Xo Dang-Xo Teng ethnic people in Tu Mrong district, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, celebrate many traditional festivals throughout a year, including water pipe building festival.

 The State Bank of Vietnam has given the Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) the green light to sell shares to foreign investors, according to Vietcombank chairman Nghiem Xuan Thanh.

 The PM has approved the preparation plan for joining the Hague Convention 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in the 2018-2021 period. 

The 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum creates an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral diplomatic relations between the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) and other nations’ parliaments.

 The HCMC government has again proposed the Construction Ministry issue a set of national technical criteria for apartments, including the minimum area of commercial apartments at 45 square meters, Thanh Nien newspaper reports.

 The Hanoi People’s Court will hear a graft case at the PetroVietnam Power Land JSC (PVP Land) involving Trinh Xuan Thanh on January 24.

 A sixteen-stringed zither (dan tranh) art performance will be held at the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Culture Palace on January 27.

 HCMC entrance gateways have been overloaded and traffic jam has regularly occurred partly because infrastructure has failed to catch up with population increase and fast urbanization speed.

VietNamNet Bridge - Forecasts about the real estate market in 2018 are all inclined towards optimism. 

 Painter Nguyen Thu Thuy had a talk on January 15 with members of the Friends of Vietnam Heritage (FVH) about the renovated Mirror House in central Hanoi’s Thong Nhat Park and her other ceramics projects.

Nearly 92.6% of credit institutions expected higher pre-tax profits in 2018 thanks to their good performance in 2017, released the latest survey conducted by the State Bank of Vietnam's Department of Monetary Forecasting and Statistics. 

 Do Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the NA Office and head of the subcommittee for APPF-26 information and communication, ran an article on the purpose and meaning of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

Beer consumption in Vietnam topped 4 billion liters last year, representing a year-on-year increase of 6 per cent. 

Children travel with their parents to Sapa City centre from various surrounding hamlets as they try to earn a living selling products or offering tourism services.

 Saigon natives and visitors had the chance to sample a wide variety of delicious dishes at the 12th Taste of the World festival, which took place at Le Van Tam Park in Ho Chi Minh City from January 11-14.

 Vietnamese singer Dinh Hien Anh will serve as a judge for the finale night of Miss & Mrs India International 2017.

 The board of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Hanoi) elected Michael Kelly as its new chairman for 2018. He succeeds Citibank’s Natasha Ansell who held the post in 2017.

 Vietnam’s husbandry sector has felt the heat from foreign agricultural firms who are taking advantage of import tariff removal from the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement this year.

 Over the past three years, numerous foreign investors made noteworthy divestments at Vietnam-based commercial banks due to the inconsiderable ownership.

 Several experts have raised their concerns over the plantation of red maple trees on Hanoi streets.