Last year was favorable for hydropower companies as demand for electricity grew faster than power capacity. This was enhanced by early rainfall which helped increase production.

 There was a time people in Phu Tan Village, in central Phu Yen Province, thought sedge mat weaving, the region’s traditional craft, was going to die out. The old production method was labour intensive and inefficient.

 The Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) has helped improve the quality of meals for workers as it makes the issue part of the collective bargaining between employers and employees.

 As Tet (Lunar New Year) draws near, several Hanoi citizens have been hospitalised with alcohol poisoning, which is often caused by home-made spirits.

 State Budget allocation for some infrastructure construction is among preferential policies and regulations that the Prime Minister has approved for the Da Nang Hi-Tech Park in a new decision.

 A father who allegedly poisoned his three children before attempting suicide is expected to be charged, Hau Giang Province police said on Thursday. The children all recovered later in hospital.

 Dried-fish processing villages in the Mekong Delta are busy making fried fish to meet demand for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday which falls on February 16 this year.  

Foreign petrol distributors have set foot in the Vietnamese market, but they will have to confront Petrolimex, the giant which holds 50 percent of market share, and other rivals. 

 Non-performing loans (NPLs) of credit institutions were controlled effectively in 2017, helping the NPL ratio of the entire banking system reduce to 2.3 percent from 2.46 percent in late 2016.

 Five Vietnamese female scientists were granted the 2017 L'Oreal-UNESCO awards at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 12.

 Indonesia will import 500,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam and Thailand to contain rice price hikes and declining supply in the local market, said Indonesian Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita.

 Vietnam and Japan should increase significant friendship exchanges on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (1973-2018), especially the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Festival in HCM City.

 Funding shortages and foreign language deficiencies have hindered the nation’s efforts to strengthen information security in the digital era, experts said.

 Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has just signed a decision on the establishment of Phia Oac-Phia Den National Park in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang to preserve typical ecosystem and biodiversity.

 The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has sent an urgent message to 24 districts to shut down most parking lots using pavements by the end of March.

 Artists from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) will perform classical and contemporary works at Hanoi Opera House on January 18.

 The Hanoi People’s Court has decided to bring Trinh Xuan Thanh and his accomplices to trial involved in “asset embezzlement” case at the PetroVietnam Power Land JSC (PVP Land) on January 24. 

 Japanese companies in Vietnam are seeking more personnel, especially at the managerial level, as investment from Japan has risen greatly in recent years.

 A photo exhibition about the Mau Than Offensive in Spring 1968 has opened at the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association as part of the city’s cultural activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event.

 Vietnam’s mechanical sector needs radical reform despite its recent progress in quality and output, experts and policymakers agreed.