The Republic of Korea (RoK) President’s wife Kim Jung Sook visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to learn about the culture of Vietnamese ethnic minority groups on the morning of March 23 as part of a three-day visit to Vietnam.

 Up to 14 people have been killed while 60 others have been injured in the apartment fire in HCM City early Friday according to the city's Department of Health.

 Recently, some persons from other localities came to Quang Phu Commune, K’Rông Nô District, in the Central Highlands province of Đak Nong to recruit Mong ethnic minority children to work illegally at HCM City.

 Top Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh won the first round of the Ciputra Hanoi-Nonex Sunrise Viet Nam International Challenge badminton tournament.

 The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) will organise the National FinTech Day in May.

President Tran Dai Quang and President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (RoK) affirmed their commitments and political determination to advance the relationship between Vietnam and the RoK in both depth and width.

The upcoming official visit to France by Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong will reflect the two countries’ respect for each other and their resolve to enhance multifaceted cooperation, opening a new period of flourishing ties in the years ahead.

HCMC Party Chief Nguyen Thien Nhan requested screening all firefighting plans in all apartment buildings in the city while inspecting Carina Plaza apartment complex where a fire broke out, killing 13 people and injuring 28 others.

 The UN Group of Friends on Drowning Prevention made debut at an event co-chaired by the permanent missions of Vietnam and Fiji at the UN headquarters in New York on March 22.

 The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Vietnam share a long-standing, sound relations based on mutual trust and respect, stated IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

 The US’s recent ruling to impose unprecedentedly high anti-dumping duties on tra fish fillets from Vietnam lacks a legal basis, said the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority. 

 An exhibition featuring the work of Czech graphic artist Jiří Slíva will open to public from 3pm on March 26 at the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum.

 A collection of rare books, antique fans, precious paintings and Thanh Le Pottery’s ceramic products are on display on the book street of Nguyen Van Binh in District 1, HCMC.

 National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will attend the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-138) and related meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 24-25. 

 Inspectors from the Department of Information and Communications in the Mekong delta province of Ben Tre decided to issue an administrative fine of VND10 million ($439) on a local man for publishing a false new to his fan page on social media.

 At a meeting on March 21 on dengue and summer disease prevention, Deputy head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) Dr. Tran Nhu Duong warned the possible outbreaks of dangerous diseases in the next time.

The Kafka Festival 2018, which features a series of cultural events to mark the 135th anniversary of the Czech writer Franz Kafka’s birthday (July 3, 1883-2018), will be held for the first time in Hanoi.

Around 52 percent of Vietnamese companies and 40 per cent of internationally invested companies will expand their business in the next two years, according to the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) 2017.

 The authorities’ collecting VND2.5 trillion ($109.8 million) in tax arrears from Saigon Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) made foreign investors concerned about taking part in later divestments of state-owned firms.

 New rules imposed by the Penal Code for software piracy, including crippling financial fines up to VND1 billion ($45,400), the suspension of operations, and so on, are expected to mitigate and hopefully terminate piracy in Vietnam.