At a recent forum in Ho Chi Minh City, Peter Semone, chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, declared that tourism has the potential to become a pillar of the Vietnam economy.

 The Moc Chau, Bac Ha and Dien Bien plateaus are seemingly inexhaustible rich fertile flower-filled pastures dissected by rivers winding down steep hills filled with nostalgic sights of childhood this time of year.

 Tien Dat from Hanoi has developed quite a fan base in Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines at the male beauty pageant – Mister International 2017 – ongoing in Thailand.

  Pham Tuyen is a musician whose music has been closely associated with different periods of Vietnam’s history.

Interest rates were stable in the first month of 2017 and will remain steady for the entire year, the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) said on Thursday.

 Phu My Hung Development Corporation has unveiled plans to develop Sakura Park to create a new famous public place in HCM City following the success of its The Crescent area.

 CMC Telecom has begun construction of its 2,000km cable express system through Viet Nam.

 Many young people, including those who’ve studied abroad and returned home to establish their own businesses, shared useful ideas on startups at a conference held last week in HCM City.

 Thailand’s plan to sell all its rice reserves of about eight million tonnes this year has sparked concerns that this move will undermine Viet Nam’s rice exports.

 HCM City authorities have urged the city’s Department of Planning and Investment to propose solutions to achieve a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of between 8.4 and 8.7 per cent this year.

 Viet Nam’s insurance sector is predicted to grow 20 per cent this year thanks to a change in Government policies, experts said.

 A resident of Ma Lu Thang Village in the northern province of Dien Bien found three people hacked to death in a field shack last weekend.

Universities and educational institutes must publicize their achievements, such as the rate of their graduates who have found jobs, before the national high school entrance exam of 2018, experts said at a conference last Friday. 

 HCM City Police are investigating an attack against a female student by three young males who used a weapon to slash her thigh.

 The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a list of coaches and athletes approved for special perks while they prepare upcoming international sports competitions.

 The Governor of Gangwon Province of South Korea, Choi Moon-soon, has confirmed the appointment of midfielder Luong Xuan Truong as the Viet Nam Image Ambassador for Culture.

 The 2017 National Tourism Year was opened in  Lao Cai city, the northwestern mountainous province of Lao Cai on February 11.

 The northern city of Hai Phong will pilot solar-powered buses on Cat Ba Island in 2017, local officials said.

 It appears that Vietnam is best placed to become Southeast Asia’s Silicon Valley while most members of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) have ambitions of developing competitive technology sectors, “Asia Correspondent” said in a recent article.

 Overseas Vietnamese play an important role in developing Vietnam’s economy by contributing their talent and intelligence in the science and technology field, a deputy minister of Science and Technology said recently in HCM City.