Hanif Salim has officially assumed the post of Consul General of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City after he received a written approval from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry on March 9.

 The Foreign Ministry of Vietnam and the administration of the Australian state of Victoria signed an agreement on March 9 to facilitate connectivity and cooperation between Vietnamese localities and Victoria.

 The satellite data sharing system, Vietnam Data Cube, has been introduced in the country, promising a satellite image database for Vietnamese earth observation satellite data users.

 Vietnam’s national U16 team tied goalless with Miyazaki of Japan to top Group D of the international friendly tournament ASEAN 2018 held in Miyazaki on March 9. 

 Vietnam won two gold medals at the first stage of the Asian Archery Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 2-9.

 The 2018 season of V.League, which will begin on March 10, is expected to attract more football fans to stadiums thanks to the effects of the U23’s outstanding performance at the AFC U23 Championship in China last January.

 Roadmap of CPTPP signing

 The Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) plans to reduce its ownership of PetroVietnam Gas Joint Stock Company (PV Gas) from the current 97 percent to 65 percent.

The changes in policies being pursued by US President Donald Trump will have an impact on the pockets of Vietnamese billionaires.

 2017 has witnessed the rise of the office-for-lease segment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It is believed that 2018 will act as a leverage for a boom in this segment in the following years.

 The annual HDBank International Open Chess Tournament features a record number of participants and bonus awards in its eighth edition which will run in Hanoi from March 10-15.

 Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh had bilateral meetings with ministers of Japan and Chile on the sidelines of the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in Chile on March 9.

 Vietnam’s tourism industry has entered a period of vigorous growth along with the growing demands for hotels and accommodation, giving fresh impetus to the development of resort property.

 Vietnam has constantly struggled to attract FDI to its agriculture sector despite being an agricultural country.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The 2018 Viet Nam Top Fashion Models contest was launched in HCM City this week, with the organisers encouraging young men and women around the country to apply.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Four years ago, Doan Viet Ha and Pham Thi Trang of Hai Chau District, central city of Da Nang had their first son thanks to in vitro fertilization (IFV) treatment.

 A raft of transport infrastructure projects in Ho Chi Minh City are witnessing accelerated construction to be finished in 2018. 

An exhibition of replicas of “sovereignty rocks” and landmarks of the Spratly Archipelago kicked off a wide range of activities organised around the theme “The love of youth and ethnic people for sea and islands”.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Dao San, a market located in the northern mountains at an elevation of 1,500m, is not only a rendezvous for local  people to meet each other, trade agricultural products and make friends, 

 VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities and people living in the coastal areas of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have taken several measures to prevent saltwater intrusion, including building of dams.