Social News 3/5

 VND4trillion invested in Dong Phu-Binh Duong traffic project, Project to establish consultation board for students, HCMC destroys 80 pigs with banned chemicals, Cervical cancer cases cut in half in last 30 years: experts

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 3/5

 Major banks to lower lending rates, HCMC approves five new housing projects, VCCI lists ten problems for PM to consider, Jan-Apr car imports in good shape, VASEP proposes short-term dollar loans for seafood exporters

Soil bank proposed for canal dredging in Mekong Delta

 The Mekong Water Technology Innovations Institute has proposed piloting a soil bank model to better management of canal dredging and generate revenue from dredged soil in the Mekong Delta region.

Epic music through the ears of an architect

 VietNamNet Bridge – The filmmaking world is massive in every sense of the word and growing by leaps and bounds in Vietnam, says Dang Tuan Phong, co-founder of Epic Music VN.

Animals made from glass

 With skillful hands and expertise in glass forming techniques, Nguyen Duc Thuan in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City turns bars of hard glass into eye-catching animals.

Opposite of a hero

 A primary-secondary school in Phu Duc Commune in the southern province of Dong Thap recently built a memorial house in the school to help students learn more about national heroes.

HCM City plans stronger food safety checks

 Consumers drawn to shops advertising “clean” vegetables and fruit are beginning to question if the stores’ claims are valid.

Investment funds pour money into private equity

VietNamNet Bridge - Private equity is an attractive investment in investors’ portfolio, but in many cases, investors may feel disappointed about the profits.

Military Hospital 103 – Vanguard in organ transplant

Military Hospital 103is not only the first-rank unit of the army and the country in the field of clinical and pre-clinical trainings for graduate and post-graduate  students but also a vanguard unit in the field of organ transplant.

Preschool education program fails

The goals of the preschool education development program proved to be unattainable. Preschool classes remain overloaded, while teachers’ incomes are not high enough to cover their basic needs.

New dramas for children staged for summer season

 VietNamNet Bridge – IDECAF Stage and Hong Hac Stage, two of HCM City’s leading private drama troupes, are preparing to stage new plays aimed at young audiences this summer.

Vietnamese semiconductor firms urged to follow the region

Vietnamese semiconductor firms should roll with the region's players to build up a local ecosystem and move up the regional supply chain, officials at Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International have said.

Seeking identity

Vietnam's tourism industry is searching for a unique image to promote itself in the international tourism market.

Third time’s a charm for third wife?

 The Thanh Nien online newspaper reported that a man posted an advertisement to find a wife on a social network last week.

Drought-hit Ben Tre bears no festival fruit

 The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre has called off all fruit exhibitions and festivals scheduled for this year, with authorities saying drought and saline intrusion have decimated its orchards and there is nothing more to show.

Florent Poilane & mountain biking

 Florent Poilane was born in the countryside of France where there are mountains, which is very suitable for riding mountain bikes, so he became a professional cyclist and won many prizes at international competitions.

Animal feed manufacturers run a 3F race

Masan Group created a tripodal position in the 3F (feed, farm, food) race soon after Anco, where Masan holds a 70 percent stake, becoming the strategic shareholder of Vissan, the nation’s leading food supplier.

Level playing is a prerequisite for enterprises: economics chief

Nguyen Van Cong, Deputy Head of the Economics Faculty under the National Economics University, explained to the Khoa hoc & Doi song newspaper why so many Vietnamese enterprises declared bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2016.

Bretons in VN to host Celtic music fest

 VietNamNet Bridge – Bretons in Vietnam, an association of Breton people in Viet Nam, will present a programme of Celtic music called “Fest In Breizh” at the Cargo Bar on May 21.

Bamboo car gives ’green’ rides through Hoi An

 VietNamNet Bridge – Having succeeded with a bamboo bicycle design and production, local craftsman Vo Tan Tan is now keen on producing the first ever bamboo electric car.

Startups attract US seed capital

The Vietnamese startup scene has picked up the pace in recent years, catching the attention of venture capital funds from the US. Khailee Ng, Southeast Asia managing partner of 500 Startups, spoke about this exciting trend.

Danish, Vietnamese artists join EU literature day 2016

 VietNamNet Bridge - The Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam and Kim Dong Publishing House will contribute an exciting part of the 6th European Literature Day 2016 in Hanoi.

Gigantic Victory Nhon Hoi oil refinery downsized

Victory Nhon Hoi, a multi-billion dollar oil refining and petrochemical project in Vietnam’s south-central coastal province of Binh Dinh, which has stalled for three years, is likely to see its capacity and scope downsized.

Hanoi's old bike lovers

 A corner of the Thanh Nien Street by Hanoi’s West Lake in Hanoi is busy every weekend as old bicycle lovers gather to share experiences or trade their bikes.

Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park to offer special incentives

 The Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi will offer the best possible incentives to investors in order to attract and encourage investment and help the park reach its targets, according to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.