Social News 19/10

 Dien Bien: Two arrested for transporting 4,000 drug pills, Vietnam Women Award honours 18 units, individuals, Central city to build new $300m paediatric hospital, HCM City’s inter-hospital red alert saves young woman

Vietnam masters rice-seed production technology

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam can control up to 70.5 percent of seed production technology, with 90 percent for purebred rice and 66 percent for hybrid rice.

Dung Quat Oil Refinery IPO attracts foreign investors

VietNamNet Bridge - Seventeen investment funds have shown interest in Dung Quat’s IPO, expected to take place by the end of the year. 

Ministry seeks higher budget for environmental protection

National Assembly deputies have agreed that Vietnam needs to increase expenses on environmental protection after the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) reported that spending in 2017 can satisfy only 55 percent of the demand.

Moving slum dwellers is good, or is it?

Although pleased to know his house will be relocated from the filthy slum along the Doi Canal in HCM City’s District 8, Huynh Van Quy is worried he won’t be able to afford a new home.

Doctoral dissertation on typography stirs controversy

VietNamNet Bridge - “The art of typography in designing book covers in 2005-2015”, the theme of a doctoral dissertation, has stirred controversy among the public, but academics have defended it. 

Vietnamese celebrities join Seoul Fashion Week

Vietnamese celebrities Hoang Ku, Phi Phuong Anh, Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, Chau Bui and Mach Huy have flown to the Republic of Korea to partake in Seoul Fashion Week.

Local and int’l designers to attend Vietnam-Int’l Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2017

About 20 local and international designers will attend the Vietnam-International Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2017 set to take place at the National Convention Centre, Hanoi on October 31 -November 3.

Methadone helped this addict get his life back

Tip-toeing through the door after a phone call at midnight, Cuong used to run from his house. His mother would try to follow him, calling his name and crying in vain. He was bent on getting his fix.

VN Basketball League: Cantho Catfish beat Hanoi Buffaloes

 Cantho Catfish beat host Hanoi Buffaloes in a dramatic 77-75 victory on Tuesday at the Viet Nam Basketball Association League.

VN player advances to world junior championship’s fourth round

 Vu Thi Anh Thu of Viet Nam advanced to the fourth round of the World Junior Badminton Championships’ women’s singles, ongoing in Indonesia.

International cable lines to be fixed next week

 Internet submarine cables linked to Viet Nam will be fixed on October 24, said the Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunication Group, one of the largest Vietnamese internet providers.

APEC 2017: Finance ministers discuss cooperation priorities in 2017

APEC finance ministers will focus on discussing four cooperation priorities in 2017 at their 24th meeting and related events in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, from October 19-21.

Indonesian naval ships visit HCM City

 Two Indonesian naval Sigma-class corvette vessels docked at the Ho Chi Minh City international port on October 18, starting a four-day visit to the southern economic hub.

Vietnam-US defence dialogue takes place in Washington DC

Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia of the US Dr. Joseph Felter co-chaired the Vietnam-US defence policy dialogue 2017 in Washington D.C on October 17.

Johnson & Johnson wins reversal of $72 million verdict over talc cancer risks

Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday won the reversal of a $72 million verdict in favor of the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer they claimed stemmed from her use of the company’s talc-based products

Over 170 foreigners to join yacht race to Vietnam

 More than 170 foreign professional athletes and entrepreneurs will take part in a yacht race from Hong Kong to Vietnam’s Nha Trang City slated for October 18 to 25.

Health insurance fund problems raise concerns

 Many cities and provinces are overspending their health insurance funds while Vietnam Social Security (VSS) is tightening its payouts, said Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

Japanese petrol distributor to find network expansion difficult

 Idemitsu Q8 Petroleum Co Ltd (IQ8), which has launched the first wholly foreign-owned gas station in Vietnam, may find it hard to expand its retail network across the country.

Da Nang designs special tours for APEC delegates

 The central coastal city of Da Nang has designed a wide range of tours to serve 10,000 delegates to the APEC Summit 2017 set to transpire on November 6-11.

Thu Thao in national costume contest at Miss Global Beauty Queen

 Vietnamese representative Hoang Thu Thao on October 16 appeared in national costume designed by Brian Vo at Miss Global Beauty Queen 2017 in the Republic of Korea.

Snap and NBCUniversal launch studio to produce shows for Snapchat

 Snap Inc, parent company of messaging and video app Snapchat, and NBCUniversal launched a joint venture studio on Tuesday to produce scripted shows and other genres to air on Snapchat.

McDonald's South Korea office raided in burger probe: reports

 South Korean investigators raided the Seoul office of McDonald’s Corp on Wednesday, following a series of complaints that children fell ill after eating hamburger patties alleged to have been undercooked, 

Job opportunities rising in retail

 Foreign retailers continue to invest heavily in Vietnam, according to Navigos Search, opening up opportunities at all levels of employment.

Landlords unfazed by higher supply

 Despite predictions of falling prices in the buy-to-let housing segments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City due to increased supply, as of now the segment remains one of the most profitable for investors.