A conference on Vietnam’s performance across three pillars of the ASEAN Community took place in Hanoi on December 26, gathering 100 representatives from ministries and sectors involved in cooperative activities with the bloc.

 Authorities in Quang Ngai have turned down a proposal by Japanese firms to grow Japanese elephant garlic on the local island of Ly Son.

 Head of the Ministry of Finance's Corporate Finance Department Dang Quyet Tien has announced that the government will sell the remaining 36% stake in Sabeco.

 The UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam is holding a programme themed “Welcome the 2018 New Year” from December 24 to January 2.

 The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court on December 26 opened a first-instance trial on a terrorism plot targeting Tan Son Nhat International Airport involving 16 suspects.

 General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong has requested the army to maintain its core role in the all-people defence and security.

Chilly weather in northern Vietnam has driven many elderly people and kids into hospitals while temperature in the south also decreased because the cold weather in the north has affected the south.

VietNamNet Bridge - Hotels not only have to compete in the food & beverage sector, a major source of revenue, but also in the restaurant chain and food court market.

Danang Department of Tourism said on the occasion of Christmas 2017 and New Year 2018, the city will receive four international cruise ships at Tien Sa port carrying about 6,000 passengers.

The first walking street in Phu Quoc island district was opened on December 24.

 The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to keep Saigon Beer brand name unchanged, said a representative of the Business Finance Department under the Ministry of Finance yesterday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The first edition of the dance-music fest on picturesque island revealed shortcomings that organisers are determined to avoid; Eizode 2 is set to get feet tapping and hearts thumping, 

 Traditional UK Boxing Day sales will suffer owing to spending on Black Friday and the squeeze on incomes, a survey suggests.

 Lying peacefully in the heart of HCMC for more than one century, Tan Dinh Church has been a convergence point for not only Catholic pilgrims to practice their religious belief but also for tourists.

 A bus left a road in Moscow before ploughing into a subway entrance, leaving four people dead and 11 injured, Russian officials say.

Vietnam’s total information and communications technology (ICT) revenues in the year to date have exceeded VND2,136 trillion (US$94 billion), up 9.34% compared to the same period last year.

Despite high growth in the past few years, Vietnam’s tourism still lags behind other ASEAN countries, especially in terms of competitiveness, due to poor products and strict visa requirements, heard a seminar in Hanoi City last Friday.

 The Tourism and Culture Week 2017 will take place on December 23 to 31 in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.

 The International Football Federation (FIFA) has recognised four Vietnamese referees as meeting its Elite 2018 level, after considering the proposals from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)’s Referee Committee.

 The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) has announced the auction of shares in five of its companies, with earnings estimated at more than VND1 trillion ($44.05 million).