the same period last year (the registered capital of 21.7 trillion VND, climbing by 35.3 %).

The number of enterprises ceased for a certain period of time in the first 4 months of this year was 16,984 enterprises, a surge of 19.7% over the same period last year. By economic activities, there were 6.9 thousand enterprises in the wholesale and retail, repair of automobiles and motorbikes (accounting for 40.4%), going up by 24.3% over the same period. the previous year period; There were 2.4 thousand construction enterprises (accounting for 14.2%), a rise of 10.6%; 2.1 thousand manufacturing enterprises (accounting for 12.1%), increasing by 15.7%; 993 enterprises in the science, technology, consultation service, designing, advertisement and others (accounting for 5.8%), an increase of 19.5%; 990 transportation and storage enterprises (accounting for 5.8%), enlarge 16.9%; 842 accommodation and catering enterprises (accounting for 5%), an increase of 16.5% … In the first 4 months of this year, there were 17,265 enterprises temporarily ceased and awaited dissolution, including 8,935 enterprises were revoked their business registration certificates under the 2018 data standardization program, making up 51.8% of the total number of enterprises temporarily ceased and awaited dissolution; enterprises announcing the dissolution were 4,333 enterprises, sharing 25% and 3,997 enterprises waited  dissolution, accounting for 23.2%.

The number of enterprises completed dissolution procedures in the first 4 months of 2019 was 5,305 enterprises, an increase of 12.9% over the same period last year, of which 4,793 enterprises with capital size of less than 10 billion VND (making up 90, 3% of the total enterprises completed dissolution procedures), a rise of 11.6%. Enterprises completing dissolution procedures focused mainly on the fields: there were 2.1 thousand enterprises in the wholesale and retail, repair of automobiles and motorbikes (sharing 40%), rose by 18.3% compared to in the same period last year; 566 manufacturing enterprises (accounting for 10.7%), a decline of 15.3%; 501 construction enterprises (making up 9.4%), a cut down of 2.7%.

  1. Investment

Although the realized investment of the State budget in April was higher than the previous month (a rise of 13.2%) and in comparison with the same period last year (an increase of 1.2%), there was a sharp decrease[8] in the period of 2016-2019, showing that the implementation of investment of the State budget in April in particular and the first 4 months of 2019 in general did not show positive changes. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment continued to prosper with a record level of both number of newly licensed projects and newly registered capital. As of 20th April, 2019, the total of newly licensed projects was 1,082 projects with a total registered capital of 5.3 billion USD, the highest level within last 4 years[9].

The realized investment of the state budget in April was estimated at 22.3 trillion VND, an increase of 1.2% against the same period last year, including: central capital was 2.7 trillion VND, a decrease of 30.4%; local capital was 19.6 trillion VND, a rise of 7.8%. Generally, in the first 4 months of this year, the realized investment of the state budget reached 73.4 trillion VND, equaling 21.3% of the yearly plan and growing up 3% over the same period last year (the figures of the same period in 2018 were 20.3% and 9.8%, respectively), including:

– The capital under central management reached 9 trillion VND, equaling 19.5% of the yearly plan and decreasing by 30.6% over the same period last year, of which the implemented investment of the Ministry of Transportation achieved 1,935 billion VND, equaling 26.3% and declining 57.5%; Ministry of Health 808 billion VND, equaling 15.3% and increasing by 21.7%; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 530 billion VND, equaling 16.1% and going down 56.3%; Ministry of Education and Training 206 billion VND, equaling 16% and falling 8.7%; Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment 189 billion VND, equaling 14.4% and decreasing 29.1%; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism 145 billion VND, equaling 19.4% and going down 10.9%; Ministry of Science and Technology 67 billion VND, equaling 21.9% and increasing by 49.3%; Ministry of Construction is 42 billion VND, equaling 16.8% and decreasing by 16.9%; Ministry of Industry and Trade 39 billion VND, equaling 15.8% and declining 14.2%; Ministry of Information and Communications 28 billion VND, equaling 17.5% and expanding by 15.2%.

– The capital under local management gained 64.4 trillion VND, equaling 21.6% of the yearly plan and growing up 10.5% over the same period in 2018, of which: the state budget capital at provincial level reached 43.6 trillion VND, equaling 20.7% and expanding by 9.4%; the state budget capital at district level achieved 17.4 trillion VND, equaling 23% and increasing by 13.1%; the state budget capital at commune level witnessed 3.4 trillion VND, equaling 27% and rising 11.9%. The realized investment of the state budget in the first 4 months of 2019 of some provinces and cities directly under the Central Government was as follows: Ha Noi reached 9.667 billion VND, equaling 19.5% of the yearly plan and going up 14.9% % compared to the same period last year; Ho Chi Minh city 4,712 billion VND, equaling 12.8% and increasing by 13.7%; Quang Ninh was 2,241 billion VND, equaling 19.4% and growing up 35%; Thanh Hoa 2,191 billion VND, equaling 28.1% and rising 14.5%; Ba Ria – Vung Tau 1,998 billion VND, equaling 30.3% and spreading 17.5%; Quang Nam 1,870 billion VND, equaling 25.2% and expanding by 14.8%; Hai Phong 1,800 billion VND, equaling 19.9% ​​and increasing by 5.8%; Vinh Phuc 1,697 billion VND, equaling 27.2% and climbing up 2%.

