Some universities have expressed concern about the new 3-5 year training model for university education, saying that only the best students would be able to finish the curricula within three years. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – At the beginning of December some banks cut deposit interest rates by 0.1-0.2 percentage points.

 Viet Nam will grant e-visas to foreigners from 2017-2018, aiming to attract more tourists and foreign visitors as well as boosting the domestic tourism industry, according to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism.

 Viet Nam is set to launch two radar satellites in 2019 and 2022 into orbit to assist forecast of and preparation for climate change

 Ha Tinh authorities said they were investigating a Facebook user criticised for posting many photos showing his killing of wild animals.

 Quang Ninh Province has issued regulations on Ha Long Bay protection and management which will tighten control over aquaculture activities.

 The Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will present a concert themed “Dancing with classical” to music lovers at the municipal Opera House on December 29.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assigned the reaching of targets in the 2017 socioeconomic plan to five ministries, with a host of proposals coming from both local and domestic groups submitted to help the country achieve its goals.

 Up to 87 out of 163 new species found in the Greater Mekong region were discovered in Vietnam, which proves the country is rich in biodiversity and home to a diverse array of species.

 Bank loans for the property sector are estimated at some VND150 trillion (US$6.7 billion) this year, a 14.2% pickup from a year earlier, according the HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA).

 Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and the Royal Thai Police held the first high-level dialogue on security issues in Bangkok on December 20.

 The fourth court conference of border provinces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is taking place in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa from December 20-21, attracting 120 chief judges, judges and court officials. 

 Canada and Vietnam boast a great opportunity to promote their bond, especially in trade, investment, official development assistance (ODA), education-training and people-to-people exchange.

 Vietnam strongly condemns the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, the Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman Le Hai Binh said on December 20.

 Top government leaders of Vietnam and Cambodia have expressed wishes to cement and develop bilateral ties in the spirit of “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, all-faceted and long-lasting cooperation”. 

 Tima, a Vietnamese peer-to-peer (P2P) lending tech platform, successfully gathered Series A funds from a Singaporean investor.

 Viet Nam paid US$8.27 billion on importing equipment and machines from China in the past 11 months of 2016, according to the General Department of Customs.

 Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) on December 20 inaugurated the Lai Chau hydro-electricity plant in Nam Nhun District in the northern mountain province of Lai Chau.

 Vietnamese top tennis player Ly Hoang Nam eased into the second round of the Thailand F5 Futures in Huahin today.

 Two young hangliders, Hai Yen and Tuan Dung, celebrated their love with a unique wedding ceremony recently on the western outskirts of Hanoi.