Vietnam is focusing on completing economic reforms and building a consistent, synchronous and modern administrative regime to enhance governance efficiency, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade required the Chemical Group and management board of Ninh Binh Nitrogenous Fertilizer Plant and Ninh Binh Nitrogenous Fertilizer to clarify responsibilities relating to wrongdoings causing the plant huge losses.

VietNamNet Bridge - The market was still dominated by the three biggest players – VinaFone, MobiFone and Viettel -- but sources said small operators were preparing for a new game.

 Ministries asked to speed up online public service delivery, Media works on anti-smoking awarded, Workers, students receive 5,000 free bus tickets for Tet, Four sentenced for illegally taking people abroad

VietNamNet Bridge - Numerous precious timber planks chopped down by illegal loggers have been left on the ground, aimd vast clearings in the Hoa Son forest.

VietNamNet Bridge - The 500 richest Vietnamese stock billionaires as of December 31, 2016 had held VND167.362 trillion worth of stock assets, or $7 billion. Forty five of them are from Hanoi, holding 27.3 percent of total assets.

 The key market highlights in December were as follows:

Vietnam has vowed to improve students’ English skills by pouring trillions of dong into English teaching programs, but the majority of university graduates cannot communicate in English.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ha Noi Medical University is acquiring immune cell therapy know-how from Japanese experts to treat cancer patients.

 A rise in foreign ownership limits is needed to importantly help Vietnam speed up the local banking sector’s restructuring.

 Interest rates could rise 0.5-1% in 2017: BVSC, Multi-level marketing companies face ministry's wrath, Vietnamese economy urged to be cautious of external shocks, PM approves agreements with foreign countries

 Viet Nam’s best female gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh has decided to retire from competitive events.

 Leaders of Lao Party, State, and National Assembly have spoken highly of contributions made by Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts to Laos’s national liberation cause.

 Meat and Livestock Australia has unveiled that the first large-scale purchase of an Australian cattle ranch – for beef production – by a Vietnamese company has been made.

 The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will review tourist destinations in the country and announce results once a year, according to a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decision. 

 French photographer Rehahn last week opened a Precious Heritage Gallery Museum in the UNESCO-recognized ancient town of Hoi An in the central coast province of Quang Nam.

Dinh La Thang, secretary of HCMC’s Party Committee, has suggested opening check-in counters outside Tan Son Nhat International Airport as a measure to ease overload inside the airport and reduce congestion on the roads around the airport.

 The National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations held an awards ceremony in Hanoi on January 17 to honour 66 outstanding literature and art works in 2016.

Foreign affairs have made positive contributions to protecting Vietnam's sovereignty over sea and islands in the East Sea, delegates at a meeting held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi heard on January 17.

 British stand-up comedian Gina Yashere will give performances in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on January 18 and 20 respectively.

 PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc is making the first trip to Switzerland for the annual meeting of the Word Economic Forum as the Government chief to assure Viet Nam’s commitment to comprehensive reform and international integration agenda.

The University of Engineering and Technology at the Vietnam National University and the Vietnam VP9 Joint Stock Companysigned a cooperative agreement on January 17.

 The year has only begun, but signs are pointed to an exciting time ahead for the banking sector with vigorous mergers and acquisitions (M&As) activities.

An exchange of Vietnam-Japan teenager ambassadors took place in Japan on January 17, gathering 16 Vietnamese students from the Vietnam-Germany High School in Hanoi and 16 Japanese students from the Yokkaichi City high school in Mie prefecture.

 The implementation of external information services and the dissemination of news on sea, island and border demarcation in 2016 reaped important outcomes in promoting the image of Vietnam’s nation, culture, people and territory to the world.