The ADB and the WB have decided to use the Vietnam National E-Procurement System to implement online bidding for bidding packages that are widely competitive in the field of construction and goods.

 Following the success of previous years, the seventh Vietnam International Travel Mart 2019 (VITM 2019), themed ‘Green Tourism’, will be held at the Vietnam – Soviet Friendship Labour Cultural Palace in Hanoi from March 27-30.

 Up to 70 percent of Japanese businesses have announced that they want to expand operations in Vietnam, especially in manufacturing, trade and service, and retail sector, according to the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

 Member of the Party Central Committee and Standing Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son paid a visit to France on March 4 and 5 as a special envoy of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. 

 The UN Women in Vietnam, the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), and the Vietnamese Women’s Museum launched a mobile exhibition themed “The safe journey” on March 6 to raise public awareness of ensuring safety for women and children.

 A museum is calling for the donation of documents and objects linked to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, which saw Vietnam defeating the French colonialists to put an end to their rule in Indochina in 1954.

 The Da Nang Museum will host the Japan Culture Festival on March 10, introducing a series of traditional cultural activities and performances from Japan to local residents and tourists.

 As disputes between apartment residents and developers are cropping up in HCM City, the Ministry of Construction and the National Assembly’s Committee on Law will inspect the management and operation of several apartment buildings in the city.

 Localities throughout the country have been active in taking concrete measures to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF).

 Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in protecting and promoting civil and political rights will be shared at the 125th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 11-12.

 Vietnamese Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin co-chaired the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation in Manila on March 6.

 The Pac Bo festival 2019, the first of its kind, kicked off in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang on March 6, attracting crowds of locals and visitors. 

In a rather rare public embarrassment, a number of restaurants in a district of central Nghe An Province are accusing the authorities of skipping the bill after they hosted guests at the eateries.

VietNamNet Bridge - “The MoMo Challenge is challenging our parenting skills,” BB, a mother wrote recently on her Facebook page, calling it a “nightmare”.

 Two training vessels of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) arrived at Tien Sa port on March 6, beginning a visit to the central city of Da Nang.

 VinaPhone yesterday distributed nearly 5,000 eSIMs for its customers who had pre-ordered this from January 2019.  It also announced the official mass launch of eSIM onto the market from March 11, 2019.

 The technology of Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) has been introduced to Vietnam, yet unable to attract much interest from related businesses. 

 Genetica Company has just signed a contract with American International Hospital, locating in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City, for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in gene decoding.

The central city of Hue will offer free entrance tickets to local and foreign female visitors who wear Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) at its imperial palace and monuments on March 7-9.

Besides Vietnam’s free trade agreements, Chinese policies on promoting economic growth and reducing investment in labor-intensive industries have ignited a rising inflow of Chinese capital to Vietnam, experts said.