llowing insolvent banks to file for bankruptcy on a trial basis and settlement of bad debt are capturing public attention as theNA will discuss an economic restructuring plan on November 2, but a senior expert believes both jobs are tricky.

The application of information technology is expectedto significantly improve the insurance industry in the 2016-2020 period, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Insurance Supervisory and Authority. 

 Bau Truc Pottery Village in Phuoc Dan Town, Ninh Phuoc District is known as the only Cham pottery village in the south-central coastal province of Ninh Thuan and one of the most ancient in Southeast Asia.

VietNamNet Bridge - While goods from ASEAN countries and China are flowing to Vietnam under free trade agreements (FTAs), Vietnamese goods are finding it difficult to penetrate the markets.

Many commercial banks have released their third quarter financial reports with profit rising sharply despite huge risk provisions, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reports.

 Vietnam used more than US$22 billion in official development assistance (ODA) in the five years ending 2015 but another US$22 billion was left unused, says a Government report to the National Assembly (NA).

 VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly deputies stressed the need to clarify responsibilities in the management of public assets when discussing the revised draft law on managing and using State assets on Monday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The second session of the National Assembly yesterday continued with debates on a five year financial plan, targets and orientation for the mobilisation and use of loans as well as public debt management during 2016-2020.

 VietNamNet Bridge – More than 95 per cent of Vietnamese journalists were hindered from publishing news at least once during their career, according to a report by RED Communication announced yesterday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Culture and Sports centre of the central city of Hoi An, in co-operation with the Tokyo Shirubakai Art Troupe, has opened a Japanese language and culture education project for primary school students.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Da Nang People’s Committee has granted licences to 29 cruise boats to operate on the Han River and on inshore routes in the Son Tra Peninsula for a year (2016-2017).

 The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control’s permanent board and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Control for the Central region will establish two working groups to aid flood recovery in the Central provinces.

A Thai Food Week will take place on November 4-10 at the Crowne Plaza West Hanoi.

 Lotte Group will invest US$1 million to support the Vietnamese startup community over the next five years.

 The Vietnamese e-commerce market is expected to surge in the next five years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which has set an online sales target of US$10 billion or 5 per cent of total retail sales, has said.

 Lovers of literature in Vietnam will have the chance to meet well-known French/Belgian novelist Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt on November 9 in Hanoi.

 Vietnamese plastic firms are facing fierce competition and threats of being acquired by foreign peers, experts said at a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 2.

 Vietnamese businesses’ spending on environmental protection remains modest compared to their total investment and operation expenses, according to a survey released on November 2. 

 The police and relevant agencies of Ho Chi Minh City have intensified crackdowns on drug crimes this year, seizing a large volume of drugs, including 10kg of heroin and over 110kg of synthetic drugs in the last ten months. 

 Hanoi’s fire department will conduct safety checks on all 1,204 karaoke bars in the capital city following the deadly blaze on November 1 at a karaoke bar at 68 Tran Thai Tong Street that claimed 13 lives.