The Ministry of Planning and Investment has unveiled two new scenarios for the Vietnamese economy this year thanks to positive signs recorded in the first quarter.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Government’s regular meeting and a teleconference between the Government and the 63 localities on April 3 to discuss the socio-economic situation in March and the first quarter and set tasks for Q2.

Vietnam strengthens economic diplomacy efforts

The 15th Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) report was announced on April 2, showing progress in citizen perceptions on local anti-corruption efforts and e-governance but a backsliding in transparency in 2023.

Fifteen Vietnamese banks are named among the world’s top 500 most valuable banking brands this year according to the Brand Finance Banking 500 2024 ranking. In the recently released ranking.

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has issued a preliminary conclusion on the anti-subsidy investigation into frozen warm water shrimp originating in Vietnam, according to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam (TRAV).

The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) Hanoi 2024, slated to take place from April 11-14 under the theme "Vietnam tourism - Green transition for sustainable development," is said to closely follow a new global trend of "Net zero tours".

Tourists from the Republic of Korea (RoK) are falling for Vietnam’s beaches with stark soft sand and crystal azure water, online travel platform Agoda said on April 2.

Several Brazilian football legends, including Rivaldo, Dunga, Lucio, Edmilson, Kleber, Giovani, Zé Carlos, and Paulo Sergio will gather at the Brazil-Vietnam Football Festival 2024 which will be held from April 27 to April 28 in Da Nang.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son began a two-day official visit to China on April 3 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to further boost the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to start commercial operation in October this year, according to the Ho Chi Minh City’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR).

The 2024 Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day will take place from April 15 to May 1, with digital transformation to be boosted to bring books to more readers, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Roadmap for 2021-2030 national electricity development plan approved

After declining in the first two months of this year, credit of the banking industry in March increased by 0.26% compared to the end of 2023 to about 13.6 quadrillion VND, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) reported.

Vietnamese referee Ngo Duy Lan has been selected by FIFA, the global governing body of football, to officiate in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

Vietnamese weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh clinched a coveted spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a dominant performance at the ongoing 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Thailand.

HCM City’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) was estimated at over 406.34 trillion VND (16.34 billion USD) in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 6.54%, the highest growth recorded for Q1 since 2020.

Vietnam needs major reform in three pillars – finance, institution and talent -- to quickly build R&D capability and to become a prosperous country.

Referring to plans to obtain net-zero emissions, Dong Nai Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Hong Linh has told provincial agencies: “Do it, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. We are doing a good deed."

Vietnam aims to bring net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, so ideally all means of transport would be using green energy.