US author lectures on VN legendary spy Pham Xuan An

 American historian Larry Berman, author of a book on Vietnamese legendary spy Phạm Xuân Ẩn, spoke about the famous spy with students from the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) yesterday.

HCM City: Couple uses child to beg for drugs money, detained

 Police on Thursday confirmed they have detained a couple in HCM City who allegedly used a child to beg for money to buy drugs.

Bribery rampant at bus stations in HCM City

 Nine officials from a public transport operation centre in HCM City were suspended for 15 days after a report published on Thanh Niên (Young people) newspaper on Wednesday claimed they were corrupt.

Rare trees in Yen Bai Province almost wiped out

Residents of Ban Mu Commune in Yen Bai have often relied on the illegal felling of valuable timber from the pơ mu tree (Fujian Cypress) to make ends meet. 

Old man helps kids cross the road

 For six years, Quang has helped hundreds of students cross the road safely. His two daily shifts at Trung Sơn Tram Primary School are inspired by disturbing accidents he saw years ago.

The man dedicated to saving wildlife

 “Everyone has their own interest. To me, I choose rescuing wild animals as my passion,” said Nguyen Thanh Long from the Central Highlands’s province of Dak Lak.

Almost 1,000 people register to donate organs

 Nearly 1,000 people registered to donate their tissue and organs at a health festival that took place in the northern province of Nam Dinh on November 17.

APEC 2017: Indonesian paper hails Vietnam’s new position

 Indonesia’s Antara News has recently published an article saying the support and active participation of APEC member economies in the freshly-concluded APEC Summit will be a lever for Vietnam to promote its “soft power.”

Saigon mornings are for the beautiful birds

 A coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tao Dan Park has become a popular place for people who like to listen to and admire beautiful songbirds.

Lawmakers question about judicial, economic corruption issues

 Deputies raised a number of questions about measures to improve the quality of judicial work and the settlement of economic corruption cases at the Q&A session of the ongoing fourth sitting of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi on November 18.

Foreign media consider APEC 2017 diplomatic success of Vietnam

 Many foreign press outlets have described APEC 2017, with the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Da Nang city from November 6-11 the highlight, as a diplomatic success of Vietnam this year.

Leather, footwear industries expand exports to EU

 Vietnamese leather and footwear exporters must comply with the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement’s rules of origin and be prepared to deal with EU barriers and anti-dumping measures, speakers said at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 17.

iPhone X available in Vietnam from December 8

 iPhone X – Apple’s latest iPhone product – will officially be sold in Vietnam from December 8.

Community Art Event “Lip xinh” in Hanoi

 VietNamNet Bridge - “Lip xinh” by artist-curator Dinh Thi Nhung will take place at Nha San Collective, 15th floor, Hanoi Creative City Building, 01 Luong Yen, Hanoi from November 19 to 30 (3-7pm).

Mosaic ceramic paintings of APEC 2017 leaders displayed in Hanoi

 An exhibition on mosaic ceramic paintings of leaders attending APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting 2017 opened at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi on November 18.

First Italy-ASEAN Week kicks off in Hanoi

 The first Italy-ASEAN Week, a programme to popularise culture and enhance friendship between Italy and ASEAN countries, was opened in Hanoi on November 18.

Vietnam gets ready to celebrate 20 years of internet

 The Viet Nam Internet Forum 2017 (VIF17) will take place at the Ha Noi Museum on November 27-28.

Vietnam continues to see strong interest from developers

 Latest Savills report notes ongoing interest in large-scale mixed-use projects with a residential component during third quarter.

Mai Linh to join hi-tech motorbike taxi game

 Mai Linh Group has announced that its motorbike taxi service aiming to compete with Grab and Uber, called M.Bike, will launch on November 20.

Vietnamese fintech market looking at bright prospects

 Vietnam is considered a tremendously potential market by Korean fintech enterprises, setting off an avalanche of deals looking to expand business operations and find investment and co-operation opportunities.

VN Index drops from 10-year high

 Shares fell on the HCM Stock Exchange after rallying for 10 days to its 10-year high as the market was hit by strong investor selling.

HCM City sets environmental protection legal framework

 HCM City has improved environmental protection by completing a legal framework for the purpose and, in recent times, refusing licences for polluting plants and generally tightening environment management and oversight.

Vietnamese buy luxury smartphones on installment plans, loans

VietNamNet Bridge - More than half of the purchases of premium smartphones (costing more than VND10 million) are paid by installment plans.  

Coastal localities geared up for incoming typhoon Kirogi

 Authorities of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa provinces on November 18 banned fishing vessels from going out to sea as Kirogi is approaching the south central region.

Start-ups face recruiting difficulties due to poor finance

 Weak finance is preventing start-up firms from hiring talented employees, said Nguyen Duc Hai, co-founder and training director of VietFounder.