The Paris Peace Accords on Cambodia was signed on October 23, 1991 and just a day later, I received a call from Do Phuong, Vietnam News Agency General-Director with an instruction to prepare to head to Phnom Penh.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Quang Nam Culture, Sports and Tourism Department has just set up a Quang Region Cuisine Museum to honour local noodle dishes.

 Vietnam is expected to cash in on container shipping in 2019 as the US-China trade war will make the country busier with import and export activities, experts said.

 Vietnamese footballers are actively training in preparation for the match against Iraq on January 8, their first game at the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 Vietnam sets a target of having 60-62 percent of its labourers trained by the end of 2019, of whom 24-25 percent will be granted certificates.

 Hanoi and Finland’s South Ostrobothnia region inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation enhancement as part of their leaders’ meeting in Vietnam’s capital city on January 7.

 Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong had a bilateral meeting in Hanoi on January 7 with Vice President of the European Parliament (EP) Heidi Hautala who is leading an EP working delegation to Vietnam from January 7-9.

VietNamNet Bridge - Local newspapers noted six noteworthy events in e-commerce in 2018.

 Four domestic carriers, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific and the Viet Nam Air Services Company (VASCO), reported a total of 39,632 delayed flights in 2018.

 The Tax Department of HCM City has decided to suspend its decision to collect VND3.14 trillion (US$134.8 million) from Sai Gon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) for the company’s special sales tax violations.

 Viet Nam is among the most dynamic start-up hubs in the world and well-educated, young entrepreneurs are expected to improve the country’s position on the global start-up map.

 The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) has recently accepted or looks set to accept the listing of three more large-cap companies, but questions remain following a volatile year for the market.

 Commercial banks have to adjust the limit of cash withdrawals in foreign currency abroad to the maximum equivalent of VND30 million (US$1,280) per day for international credit and debit cards from early this year to meet a central bank regulation.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has advised Vietnamese exporters to strictly abide by regulations related to products’ origin.

 The credit growth in the economy in 2018 is at five-year low, but it still helped the economy grow at a decade-high of 7.08%, VnExpress reported.

 The value went down 82.24% from the peak in the first quarter 2013.

 Flower farmers in Tay Tuu Village, Hanoi, are having to find land in another district to expand their work due to urbanisation.

 Events in Hanoi and HCMC on January 7-13 

The temple worshipping national hero Khuc Thua Du is a beautiful attraction in Hai Duong. Situated next to the Luoc river, the national historical relic reflects the Vietnamese spirit of “remembering the source of the water we drink”.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A special ceramic mural regarded as one of the biggest in Vietnam is on display in the city of Ha Long in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh.