The gastronomy of the south and the Plain of Reeds in particular was created and enriched during the centuries-old history of the region. The dishes are simple but reflect the local lifestyle.

 Cultural diplomacy has contributed to promoting the image of Vietnam, a peace loving country with a rich culture and extensive integration into the world community. Cultural diplomatic activities particularly grew in 2016.

The entertainment industry in the year 2016 offered the masses a wide selection with an increasing number of cultural activities, arts programmes, and reality television shows.

 Water from a flood control sluice submerged hundreds of houses in district 12 after the cover was blown out by high tides, seriously damaging people’s property.

It was a roller coaster year in economic data, with both good and bad surprises popping up regularly in many different series of economic data.

 Nguyen Hue Flower Street, a very popular attraction in HCM City during Tet (Lunar New Year festival) every year, will be ready to welcome visitors on January 25, 2017.

 Building a government of integrity for the sake of the people and enterprises is a message constantly reiterated by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

VietNamNet Bridge - With a sales growth rate of 25 percent, Vietnam is the fastest-growing car market in ASEAN, while Thailand and Indonesia had a gloomy year with decreased growth. The demand brought high profits to manufacturers and dealers.

 On January 4, astronomy lovers will be able to look up and watch the sky over Vietnam sparkle with the Quadrantids Meteor Shower, according to astronomers at the Academy of Science and Technology.

After increasing its holdings in Vinamilk to 13.65%, F&N Dairy Investments Pte., Ltd., a 100%-owned subsidiary of Fraser & Neave Ltd. (F&N), has registered to buy an additional 1.5%, equalling 21.8 million shares.

 In response to the global banking crisis, the finance ministers of the G20 countries have agreed on stricter regulation of the banking system, with stronger capital requirements, says Dennis Hussey, CEO of ANZ Vietnam.

 The price of several kinds of lumber in Vietnam had gone up due to scarcity created by unexpected Chinese purchases, creating pressure on the domestic wood business and Vietnam’s wood industry.

 Foreign retailers are geared toward Vietnam’s e-commerce to take the lead in the market.

 The US, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea were the four biggest importers of Vietnam products, each with a value of more than US$10 billion in 2016.

 Foreign friends have been impressed by Vietnam’s expanded integration in international institutions and its bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. Here are achivements of Vietnam's international integration process in 2016.

 ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh has highlighted achievements that the ASEAN Community has scored after one year of its establishment in an interview recently granted to Vietnam News Agency.

 The following are the top ten information and communication technology (ICT) events in Vietnam in 2016.

 The Health Ministry has recently released its top ten events of 2016.

 A German passenger on Vietnam Airlines’ flight VN36,  which landed at the Noi Bai International Airport in the morning of January 1, was the first foreign visitor to set foot in Hanoi in 2017.

 Vietnamese representative Pham Thuy Linh won the best costume award at the 19th Miss Tourism International which has recently taken place in Malaysia. 

 The annual “Xuan Que Huong” (Homeland Spring) programme will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on January 20 with a variety of cultural activities to welcome overseas Vietnamese (OVs) back for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

 The following are Vietnam's top 10 sports events of 2016.

  Erosion is threatening residential areas and shrimp farming land in coastal areas of Go Cong and Tan Phu Dong districts in the southern Tien Giang Province.

 The US continued topping the list of 200 countries and territories importing Vietnamese goods in 2016, with a total import value of over 34.8 billion USD, according to the Government’s portal.

 Vietnamese shares may advance in 2017, analysts say, cautioning that market conditions can get volatile with international events of 2016 continuing to exert unpredictable impacts on Vietnam.