The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has issued a document asking credit institutions and branches of foreign banks to push the resolving of non-performing loans in 2018.

 Many banks have planned to set up more branches and transaction offices in the early days of the new year to seize new business opportunities.

Thousands of Japanese goods imported into Vietnam will enjoy a zero percent tariff, in line with the Southeast Asian country’s commitments to lower tariffs.

As Tet approaches, a group of gourmets from Hanoi is visiting the northern province of Cao Bang to seek the best mien dong (canna vermicelli) to make cellophane noodles. The rhizomes of the plant are full of starch.

 Despite concerns from economic experts about the undetermined scale and scope of Viet Nam’s undocumented market transactions, authorities are adamant that the illicit economy is under control and will soon be regulated heavily.

 Viet Nam still offers competitive labour costs for those wishing to invest in the Asia Pacific, the Vietnamese Total Workforce Index (TWI) has revealed.

 Visitors have complained that the Da Lat Cherry Blossom Festival was held too late when there are no more blossoms to see.

 Many parents in Hanoi are desperate to find a babysitter for their children as nursery and primary schools are closed as temperatures dropped to below 10 degrees on January 30.

 Hanoi has planned to hold firework displays at dozens of places across the city on the coming Lunar New Year Eve with a 30-minute show for Hoan Kiem Lake area.

 Colonel Dinh Xuan Nghi, head of Hoi An Town's Police Department, said on January 29 that they were investigating a case where an Australian tourist was beaten up by a group of motorbike taxi drivers.

 VietNamNet Bridge – With Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday just a few weeks away, more customers are patronising beauty salons and spas in HCM City and Hanoi, mostly for hair and skin care services.

 The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have proposed tighter business conditions for restaurants to serve tourists, which has faced the public opposition.

 Parts of London Underground are "loud enough to damage people's hearing", the BBC has been told.

 Actress Kate Winslet has said she has "bitter regrets" over "poor decisions" to work with certain film-makers.

 Facebook says it is changing the way its news delivery service works by focusing on local news sources in its drive for "high quality" content.

 Saigon Heat lost to Tanduay Alab Pilipinas of the Philippines 95-87 in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) at the CIS Arena in HCM City on January 28.

Reports released recently by market analysis firms all show that in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) sector, Vietnamese brands hold the upper hand over rivals from multinational corporations.

 Hanoi architecture past and present is reflected through sketches and mixed media artworks displayed at an exhibition in the city.

 The annual pilgrimage festival honouring the Vietnamese people’s ancestors, the Hung Kings, will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho between April 21 and 25.

 Forbes, a global media company, on January 29 run an article on its website stressing that the Vietnamese football team’s performance at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship is a clear proof for the success of youth training.

After the penalty shootout against Qatar in the 2018 AFC Under 23 Championship semi-final match that carried Vietnam into the final of the competition for the first time in history, thousands of fans flocked to the streets nationwide to celebrate.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a master plan to develop Ba Den (Black Lady) Mountain national tourism site in the southern province of Tay Ninh into a special spiritual and cultural site by 2035.

 Export turnover of agro-forestry-aquatic products in January 2018 was estimated at 3.09 billion USD, up 25.9 percent against the same period last year. 

 There will be more than 40,260 redundant teachers when the new national curriculum for general education is implemented from 2019, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

The Ministry of Health urged city and provincial people’s committees, health departments and citizens across the country to take preventions against a possible bird flu over the next 16 days ahead of the Lunar New Year.