Not long after Vietnam's Law on Foreign Investment came into effect in 1987, the food and beverage processing industry emerged as a potential sector with many hundred-million dollar projects. 

 The processing and manufacturing industry is always the most attractive FDI segment, accounting for 45 per cent of total registered investment capital. However, Vietnamese enterprises are stuck on the lower rungs in the global supply chain.

 Banks are worried that Chu Lai Soda Processing JSC (Chu Lai Soda) will default on its VND2 trillion ($88.1 million) debt as the soda processing factory has been forced to suspend its operations since August 2016 due to violations in discharge.

 President of the Moroccan House of Representatives Habib El Malki is paying an official visit to Vietnam from December 16-22.

 Vietnamese businesses still think Laos is an attractive destination and will continue to invest in the country despite a slowdown in out-bound investment.

 The Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM) and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Washington DC on December 16.

 Although the US withdrew from the TPP, ministers of 11 TPP members reached a consensus on a new deal and called it the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). 

 Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co Ltd, the operator of Dung Quat Refinery, will conduct Vietnam’s biggest-ever initial public offering (IPO) on January 17 next year, hoping to garner US$157.4 million for State coffers.

 The first ever hockey match to take place in Vietnam was held in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City on December 14, attracting many spectators.

 Vietnam brought home three golds, five silvers and two bronzes from the Asian Youth Para Games 2017, which took place in Dubai from December 7 to 14.

 A majority of the population in Ninh Thuan province are Cham. They have preserved their traditional festivals and folk games both for enjoyment and strengthening community bonds.

 Martin Rama was the World Bank’s Lead Economist for Vietnam from 2002 to 2010 and is the author of many books about Vietnam and Hanoi in particular. He has developed his great love for Hanoi since he first came here 20 years ago.

 Bai choi, a folk music genre practiced in central Vietnam, has been officially recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

 In 1998 Ireland’s Doctor Colman Patrick Ross came to Vietnam to work, he never thought he would stay for 20 years. During this period he has lived and worked with ethnic minority people in 12 provinces across Vietnam.

 Vietnam is facing numerous challenges caused by rapid urbanization, leaving burdens on its technical and social infrastructure and leading to many severe consequences. 

 Anyone who meets Pham Thi Huong Giang, initiator and key operator of the "Nha Chong Lu" (Flood Resistant Houses) – a social project which supports residents living in areas affected by natural disasters.

 Ly Son Island, 30km off the coast of central Quang Ngai Province, has had a face-lift since connecting to the national power grid in 2014. But while islanders have benefited from the rapid changes, serious environmental challenges are also arising.

 All six Vietnamese students competing at the 14th International Science Olympiads in the Netherlands won medals, three silvers and three bronzes, according to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.

 Ho Chi Minh City’s real estate sector attracted US$984.4 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) during January-November, triple the figure from the same time in 2016.

 Vietnam’s logistics costs remain high, equivalent to over 20% of GDP while these costs account for between 9% and 14% of GDP in developed countries, according to the Vietnam Logistics Association.