The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to keep Saigon Beer brand name unchanged, said a representative of the Business Finance Department under the Ministry of Finance yesterday.

Vietnam’s total information and communications technology (ICT) revenues in the year to date have exceeded VND2,136 trillion (US$94 billion), up 9.34% compared to the same period last year.

 The Tourism and Culture Week 2017 will take place on December 23 to 31 in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

 The International Football Federation (FIFA) has recognised four Vietnamese referees as meeting its Elite 2018 level, after considering the proposals from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)’s Referee Committee.

 The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) has announced the auction of shares in five of its companies, with earnings estimated at more than VND1 trillion ($44.05 million).

The Foreign Investment Agency has announced that disbursement of foreign direct investment had reached a new record for this year as at December 20, of $17.5 billion, up 10.8 per cent year-on-year.

 The number of newly-established enterprises in 2017 was estimated at 153,307, setting a new record against the 110,100 recorded in 2016, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Agency for Business Registration.

 Vietnamese designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam’s new collection “Women in love” will open Paris Fashion Week - Haute Couture 2018 on January 23 in France.

VietNamNet Bridge - The M&A deals made in 2017 are expected to have the value of $2 billion, and the same value or higher has been predicted for 2018.

 Vietnam Airlines plans to reduce State ownership to 51 per cent of the charter capital in the next three years.

 Nguyen Cong Chung, Executive Chef at the Sheraton Hanoi Hotel, has been named as Chef Hotelier of The Year at the Hotelier Awards 2017 - Asia.

 More and more investors and large economic groups have shown interest in the Vietnamese market due to the success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in November. 

 The Vietnamese market will see more state-owned enterprises (SOEs) equitised in 2018, following the State’s divestment from the Sai Gon  Beer Alcohol Berage Joint Stock Company (Sabeco) and Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).

 Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has signed a decision to announce a list of projects to build sections of the North-South Expressway in the east during 2017-2021. 

 Vietnamese athletes won 425 gold, 301 silver and 319 bronze medals this year, according to the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA). 

Four men in the southern region of Vietnam have been rescued after being cheated and then sold to a fishing boat in Danang City where they were ill-treated and not paid.

 Vietnam’s foreign currency reserves may reach USD50bn this year because of state divestment in large corporations and remittances from overseas.

 Most of the domestic auto industry went into a tizzy when Decree 116 tightening controls over the import and assembly of cars was issued in October, and days away from its official implementation, the worries and divisions remain.

 Proceeds from the sale of State capital at Sai Gon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) and other State-owned enterprises will be used for the right purposes as approved by the National Assembly.

 The insurance market has maintained a high growth rate of 21.2 per cent in 2017, gaining revenue of VND105.61 trillion (US$ 4.65 billion), a senior finance ministry official has said.