Number of Vietnamese newly-established enterprises increases in first 8 months

As many as 52,000 Vietnamese businesses were established in the first eight months of 2013, showing a good sign of the country's economic recovery, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam. Since the second quarter of 2013, the number of newly- established businesses has increased and that of the dissolved ones has decreased, the website of Vietnamese government quoted the ministry as saying on Tuesday. In the first half of 2013, the number of newly-established businesses rose 7.6 percent compared to the same period and 15.5 percent over the second half of 2012, said the ministry. In the second quarter of 2013 alone, some 23,201 enterprises came into operation, the highest rate in the past two years. Total retail sales and service revenues in August increased 0.7 percent over July and 13.5 percent year-on-year, reported the General Statistics Office of Vietnam. In the first eight months of 2013, the country's total retail sales and service revenues were estimated to reach 1,706 trillion Vietnamese dong (80.8 billion U.S. dollars), up 12.3 percent year- on-year, which, with the factor of low loan rate, contributes to business expansion.