The children residing on a floating village on the Tri An hydropower reservoir, Dong Nai province, often don’t go to school on the mainland. Some years ago, a monk came to their village and taught them theirABCs and spelling.

 Money from Asian investment funds is finding its way to Vietnam’s listed equities, spurred by mergers and acquisitions of conglomerates from Japan, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea.

 Rice export achieved remarkable results in the first eight months of 2018 relying upon the improved purchasing power of the world market.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Transport, which is drafting amendments for Decrees 92 and 30 on air transport, is contemplating a five-year extension to the maximum life expectancy of aircraft used by airlines in Vietnam.

 The use of 4.0 technologies and digital marketing provides a competitive edge as well as brand differentiation for companies, experts said at a conference held on Saturday in HCM City.

 Rising economic and trade tension between China and the US and a faster-than-expected US rate hike have dampened investors’ confidence in Vietnamese stocks.

 In a short time, foreign funds have sold millions of shares of Mobile World Corporation (MWG), one of the biggest mobile phone and accessory retailers in Viet Nam, with an estimated transfer value of up to hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong.

The State Bank of VN will likely continue its tightened monetary policy in the remaining months of the year after its decision to strictly control lending to high risk sectors in the third quarter didn’t adversely affect VN’s economic growth.

 Standard Chartered Bank continues to expect Viet Nam’s robust GDP growth of 7 per cent in 2018, driven by strong FDI-supported electronics manufacturing and rising consumption.

 Overseas remittances to Vietnam are expected to decline mainly due to global factors.

 Swimmer Nguyen Thanh Trung secured the first gold medal for Vietnam at the 3rd Asian Para Games in Indonesia (INAPG 2018) after taking lead at the men’s 100m breaststroke event for athletes with disability category of SB4 on October 7.

 Three Vietnamese firms have made it to Forbes Asia’s 200 Best Under A billion-TOP 200 list in 2018, which highlights the 200 high-performing Asia-Pacific companies with revenue under 1 billion USD.

 A set of 100 ceramic floor vases featuring Vietnam’s traditional patterns created by artisan Pham Van Tuyen - Venerable Thich Chanh Tinh, has received an entry in the Vietnam Book of Records.

Girls’ safety in public areas and child marriage problems were the main topics at a dialogue on October 7 between girl representatives and leaders of a number of National Assembly committees, ministries, sectors and central organisations. 

 The General Statistics Office’s Department of Population and Labour Statistics reported that in the first nine months of 2018, the number of labourers aged above 15 was estimated at 55.2 million, up 581,500 people from the same period last year.

 Vietnamese rice exports have never experienced a rise quite like that just seen in the first nine months of 2018. 

 Events in Hanoi & HCMC on October 8-14

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted an official welcome ceremony for and had talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Tokyo on October 8 morning.

VietNamNet Bridge - Because of limited financial capability, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have decided to quit multi-billion dollar oil refinery projects. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Schools have repeatedly complained to the Ministry of Education and Training about the lack of teachers, but the Ministry does not have the right to recruit teachers.