Thi Cam villagers in Xuan Phuong commune of Hanoi’s Tu Liem district gathered at the communal house on February 23 (or the 8th day of the first lunar month) for a traditional rice cooking contest.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien talks with the Vietnam Economic Times about projects to build more hospitals and provide better services for patients.  

 Pham Tat Thang, vice chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, talks about efforts to change public behaviour regarding the burning of votive objects in pagodas or shrines.

 Viet Nam has taken steps towards aligning its intellectual property (IP) framework more closely with its Southeast Asian peers, according to the sixth annual International IP Index, which analyses the IP climate in 50 world economies.

 The fourth quarter of 2017 closed with 332.4 million domain name registrations across top-level domains (TLDs), said a recent report of Verisign, a US-based domain name and internet security provider.

 The Ministry of Transport has accepted the model of Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) certificate issued by the Thailand Government for vehicles exported to Viet Nam.

 Viet Nam has made significant progress in banking reforms to expand sustainable lending, says the first comprehensive Global Progress Report of the Sustainable Banking Network (SBN), released on Monday.

 Mirae Asset Management on Monday signed a joint venture agreement with an investment arm of Viet Nam’s State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) to form a management fund.

 The State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) will put up more than 2.4 million shares of Maritime Bank for a public auction on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange on March 28.

 Parkson, the retail arm of Malaysian conglomerate Lion Group, has closed Parkson Flemington in HCM City, after eight years of operation.

 V.League 1 club HCM City have signed a contract with midfielder Paulo Daniel Fernandes Tavares of Portugal to prepare for the upcoming football season.

A music collection by France-based Vietnamese zitherist Tri Nguyen has been nominated for the Independent Music Awards (IMA) 2018. The results will be announced on March 31 in New York.

 Hanoi's Department of Transport has asked the municipal People’s Committee to officially ban Uber and Grab cars on 11 inner-city streets after a trial month.

The leather-footwear industry expects a good year in 2018 thanks to several favourable factors, according to Secretary General of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) Phan Thi Thanh Xuan. 

 Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has recently signed a decision approving adjustments to the master plan on air transport development till 2020 with vision to 2030. 

 A Japanese delegation including 15 students will visit Vietnam under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme from March 6 to 14, 2018, said the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam.

The ownership of 21 large State-owned groups and corporations is likely to be transferred from ministries and sectors to the Committee on State capital management at enterprises.

 Many garment-textile companies in Ho Chi Minh City are recruiting more employees to expand operations after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays.

 Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Petteri Taalas has proposed Vietnam soon appoint a permanent representative to the organisation. 

Ao Dai, the traditional Vietnamese long dress, is very popular during Tet. These gowns, in the graceful traditional style or more colorful and innovative styles, enhance the charm of Vietnamese women.