Van Lang Park in HCM City’s District 5 was re-opened to the public last Friday night with a colourful music water fountain.

 The proposal to build high-rise buildings around the Hanoi Railway Station will have major impacts on the city’s inner areas, the Ministry of Construction (MOC) has said.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc lauded effective cooperation between Japanese and Vietnamese businesses while receiving Special Advisor to the Japanese Cabinet Isao Iijima in Hanoi on December 23.

 Here are Vietnam’s 10 most notable events of 2017:

 The 7th Da Lat Flowers Festival opened at Lam Vien Square in Da Lat city, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on December 23 under the theme of “Da Lat Flowers - A Miracle from the Good Earth”.

 The Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has urged local vulnerable localities to evacuate locals to safe places as Typhoon Tembin is heading to Vietnam’s mainland.

 Sa Pa winter festival 2017 kicked off in Sa Pa resort town, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on December 23 as part of activities to promote tourism potential of the locality in the framework of the 2017 National Tourism Year.

 All 31 Chinese visitors, a guide and four crewmembers aboard a tourist ship, were brought to shore safely after a collision between the ship and a cargo barge in Ha Long Bay, the northern province of Quang Ninh, on December 24.

 The police of Mong Cai city on December 24 issued an arrest warrant for Ngo Manh Tuong, born in 1986 and registered to reside in Hai Duong, for allegedly transporting 1.5kg of drug illegally.

 Vice Chairman of HCM City People's Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen has asked the Department of Transport to build a pilot bicycle-sharing programme in the city's centre.

 Dinh La Thang, former chairman of the Member Council of PetroVietnam (PVN), is set to face further prosecution after investigations conclude in the case of wrongdoings at PVN and its subsidiary PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC).

 Khanh Hoa welcomes 2 millionth foreign visitor in 2017, Hanoi commemorates victims, martyrs in US’s 1972 airstrike, Biotechnological products seek markets, Hai Duong police nick three people with 2 kilogrammes of drugs

While multinational conglomerates and large foreign investment funds are looking for opportunities to invest in large companies, other foreign investors are eyeing small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

 Hundreds of visitors have come to the colourfully-decorated house of Vietnamese pop star Dam Vinh Hung as he opened it for fans during Christmas.

 Dozens of households in the central city of Danang have been affected by the erosion of a local beach.

 The restructuring of the tourism sector should be conducted in a synchronous manner across all related sectors like transport, trade, services and customs, delegates said at a workshop in Hanoi on December 22.

 Sa Pa winter festival 2017 will be organised in Sa Pa town, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai from December 23 with myriads of splendid activities.

 The PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PVOil) is completing preparations for its initial public offering (IPO) scheduled for January 25, 2018 in Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE). 

 The high-level court on December 22 upheld the verdict for Tran Thi Nga, who was previously sentenced to a nine-year imprisonment on the charge of conducting anti-State propaganda.

 Yokohama FC defended their title after defeating Vietnam 2-0 in the final of the Thanh Nien Newspaper International U-21 Football Tournament, held on December 22 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.