Vietnamese women work at a salt field in Hon Khoi, Nha Trang province!

Vietnamese women work at a salt field in Hon Khoi, Nha Trang province. Vietnam’s gross domestic product growth is off to a salty start in the first quarter of this year and will likely be one percentage point slower than target due to China’s fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic and a week-long Lunar New Year holiday, the government said on Wednesday. Vietnam’s aviation, tourism, agriculture industries and exports are expected to take a hit from the epidemic, the government said in a statement. “If Chinese economy slowed significantly, it would continue to impact Vietnam,” the statement said. China, where the epidemic has killed 490 people, is Vietnam’s largest trading partner. — Reuters