Foreign direct investment from the beginning of the year to 20th April, 2019 attracted 1,082 newly licensed projects with a total registered capital of 5,345 million USD, a rise of 22.5% in the number of projects and an increase of 50.4% in registered capital compared to the same period in 2018. Besides, 395 projects which were licensed in the previous year registered to adjust investment capital with the additional capital of 2,110.6 million USD, a decrease of 6% compared to the same period last year. Thus, the total newly registered capital and additional capital in the first four months of the year reached 7,455.6 million USD, a growth of 28.6% over the same period in 2018. Foreign direct investment capital in 4 months was estimated at 5.7 billion USD, growing up 7.5% over the same period in 2018. In 4 months, there were 2,416 turns of capital contribution and share purchase of foreign investors with a total value of capital contribution of 7.14 billion USD, an increase of 3.2 times over the same period in 2018, of which 605 turns of capital contribution and share purchase increased the charter capital of the enterprises with the value of capital of 5.13 billion USD and 1,811 of domestic share purchase with the value of 2.01 billion USD without increasing charter capital.

In 4 months of this year, the manufacturing activity attracted the largest foreign direct investment with the registered capital of newly licensed projects reached 3,958.4 million USD, accounting for 74.1% of the total newly registered capital; the real estate activities gained 528.6 million USD, accounting for 9.9%; the other activities witnessed 858 million USD, accounting for 16%. If including the supplementary registered capital of the projects which were licensed in the previous years, the foreign direct investment in the manufacturing activity in 4 months achieved 5,738.7 million USD, accounting for 77% of the total registered capital; the real estate activities achieved 538.4 million USD, representing 7.2%; the other activities gained 1,178.5 million USD, making up 15.8%. For capital contribution, share purchase of foreign investors, capital invested in the manufacturing activity recorded 4,756.2 million USD, accounting for 66.6% of the total value of capital contribution; the real estate business reached 562.2 million USD, accounting for 7.9%; the other activities gained 1,817.4 million USD, making up 25.5%.

In the whole country, 45 provinces and centrally-run cities had newly licensed foreign direct investment projects in the first 4 months, of which Tay Ninh had the largest registered capital with 520.3 million USD, accounting for 9.7% of the total newly registered capital[10]; followed by Binh Duong with 495.6 million USD, representing 9.3%; Bac Ninh: 479.4 million USD, sharing 9%; Ho Chi Minh city 349.4 million USD, making up 6.5%; Tien Giang 346.9 million USD, comprising 6.5%; Hai Duong with 288.8 million USD, consisting of 5.4%; Da Nang 256.1 million USD, accounting for 4.8%; Dong Nai 248.6 million USD, representing 4.7%; Hai Phong 231.2 million USD, making up 4.3%; Phu Yen 216.8 million USD, accounting for 4.1%; Ba Ria – Vung Tau 200.9 million, comprising 3.8%.

Among 51 countries and territories with newly licensed investment projects in Viet Nam in 4 months, China ranked the top with 1,314.7 million USD, accounting for 24.6% of the total newly registered capital; followed by Singapore with 699.7 million USD, representing 13.1%; Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) 693.4 million USD, making up 13%; South Korea 691 million USD, comprising 12.9%; Japan 614.7 million USD, consisting of 11.5%; Thailand 325.7 million USD, sharing 6.1%; Taiwan 265.5 million USD, accounting for 5%; British Vigin Islands 211.9 million USD, accounting for 4%.

Viet Nam’s outward investment in 4 months of this year, 44 projects were newly granted invested certificates with total capital of Viet Nam of 96 million USD; 9 projects adjusted capital with the additional capital of 53.5 million USD. Generally, Viet Nam’s outward investment (newly granted capital and additional capital) in 4 months of 2019 achieved 149.5 million USD, of which the professional, scientific and technological activities reached 81.8 million. USD, accounting for 54.7% of total investment; the finance, banking and insurance activities witnessed 36.1 million USD, making up 24.1%; the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motors vehicles and motorcycles recorded 16.5 million USD, comprising 11%; the accommodation and catering services reached 7 million USD, accounting for 4.7%. In 4 months, 23 countries and territories received investment from Viet Nam, of which Spain was the leading country with 59.8 million USD, accounting for 40% of total investment capital; Cambodia 37.9 million USD, consisting of 25.4%; Malaysia 13.9 million USD, making up 9.3%; United States 12.6 million USD, representing 8.4%.

