Repair work on disrupted submarine optic cables completed

 Repair work on the Asia-America Gateway (AAG)  and Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) submarine fiber optic cable lines has been  basically completed, said a representative from the Ministry of Information and Communications. 

Tet surge in cell-phone sales

 Mobile phone sales, which did not see the usual spike during last month’s festive season, seem set to surge in the run-up to the Lunar New Year (Tet).

Trump talks to U.S. automakers, pushes for new American plants

 U.S. President Donald Trump urged the chief executives of the Big Three U.S. automakers on Tuesday to build more cars in the country, pressing his pledge to bring jobs to America and discourage the car industry from investing in Mexico.

Vietnam Airlines among top 4 SEA carriers with high throughput

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines was ranked among top four Southeast Asian airlines with passenger throughput exceeding 20 million people last year.

Scientists: no need to worry about Chinese nuke reactors near border

The Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (Varans) said Vietnam and China have agreed to set up a channel to exchange information and cooperate in nuclear power technology.

Hanoi calls for investment from Japan

Authorities of Hanoi will create the most favourable conditions for foreign enterprises, including those from Japan, to expand investment in Hanoi, said Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.

U.S. agency calls for safer lithium-ion batteries after Samsung fires

 Safety standards for lithium-ion batteries need to be modernized following a massive recall of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd phones after faulty batteries caused fires,

Supporting industry hoped to meet 65% of domestic demand by 2025

 The Prime Minister has approved a programme on developing the supporting industry which is expected to meet 45 percent of the demand of domestic production by 2020 and 65 percent by 2025.

Vietnam pushes ahead with global economic integration

Vietnam considers the engagement in the TPP and other FTAs as one of the moves to implement its policy of proactive and active economic integration in an extensive and inclusive manner, Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Le Hai Binh said.

Police bust big drug smuggling case in Lang Son

The police in the northern border province of Lang Son on January 23 arrested a drug dealer and seized 87 heroin bricks (weighing about 350 grams each) in a big crackdown on drug crime. 

Travel demand in Hanoi soars before Lunar New Year

 The volume of goods and passenger transported in Hanoi have strongly increased in January as the country’s biggest festival in the year - the Lunar New Year (Tet) – is approaching.

Higher court upholds 30-year jail term for former bank executive

 Ho Chi Minh City People’s High Court on January 24 upheld the lower court’s 30-year imprisonment sentence given to former Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Bank (VNCB) Board of Directors Pham Cong Danh.

Congratulations on 25 years of Vietnam-Belarus diplomatic ties

 Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang sent on January 24 a congratulatory message to his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on the 25th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relationship.

President hosts Singaporean Ambassador

President Tran Dai Quang asserted that Vietnam always wants to develop its strategic partnership with Singapore when receiving Singapore’s Ambassador to Vietnam Catherine Wong in Hanoi on January 24.

Real estate more expensive in Hanoi than HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge - While Hanoians have lower incomes on average than Saigonese, they pay more for housing because of higher construction costs.

Highly valued firms enter bourse, attracting investors

VietNamNet Bridge - Hundreds of trillions of shares in dong transacted on the bourses since the last days of 2016 have brought great opportunities to investors.

Television programmes entertain audiences for New Year

 VietNamNet Bridge – Television stations have lined up dozens of new and interesting programmes to entertain nationwide audiences during Tet (Lunar New Year).

Sales of ‘.shop’ domain name surge

VietNamNet Bridge - As the ‘.shop’ domain name becomes more popular, e-commerce experts believe a record number of registrations will occur.

Hundreds of containers of waste abandoned at Saigon ports

VietNamNet Bridge - Hundreds of unowned import containers of waste banned by Vietnam have been left at HCMC ports, causing problems for port authorities. 

Vendor who turns down overseas study serves local, int'l community

Leaving his home village for Hanoi with his parents when he was in the fifth grade, Pham Minh Hoa now speaks English fluently. He founded an international volunteers’ organization for which he serves as a Vietnamese ambassador.

Investors bemoan multiple barriers to farming

 VietNamNet Bridge – Businesses have complained that they have to deal with a host of barriers and risks in agricultural projects though they are encouraged to invest in the sector.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 24/1

 Central bank eyes lower bank lending rates, SMEs positive about business future, National power firm plans 2017 expansion, Multi-level marketing firm attempts to deflect accusations, Vietnamese firms ignorant about EU FTA

Social News 24/1

 Pre-Tet visits paid to former State leaders, the poor, Overseas Vietnamese worldwide celebrate Lunar New Year, HCM City presents Tet offering to nation founders Hung Kings, Flower market opens in HCM City     

Khen festival comes to Sapa

 A Khen (panpipe) Festival will open for the first time from January 30 to February 12 in Sapa, Lao Cai province.

Vietnam Poetry Day 2017 to highlight children’s works

 The Vietnam Poetry Day 2017, the 15th edition, will be held in Hanoi on February 11 or the 15th day of the first lunar month of the New Year (Nguyen Tieu festival), with a special space designed for children’s poet clubs.