Vietnamese businesses should tighten cooperation to protect brand names and prestige of Vietnamese seafood on both local and world markets, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan said.

Trade between Vietnam and Russia increased 4% from a year earlier to over $1.7 billion in 2009, according to an official of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Vietnam will do its utmost to boost cooperation, especially trade ties among ASEAN members and between the bloc and China when the country assumes the ASEAN Presidency 2010.

Vietnam Economic Times online newspaper has voted the country s top trade events in 2009 as follows:

A delegation of transportation and education officials from Atlantic Canada will travel to Vietnam from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 to boost trade and education links with the Southeast Asian country.

Policymakers, experts and businesses gathered in HCM City on November 14 to discuss ways to develop a complete system for trading and exporting rice, which is one of Vietnam s strategic commodities.

The Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas) said local companies have pushed up raw cashew prices to VND20 million/ton because of thin supply.