  1. State budget revenue and expenditure

In the first months of the year, the state budget revenue maintained in a positive progress, the budget expenditures timely met the requirements of development investment, debt repayment and assurance of public administration and defense.

The state budget revenue from the beginning of the year to 15th April, 2019 was estimated at 421 trillion VND, equaling 29.8% of the yearly estimate, of which domestic revenue was 337.3 trillion VND, equaling 28.7% %; revenue from crude oil was 15.3 trillion VND, equaling 34.4%; budget balance revenue from import and export witnessed 67.7 trillion VND, equaling 35.8%. In the domestic revenue, tax on state-owned enterprises recorded 43.9 trillion VND, equaling 24.7% of the yearly estimate; tax on FDI enterprises (excluding crude oil) achieved 54.7 trillion VND, equaling 25.6%; taxes on trade and non-state services was 69.5 trillion VND, equaling 28.8%; personal income tax witnessed 37.1 trillion VND, equaling 32.8%; environment protection tax was 12.9 trillion VND, equaling 18.7%; land use fee was 29.8 trillion VND, equaling 33.1%.

The state budget expenditure from the beginning of the year to 15th April, 2019 was estimated at 376.4 trillion VND, equaling 23% of the yearly estimate, of which recurrent expenditure was 274.8 trillion VND, equaling 27.5%; expenditure on development investment was 65.3 trillion VND, equaling 15.2%; interest payment was 35.1 trillion VND, equaling 28.1%.

  1. Trade, price, transport and tourism

      a. Retail sales of consumer goods and services

Service and trade activities in the first four months of this year continued the upward trend, the market price was stable, the balance between supply and demand of essential consumer goods was guaranteed, gross retail sales of consumer goods and services in 4 months has reached the highest growth rate since 2015[11].

Gross retail sales of goods and services in April 2019 were estimated at 400 trillion VND, going up by 2.3% over the previous month and up by 12% over the same period in 2018, of which: retail sales of goods reached 306.6 trillion VND, up 2.2% and 13.1%; accommodation and catering services revenue reached 47.7 trillion VND, up 3.1% and up 9.9%; tourism and traveling revenue reached 3.6 trillion VND, up 2% and up 13.2%; other services revenue reached 42.1 trillion VND, up 1.8% and up 6.8%.

Generally for the first 4 months of 2019, gross retail sales of consumer goods and services were estimated to reach 1,583.7 trillion VND, up 11.9% over the same period last year, if excluding the price factor, increasing by 9% (the same period in 2018 increased by 8.9%).

By economic activity, gross retail sales of goods in the first 4 months were estimated at 1,215.8 trillion VND, accounting for 76.8% of the total and increased significantly at 13.2% over the same period last year, of which: Food and foodstuff increased by 14%; household appliances, tools and equipment increased by 12.9%; garment increased by 12.4%; vehicles increased by 11.1%; cultural and educational items increased by 10.7%. Some provinces achieved a good increase as follows: Tra Vinh by 19.8%; Phu Tho by 17.9%; Quang Nam by 16.8%; Binh Duong by 16.4%; Quang Ninh by 15.4%; Hai Phong by 14.4%; Ho Chi Minh City by 13.5%; and Hanoi by 13.1%.

The turnover from accommodation and catering services in the first 4 months was estimated at 187.4 trillion VND, accounting for 11.8% of the total and up 9.2% over the same period last year, of which the revenue of Quang Ninh achieved an increase of 15.2%; Da Nang 14.4%; Can Tho 13.8%; Hai Phong 13.5%; Lao Cai 11.9%; Ho Chi Minh City 11.2%; Gia Lai 10.4%; and Hanoi increased by 9%.

The revenue from tourism and traveling services in 4 months was estimated at 14.9 trillion VND, accounting for 0.9% of the total and rising by 13.1% over the same period last year, of which Quang Ninh increased by 33.6%; Khanh Hoa increased by 16.5%; Ho Chi Minh City increased by 13.6%; Ba Ria – Vung Tau increased by 11.9%; Lam Dong increased by 11.3%; Can Tho increased by 11%; Thai Nguyen increased by 10.1%; Hanoi increased by 8.4%.

Other service revenue in 4 months was estimated at 165.6 trillion VND, accounting for 10.5% of the total and increasing by 5.7% over the same period in 2018, of which Vinh Long’s revenue increased by 18.5%; Binh Dinh rose by 16.6%; Quang Ninh grew by 14.3%; Khanh Hoa expanded by 13.8%; Da Nang accelerated by 12.6%; Can Tho climbed by 10.3%; Ho Chi Minh City jumped by 8.5%; Hanoi increased by 4.3%.

         b) Export and import of goods

Total import and export turnover of the first 4 months of 2019 was estimated at 156.8 billion USD, of which export turnover reached 78.76 billion USD, went up by 5.8% over the same period last year; import turnover reached 78.05 billion USD, went up by 10.4%. Although the trade balance of goods maintained an estimated trade surplus in 4 months of 711 million USD that was much lower than the trade surplus of 3.7 billion USD of the same period in 2018.

