The book provides comprehensive information on Vietnamese businesses and will be released annually in the first quarter of each year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment announced Wednesday at a press conference.

Compiled by the General Statistics Office (GSO), the book is scheduled to be published on the websites of the ministry and the GSO on July 22; and the print version will be released on August 1.

GSO's head Nguyen Bich Lam said the White Book would provide the most detailed information on the state of business development by economic sector, business type and locality.

Its purpose is to help the government, ministries, agencies and local authorities be better informed when formulating strategies, plans and policies to sustainably and effectively develop the business sector, he said.

The 2019 edition of the book contains four sections: the context of business development in 2018; an overview of Vietnamese businesses development in 2018 and the 2016-2018 period; solutions for business development and the set of standards for evaluating business development in 2018 and the 2016-2018 period.

Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said the 2016-2018 period was "the period of strongest development for businesses in history," in terms of both numbers and the scale of newly established businesses setting new records.

On average, nearly 123,000 new businesses entered the market each year with a total registered capital of VND1.2 quadrillion ($52 billion), a 49.3 percent increase in number and a 156 percent increase in registered capital compared to the previous three-year period.

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue said the White Book provides a basis for comparing economic efficiency and allows businesses to know their standing, and access information on how domestic private and FDI businesses are doing and how they are contributing to the economy.

The Wikipedia defines a white paper as "an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision."