The lack of adequately equipped playgrounds and healthy entertainment activities has become a concern in rural areas, especially during the long summer vacation.

 Young women and men from across the country are encouraged to take part in the second Vietnam Fitness Model 2017, a national event featuring fitness enthusiasts.

 The World Bank (WB) released its Global Economic Prospects report on June 4, forecasting a global 2017 economic growth rate of 2.7 percent and a Vietnamese growth rate of 6.3 percent, lower than the 6.7 percent goal set by the government.

 A concert by Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) will feature Carmina Burana, a popular choral work of the 21st century, on June 7 and June 8 at Hanoi Opera House.

 Public citizens will soon have chance to access National Assembly meetings, said Nguyen Hanh Phuc, Chairman of National Assembly Office.

 Doan Van Hau of Vietnam has been selected in the FIFA U20 World Cup’s Asian best 11 by Fox Sports Asia.

 Some Japanese banks already operating in Vietnam have revealed their plans to expand investments, while others hope to make inroads into the market, according to Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper.

 Thanks to their freshness and succulent tastes, Vietnamese dragon fruits, bananas and mangos are being sought-after at Japanese large supermarkets like Don Quijote, Daiei and Aeon.

 A photo titled “World’s most beautiful old woman” by French photographer Réhahn Croquevielle was sold for $10,000, said the organisers of his Couleurs d’Asie exhibition which was held in HCMC from June 1-5.

 Vietnam has taken different solutions to prevent micronutrient deficiency, which is relatively common in the country, especially in rural and mountainous areas.

 Vietnam exported about 79.3 billion USD worth of commodities in the first five months of 2017, an increase of 17.4 percent from the same period last year.

Aquiring 20 percent stake of FECON Corporation has made Japanese East Nippon Expressway and Japan Expressway International become first foreign enterprises to set foot in a Vietnamese BOT project.

 The central province of Quang Nam will give many special offers to tourists during the sixth Quang Nam Heritage Festival from June 9-14.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called on Japanese groups and companies to invest in Vietnam, especially in hi-tech and environmentally-friendly projects.

 Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and other international organizations in Geneva, is attending the UN Human Rights Council’s 35th session in Geneva.

 Five Mekong Delta provinces and 11 agencies have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in forming the Mekong Partnership for Climate Resilient Rice Research Network (MPCRR-N).

 Vietnam, Czech Republic strive for $1 billion in trade value

 Nearly 80 documents recording the history of the Hoi An ancient town, a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site in the central province of Quang Nam, are being showcased at an exhibition that opened in the town’s museum on June 6.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has signed into issuance three resolutions adopted at the 12th Party Central Committee’s fifth plenary meeting that took place in early May.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a circular on the promulgation of a list of wild fauna and flora species regulated in appendixes of CITES. 

 The 2017 U15 International Football Challenge Cup will take place in the central city of Da Nang from June 14-18.

 The second Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships 2017 kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on June 6, attracting 277 martial artists aged 12-14 from 17 regional countries. 

 A treaty supplementing the Border Delimitation Treaty between Vietnam and Laos regarding the revision of the starting point of the two countries’ border line was the focus of the National Assembly’s plenary session in Hanoi on June 6 morning. 

 Prime Ministers Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Shinzo Abe reached high consensus on major orientations and specific measures to push forward the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan. 

 A string of new government policies come into force in June, including the exemption of land use fees for housing projects, and specific financial mechanisms for HCM City.