Export of goods

Export turnover in March 2019 reached 22,780 million USD, 380 million USD higher than the estimated figure, of which electronic goods, computers and their parts were 124 million USD higher; phones and their parts were 86 million USD higher; machinery, instrument and accessory were 82 million USD higher; cameras, camcorders and their parts were 79 million USD higher; iron and steel were 66 million USD higher; vegetables and fruits were 65 million USD higher; petroleum was 55 million USD higher; fishery products were 54 million USD higher; textiles were 166 million USD lower; footwear was 40 million USD lower; means of transport and spare parts were 38 million USD lower than estimated.

Export turnover in April 2019 were estimated at 19.9 billion USD, went down by 12.6% over the previous month[12], of which, domestic economic sector was 6.12 billion USD, went down by 4.8%; FDI sector (including crude oil) reached 13.78 billion USD, went down  by 15.7%. Many export products in April saw a decrease in turnover over the previous month: Telephones and their parts fell by 27.6%; crude oil decreased by 15.3%; electronic goods, computers and their parts edged down by 11.5%; fishery declined by 9.3%; textiles went down by 9.2%; wood and wooden products went down by 3.7%. Compared to the same period last year, export turnover in April increased by 7.5%, of which the domestic economic sector increased by 9.8%, the FDI sector (including crude oil) increased by 6.6%. Export turnover of some products increased: Wood and wooden products by 22.5%; electronic goods, computers and their parts by 16.2%; phones and their parts by 12%; footwear by 11.4%; textiles and garments by 7.1%.

Generally, in the first four months of 2019, export turnover was estimated at 78.76 billion USD, went up by 5.8% over the same period in 2018, of which the domestic economic sector reached 23.33 billion USD, an increase of 10.5%, accounting for 29.6% of total export turnover; FDI sector (including crude oil) reached 55.43 billion USD, a rise of 4%, accounting for 70.4% (a fall of 1.2 percentage points compared to the same period last year).

In 4 months, there were 16 products reaching export turnover of over 1 billion USD, accounting for 81.2% of total export turnover, of which export turnover of some products increase over the same period last year: Electronic goods, computers and their parts reached 9.6 billion USD, went up by 12.6%; textiles and garments reached 9.4 billion USD, climbed up by 9.8%; footwear reached 5.3 billion USD, went up by 13.4%; machinery, instrument and accessory reached 5.3 billion USD, jumped up by 4.1%; wood and wooden products reached 3.1 billion USD, went up by 17.8%; means of transport and spare parts reached 2.9 billion USD, went up by 5.7%. Although phones and their parts achieved the highest export turnover of 16 billion USD, accounting for 20.4% of total export turnover, it declined by 0.2% over the same period last year; fishery gained 2.4 billion USD, decreased by 1.3%. Export turnover of some agricultural products in 4 months of this year decreased compared to the same period last year: Coffee reached 1.1 billion USD, edged down by 22.6% (the volume decreased by 13.5%); cashew nuts reached 884 million USD, went down by 16.9% (the volume increased by 5%); rice reached 866 million USD, went down by 21.7% (the volume decreased by 7.9%); pepper reached 270 million USD, went down by 12% (volume increased by 18.6%). Particularly, fruit and vegetables reached 1.4 billion USD, edged up by 5.5%; rubber reached 564 million USD, climbed up by 15% (volume went up by 26.1%).

Regarding the export commodity market in the first 4 months of 2019, the United States was Vietnam’s largest export market with a turnover of 17.8 billion USD, went up by 28.4% over the same period last year, of which phones and their parts increased by 104.9%; footwear increased by 9.4%; textiles and garments increased by 8.5%. The following was the EU market with 13.7 billion USD, climbed up by 2.8%, of which machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 19.7%; electronic goods, computers and their parts went up by 9.6%; footwear increased by 7%. China reached 10.4 billion USD, went down by 5.8%, of which fishery products fell by 31.5%; phones and their parts went down by 62.3%. ASEAN market reached 8.4 billion USD, climbed up by 7.3%, of which textiles and garments increased by 36.7%; iron and steel increased by 9.7%. South Korea reached 6.2 billion USD, went up by 7.3%, of which textiles and garments increased by 10%; electronic goods, computers and their parts climbed up by 9.4%; phones and their parts increased by 7.1%. Japan reached 6.1 billion USD, went up by 6.6%, of which electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 33.9%; footwear increased by 27.6%; textiles and garments increased by 6.9%.

