The water quality of lakes, rivers, streams and canals in Viet Nam is seriously degrading. Water in urban areas and industrial zones poses risks to human and aquatic animals.

Representatives of government agencies and businesses and experts discussed a proposal to hike the environment protection fees on industrial effluents at a meeting in HCM City on Thursday. 

 Viet Nam and Thailand are the top seeds in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup, which will be organised later this year.

 Ho Khac Ngoc of Song Lam Nghe An FC has been voted the best Asian player for February.

 Rheinol Racing Days, the first-ever motorsport event of Viet Nam, will be held at the Dai Nam Racing Circuit in Bình Duong Province on March 10-11.

 International media have published articles reporting that Formula 1 could have three new Grand Prix events next season, as Miami, Buenos Aires and Hanoi are close to confirming a deal.

 The most important sports competition for Viet Nam this year will be the Asian Games (ASIAD), in which the country targets three gold medals.

 Kinh Mon is a famed region in the northern province of Hai Duong, which hosts various beautiful landscapes including a special national complex of An Phu Relics Site, Kinh Chu Grotto and Nham Duong Excavation Site.

 The opening of Vietnam’s economy and the rise in foreign investment has brought thousands of foreign professionals to the country to do business. 

 Border guards in central Quang Binh Province on Thursday evening released a green sea turtle back in the ocean.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has instructed HCM City to soon write to the Ministry of Transport about increasing the outlay on its two metro lines, saying the ministry would consider and report about it to the Government before March 20.

 Chopping down the sugarcane following seasons of disappointing low prices, farmers in the barren land of Long An Province turned their eyes to seedless limes in hope of better harvests. But the lime craze might be getting out of control.

 The US’s growing cooperative relations with Asian countries, including those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in various fields, will significantly contribute to regional peace, security and development cooperation.

 Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh had a meeting with of Vice Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU), the top ranked university in Russia, Sergey Sakhrai in Moscow on March 2, discussing new cooperation directions.

 Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has announced the appointment of Yeo Siang Tiong as its new general manager for the Southeast Asia region with a strategic focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

 Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has signed a Decision on the establishment of a Vietnam sub-committee of the Coordinating Committee for Geosciences Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP). 

 Personnel training, especially the development of high-quality human resources, will be critical to meeting the demands of the fourth industrial revolution, experts say.

 The automated customs system is expected come into operation at all seaports and airports by the end of the third quarter of 2018, according to the Viet Nam Customs.

 The city’s Department of Construction has proposed requiring an average floor area of 20sq.m per person for rentals to people who want to register for permanent residence status. 

HCM City authorities are calling for private investment to widen Nguyen Duy Trinh Street in District 9, which runs up to Phu Huu Port.