Resort property market: mini hotels on the wane, homestays on the rise

VietNamNet Bridge - Investors are now developing new types of resort properties like homestays as condotels are no longer the preferred investment channel. 

Photo exhibition reflects on urbanisation

 VietNamNet Bridge – The photo exhibition Midway by Duy Phuong will open to the public at L’Espace from 6pm on March 16.

E-commerce boom in VN’s future: experts

 Vietnamese e-commerce has been exploding two decades after the internet first came to Viet Nam, said head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of E-Commerce and Economy Dang Hoang Hai.

US to inspect Vietnam catfish controls

 The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will inspect Viet Nam’s catfish quality control system in the next few months, according the National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD).

VN central bank issues bills valued at nearly $1.9bn

 The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) issued bills worth some VND43 trillion (US$1.89 billion) in the past week to withdraw money from the banking system.

Policemen suspected of taking bribes temporarily suspended

 VietNamNet Bridge – Some traffic policemen in Hanoi were suspended from work after they were caught taking money from violators, 

Construction ministry cracks down on pollution

Construction investors are often totally indifferent to the storm of dust, construction waste and general filth their projects unleash on the general public. 

Brain back-up start-up 'will be the death of users'

 A start-up that claims it will one day allow people to back-up their brains admits it will come at the ultimate price: death.

Le Quang Liem close to leading group at HDBank Open

 Defending champion Le Quang Liem is close to the leading group of the HDBank International Chess Open Tournament after winning the seventh game in the morning session on March 14.

Southern region set for heat wave

With the cold high pressure system weakening and moving east and a subtropical high pressure system crossing the south, there will be a heat wave in the south, including HCM City, until May.

Chinese gang get up to 42 months in jail over bank card scam

 The People’s Court of Hanoi on March 14 sentenced three Chinese men, all from Jiangxi province, to up to 42 months in prison for using fake bank cards to steal cash from ATMs.

Russian contemporary ballet to be performed in Hanoi

 Dancers from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) will perform The Firebird ballet in a contemporary style featuring Vietnamese folk dance at Hanoi Opera House on March 15-16.

VN win second match at Junior Davis Cup

Vietnamese players continued their good performance at the ongoing Junior Davis Cup pre-qualification, Asia-Oceania zone, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Da Nang set tourism into pillar industry by 2020

 A conference took place in the central city of Da Nang on March 14 to discuss ways to turn tourism into a pillar industry by 2020, with a focus on luxury cruise tourism. 

Female Indian motorcyclists arrive in Vietnam

 A group of four female motorcycling enthusiasts from India have reached Vietnam as part of their journey to cover UNESCO World Heritage Sites in seven nations along Mekong River.

Second Japanese investment wave to stem from SMEs

 Domestic firms must prepare for more opportunities in the future as a new wave of Japan’s investment into Vietnam is expected to stem from Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Plastic particles found in bottled water

 Tests on major brands of bottled water have found that nearly all of them contained tiny particles of plastic.

Vietnam to review long-delayed projects

 The withdrawal of the $3.2-billion Vung Ro refinery and petrochemical complex shows that Vietnam needs to review large-scale projects and withdraw long-delayed projects, especially those of foreign direct investment (FDI).

Loc Vung trees shed their leaves on Hoan Kiem Lake

The mature Loc vung (Barringtonia acutangula) trees around Hoan Kiem Lake have recently begun to shed their leaves, creating a romantic scene by the water.

Amazon, Alibaba entry into Vietnam shakes up market

VietNamNet Bridge - The news that Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer, is arriving in March has stirred up the retail community.

Saigon Players stage Shakespeare in Saigon

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Saigon Players, an English-language theatre group, will stage the comedy Shakespeare in Saigon by Australian director Cernarth Fox from March 15-17.

HCM City allocates $1.6m for rural vocational training

 VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City plans to earmark more than VND38 billion (US$1.6 million) this year providing free vocational training for people living in rural areas.

Eight fishermen rescued from distressed ship

 Search and rescue forces have rescued all eight fishermen from a stranded fishing vessel in central Nghe An Province.

Vinafood II raises $51 mln selling 23 percent of stakes in March IPO

 The State-run Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood II) raised nearly 1.16 trillion VND (51.1 million USD) from selling 22.97 percent of its stakes at an initial public offering (IPO) on March 14.

Vietnam likely to export 6.5 million tonnes of rice in 2018

 Vietnam likely to export 6.5 million tonnes of rice in 2018