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).

The Foreign Investment Agency has announced that disbursement of foreign direct investment had reached a new record for this year as at December 20, of $17.5 billion, up 10.8 per cent year-on-year.

 The number of newly-established enterprises in 2017 was estimated at 153,307, setting a new record against the 110,100 recorded in 2016, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Planning and Investment's Agency for Business Registration.

HCM City residents are increasingly concerned about the number of heavy trucks, construction vehicles and container trucks entering the downtown area during peak hours, affecting the quality of living

Sapa, Da Lat and Nha Trang have become top destinations of young tourists in recent years.

 Vietnamese designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam’s new collection “Women in love” will open Paris Fashion Week - Haute Couture 2018 on January 23 in France.

VietNamNet Bridge - The M&A deals made in 2017 are expected to have the value of $2 billion, and the same value or higher has been predicted for 2018.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A superhero film coming to cinemas nationwide during the Christmas and New Year season is expected to do well at the box office and possibly surpass earnings of its competitors.

 Vietnam Airlines plans to reduce State ownership to 51 per cent of the charter capital in the next three years.

 Nguyen Cong Chung, Executive Chef at the Sheraton Hanoi Hotel, has been named as Chef Hotelier of The Year at the Hotelier Awards 2017 - Asia.

 More and more investors and large economic groups have shown interest in the Vietnamese market due to the success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in November. 

 The Vietnamese market will see more state-owned enterprises (SOEs) equitised in 2018, following the State’s divestment from the Sai Gon  Beer Alcohol Berage Joint Stock Company (Sabeco) and Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).

 Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has signed a decision to announce a list of projects to build sections of the North-South Expressway in the east during 2017-2021. 

 Vietnamese athletes won 425 gold, 301 silver and 319 bronze medals this year, according to the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA). 

A series of four posters featuring characters from an ancient tuong play (classical drama) by Vietnamese designer Dang Thi Bich Ngoc has been named a winner of the 2017 American Graphic Design Awards.

Four men in the southern region of Vietnam have been rescued after being cheated and then sold to a fishing boat in Danang City where they were ill-treated and not paid.

 Vietnam’s foreign currency reserves may reach USD50bn this year because of state divestment in large corporations and remittances from overseas.