Internet service in Vietnam to be disrupted this weekend

 The internet service connecting Viet Nam with other countries is expected to be affected this weekend due to a disruption in the submarine cable systems of Asia-Pacific Getaway (APG) and Asia-America Getaway (AAG).

Police fine more than 1,300 drivers on highway

 Traffic police of different provinces have fined over 1,300 drivers for violating regulations on Highway 1A, stretching from the northern province of Ha Nam to the central province of Nghe An. 

Border guard save British man stuck in canyon

 Soldiers from the border guard force in the northern city of Hai Phong rescued a British man stuck in a small mountain canyon in Cat Ba District’s Cat Dua Island on Thursday midnight.

Pedestrians unaware of new traffic violation penalties

 Many pedestrians in HCM City are unaware of the new penalties that took effect from January 1.

Le Quang Liem drops to 23rd in FIDE world ranking

 Vietnamese chess star Le Quang Liem has fallen to 23rd spot, with a new Elo rating of 2,737, in the latest International Chess Federation (FIDE) rankings for January 2018.

Coral reefs head for 'knock-out punch'

 Repeat bouts of warmer seawater are posing a significant challenge to the world's tropical corals.

Vietnam had catfish bumper year in 2017

Vietnam’s catfish (pangasius) export turnover in 2017 was expected to reach $1.8 billion, an increase of 4 percent over the year before, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). 

200-year-old canon discovered in Quang Ninh

 A cannon dated back 200 years ago was recently discovered in mid December during the implementation of a water supply project on Long Dinh lake in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Vietnam plans to welcome 15-17 million foreign visitors in 2018

 The tourism sector will take drastic and synchronous measures in 2018 to reach the target of receiving 15-17 million international tourists, the Government said at a recent online meeting with cities and provinces nationwide.

Vietnam Da Lat Coffee returns to Starbucks

US coffee chain Starbucks on Thursday announced that it would again sell Vietnamese Da Lat coffee at its stores starting from Saturday, January 6.

HCM City to pilot public car rentals

HCM City plans to run a pilot car rental service for Government officials to reduce expenditures, according to Vo Van Hoan, spokesperson for the HCM City’s People’s Committee.

HDBank debuts in HOSE, gets into Top 20 heavyweights

 The Ho Chi Minh City Development Bank, or HDBank, debuted on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE) on January 5, offering about 981 million shares at the reference price of 33,000 VND (1.45 USD) each.

Mark Zuckerberg vows to 'fix' Facebook

 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has vowed to "fix" Facebook, in what he described as his personal challenge for 2018.

Meltdown and Spectre: All Mac devices affected says Apple

 Apple has said that all iPhones, iPads and Mac computers are affected by two major flaws in computer chips.

Impressive achievements in Vietnam’s exports in 2017

 Vietnam’s exports in 2017 were fruitful despite many difficulties caused by natural disasters and import markets. The Ministry of Industry and Trade predicts that Vietnam will earn US$200 billion from exports this year.

Yoga trainer eases cancer patients’ pain

The 5.30am yoga class was over. Hurriedly wrapping up her mat, sweaty Dang Thi Quynh Nhu could not spare time for a refreshing shower. After teaching the first class of the morning, she headed straight to the hospital.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 5/1

 Social housing: Loan interest rate maintained at 5%, VIB rolls out biometric authentication logins, Moody assigns first-time rating to LienVietPostBank, Cement consumption reaches 80 million tonnes in 2017

Foreign investors covet food market

VietNamNet Bridge - The growth of the Vietnamese food market has made it a magnet for foreign companies. 

Vietnam advances weather forecasting via int’l cooperation

2017 was an eventful year for international cooperation at the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, helping the centre improve its severe weather forecasting capacity.

VNPT’s restructuring plan get green light

 Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has approved the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT)’s restructuring plan for 2018-2020.

Cashew exports hit record high of over $3.5 billion

The export turnover of 353,000 tonnes of cashew in 2017 touched 3.52 billion USD, the highest level ever recorded, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Vietnam government seeks to cut half of business rules in 2018

 The government will strive to reduce and simplify half its of current existing conditional business requirements in 2018 in an effort to improve Vietnam’s business climate to boost growth.

Vietnamese spend $354m on snacks

Vietnamese people spend USD354m on snacks in 2017, according to the market research company Statista.   

PM questions suspension of $120-million soda plant

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested Quang Nam Province’s authorities to provide a report on a local $120-million soda plant which has been halted just some months after becoming operational.

Charity primary school serves underprivileged

At the end of the school day, the students at The Sacred Heart in HCM City often dash home without taking the time to change their uniforms or even take a shower so they can help their parents sell lottery tickets or cassava.