Thai Duong Ha, a fishing village sitting on the coast of central Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, holds a festival every three years to honour the supernatural forces which they believe govern the sea.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday said he was always open to hearing ideas on nation-building from any scientist.

 Experts have expressed alarm over the nation’s poor management of invasive and harmful alien species after two cases were widely reported by the media this month.

 HCM City authorities plan to relocate some of the city’s wholesale and retail markets to ease traffic congestion and ensure safety for residents.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has said investment attraction policy for coastal economic zones (EZs) should be made more inviting with international competitiveness for better development of these zones.

VietNamNet Bridge - The tariff cuts applied to imports from ASEAN and the luxury tax based on cylinder capacity are expected to encourage the import of more low-cost models. 

 A number of science and technology events will be held during the first Senior Officials’ Meeting of APEC (SOM-1) in Nha Trang city, in the south central province of Khanh Hoa, on February 18-21.

The string JK Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Korea is due to perform at the Vietnam National Accademy of Music’s Grand Concert Hall in Hanoi on February 18. 

  The international windsurfing competition - Fun Cup 2017 was held in the central coastal province of Binh Thuan on February 17-18.

 The ASEAN Women’s Football Championship 2017 will be delayed until late this year, according to a decision made at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Council Meeting in Yangon, Myanmar on February 17.

PV Gas and the PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP) inked on February 17 an agreement in principle on cooperation in developing phase II of White Lion gas field.

Gau Tao festival is the most important festival for Mong ethnic people in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang. 

 A project to use foreign teachers for teaching English at schools will be implemented at primary and junior and senior high schools in the northern province of Bac Giang in the 2016-2017 academic year. 

The investigative police under the Ministry of Public Security announced on February 16 they had begun criminal proceedings against five people, including four former State officials, for embezzlement in the criminal case at PVC.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh reiterated Vietnam’s wish to strengthen ties with the UK, the US and Brazil during his separate meetings with the foreign ministers of the countries in Bonn, Germany, on February 17.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh called for the adherence to international law and the promotion of multilateralism for peace and sustainable development in his speech at a session of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

 Vietnam is deeply concerned about the test launch of ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on February 12, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said in reply to reporters’ questions on February 17. 

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu has voiced his hope that relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Republican Proposal and between the two legislative bodies will be enhanced.

 Politburo member, Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh has expressed his wish to foster ties with Argentina’s ruling party Republican Proposal.

 President of the Republic of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid has affirmed that her country always wants to further promote cooperation with Vietnam, especially in the fields of education, health care, biotechnology, and farm produce and foodstuff exports. 

 Vietnam’s practical contribution to and active participation in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bonn city were highly valued by host Germany and other G20 members.

 The increasing people-to-people exchanges will help Vietnamese and Lao young generations understand deeply about the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

 Vietnam and Cuba have reiterated their determination to consolidate the historical close-knit ties between the two countries’ Parties, parliaments, and States.

 The ICT industry grew strongly 2016 but challenges await in 2017.

As the Dean of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Language under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Associate Prof, Dr Nguyen Thien Nam has spent 36 years of his career promoting Vietnamese language to the world.