S Korea's Shinhan Bank opens HCM City branch, Vietnam Expo 2015 to take place in HCM City, State stake at Sabeco to fall to 36%, Local nut company joins Australian Macadamia Society, VN feed firms look to match foreign rivals

 The State Audit Office of Viet Nam has asked concerned agencies to deal with the problematic use of VND23,431 billion (US$1,092 million) in 2013 by state agencies and projects.

 The Prime Minister has authorised the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to prepare application documents proposing the traditional singing Bai Choi to be declared a piece of World Intangible Cultural Heritage .

 The Vietnamese Government pledges optimal conditions for New Zealand universities to strengthen educational cooperation in Vietnam, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung while visiting the Auckland University of Technology on March 20.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung left the New Zealand city of Auckland on March 20, wrapping up his official visits to Australia and New Zealand which marked new milestones in Vietnam’s relationship with the two countries.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Local travel agencies have voiced outcry over a new immigration rule that requires the period between two visa-exempt entries into Vietnam by foreign passport holders to be at least 30 days.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Nine unauthorised foreign channels will stop airing in Vietnam, stated Truong Minh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, on March 19.

Figures about electricity access cited by Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and the World Bank (WB) show different pictures. According to WB’s Doing Business 2014 report, Vietnam’s electricity-access index ranks 135th out of 189 surveyed countries.

 VietNamNet Bridge - “Mizuiku - I love clean water”, a project to promote future generation’s awareness on water conservation, was launched yesterday in the districts of My Duc and Thanh Oai, Hanoi.

 The Central Highlands is under threat of severe drought as the region has fallen short of water for production and irrigation even though the dry season has yet to enter its peak.

 VietNamNet Bridge - The plan to chop down and replace 6,700 trees on 190 streets of Hanoi, at the cost of more than VND73 billion ($3 million), faces public a backlash.

 VietNamNet Bridge - A male pig-tailed monkey in the last few days has attacked tourists on the peak of Ban Co on the Son Tra peninsula in Da Nang city.  

VietNamNet Bridge - Thanh Giong (Saint Giong), a well-known Vietnamese mythical folk hero, has become the subject of debate among parents and educators.

 Major art&entertainment events in Vietnam's big cities.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Allowed to pursue his passion for cooking by his parents, Le Vu Binh decided to bypass a university education and has not looked back since. He spoke to Viet Nam News about his present and future plans.

Fifty billion dong is the sum of legal capital investors must have to be able to establish a real estate firm in accordance with the draft government decree being compiled by the Ministry of Construction (MOC).

 Asian stocks are mostly trading lower after the US dollar recouped its losses following the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday.

 A tablet device that can withstand being doused in chlorine has been developed to help doctors caring for patients with Ebola.

 The Scientific Union for Sustainable Tourism Development (STDe) has launched a special tour named “self-happiness” to mark International Day of Happiness (March 20) and its 5th founding anniversary.

 Bangladesh's Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Rashed Khan Menon has proposed the governments of Vietnam and Bangladesh to renew the aviation agreement signed more than two decades ago to facilitate a direct air link between the two countries.

 The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Asia, Jonathan Stivers, is traveling to Vietnam from March 19th - 21st.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese pianist Cao Thanh Lan will perform in HCM City and Ha Noi next Thursday and Saturday at 8pm respectively.

Quang Liem enters the leading group after three games, Athletes prepping for SEA Games in Singapore, Tien Phong Newspaper marathon to commence on Sunday, Cross-country cycling event kick off in Da Lat

 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to establish the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, of which the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the permanent organ.

 A novel entitled ‘Leger Vent de Panique’ (roughly translated as ‘A Slight Panic’), completed by Belgian author Nicolas Ancion in 24 hours during his visit to Vietnam in 2014, has been published in French and Vietnamese.