Import of goods

Import of goods in March 2019 reached 21,154 million USD, 646 million USD lower than the estimated figure, of which machinery, instrument and accessory were 158 million USD lower; plastic was 67 million USD lower; parts of automobile were 52 million lower; phones and their parts were 38 million USD lower; auxiliary materials for textile, garment and footwear were 25 million USD lower; iron, steel and crude oil were 23 million USD lower; cotton and paper of all kinds were 18 million USD lower than estimated.

Estimated import turnovers in April reached 20.6 billion USD, went down by 2.6% compared to the previous month, of which the domestic economic sector gained 8.8 billion USD, went down by 2.1%; FDI sector reached 11.8 billion USD, edged down by 3%. Import turnover of some products decreased compared to the previous month: Plastics by 5.5%; petroleum and oil by 7.8%; electronic goods, computers and their parts by 9.5%; phones and their parts by 11.6%; automobiles by 12.3%. Compared to the same period in 2018, import turnovers of goods in April increased by 17.6%, of which the domestic economic sector increased by 18.5%; FDI sector increased by 17%. Import turnover of some products increased significantly over the same period last year: Automobiles by 65.1%; electronic goods, computers and their parts by 46.4%; plastic products by 25.5%; machinery, instrument and accessory by 21.8%; plastic by 13.4%.

Generally, in the first four months of 2019, import turnover was estimated at 78.05 billion USD, climbed up by 10.4% over the same period in 2018, of which the domestic economic sector reached 32.80 billion USD, an increase of 14.4%; FDI sector reached 45.25 billion USD, a rise of 7.6%.

In 4 months, there were 17 imported products with a value of over 1 billion USD, accounting for 76.3% of the total import turnover, of which some products increased over the same period last year: Electronic goods, computers and their parts reached 15.8 billion USD (accounting for 20.2% of total import turnover), went up by 20%; machinery, instrument and accessory reached 11.6 billion USD, went up by 15.2%; fabric reached 4.1 billion USD, went up by 8%; iron and steel reached 3.1 billion USD, rose by 3.9%; plastic reached 2.9 billion USD, grew by 3.9%; automobiles reached 2.4 billion USD, surged up by 95.6%; plastic products reached 2 billion USD, went up by 12.3%. In addition, import turnover of some products decreased compared to the same period in 2018: Phones and their parts reached 3.6 billion USD, edged down by 15.5%; metal was 2.1 billion USD, edged down by 9.5%.

Regarding the import market of goods in the first 4 months of 2019, China remained the largest import market of Vietnam with a turnover of 22.3 billion USD, went up by 18.8% over the same period last year, of which electronic goods, computers and their parts increased by 80.9%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 28.5%; fabric increased by 13.3%. The following was Korean market with 15.5 billion USD, went up by 3.1%, of which machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 9.3%; iron and steel increased by 5.4%; electronic goods, computers and their parts went up by 4.3%. ASEAN market reached 10.8 billion USD, jumped up by 9.2%, of which completely built-up cars increased by 619.3%; iron and steel increased by 372.3%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 11.3%. Japan reached 5.7 billion USD, went down by 1.4%, of which electronic goods, computers and their parts fell by 2.6%; iron and steel went down by 15.6%; phones and their parts went down by 85%. EU market reached 4.6 billion USD, went up by 14.8%, of which completely built-up cars increased by 714.6%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 23.8%. The United States reached 4.2 billion USD, climbed up by 14.3%, of which animal feed and auxiliary materials increased by 16.1%; machinery, instrument and accessory increased by 9.4%.

Trade balance of goods in March saw a trade surplus of 1.6 billion USD[13]; the first quarter witnessed a trade surplus of 1.4 billion USD; estimated trade deficit in April was 700 million USD. Generally, the trade surplus in 4 months of 2019 was 711 million USD[14] (in the same period last year, trade surplus was 3.7 billion USD), of which domestic economic sector saw a trade deficit of 9.46 billion USD; FDI sector (including crude oil) saw a trade surplus of 10.17 billion USD.

          c) Consumer price index, gold price index and US dollar price index

The increase in petroleum and electricity prices had a direct impact on the increase in consumer price index in the month, but the development of African swine cholera affected consumer psychology and the consistent application of flexible monetary policy to maintain the Government’s goal of macroeconomic stability contributed to curb inflation. Consumer price index (CPI) in April 2019 increased by 0.31% over the previous month, the average CPI in the first 4 months of 2019 increased by 2.71% over the same period in 2018, this was the lowest average increase in 4 months in the last 3 years[15].

In the increase of 0.31% of CPI in April 2019 compared to the previous month, there were 9/11 groups of goods and services having increased CPI. Transport group saw the highest increase of 4.29%, mainly due to the effect of 2 upward adjustments of petroleum and oil price on April 2nd, 2019 and April 17th, 2019 (making the general CPI increase by 0.41%); train ticket prices increased by 2.76% due to the need to travel on Commemorative Day and Reunification Day and May Day holidays. Housing and construction materials group increased by 0.6%[16]; household appliances increased by 0.11%; culture, entertainment and tourism increased by 0.1%; beverage and cigarette rose by 0.08%; garment, hat, footwear increased by 0.06%; education increased by 0.05% due to an increase of 0.76% in the textbook price index; medicine and medical service increased by 0.01%; other goods and services increased by 0.15%. The other two groups of goods and services had a decrease in the price index: Food and catering services decreased by 0.57%, of which food dropped by 0.39% mainly due to decreased export prices of rice; food decreased by 0.87% due to the decline in prices of most products in the group[17]; Postal service and telecommunication group went down by 0.07%.

