The government of Hanoi City has announced to launch a double-decker bus tour before the 2018 Lunar New Year holiday to spur tourism development in the city.

 Vietnam has more than 1,600 ships, but a mere 3.3% of them are container ships, according to a report of the Vietnam Maritime Administration at a meeting on raising the market share of sea transport on December 11.

 A ceremony was held at Noi Bai International Airport in the capital city of Hanoi on December 13 to repatriate remains of US servicemen who died during the war in Vietnam. 

 An exhibition featuring Vietnamese contemporary fine arts opened at China Art Museum in Shanghai.

 Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong yesterday afternoon presided over a meeting on implementing the NA resolution of the specific mechanism for city development.

 A German-style Christmas Market will open for the first time from December 14 to 16 at Cua Bac Church in Phan Dinh Phung Street, Hanoi.

 Vietnam’s growth prospects have been revised upwards to 6.7 per cent in both 2017 and 2018 compared to previous forecasts of 6.3 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively.

Country ranks first in ASEAN in salary increases while its jobseekers are second in happiness index, according to latest Jobstreet.com survey.

 Pham Quoc Cuong won the Binh Duong Television Cycling Tournament, which ended on Tuesday.

 Since the early days of December, scores of five-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City have rolled out special events to mark the start of the 2017 Christmas season and give a helping hand to disadvantaged children at local shelters and orphanages.

 The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting issued an advisory on December 13 regarding a tropical depression which has formed in the south-eastern waters of the central Philippines.

 Vietnamese student Le Huynh Duc from Nguyen Hue High School for Gifted Student in Hanoi won a silver medal at the 15th International Russian Language Olympiad, according to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.

Vietnam’s shrimp exports are estimated at US$3.5 billion in the 11 months leading up to December with the EU, Japan and China as the three biggest importers.

 The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Embassy of Vietnam in India launched a programme in New Delhi on December 12 to promote Vietnam’s tourism.

 A cold spell continued strengthening in the northern region on December 12, according to the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Centre.

 The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) has expressed concerns that the plan to ban motorbikes in Hanoi, Danang and HCM City would badly affect socio-economic development.

 The unique cafes that let customers sit on the railway tracks have been shut down by police in Dien Bien Ward, Hanoi, for encroachment on the rails.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Transport has sent an urgent proposal to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to reduce tolls on National Highway 5, following a protest by drivers, 

 Thousands of households along Xuyen Tam Stream in HCM City are facing the serious pollution every day as the stream has been turned into a dumping ground.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Public Security to examine and prevent the online trading of weapons, which is threatening national security and social security.