Liquidity of the banking system has been plentiful again after the Lunar New Year (Tet), helping the central bank net withdraw more than 51.55 trillion VND (2.2 billion USD) in the past week.

 Six Vietnamese students have completed an agricultural MSc programme, the fourth course, carried out under cooperation between the Arava International Centre for Agriculture Training (AICAT) and Tel Aviv University (TAU) of Israel. 

 Vietnam is an impressive emerging market with a rapid increase of foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as the appearance of mega-factories in recent years, stimulating technology corporations to expand their presence here.

VietNamNet Bridge - After almost a decade, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is considering sharp cuts in banks’ reserve requirements applied to huge amounts of deposits. 

The program on payments for forest environmental services (PFES), supervised by the Vietnam forest protection and development fund (VNFF) at the national level with coordination of 44 provincial funds, has seen positive results, reports have found.

Brands and retailers must determine what is likely to win favor among the Millennial generation.

 Tran Thuong Temple’s food-distributing festival took place in the northern province of Ha Nam on February 18 or the 14th day of the first lunar month. 

 A mass release of aquatic species into Dong Ho lagoon took place in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang’s Ha Tien city on February 19, aiming to regenerate the local fishery resources.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh will pay a visit to Germany from February 20-21.

 Northern border defence war

 The biennial Hue Traditional Craft Festival, which honours the value of heritage and raises the quality of traditional trade villages, has helped Vietnamese handicraft products reach out to the world.

 Authorities in the Mekong Delta are setting up firebreaks, preparing equipment and putting up warning boards as the area’s forests face a high risk of fire in the dry season.

 The recent abnormal weather conditions have indicated that natural disasters will be unpredictable in the time ahead, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

 A seminar on the film industry will take place at Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City on February 19 to help young Vietnamese filmmakers gain access to regional and international film festivals.

 As a popular investment channel for foreign investors in recent times, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) secured Ho Chi Minh City 6 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in 2018.

 An exhibition featuring works by Thai artist Vichit Nongnual opened at Dong A Gallery in the capital city of Hanoi on February 19. 

 Nearly 90 percent of measles cases reported in Vietnam can be traced to people who were either not vaccinated against the highly contagious virus, received no full vaccinations or had unknown vaccination status.

 Hanoi and Moscow are expected to promote cooperation and experience sharing in numerous fields, especially corruption prevention.

Vietnam has detected African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in the northern provinces of Thai Binh and Hung Yen, unveiled Director of the Department of Animal Health Pham Van Dong on February 19.

 Deputy Minister of National Defence, Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh made a courtesy call to Chinese Minister of National Defence, Sen. Lt. Gen. Wei Fenghe during his working trip to China from February 19-22.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on February 19 for head coach of the Vietnamese men’s football team Park Hang-seo and his spouse. 

 The ongoing tulip festival at the Sun World Ba Na Hills tourism complex in the central coastal city of Da Nang has been recognized by the Guinness Vietnam Record as the biggest of its kind in Vietnam.

 The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has requested its chapters in the Mekong Delta and commercial banks to provide loans for rice procurement in the 2019 Winter-Spring crop, which is now in the prime harvest season in the delta.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a working session with ministries and agencies in Hanoi on February 19 to discuss the acceleration of rice purchase as a way to improve income for farmers. 

 A cherry blossom viewing festival opened at the Hoi An Impression Theme Park in Hoi An ancient city of the central province of Quang Nam on February 19.