The military court of Military Zone 7 on July 30 began a first-instance trial of Dinh Ngoc He, alias Ut “troc”, and four other defendants in a case involving law violations at the Thai Son Corporation under the Defence Ministry. 

 Hoang Nga from Hanoi loves lacquer artworks. At an ongoing lacquer exhibition in Hanoi, she was also able to be part of the lacquer painting process for the first time.

 With a growing number of Internet users in the country, Vietnam has begun to apply information technology (IT) to develop online tourism, which is also a current global trend.

 Ho Chi Minh City reported a year-on-year decrease of 36 percent in the number of dengue fever cases in the first seven months of 2018, however recently recording its first death caused by the disease this year.

A 20-year prison term has been proposed for Pham Cong Danh, ex-Chairman of VNCB, for his involvement in the case of “deliberately violating State regulations on economic management, causing severe consequences” at VNCB.

 The VN-Index rose by 14.21 points to reach 949.73 points on July 30, with the majority of codes enjoying increases.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh is set to represent the Vietnamese Government in signing an MoU on the operation principles of the Vietnam-Singapore cooperation centre.

 The Hanoi People’s Court on July 30 sentenced Phan Van Anh Vu nine years in prison for “deliberately disclosing state secrets” under Article 337 of the 2015 Penal Code.

 The People’s Court of Bien Hoa city on July 30 handed out sentences ranging from 12 months probation to 18 months in prison to 20 defendants under the charge of “causing public disorder” pursuant to Clause 1, Article 318 of the Penal Code. 

 Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Jorge Faurie held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on July 30 to seek ways to boost bilateral ties.

 Vietnam has seen an average of 400 human trafficking cases each year, involving around 1,000 victims and 600 traffickers, said an official.

Phung Xuan Nha, Minister of Education and Training, speaks to Vietnam News Agency on his ministry’s resolve to maintain the principles of fairness, objectivity and transparency for future high school graduation exams.

 Some 94,500 enterprises have been newly established or have resumed operations so far this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

 VietNamNet Bridge – Customs officials in HCM City discovered 40 shipments of various drugs in the first six months of 2018 and seized 54.5kg.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Experts have urged authorities in the Mekong Delta region to use cutting-edge technologies to restructure the agricultural sector in the face of climate change.

 Vo Minh Quang, a 12-year-old student from Giang Vo Secondary School in Hanoi, won first prize at the eight Mozart International Piano Competition, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from July 22 to 24.

Well-known artist Tri Nguyen shared how he developed such a deep attachment with the Vietnamese ‘dan tranh’ and his upcoming musical projects in the near future.

 Natural disasters have caused total losses of some VND2.5 trillion (US$107.8 million) so far this year, heard attendees at a conference on natural disaster prevention and control in southern Vietnam.

 The number of tourists coming to Vietnam by sea in July has declined by an estimated 74.6% as Tropical Storm Son Tinh struck coastal provinces from Thai Binh to Ha Tinh some 10 days ago.

 HCMC authorities have sought to find farms which could be turned into tourist sites, in a bid to increase the incomes of farmers. However, many farmers have said they would find it difficult to offer tourism services.