The Pentagon pledges to make available masks and respirators, as New York City considers a lockdown.

Many countries have placed orders for SARS-CoV-2 test kits produced by Vietnam, according to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac.

The Ministry of Finance has issued a decision regulating the roadmap for the application of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), replacing the current Vietnamese accounting standards (VAS).

The Transport Ministry is asking for an aviation service fee subsidy for local airlines that have suffered an initial economic loss of over 30 trillion VND (1.29 billion USD) due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cutting interest rates and corporate income and added value duties, and extending loan payments and tax and social insurance collections were among the proposals raised by businesses at a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on March 17.

The UN Development Programme and the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development signed an agreement on March 17 to support the Mekong Delta’s response to drought and saltwater intrusion.

The agro-forestry faculty of Can Tho University was ranked first in Vietnam and in the 251-300 group of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

The Hanoi People’s Committee has agreed with the municipal Department of Planning and Investment’s proposal to pilot an electric bike sharing system in Hoan Kiem district.

By March 17 noon, most of the commercial banks in Vietnam had lowered their interest rates on savings accounts with terms of less than 6 months after the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) announced its policy rate cut a day earlier.

Vietnam Airlines said on March 17 that the national flag carrier is waiting for the outcomes of a meeting between European Union members to make a decision on its flight schedule between Vietnam and Europe.

Legal authority for approving in principle a Public-private Partnership (PPP) project would be given to the National Assembly or the Prime Minister, according to the bill on PPP investment being crafted by the Ministry of Investment and Planning.

Religious communities in Vietnam have been asked to step up COVID-19 prevention and control measures amid complex developments of the pandemic around the world.

The Health Department of Ho Chi Minh City on March 17 officially put into operation a 300-bed hospital specialized in treating acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in Can Gio district.

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has affirmed that Vietnam, as a leading garment exporter, is able to meet demand for face masks of people in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

Vietnam has been consulting ASEAN member nations and partners about the possibility of postponing the 36th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in early April as scheduled due to complicated developments of the COVID-19 epidemic.

If Vietnam can create reasonable policies and keep strict control over the development, it may become an emerging market in the wind power industry.

Fifteen per cent of Vietnam’s logistics firms estimate they will see revenue cut in half this year compared to 2019 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Samsung Electronics has announced the temporary shutdown of its factory in Gumi, South Korea and has relocated the production line of some high-end smartphone models to Vietnam.

“Everything that I have today is due to my love and contribution to cai luong (reformed opera),”  said actor Vo Minh Lam of Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre, one of HCM City’s leading art troupes in the traditional operatic art.

Vietnam will suspend the granting of visa to foreigners for 30 days beginning 00:00 on March 18, the Foreign Ministry announced on March 17, stressing that the move aims at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the community.