Box Office - 'Kong: Skull Island' rules with mighty $61 million debut

 "Kong: Skull Island" emerged victorious after a battle of the beasts that pitted the giant ape movie against the Wolverine's last stand. Cresting a wave of good reviews, "Kong: Skull Island" topped the domestic box office,

Intel's $15 billion purchase of Mobileye shakes up driverless car sector

 Intel Corp agreed to buy Israeli autonomous vehicle technology firm Mobileye for $15.3 billion on Monday in a deal that could thrust the U.S. chipmaker into direct competition with rivals Nvidia Corp ...

Hospitality segment on the rise in Da Nang

 Da Nang holds substantial potential for real estate investment with major opportunities available in the hospitality segment, according to the latest report from real estate consultants Savills.

Sterling slips as Brexit talks get green light, stocks advance before Fed

Sterling dropped on Tuesday after Britain's parliament paved the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to launch divorce talks with the European Union, while stocks advanced ahead of an expected U.S. interest rate later in the week.

VN stock market capitalization reaches $101bn

Stock market capitalization has reached VND2,260 trillion ($101 billion), equal to 50.3 percent of Vietnam’s GDP, a rise of 16 percent since the end of 2016 and the highest level since the market began operations

Maritime Bank share auction cancelled

The Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) cancelled the auction of shares in Maritime Bank owned by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group on March 10.

PV Oil expects $270mn from 40% sale

PetroVietnam Oil Corp. is in talks to sell a holding of as much as 40 per cent to strategic investors and expects to narrow down its list to about five potential bidders for the government this month.

Production improves but trade out of balance

 According to a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, production and business results improved in the first two months of the year but trade remained out of balance due to strong growth in auto and mobile phone imports.

2017 wood & wooden product exports tipped to reach $8 billion

 Export turnover of wood and wooden products in Vietnam is expected to reach $8 billion this year.

Most property in VN is still registered only to husbands, but change is slowly emerging

VietNamNet Bridge – In accordance with ancient custom in rural areas, only boys inherit their parents’ property, not girls.

Grab to be temporarily banned from Da Nang

 The Ministry of Transport has given the green light to Da Nang temporarily banning GrabTaxi from continuing its trial operations, via a document sent to the city’s People Committee and the car hailing company on March 10.

FDI not such a boon

A new study has found that rising FDI in one province in Vietnam is associated with a slight decline in living standards for local households if they don’t have a family member employed by a foreign enterprise.

Foreign investors contribute more capital to businesses

VietNamNet Bridge - As the state’s divestment plan continues, more foreign companies are pouring capital into Vietnamese businesses. 

Vinacafe plans IPO in 2018

 The Vietnam National Coffee Corporation (Vinacafe), Vietnam’s largest State-owned Robusta producer, is planning an initial public offering (IPO) next year as the government cuts its stake in the company.

Work halted on massive Chinese solar panel plant

 Its Chinese investor has halted construction of a solar panel factory in northern Vietnam after the government announced it had begun without the proper approvals.

Vietnamese prefer Thai and Chinese fruit & vegetables

 Vietnamese people spent more than $164 million on fruit and vegetable imports in the first two months of 2017, of which 70 per cent were from Thailand and China, according to figures from the General Department of Customs.

Vietjet to sell 22mn shares to Sunny Huong Duong

 Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air has announced it will sell 22,388,06 shares, or 7.46 per cent, to the Huong Duong Sunny Investment Co. at a price of VND84,600 ($3.76) per share.

Quang Nam struggles to hire doctors

 VietNamNet Bridge – The central province of Quang Nam is struggling to recruit doctors for public hospitals and clinics because of low pay and tough working conditions.

Whet your appetite at the International Food Fest

 VietNamNet Bridge – There will be 200 booths featuring delicacies from Viet Nam and other countries at the International Food Fest 2017, to be held in Ha Noi from April 7 to 9.

HSBC faces customer backlash for high fees and poor services

 Beside overpriced service fees, HSBC has received several complaints about the staff’s unfriendly attitude from its customers.

Minh, Wang share top place at int'l chess tourney in HCM City

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese International master (IM) Tran Tuan Minh is the surprise leader of the HDBank Cup International Open Chess after three rounds in HCM City.

Ly Hoang Nam wins first match at Japan’s Futures

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Ly Hoang Nam won his first round match at the Japan F2 Men’s Futures in Nishi-Tokyo yesterday.

Quang Ninh, Home United seek first win

 VietNamNet Bridge – Quang Ninh Coal of Viet Nam and Singapore’s Home United can close the gap on Group H pacesetters Yadanarbon of Myanmar at the Asian Football Confederation Cup today.

Kong: Skull Island model setup proposed near Hoan Kiem Lake

 The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed the Hanoi authorities to construct a 3-dimensional model from the blockbuster film Kong: Skull Island near Hoan Kiem Lake.

Tay Ninh forest threatened by human activity

 The protective forest in Tay Ninh Province is being damaged as people seek ways to expand farmland.