A large area of forest in the central province of Quang Binh has been found to be illegally destroyed for timber.

Economists are optimistic about foreign investment in Vietnam, both foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign portfolio investment (FPI), in 2018 and upcoming years. 

 As many as 12 state officials in Nam Dinh Province have been punished for visiting pagodas during work hours.

 A crash between a fire engine and a passenger bus in Hanoi killed one firefighter and injured 10 others.

 Professor Le Kim Long, former dean of the Education University, talks to the newspaper Kinh Te & Do Thi on the need to end the policy of free tuition for students at public teacher training institutions.

 On March 7 the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Decision No.686/QD-BCT with safeguards against the import of diammonium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate fertilisers.

 Vietnamese shares were positive on Monday morning, led by real estate stocks and positive investor confidence.

 Institutions from the Republic of Korea (RoK) have increased their investment in Viet Nam’s financial market significantly, expecting to gain from the market, thanks to the economic growth outlook.

 Some 120,138 ha of rice fields affected by a lack of water and saltwater intrusion in the southern region will be used to grow other crops in 2018.

 The Turkish Ministry of Economy has received a request for a second sunset review of anti-dumping measures applicable to Vietnam’s V-shaped conveyor belts (V-belt), according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Turkey. 

 The Cua Ong Temple Festival, which was recently recognised as national special intangible cultural heritage, opened in Cam Pha City, the northern province of Quang Ninh, on March 18.

 The Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) has officially announced a crackdown on “using the internet to appropriate assets, organise gambling, gamble, illegally trade invoices and launder money in Phu Tho province and some other provinces and cities.”

 Nguyen Tuan Anh on March 17 launched an outlet to sell baby products and maternity wear of the UK-based Mamas & Papas brand in Japan.

A 2017 survey by Kantar WorldPanel in four large cities and several rural areas found that multinational brands such as Unilever and P&G have been dominant in the personal and home sectors over the last three years. 

 The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has asked the Government to handle the State-owned enterprises (SOEs) that failed to disclose their business information in 2017.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has targeted to earn US$2 billion from catfish exports this year, accounting for 31.5 per cent of the fishery industry’s total export value.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrived in Hanoi early in the morning March 19, concluding his official visits to New Zealand and Australia where he also attended the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

 Top Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam finished runner-up at the India F3 Futures tennis tournament on March 17.

Banks offer preferential credit packages to businesses, State Treasury mobilises nearly US$1.5bn from G-bonds, Vietnamese firms urged to work to win WB, ADB bids, Vietnam Footwear Summit to discuss new growth models      

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s organ transplantation technique is now on equal footing with developed countries, experts say.