5-tone musical instrument of the Khmer

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Khmer in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have inherited Angkor culture with influences from the local wet rice civilization and Chinese and Cham ethnic groups. But they have developed a distinctive musical treasure,

HCM City hopes to add more green space

 Green space has shrunk in HCM City because of urban development, but the city lacks the resources to develop concentrated green areas.

Mobile pay threatens banks: experts

 VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign tech giants are set to jump into the mobile payments market on both the paying and receiving sides of the transaction, thus posing a threat to local commercial banks payment market share,

WHAT'S ON MARCH 1-15 (DAILY UPDATE)

Events in Vietnam's major cities from March 1 to 15. Daily updated

Google says it bears 'some responsibility' after self-driving car hit bus

 Alphabet Inc's Google said on Monday it bears "some responsibility" after one of its self-driving cars struck a municipal bus in a minor crash earlier this month.

Lang Son festival not so cocky after plagiarised genital claims

 Na Nhem Festival in Lang Son Province has been accused of imitating a festival from Japan as both have gigantic phallus on parade.

Hanoi hosts festival for bikers

The Harley-Davidson of Hanoi and the H.O.G, Hanoi Chapter, has held a motorcycle festival titled “Big Day 2016”, attracting thousands of bikers from around the country.

Finance Ministry clarifies tax rate

 The Ministry of Finance said a bad translation claiming that the tax-rate-to-profit ratio in Viet Nam was high, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of profit and undermining competitiveness, caused misunderstandings.

Ba Om Pond - famous tourist site in Tra Vinh dries up

 Ba Om Pond, a famous tourist attraction in the southern Tra Vinh Province, has run dry for the first time because of the worst drought in 90 years.

HCM City develops street food into tourist attraction

 Ho Chi Minh City is developing street food as a unique culture to draw more domestic and foreign visitors.

Sofitel Metropole Hanoi named among World’s top hotels

 The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has been named as one of the world’s most favourite hotels in Conde Nast Traveller’s 2016 Gold List.

Ly Hoang Nam jumps to 884th in world tennis rankings

 Ly Hoang Nam of Vietnam has jumped to a career-high 884th in the world rankings.

Saigonese put high hopes on new Party Secretary Dinh La Thang

 VietNamNet Bridge – Illegal occupation of sidewalks, robbery, administrative reform, and food safety are among the problems many people expect that the newly-appointed Party Secretary Dinh La Thang can solve quickly.

Vietnamese artist portrays ‘strong women’ in paintings

 Vu Bach Lien will join another 21 artists from around the world in an exhibition titled Equilibrio that kicks off on March 1 in Malaysia.

Renault Russia starts to export cars to Vietnam

 Renault Russia has begun exporting cars assembled in Moscow and Tolyatti to Vietnam, according to reports on February 26.

Int’l Higher Education Day to be held early March

 The 2016 International Higher Education Day (IHED Vietnam 2016) will take place in Hanoi on March 5 and Ho Chi Minh City on March 6 with participation from 50 foreign universities.

Restaurant chains: Burger King encounters problems, others leaving market

VietNamNet Bridge - A series of restaurant chains, including Burger King, Golden Gate, Red Sun-ITI and Mesa Group have shut down one or many restaurants recently.

Vietnam wants OIF’s further support to French-language teachers

 Vietnam wants the International Francophone Organisation (OIF) to improve the capacity of French-language lecturers in the country, said an official.

Waterfall accident: tour organiser’s operations suspended

 Operations of the Da Lat Passion Limited Company – the organiser of a tour to Datanla waterfall during which three Britons died – were suspended on February 29.

Prime Minister asks for more time to build demonstration law

 The Prime Minister has asked the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee not to put the demonstration bill in the working agenda of the 13th NA’s 11th session slated for late March.

More congratulations to Party chief

 More leaders of political parties, countries and international organisations worldwide have conveyed their congratulations to Nguyen Phu Trong on his re-election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Amazing beauty of Vietnam landscape through photo mosaics

VietNamNet Bridge – A photo collection by Quang Quick – a MC for Quick & Snow radio program – features Vietnam landscapes like Lang Co Bay, Con Dao, and Ban Gioc whose beauties resemble the world’s famous tourism sites.

Netherlands ready to share climate change response experience

 The Netherlands is ready to share its experience in countering severe saltwater intrusion with Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, Dutch Ambassador Nienke Trooster said.

Vietnam loses first Olympic qualifier

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam fought hard before losing 0-2 to China in the first match of the Asian Football Federation Women's Olympic Tournament qualifier at the Nagai Stadium yesterday (Feb 29) in Osaka, Japan.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 1/3

 Vietnam's FDI inflow surges at start of year, New start-ups rise at start of 2016, Vietnam calls for investment from Indian apparel mills, 11.3 trillion VND mobilised from Government bonds, Agro-forestry-fishery export picks up 5.5 percent