(VOV) – Vietnam’s GDP has recorded an increase of 5.18% from last year in the first half of this year with strong increases seen in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, industry and services. The information was released at a press briefing held by the General Statistics Office (GSO) on Friday in Hanoi to announce Vietnam’s socio-economic statistics for the first half of 2014.

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The Office said as many as 37,300 businesses have registered for operation with a combined capitalization of 11.5 billion USD, expanding 19.3% on the registered value. The number of businesses that have resumed their operations has surpassed 8300, reflecting businesses’ trust in Vietnam’s economic recovery.