Once the EU-Vietnam Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade comes into force, there will be opportunities for Vietnam to export more wooden products to Europe and other markets.

 The first HCM City Piano Competition kicked off on June 13 with the participation of about 200 contestants. 

 Facebook Messenger users can now book taxis by using the social network.

 The southern province of Kien Giang aims to mobilise 255 trillion VND (11.3 billion USD) for socio-economic development by 2020.

The Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund will provide the Mo duong den tuong lai scholarships to at least 33 ethnic girls to enable them to complete high school and tertiary education in the next seven years.

Cameras to monitor environmental violations will be installed in all districts, according to the HCM City People’s Committee.

 Music lovers will all be headed to the Melia Hanoi for a Studio 54 Disco Party this coming Friday night June 16 as Hanoi’s popular music venue plays host to the legendary American DJ/Producer Bert Bevans.

 The promotion and protection of rights of persons with disabilities is always high on Vietnam’s agenda, said Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, permanent representative of Vietnam at the United Nations (UN), in New York, the United States, on June 13.

 The International Yoga Day in Vietnam 2017, the third of its kind held in Vietnam, will take place from June 17 in nine cities and provinces nationwide, according to Indian Ambassador in Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish.

 Vietnam is expected to be the world’s fifth largest rice producer in 2017, according to the Crop Prospects and Food Situation report released by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). 

 The Japan Coast Guard ship ECHIGO docked at Tien Sa port on June 13 for a seven-day visit to Da Nang city. 

Wrongdoings in building steel fishing vessels thave affected the Government’s policy to develop a modern fishing fleet in service of offshore fishing and the nation’s sea sovereignty defence, and responsibilities will be clarified.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea on June 13 affirmed that the country cherishes its relations with Vietnam and wants to advance the ties further. 

Hanoi wishes to learn from experience of Italy’s Milan city in urban construction and development for its programme to become a smart city, said Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.

The fourth Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchange programme will be held in the northern bordering province of Lai Chau and Yunnan province of China from June 20-22.

The Vietnam Post Corporation (VNPOST), on June 13, debuted the website https://www.badasa.com.vn, an online trading platform for Vietnamese specialties.

 Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the Parties of Vietnam and Cuba should exert all-out efforts to foster the long-standing and model fraternity between the two countries amidst the complicated developments in the international situation. 

Nguyen Tam Chien, President of the Vietnam-USA Society (VUS), received a delegation of teachers and students from the US’s  George School in Hanoi on June 13.

Several invasive alien species have entered Vietnam, impacting the local environment and biodiversity, causing concern among authorised agencies.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted a reception in Hanoi on June 13 for Geetesh Sharma, President of the India-Vietnam Solidarity Committee in India’s West Bengal.