Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project on a new national public service portal, with people and businesses the centre of these services. 

 Viet Nam’s aviation market is forecast to increase rapidly, fuelled by new growth from the participation of more private carriers and improved infrastructure.

 Phở Thìn – a family-run noodle shop in Hà Nội open for 30 years – has opened its first franchise in Tokyo.

 Foreign Minister Pham Bình Minh had a telephone conversation today with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah regarding the trial of a Vietnamese national involved in the murder of a North Korean citizen.

 Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramiz Hasanov conducted a political consultation in Hanoi on March 12 to discuss bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

 The 2019 International Francophone Day entitled “Couleurs Francophones” (Francophone Colours) will offer a range of interesting activities, heard a press conference on the event held in Hanoi on March 12.

The Hanoi-based High-Level People’s Court has decided to reduce the imprisonment penalties for 13 defendants that were involved in an online gambling ring, considered the biggest of its kind uncovered in Vietnam so far.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 12 for Myanmar’s Minister of International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin, who is in Vietnam for the ninth meeting of the two countries’ Joint Committee for Bilateral Cooperation.

The Government Office held a ceremony in Hanoi on March 12 to launch the National E-Document Exchange Platform, a move towards a digital government and economy. 

VietNamNet Bridge - A source from the Hanoi People’s Committee said IKEA is planning to develop a system of retail centers and storehouses in Hanoi with investment capital of $450 million.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese farmers are now under pressure as South Korean businesses plan to take measures to boost farm produce export to Vietnam.

 Nominations for the Devotion Music Awards 2019 hosted by The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency were announced at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 12. 

 Three black bears kept in Bien Hoa city of the southern province of Dong Nai were handed over to a wildlife conservation centre on March 12. 

 Developing renewable energy is one of the priorities of Vietnam to gradually reduce the dependence on traditional forms of power generation in order to protect the environment.

VietNamNet Bridge - The water shortage in Vietnam is becoming serious, requiring management agencies to strengthen water sources protection.

Valeria Vazquez Latorre, Miss Supranational 2018, and Prathamesh Maulingkar, Mister Supranational 2018, arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on March 11.

 The HCMC government has decided to advance VND39 billion (nearly US$1.7 million) to the Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC (MAUR) to pay the salaries and allowances of its employees.

 The China Pacific Construction Group, a Chinese firm specializing in infrastructure investment and construction projects, has expressed interest in investing in Vietnam’s North-South Expressway project under the PPP format.

Because of the currently slow disbursement of ODA funds, the Ministry of Transport has agreed with proposing the Government and the National Assembly to use state budget for building Rach Mieu 2 bridge to ease traffic jam in the Mekong Delta.

 The Ministry of Planning and Investment remained optimistic about Vietnam’s GDP growth target of 6.6% - 6.8% for 2019, VnEconomy reported.