Vietnam seeks Netherlands’ assistance in agriculture

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong held a working session with visiting Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Netherlands Marjolijn Sonnema on March 22.

National Assembly leader meets with Czech ambassador

 National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on March 22 received Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Vietnam Vitezslav Grepl, who considered parliamentary ties critical to the two countries’ friendship and cooperation.

Vietnam lauds ASEAN-New Zealand strategic partnership

 Vietnam highly values and welcomes the outcomes of the strategic partnership between ASEAN and New Zealand, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said at the 24th ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue held in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 21-22.  

NA Chairwoman, Norwegian diplomat laud bilateral ties

 National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Siren Gjerme Eriksen lauded the growing ties between the two countries during a meeting in Hanoi on March 22. 

Thermal power plants next to HCM City raise concerns about pollution

VietNamNet Bridge - MOIT is consulting with Long An and HCMC local authorities about the location for the Long An Power Center, which HCM City opposes. 

Uncertain times

Losses recorded by Tiki, one of Vietnam’s most popular e-commerce providers, raises questions about the state of the industry.

Scientists use bacteria to speed up growth of ginseng roots

The scientists from the HCM Biotechnology Center have succeeded in using Agrobacterium rhizogenes bacteria to create hairy roots of Ngoc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv) which contains active saponin.

E-commerce firms struggle to gain profits

VietNamNet Bridge - Low profit margins and high operating costs are daunting problems for investors in the e-commerce sector.  

Understanding Vietnamese wealthy

According to the 2016 Wealth Report, Vietnam had 168 super-rich people in 2015 and the number is going to increase to 403 by 2025. Seven out of the ten richest people on the Vietnamese stock market trade in real estates.

Universities struggle to enroll students

The time when students had to search for information about schools and study opportunities is over. It is schools that now have to try every possible way to attract students.

Cool Cats jazz club hits all the right notes

 VietNamNet Bridge – Louis Armstrong once said “if you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” Luckily for Hanoians, they now have a chance to find out, without causing too much offence to Satchmo.

Dredging oversight a failure

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat speaks with the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper about measures to redress shortcomings in the management of dredging projects

In better shape

 Mr. Atsusuke Kawada, Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Hanoi, tells VET’s Quynh Nguyen about Vietnam’s business climate in 2016 and his expectations for the years ahead.

Route to success

 It may seem the sky’s the limit for Vietjet Air following its recent IPO but some turbulence may lie ahead.

Seven workers injured due to scaffolding collapse

 At least seven workers were injured after scaffolding at a construction site suddenly collapsed on Wednesday morning on southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s February-03 Street.

DJ Hardwell to spin Hanoi in May

 World-renowned DJ Hardwell will take the stage in the capital on May 20.  

Lao Cai investigate reasons of pineapples’ death

 VietNamNet Bridge – A Lao Cai province inspection team has begun an investigation into the death of dozens of hectares of pineapples during the past week.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 22/3

 Action plan drafted to develop shrimp sector, Low cost airline proposes to build passenger terminal in Hai Phong, VFA’s monopolistic power kills rice export competition, Saigon Co.op plans 500 new convenience stores this year

Social News 22/3

 Data problems hinder IT application in health insurance, Dialysis treatment extends patients’ lives, Ambassadors in Czech learn about Vietnamese culture, Pulmonary embolism allegedly causes pregnant woman death

The mystery shops that serve only Chinese travelers

The shops are full of Chinese visitors, but do not receive Vietnamese. Each group of tourists can bring hundreds of millions of dong to the shops, but customs agencies have not been able to track down the money.

Cat Bi air traffic control to be inspected

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam on Tuesday night decided to inspect operations at the air traffic control station in Hai Phong City’s Cat Bi International Airport.

Asia-Pacific Financial Inclusion Summit opens in Hanoi

 The 2017 Asia-Pacific Financial Inclusion Summit themed “Advancing Financial Inclusion in a Digital Age” opened in Hanoi on March 21.

Doubts about upcoming HoSE heavyweight Petrolimex’s prospects

A scheduled listing on stock exchange is causing the price of the stock of Petrolimex’s stock to soar, however, there are many factors that may make the stock not as attractive as investors speculate.

Mekong Delta sinks into the sea

 The Mekong Delta is sinking 2.5cm every year because of ground water extraction and unreasonable planning and constructions on the surface.

IFC gives US$80 million credit package to VPBank

 The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private equity arm of World Bank group, has sanctioned an additional US$80 million credit package to Viet Nam Prosperity Bank (VPBank).