Frigate H.T.M.S. TACHIN (FFG 471) of the Royal Thai Navy arrived at Da Nang port in the central city of Da Nang on December 31, starting a four-day visit to Vietnam.

 The arrival of the 15 millionth foreign visitor of 2018 in Ha Long city, in the northern province of Quang Ninh, marks a successful year for the tourism industry.

 The year 2018 ends with several records, which are the highlights in the national economic panorama.

Brazil’s Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services recently announced the initiation of a sunset review of anti-dumping measures applicable to motorcycle tyres imported from Vietnam, Thailand and China.

 As of December 31, four people have died from landslides or floods caused by  days of torrential rains in the central region, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported. 

 Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith will lead a delegation to Vietnam to attend and co-chair the 41st meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Inter-Governmental Committee from January 5-6, 2019, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry announced. 

 Preparations for the construction of Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai are on track, with work scheduled to start at the end of 2020.

Key tourist attractions in the country, mainly in the warm southern region, have been attracting large numbers of travelers as the New Year holiday lasts four days.

 Ten of the 15 Vietnamese tourists struck by a bus bombing in Cairo, Egypt last week are expected to return to Vietnam tomorrow, January 1. Those seriously injured and the bodies of the three dead tourists will be flown home at a later date.

 Boi Khe pagoda is a 700 year-old-pagoda and this place has significant values related to history, culture and architecture of Hanoi city in particular and Vietnam in general.

  In 2018, Vietnam welcomed 33 high-level leaders who came to Vietnam for state/official visits or attending international events meanwhile Vietnamese leaders conducted 28 foreign tours to countries around the globe.

 The new low pressure area will pass south of the Spratly Islands and potentially increase into tropical depression, then strengthen into a storm.

 The Law on Denunciation supplements regulations on anonymous denunciation, cuts down the denunciation settlement process from five steps to four steps.

 While other artists use brushes and paint, Nguyen Thu Huyen uses needles, thread and cloth to create her work.

 Trưởng Thị Gạch, 82, of the Chăm ethnic group, is from a very long line of ceramic artisans.  

With over one month to go before the Lunar New Year festival (Tet), many peach blossoms bloom early in several gardens at Nhat Tan flower village in Hanoi causing worry among gardeners.

 The year 2018 has been a highlight of Vietnam’s efforts to realise a number of important objectives set out by the Government such as keeping inflation in check, boosting economic growth and improving national product quality and competitiveness. 

 The Ministry of Health has announced nine outstanding events of the health sector in 2018.

 A humanitarian program to donate woolen caps and scarves and help pay the treatment fee for impoverished cancer patients was organized this month at Hanoi Oncology Hospital. The hospital treats more than 10,000 patients each year.

 Cross-border services are posing challenges to Vietnam’s tax collection as existing tax regulations have yet to keep up with the fast-paced digital world.