Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a master plan on use of information technology in promoting tourism from 2018 – 2020, with a vision to 2025.

 The Vietnamese delivery market, especially food, is at a year long high with many new businesses and services profiting.

In a bid to lure more qualified workers, the Vietnamese Government has announced some reforms in administrative procedures in providing work permits for foreigners, many of which are positive developments.

 Hanoians are chilled by a severe cold spell as the temperature drops down to 12-14 degrees Celsius.

  The National Assembly (NA)’s Standing Committee started its 29th session in Hanoi on December 10. 

 An Indonesian sailor died onboard the ship SM Tokyo which arrived at Hai An port in the northern city of Hai Phong on December 9 from Busan, the Republic of Korea.

 Vietnam is among the few ASEAN member countries to consistently improve its attractiveness to foreign investors due to its growing economy and improving business climate, according to experts. 

 The pepper industry plans to reduce the area under the spice and focus on improving quality to ensure long-term growth, according to the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development.

 A cartoon within the Viet Su Kieu Hung (Vietnamese Epic History) project will be screened for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City on December 15. 

 Artists Liu Ruili and Zhang Yuying from China won the A prize of an art festival for foreigners held in the central city of Da Nang on December 8 and 9.

 Rising from wars, Vietnam has made continuous efforts to build a socialist state with the rule of law, which is of the people, by the people and for the people, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has affirmed.

VietNamNet Bridge - Starbucks Vietnam continues to make a profit though its network has expanded slowly and its prices remain high.

 Adopting significant technological advances, the 5G network, which aims to improve connection speed, reduce latency and raise the number of devices connected at the same time, is expected to be a powerful boost for digital economy.

 The authorities in Truong Loc Commune in the central province of Ha Tinh are trying to preserve 10 old houses which were built hundreds of years ago.

 HCM City’s authorities are planning to install 315 cameras at local kindergartens at the cost of VND3.2bn (USD137,000) to prevent child abuse.

 The Ho Chi Minh City government will commence a project to build six underground water reservoirs and one ground reservoir in January 2019 as part of its flood control efforts.

 Events on December 10-16

 The Vietnamese stock markets showed positive development in the past week with four strong gaining sessions.

 PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil), the second-largest petrol dealer in the country, will sell the State’s stake in a package deal instead of splitting it into different small sales, news site ndh.vn reported.

 The city’s water buses provided services to about 900,000 passengers in the first 11 months of the year, up by 155 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the HCM City Department of Transport.