Average consumer price index in the first 4 months of 2019 increased by 2.71% compared to the same period in 2018. CPI in April 2019 increased by 1% compared to December 2018 and went up by 2.93% over the same period last year.

The core inflation in April 2019 increased by 0.09% over that of the previous month and by 1.88% over that of the same period last year. Average core inflation in the first 4 months of this year increased by 1.84% compared to the same period in 2018.

Gold price index in April 2019 decreased by 0.5% compared to the previous month; an increase of 2.78% over December 2018 and a decrease of 1.27% over the same period in 2018. The US dollar price index in April 2019 decreased by 0.02% over the previous month; went down by 0.46% compared to December 2018 and went up by 1.89% over the same period in 2018.

          d) Passenger and freight transportation

Passenger carriage in April was estimated at 419.1 million passengers, up 1.1% over the previous month and 19.3 billion passengers-kilometers, up 1.9%. Generally for the first 4 months of 2019, passenger transport reached 1,656.1 million passengers, up 10.9% over the same period last year and 75.1 billion passengers-kilometers, up 9.6%, of which domestic transport reached 1,650.2 million passengers, up 10.9% and 58.7 billion passengers-kilometers, up 9.8%; foreign transport reached nearly 6 million passengers, up 10.2% and 16.3 billion passengers-kilometers, up 8.9%. By types of transport, roadway reached 1,565 million passengers, up 11.1% over the same period last year and 52.3 billion passengers-kilometers, up 10.7%; inland waterway reached 68.2 million passengers, up 7.8% and 1,329.8 million passengers-kilometers, up 7.2%; seaway reached 2.6 million passengers, up 6.3% and 152.4 million passengers-kilometers, up 6.9%; airway reached 17.7 million passengers, up 8% and 20.1 billion passengers-kilometers, up 8.3%; particularly railway reached only 2.6 million passengers, a fall of 9.3% and 1120.3 million passengers-kilometers, a reduction of 8.6%.

Freight carriage in April was estimated at 135.5 million tons, increasing by 0.9% over the previous month and 25.9 billion tons-kilometers, up by 1.0%. Generally for 4 months, freight carriage reached 547.6 million tons, up 8.7% over the same period last year and 104.1 billion tons-kilometers, up 6.6%, of which domestic transport reached 536.7 million tons, up 8.8% and 58.8 billion tons.km, up 9.7%; foreign transport reached 10.9 million tons, up 1.7% and 45.3 billion tons-kilometers, up 2.8%. By kinds of transport, roadway reached 421.4 million tons, up 9.5% over the same period last year and 28.2 billion tons-kilometers, up 9.1%; inland waterways reached 97.9 million tons, up 6.4% and 20.6 billion tons-kilometers, up 5%; seaway reached 26.5 million tons, up 5.9% and 53.8 billion tons-kilometers, up 6.3%; railway reached 1.7 million tons, down 12.9% and 1.1 billion tons-kilometers, down 11.7%; airway reached 134.3 thousand tons, up 16.1% and 338 million tons.km, up 16.7%.

           e) International visitors to Viet Nam

Vietnam continued to become an international tourist attraction in the first 4 months of 2019, the number of visitors has continuously reached over 1.4 million visitors per month since the beginning of the year. International arrivals to Vietnam in April were estimated at 1,468.8 thousand, increasing by 4.2% over the previous month, of which arrivals by airway increased by 5.9%; by roadway decreased by 10.3%; by seaway sharply soared by 120.5%. Compared to the same period last year, international visitors to Vietnam in April 2019 increased by 9.5%, of which arrivals from Asia increased by 11.5%; from Europe increased by 4.3%; visitors from America and Oceania both increased by 1%; from Africa increased by 16.4%.

Generally for the first 4 months of 2019, international visitors to Vietnam reached 5,968.9 thousand arrivals, up 7.6% over the same period last year, of which arrivals by airway reached 4,674 thousand, increasing by 5.4%; by roadway reached 1,175.4 thousand, increasing by 21.1%; by seaway reached 119.5 thousand, decreasing by 15.9%.

