The Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) must resolve all non-performing loans kept at the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC) soon, said deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue.

FDI in manufacturing in the Southern Key Economic Zone last year exceeded the target, and authorities in the provinces and cities comprising the zone are hoping the trend will continue.

 Vietnam will continue to face difficulties in exporting cassava this year, especially to China, the largest export market of local cassava, according to the Viet Nam Cassava Association.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The planned multi-trillion dong flood-prevention project in HCM City is expected to resume soon after being delayed since late April last year, said the investor.  

Mekong Delta provinces are making efforts to develop digital farming, enabling farmers to use technologies to take care of their farms remotely.

 Competition between domestic and foreign retailers was likely to remain fierce this year, requiring Vietnamese businesses to co-operate in order to maintain their market shares, said an official from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy noted the efforts by ASEAN to narrow development gaps among its members at a session of the Commission for Social Development of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

U.S-based National Geographic’s listing of best travel spots for 2019 includes Vietnam’s Hoang Lien Son mountain range.

With an ability to sing in five ethnic minority languages, artist Cao Minh Hien wants to preserve the rhythms as a way to keep their traditional culture alive through generations.

 A photo exhibition featuring works on Vietnam by Spanish photographers opened on February 11 in Madrid, Spain. 

 Children of the ethnic minority groups now feel more confident to attend primary schools as language barrier has been gradually removed.

 Advanced International JSC (AIC) has launched a free application named “9999 Tet,” helping users, especially visually-impaired people, access information about the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. 

 Authorities are augmenting support for the Vietnamese workers victimised by a fire at a company in Taiwan on February 6.

 Two Russian tourists were found dead at Pham Van Dong beach, in Nha Trang city in the central province of Khanh Hoa, on February 12.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Binh Thuy House in the southern city of Can Tho, owned by the Duong family for generations and built in 1870, is a popular stop for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors.

 Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has approved tasks adjusting the master plan for the central city of Da Nang.

 Weirdest pig breeds in the world

 Vietnamese students won two gold medals at the International Talent Mathematics Contest (ITMC), which took place in Thailand from February 7 to 11.

 Six Vietnamese futsal players will train with top-flight Spanish clubs in preparation for coming international tournaments.

 Vietnamese poetry and music hit the airwaves in the US on February 11, with the programme “Lanterns hanging on the wind” broadcast on several university radio stations.

 First-class health care facilities nationwide under the management of the health ministry are required to apply electronic health care records starting from March 1, according to a circular issued by the ministry.

 As many as 521 endangered wildlife animals were saved in Vietnam in 2018 thanks to the engagement of people and law enforcement agencies, NGO Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) announced on February 11.

 A festival dedicated to Mother Au Co – the legendary mother of Vietnam – opened in Hien Luong commune of Ha Hoa district, the northern province of Phu Tho, on February 11 (or the seventh day of the first month of the Year of the Pig).

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a plan to implement the 2018 Law on Vietnam Coast Guard.

Vietnam’s national men’s and women’s football teams are expected to bring home gold medals in the SEA Games 30, which will take place in the Philippines later this year, said Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien.