Thousands of apricot branches and trees have been planted along Pham Ngoc Thach Street in Ho Chi Minh City ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, attracting many visitors.

Vietnam regards the Universal Periodic Review as an obligation of a responsible member of the UN as well as an opportunity to introduce the country’s consistent policies, efforts and achievements in protecting human rights.

 Of China's US$36 billion in financing for coal-fired plants in 23 countries, Vietnam has second most proposed coal-fired capacity after Bangladesh, totaling 13,380MW, with the fourth most funding, totaling US$3.6 billion.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Grandmaster Le Quang Liem will face the world’s strongest chess players at the Gibraltar International Chess Festival 2019 in the UK.

Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, yesterday proposed the Government Inspectorate quickly publicize its conclusions on the responsibilities of HCMC officials involved in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area development project.

 The HCMC Department of Transport has rolled out 24-hour hotlines to receive and respond to complaints on infrastructure, transportation and traffic safety incidents during the upcoming Lunar New Year, or Tet.

 In the first half of this month, Vietnam imported goods worth US$10.2 billion, while its export revenue totaled some US$9.2 billion. Therefore, the country had a trade deficit of US$1 billion, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam was awarded more medals from the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, as athletes from Thailand and Malaysia tested positive for doping, 

 Vietnam wants to attract 100,000 businesses to invest in agriculture, of which between 3,000-4,000 enterprises will be large scale with the rest medium-sized.

The food market to serve the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival is bustling with various kinds of products to meet increasing public demand but also poses high risks of unsafe food or violations in food safety and hygiene.

Assoc. Prof. Pham Quang Cuong was among 100 overseas Vietnamese intellectuals invited to his home country in 2018 to discuss Industrial Revolution 4.0 in Vietnam.

 As of the fourth quarter of 2018, the VN-Index fell from 1,021 points to 892, equivalent to a decrease of 12.6%.

 Vietnam`s millennials tend to be more health- and beauty-conscious than earlier generations, and willing to pay a premium for quality.

 A programme entitled ‘Exploring Vietnamese Tet (lunar New Year) festival’ will take place at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on January 25.

A research team led by Vietnamese national Nguyen Trong Hieu have successfully developed a new tool to help manufacturers spot defects or unwanted features of mobile phones and solar cells in the production process.

 The People’s Court of the central province of Khanh Hoa sentenced Phan Van Binh to 14 years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration” at a first-instance trial on January 22. 

 The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that the city’s smart traffic operation centre is being completed and is scheduled to become operational in February.

 Four former executives of Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC (BSR) on January 22 were sentenced to four to eight years in prison for charges of “abusing position and power to appropriate assets”, following a two-day trial.

 Readers of travel guide publisher Rough Guides have chosen Vietnam as one of 20 most beautiful countries to visit.

Dozens of spring flower markets will be opened in Hanoi for shopping, sightseeing and entertainment ahead of the Lunar New Year of 2019.