VietNamNet Bridge – Dao Thi Thanh Binh, a reporter for Thương Hiệu và Công Luận newspaper, was arrested on Wednesday after she tried to extort US$70,000 from a China-invested enterprise in Bac Giang Province.

Porto in Portugal, Austin in the USA, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Cape Town in South Africa make up the “wish list” top five.

HCMC seeks clean-food suppliers, Automated customs system connects around 280 firms, Quang Nam’s Chu Lai OEZ to expand, VN ranks second in world on consumer confidence in Q3     

1,092 flood-proof houses built under GCF-funded project, National Assembly conference on SDGs concludes, Vietnamese war veterans in Czech contribute to homeland, Ho Chi Minh City Creative Awards launched

Many seafood companies’ products, which can satisfy high standards to enter the US, EU and Japan, cannot be sold in the domestic market because of technical barriers.

Le Van Luc, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Electricity and Renewable Energy in Vietnam tells Hải Quan (Customs) newspaper that it will take at least a decade for the nation to achieve full energy security.

VietNamNet Bridge - Under current regulations, state-owned schools do not have the right to recruit teachers, as this is the job of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam will likely have to face another El Nino spell in the 2018-2019 winter-spring period. 

 More innovative IT and mobile products good news for online sales.

VietNamNet Bridge - With 80 million magnetic cards in circulation, commercial banks would have to spend trillions of dong to convert them into chip cards to ensure security.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The central city of Da Nang’s education and training department has allocated a fund of VND40 billion (US$1.77 million) to upgrade and build new multi-sport arenas at 26 schools by 2022.

 Considerable efforts have been made by the entire political system, sectors and localities to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as required by the European Commission. 

Novartis has joined the Judicial Academy to organize a special training workshop for Vietnamese lawyers in HCM City.

 A serious traffic accident occurred on Tuesday evening on Trích Sài Street in Hà Nội’s Tây Hồ District when an intoxicated driver slammed her car into a number of motorbikes, injuring six people.

 Vietnam has become increasingly appealing to large foreign investor groups in the textile and garment industry who want to seize opportunities before the CPTPP takes effect in January next year, according to analysts.

 The local tourism market is upbeat in the last few days of 2018 with various Christmas and New Year tours serving travellers during the vacation period. 

 Vietnam accelerates implementation of sustainable development goals, Myanmar’s USDP delegation visits Vietnam, Party chief hosts Communist Party of Japan leader, PM chairs subcommittee meeting on national Party congress preparations

 The Vietnam International Fashion Fair 2018 which has wrapped up in Hanoi, gathers nearly 150 leading garment-textile, leather-footwear and cosmetics firms from across the nation.

108 Military Central Hospital to open modern 2,000-bed facility, Exhibition and performances mark 100 years of cai luong, Korean-language programme comes to Vietnamese audience

 ComBE Five vaccine will be used nationwide to replace Quinvaxem from late December after it was tested in seven provinces, the Ministry of Health announced on December 18.