In response to reports of broken glass and concrete along Hà Nội’s Cát Linh-Hà Đông elevated railway, the Ministry of Transport on Thursday reassured the public that damage would be checked and fixed soon.

Five education quality accreditation centers in Vietnam have accredited 55 percent of training establishment since 2016, the date of their establishment. However, experts see problems in the way accreditation is implemented.

 Three artists from Germany, Antye Greie-Ripatti, Gil Delindro, and Julius Holtz, will hold a concert of sound installations and live-acts called “Berlin Signals” at the Goethe Institut Hanoi on April 22.

 Out of nearly 2 million pregnant women yearly, more than 3,800 of them (equivalent to 0.19 percent) pregnant women living with HIV did not have access to ARVs to prevent transmission to their infants.

VietNamNet Bridge - Experts have concerns about the fate of the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway if the Hai Phong Port becomes overloaded.

VietNamNet Bridge - Following the path of Pham Nhat Vuong and Nguyen Duc Tai, Truong Gia Binh, the owner of the Vietnamese largest IT corporation, has jumped into the drug distribution market.

In January, Vietnam’s fashion industry received good news: the collections of designers Cong Tri and Phuong My would appear during New York Fashion Week, one of the four most influential fashion week events in the world.

 A waning electronics trade cycle and decelerating global demand pose material downside risks to Vietnam’s economic growth in 2019 and the next, HSBC said in its latest report. 

 Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) has proposed to reduce the corporate tax income (CIT) rate from the current 20% to 15 – 17% for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a move to buttress domestic companies, local media reported. 

 Nearly 56% of foreign firms plan to expand their operations in Vietnam, a healthy level, but also a slight decrease from the apex of 60% last year, according to the latest survey conducted by VCCI. 

 Vietnam has re-demanded Monsanto, a global agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, fix consequences caused by Agent Orange/dioxin that it supplied to the US army in the Vietnam War. 

 Events in Hanoi during the weekend

 The ASEAN Women’s Circle of Hanoi (AWCH) and women from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a get-together in Hanoi on March 29.

 Vietnam reported an estimated trade surplus of US$600 million in March, leading to a surplus of US$536 million in the first quarter this year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) has said in a monthly report.

 A program with theme “True Italian Taste – Mediterranean Diet” will be held on April 5 at Casa Italia No.18, Le Phung Hieu street, Hoan Kiem district, downtown Hanoi, and is expected to welcome around 300 - 400 visitors.

 A press conference was held in Hanoi on March 29 to introduce European Capitals of Culture program, bringing European cultures closer to travel lovers in Vietnam.

“After a long time of thinking about why Vietnam still has not become a powerful country, I have come to the conclusion that the lack of aspirations is a crucial cause,” writes Huynh The Du, a respected scholar.

 The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) took effect in Vietnam in January this year. 

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc lauded the strong growth across all fields of the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership as he received Special Advisor to the Japanese Cabinet Isao Iijima in Hanoi on March 29.

VietNamNet Bridge - While the taxation agency insists on imposing a luxury tax on soft drinks, some experts warn that the move could lead to Vietnam being accused of discriminatory treatment.