In the first four months of the year, most visitors from the main markets increased. Visitors from Asian countries still accounted for the largest proportion and had the highest growth rate, with nearly 4,522.5 thousand, up 8.5% over the same period last year, of which visitors from Korea reached nearly 1,445.9 thousand arrivals, up 23.2%; Japan 302.8 thousand visitors, up 8.2%; Taiwan 284.3 thousand visitors, up 25%; Malaysia 205.5 thousand arrivals, up 15.7%; Thailand 174.8 thousand persons, increasing by 46.5%; Singapore 94.5 thousand visitors, increasing by 3.1%; visitors from China still reached the highest level with 1,707.8 thousand but decreased by 3.8% compared to the same period last year.

Visitors from Europe were estimated at over 891 thousand, increasing by 5.7% over the same period last year, of which: Visitors from France reached 119.5 thousand, increasing by 4.5%; from UK 124,000 arrivals, an increase of 4.9%; from Germany 95.7 thousand arrivals, up 7%; from Switzerland 16 thousand, up 12.1%; Italy 29 thousand, increasing by 10.5%; the Netherlands 26.9 thousand visitors, up 5.5%.

Visitors from the Americas reached more than 375 thousand, up 5.1% over the same period last year, of which visitors from the US reached 281 thousand, up 6.7%, Canada reached 68.1 thousand, up 4.1%. Visitors from Oceania reached 163.6 thousand, up 0.4%, of which arrivals from Australia reached 147.2 thousand, down 0.3%. Visitors from Africa reached 16,000 arrivals, up 8.3% over the same period in 2018.

  1. SOCIAL ISSUES

      a) Food shortage among farmers

In April 2019, the whole country witnessed 15.4 thousand households suffering from food shortage, increasing by 16.3% over the same period in 2018, corresponding to 66.8 thousand persons suffering from food shortage, rising by 18%. Due to the pre-harvest period, the number of households as well as household members suffering from food shortage increased in comparison to that in the previous month. Generally for the first 4 months of 2019, the whole country had 43.9 thousand households suffering from food shortage, a reduction of 26.1% over the same period last year, equivalent to 172.1 thousand household members suffering from food shortage, down 25.5%. In order to overcome food shortage, from the beginning of the year, all administrative levels, sectors and organizations from the central to local level supported these households with 2.4 thousand tons of rice.

       b) Epidemic diseases and food poisoning

In April, there were 2,900 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease nationwide; 9.5 thousand cases of dengue fever (1 death); 67 cases of typhoid; 46 cases of viral encephalitis (4 deaths); 1 case of meningococcal disease and 413 people with food poisoning.

Generally for the first 4 months, there were 11.4 thousand cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (1 death); 51.5 thousand cases of dengue fever (3 deaths); 130 cases of viral encephalitis (4 deaths); 7 cases of meningococcal disease and 586 people with food poisoning (3 died).

It is notably that measles showed signs of increasing at the changing season of winter-spring. In April 2019 (from March 19 to April 18, 2019), the country has detected 5.9 thousand cases of hay fever, including 942 positive cases of measles (1 death). Generally, in the first 4 months of the year, there were 16.1 thousand cases of hay fever, of which 2.2 thousand positive cases of measles (2 deaths). The main cause of outbreaks of measles epidemic was that many cases of measles vaccination have not been given or vaccinations have not been given as scheduled.

The total number of alive HIV-infected persons over the country as of April 18, 2019 was 209.2 thousand and 96.04 thousand cases of AIDS; the number of people died of HIV/AIDS nationwide was 98.26 thousand.

       c) Traffic accidents

From March 16 to April 15, there were 1,423 traffic accidents nationwide, including 771 traffic accidents of less serious or more and 652 traffic collisions, causing 665 deaths, 406 injuries and 632 minor injuries. Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents in April increased by 5.7% (The number of traffic accidents of less serious or more increased by 8.9% and the number of traffic crashes increased by 2.2%); the number of deaths increased by 4.1%; the number of injured people increased by 14% and the number of minor injuries decreased by 3.2%.

Notably, there were some serious traffic accidents occurred in the month such as an accident on March 13 in Hai Duong between train and car that killed 2 persons and injured 3 persons; an accident on March 17 in Nam Dinh between train and motorbike that killed 2 persons; an accident caused by passenger car on March 22 in Hai Duong injured 11 persons; an accident in Vinh Phuc on March 27, killing 7 persons; an accident on April 5 at Hai Van tunnel between 2 cars, causing 2 deaths and 3 injuries; an accident in Binh Dinh on April 11, causing  3 died and 9 injured.

