Two Vietnamese persons were caught smuggling elephant tusks by the Tan Son Nhat airport customs officials in HCM City last Saturday, the government website chinhphu.vn reported.

 The Ministry of National Defence told eight provinces and relevant ministries to closely monitor forestry projects implemented by foreign companies in Viet Nam, Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

 Authorities in the northern province of Quang Ninh have approved the feasibility report of the Quang Ninh airport project that will be built on a build-operate-transfer basis.

 The Munich-based Raggabund band's two brothers, with the stage names Paco Mendoza and Don Caramelo, will perform in Hanoi to open the Deutschlandfest (German Festival) on March 28.

 Artists aged 18 or over are invited to send their artworks ranging from painting, sculpture, performance art to graphic design, video art and installation art to the Vietnam Fine Arts Exhibition 2015.

 The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh has licensed a project to build a wind power plant with a capacity of 48MW in the first phase.

 Real estate inventory was valued at over 73.1 trillion VND as of February 28, a 22.56 percent reduction or a 55.4 billion VND drop from the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest report released by the Ministry of Construction.

 The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced to reopen incoming and outgoing flights to Pleiku city in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai during March 15 and March 22.

VietNamNet Bridge – Though many foreign investors have announced investments in new apartment projects, they are unsure about the sustainable recovery of the property market.

 The Infrastructure Development and Construction Corporation (Licogi) plans to sell nearly 21.27 million shares during its initial public offering (IPO) on April 12 at the Hanoi Stock Exchange.

 FPT Software has signed a three-year contract with German energy supplier E.ON. to provide software services.

A ceremony was held last Friday in Khanh Hoa to launch construction on a memorial park dedicated to 64 naval soldiers killed during a battle to defend Gac Ma Island in Vietnam ’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago 27 years ago.

 Students from Hanoi universities had an opportunity to act as National Assembly deputies in a plenary session to discuss and approve a resolution on addressing occupations for university graduates.

 A group of consultants from the Republic of Korea has presented to Can Tho city leaders a project touted as a bold initiative which will turn the Mekong Delta city into a city of happiness.

 More than 100 foreign teachers in Hanoi were found working without work permits, the city’s Department of Education and Training has said.

 The national round of the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship 2015, the fifth of its kind in Vietnam, was officially kicked off during an announcing ceremony in Thai Nguyen city, northern Thai Nguyen province on March 14.

 Vietnam will once again honour the French language through a film festival and concerts to celebrate International Francophonie Day, which falls on March 20.

 The central coastal province of Khanh Hoa has asked for financial support from the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to cope with a severe drought.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Super-thin houses with odd shapes have been built for hundreds of million of US dollars along Tran Phu and Nguyen Van Huyen streets in Hanoi.

Cuban Prosecutor General welcomed in HCM City, Vietnam attends ASEAN defence minister meeting, Top judge explains settlement of wrong convictions, Condolences to Vanuatu over Cyclone Pam, PM orders measures to ensure security, order for IPU-132

 On March 16, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, his wife and delegation arrived in Sydney for an official visit to Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his spouse.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held a working session with senior officials of the Government Inspectorate in Hanoi on March 16.

The National Assembly Standing Committee wrapped up its 36th session in Hanoi on March 16 with several important legislations under discussion in preparation for the 9th session of the legislature.

 Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan shared her country’s experience in mitigating the risk of natural disasters at the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on March 14 in Sendai city of Japan.

 Vietnamese and Chinese experts have discussed cooperation for co-development at sea during their 4th round of negotiations from March 13-15 in the central city of Da Nang.