HCMC has allowed the conversion of officetels for some projects in the city, allowing them to be used for other purposes, besides residences, to remove obstacles for enterprises, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.

 The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has told commercial banks to provide continued support for the rice sector in the Mekong Delta by offering loans to rice farmers and trading firms to beef up their rice production and consumption.

 After a year with many ups and downs in business, the shareholders' meeting season returned, with many prominent entrepreneurs revealing to retire early.

 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has approved the environmental impact assessment report of a project to upgrade and expand the Dung Quat Oil Refinery, which is operated by the Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company (BSR). 

 The Government has issued a programme on practising thrift and fighting wastefulness in 2019, with one of the measures requiring cutting 10 percent of regular budget spending. 

 Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh has asked the Government Inspectorate to look into complaints by local people about a new urban area north of the Cam River in Hai Phong City.

 HCM City authorities have instructed to tighten control over municipal official’s overseas travel using the state budget.

 Thanh Hoa Province authorities are planning to relocate 359 households who live in areas that are vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.

 An illegal tourism site has been built on forested land by the son of an environment official in Quang Nam Province.

 Thirty-seven train drivers for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro route in Hanoi have been sent to China for training courses as the line is scheduled to begin services in April 2019.

 Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007, will be a special guest in attendance at the “Son 3” concert, set to take place at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on March 30-31.

 Da Nang city and Thua Thien – Hue and Quang Nam provinces will coordinate with the Vietnam General Department of Tourism to promote tourism at the 2019 International Tourism Exchange in Berlin (ITB), Germany, from March 6-10.

 The Olympic Run Day for Public Health 2019 will take place on March 24 morning, the Vietnam Sports Administration announced on March 6.

Park Hang-seo will coach Vietnam’s U22 football team at the upcoming 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, with the optimal goal of conquering the long-awaited men’s football gold medal at the largest regional sporting event.

 The ADB and the WB have decided to use the Vietnam National E-Procurement System to implement online bidding for bidding packages that are widely competitive in the field of construction and goods.

 Following the success of previous years, the seventh Vietnam International Travel Mart 2019 (VITM 2019), themed ‘Green Tourism’, will be held at the Vietnam – Soviet Friendship Labour Cultural Palace in Hanoi from March 27-30.

 Up to 70 percent of Japanese businesses have announced that they want to expand operations in Vietnam, especially in manufacturing, trade and service, and retail sector, according to the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

 Member of the Party Central Committee and Standing Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son paid a visit to France on March 4 and 5 as a special envoy of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. 

 The UN Women in Vietnam, the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), and the Vietnamese Women’s Museum launched a mobile exhibition themed “The safe journey” on March 6 to raise public awareness of ensuring safety for women and children.

 A museum is calling for the donation of documents and objects linked to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, which saw Vietnam defeating the French colonialists to put an end to their rule in Indochina in 1954.

 The Da Nang Museum will host the Japan Culture Festival on March 10, introducing a series of traditional cultural activities and performances from Japan to local residents and tourists.

 As disputes between apartment residents and developers are cropping up in HCM City, the Ministry of Construction and the National Assembly’s Committee on Law will inspect the management and operation of several apartment buildings in the city.

 Localities throughout the country have been active in taking concrete measures to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF).

 Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in protecting and promoting civil and political rights will be shared at the 125th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 11-12.

 Vietnamese Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin co-chaired the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation in Manila on March 6.