HCM City manholes turned into canvases

 A group of young people in HCM City are making the city more colourful by painting on the manholes.

Scholars study nghe, ancient sacred animal

 VietNamNet Bridge – A team of researchers, including Tran Hau Yen The, Nguyen Duc Hoa and Ho Huu Long, have published a book on the nghe, a sacred animal that guards temples and communal houses.

Condotel business sees high growth on back of tourism

 During the first few months of 2018, the market has witnessed a notable number of new condotel launches.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends ASEAN-Australia Special Summit

 Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held at the International Convention Centre on March 17.

Replicas in school bring history to life

 VietNamNet Bridge – Students of the Huong Phung Primary School learn about history and culture not only in their textbooks but also through lively replicas installed in the school premises.

HCM City Hat Boi Theatre targets young audiences

VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City Hat Boi Theatre has launched its new free programme offering hat boi or tuong performances for primary school students as part of the theatre’s efforts to attract young audiences.  

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 18/3

 Japan firms want red tape cut, TPBank to announce pre-listing shareholder profiles, Banks offer preferential credit packages to businesses, More opportunities await Vietnam’s wood industry than challenges: official     

Huge resettlement area abandoned in HCM City

 A large resettlement area in HCM City's District 2 has been abandoned for years due to high prices.

Two new Vietnamese billionaires on Forbes list

Hoa Phat and Truong Hai, companies owned by newly recognized dollar billionaires Tran Dinh Long and Tran Ba Duong, respectively, are leaders in their industries but also investors in agriculture.

Diversifying investment capital in the real estate sector

 It was forecast that the capital inflows into the Vietnamese real estate sector would continue to go up this year.

Smart house of the future

 In the whirlwind of Industry 4.0, the adoption of smart home application attracts great attention from users in Vietnam. Duc Thanh provides an insight into the matter.

Teachers and parents have let our children down

 VietNamNet Bridge – Mahatma Gandhi famously said that eye for an eye would make the whole world go blind. In other words, two wrongs don’t make a right.

Social News In Brief

 4 dead from suspected alcohol poisoning, 1 critical, Efforts joined to tackle gestational diabetes in VN, HCM City health officials to inspect private medical centres, beauty clinics, 9 bodies recovered from Red River

Major cities of Vietnam stay in top 10 of Momentum Index

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been continuously staying among the global top 10 of JLL’s Short-Term Momentum Index, coming in at third and sixth places this time. 

Overloaded dumping site tortures locals

 Dozens of households in Duc Tho District, Ha Tinh Province are complaining about pollution caused by an overloaded dumping site in the area.

Vietnam beach rated among top ten eco-friendly beaches

 Vietnam’s Dat Tham beach in Con Dao has been listed among the top ten eco-friendly beaches in South-east Asia by the UK’s Independent Newspaper.

HCM City parking fees face six-fold increase

 HCM City People's Council approved a six-fold increase in car parking fees on roads at a meeting on March 16.

HCM City may fail in old apartment restoration target

 HCM City may fail to reach the target to restore 50% out of the city’s total old apartment building number of 474, according to the municipal Department of Construction.

Sapa status upgrade creates opportunities for property investors

 Sapa’s upcoming achievement of town status will pave the way for more opportunities for investors in the real estate market.

ASEAN, Australia sign MoU on counter-terrorism

 Officials of Australia and the ASEAN member states signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening co-operation to counter international terrorism within the framework of the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit in Sydney, Australia on Saturday. 

Hanoi goes vibrant with activities response to Earth Hour

 Over 1,000 people came together at the walking and painting events held on the pedestrian streets around Hoan Kiem (Returned Sword) Lake, Hanoi on March 17 in response to the Earth Hour 2018.

Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai remembered in photos

 Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai passed away at 1:30 on March 17 at Cu Chi, Ho Chi Minh City, aged 85. Let's take a look back over his time as PM of Vietnam through a collection of photos by VNA.

State funeral of former PM Phan Van Khai on March 20-21

 A State funeral will be held on March 20-21 for former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, who passed away on March 17.

Vietnam aims to complete roll-out of cashless tolling by 2019

 The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) has requested all of the toll stations in Vietnam to employ an electronic toll collection system by the end of 2019, in an effort to make the collections more transparent.  

Nha Trang to host Vietnam Renewable Energy Summit 2018

 The Viet Nam Renewable Energy Summit 2018 (VRES 2018) will take place on March 26 to 28 in InterContinental Nha Trang in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa’s Nha Trang City.