The Prime Minister has approved an adjustment plan to build Ho Chi Minh City into a major urban region with dynamic and sustainable development, playing a crucial role in Southeast Asia’s development.

 Vietnamese and Lao air defence and air forces will step up delegation exchanges and cooperation in training and technology. 

A ceremony took place in Noi Bai  airport in Hanoi on December 27 to welcome the 94 millionth passenger aboard the 800,000th flight operated by the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation this year.

 Exports of forestry products increased by 9.2 percent from 2016 to 7.97 billion USD in 2017, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNForest).

 The gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2017 is estimated to expand by 6.81 percent, surpassing the Government’s set target of 6.7 percent.

 A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Nguyen Xuan Thang, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee, is on a working visit to Japan from December 24-28.

 Russian auto makers will join hands with Vietnamese partners to set up manufacturing companies in Vietnam, as part of an amended protocol signed between the two governments in Hanoi on December 27.

The year of 2017 is considered a successful year in inflation control, as the average CPI increased 3.53 percent over 2016 and 2.6 percent compared to December 2016, fulfilling the target of keeping the rate under 4 percent for the whole year.

 The Government is capable of curbing the 2018 inflation rate at less than 4 percent as set by the National Assembly, according to Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.

 The Medical Environment Management Agency has announced that 478 out of 543 hospitals across Vietnam have well-operating waste treatment systems, accounting for 88 percent of the total.

 Vietnam saw 126,859 new enterprises established with a total registered capital of 1,295.9 trillion VND (57 billion USD) in 2017, up 15.2 percent in number and 45.5 percent in capital year-on-year.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on December 27 for Choi Young Joo, President of the Republic of Korea-Vietnam Friendship Association and Chairman and CEO of the Panko Corporation.  

 The first national forum on organic agriculture took place in Ho Chi Minh City on December 27, discussing solutions to develop the sector.

 Two seminars on Vietnam’s achievements in socio-economic development, external relations and international integration in 2017 will be held in early January.

 The HCMC People’s Court on December 27 imposed imprisonment sentences ranging from 16 years to five years on 15 defendants on the charge of “conducting terrorism against the people’s administration” under Article No.84 of the Vietnam Penal Code 1999.

 Vietnam is willing to share experience in wet rice cultivation and other fields with Cameroon, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at his reception for Cameroon Foreign Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella in Hanoi on December 27. 

To obtain a 20 percent credit growth rate this year, total outstanding loans will have to increase by VND1,200 trillion. In the last five last months of the year, VND700 trillion is expected to be pumped into circulation.

VietNamNet Bridge - The average pay from Vietnamese companies is 29 percent lower than multinationals. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Sacombank and VP Bank are leading the list of banks with the highest NPL (non-performing loans) ratios.

Prof Ngo Bao Chau, a renowned Vietnamese mathematician and Fields medal winner, believes that poor management is one of the greatest challenges faced by Vietnam’s higher education system.