Generally in the first 4 months of 2019, the whole country had 5,453 traffic accidents, including 2,919 traffic accidents of less serious or more and 2,534 traffic crashes, making 2,570 people dead, 1,615 wounded and 2,564 people slightly injured. Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents in the first 4 months decreased by 9.4% (the number of traffic accidents of less serious or more decreased by 6%; the number of traffic collisions decreased by 13.1%); the number of deaths declined by 7.8%; the number of injured people increased by 2.5% and the number of minor injuries decreased by 16.2%. On average, in the first 4 months, the whole country had 45 traffic accidents a day, including 24 traffic accidents of less serious or more and 21 traffic collisions, causing 21 deaths, 13 injured persons and 21 slightly injured ones.

        d) Damages caused by natural disasters

Natural disasters occurred in April 2019 were mainly hail, thunderstorms and landslides in some areas of the Northern Midlands and Mountains areas, the South Central and Mekong River Delta, causing 2 deaths, 3 injured; 155 houses were collapsed, 4.4 thousand houses were unroofed and damaged; 2.8 thousand hectares of rice and vegetables were damaged. According to preliminary reports from provinces, the total loss caused by natural disasters in the month was estimated at more than 89 billion VND. Generally for the first 4 months, calamity made 10 persons died and gone missing, 19 injured; 427 houses collapsed, swept away; 12.4 thousand houses were unroofed and damaged; 7.6 thousand hectares of rice and vegetables were damaged. The total loss caused by natural disasters in 4 months was estimated at 194 billion VND.

        e) Fire and explosion prevention and environment protection

In April, 641cases of violating regulations of environment protection were found by the authorities, of which 535 cases were addressed with a total fine of nearly 9.2 billion VND. Generally, in the first 4 months, 3,019 cases of violating regulations of environment protection were detected in the whole country, of which 2,662 cases were handled with a total fine of 31.2 billion VND.

In April 2019, there were 320 fires and explosions  occurred in the whole country, causing 14 deaths and 17 injuries, with total estimated damage at 110 billion VND. Generally, in the first 4 months, there were 1,277 fires and explosions nationwide, causing 44 deaths and 74 injuries, and the damage was estimated at over 264 billion VND./.

GENERAL STATISTICS OFFICE

[1] Pangasius prices currently ranged from 24,000-26,000 VND / kg, falling by 3,000-4,000 VND / kg compared with that of over the first months of the year.

[2] Because the oil and gas activities reduced their the number of employees.

[3] Because a company manufacturing electronic components applied the automatic production line reducing the number of employees and a company manufacturing electrical equipment prepared to dissolve due to loss in business and production.

[4] Due to the reduction in quantity of employees in some enterprises which manufactures electronic components, toys and steel.

[5]Source: National Enterprise Registration Information System, Department of Business Registration Management, Ministry of Planning and Investment.

[6] Compared to the same period last year, the number of enterprises increased by 2.4%; the registered capital rose by 25%.

[7] In the first four months of 2018, the number of newly registered enterprises went up 4.3% over the same period last year; the registered capital increased by 11.5%; the average registered capital per enterprise a rise of 6.8%.

[8] The growth rates of investment capital of the state budget in April over the same period of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were 13.7%, 6.1%, 8.6% and 1.2%, respectively. The growth rates of investment capital of the state budget in the first 4 months compared to the same period of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were 11.7%, 4.4%, 9.8% and 3%, respectively.

[9] The number of newly granted projects in 4 months of years 2016-2019 was 697, 734, 883 and 1,082 projects respectively. The newly registered capital for 4 months of the years 2016-2019 was 5.1 billion USD; 4.9 billion USD; 3.6 billion USD; and 5.3 billion USD, respectively.

[10] In particular, the ACTR All-Steel Radian Tire Manufacturing Project, invested by Chinese investors in Tay Ninh, had a total registered capital of 280 million USD..

[11] Growth rate of gross retail sales of consumer goods and services in 4 months of the period 2015-2019:  10.7%; 10%; 10%; 11.3%; 11.9%, respectively.

[12] Because April had fewer working days than March (Commemorative Day and Reunification Day and May Day holidays), beside that, Samsung Galaxy S10 product have been focused on export in March.

[13] Trade surplus in March was estimated at 600 million USD.

[14] Particularly, trade surplus to EU reached 9.1 billion USD, went down by 2.3% compared to the same period last year; trade deficit from China was 11.9 billion USD, went up by 53.8%; trade deficit from Korea was 9.3 billion USD, went up by 0.4%; trade deficit from ASEAN was 2.4 billion USD, went up by 16.3%.

[15] Average CPI growth rates in the first 4 months compared to the same period last year in 2017-2019 were: 4.8%; 2.8%; 2.71%.

[16] Mainly because the average electricity price was adjusted up by 8.36% from March 20th, 2019 in line with the Decision No. 648/QD-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the price of electricity increased by 1.85% over the previous month; liquefied gas price increased by 1.42%; prices of housing maintenance materials increased by 0.98%.

[17] The price of pork decreased by 3.07% over the previous month because consumers were still afraid of African swine cholera, switching to other foodstuffs instead; prices of fresh fishery products decreased by 0.18%; prices of poultry eggs of all kinds decreased by 1.33%; prices of fresh vegetables decreased by 0.93% and prices of some fresh and processed fruits decreased; only beef price increased by 0.12%; chicken prices increased by 0.48%; Other living weight poultry prices increased by 1.35%.

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