The HCMC Party Committee will establish a steering committee on smart city development and consider this to be the mission and determination of the city Party Committee, government and citizens.

 Hanoi is the least expensive international destination to travel to according to the TripIndex Cities cost-comparison study released on July 19 by TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site.

 A lawyer for a foreign auto maker in Vietnam has called for the repeal of the current Law on Investment due to its complexity hindering business activities.

The trial of Vietnam Construction Bank’s former chairman Pham Cong Danh and 35 co-defendants kicked off last Tuesday, with a preliminary hearing on allegations of fraud that cost bank creditors over VND9.1 trillion ($417 million) over three years.

 Travel products including hotel bookings, tour and packages will be auctioned for the first time in Vietnam with the aim to bring more benefits for customers and boost the local travel market.

 The Vietnam Creative Festival 2016, which seeks to promote creative sectors in the country, will be organised in HCM City at the beginning of October this year.

VietNamNet Bridge – On Sunday July 24, the customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City and the police arrested a 37-year-old female Australian Vietnamese with 5kg of heroin in her luggage.

  Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida called for peaceful settlement and compliance to international law in disputes in the East Sea when meeting with his Lao counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith on July 24.

VietNamNet Bridge - Sofitel Plaza Hanoi and Duxton Saigon have been transferred to new owners at a time when many new hotel brands have opened in Hanoi and HCMC. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Diep Son path will appear after the tide goes out linking three islands in Van Ninh district, Khanh Hoa province.

European firms report positive business climate in Q2, Ministry of Justice responds to businesses, Consortium to deepen ports in Cai Mep-Thi Vai, Hoanh Son Group acquires 51.11% of Phuoc An Port

VietNamNet Bridge – Major General Le Xuan Vien talks to Viet Nam News about the entry and residence of foreigners in Viet Nam recently, and how to tighten order in the tourism sector.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The 14th National Assembly will constantly improve its legislative performance to ensure that the laws it approves are feasible and comprehensive, said newly re-elected NA Chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

The Fire Dance Festival is a cultural morale activity in the end of the year and early spring of the red Dao ethnic minority.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A floating restaurant in southern Ninh Thuan Province’s Vinh Hy Bay suddenly sank on Saturday morning, knocking hundreds of tourists into the sea, of which two were killed and four others injured.

 The seventh Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) issued a joint statement and a MGC Action Plan for 2016-2018 in Vientiane, Laos on July 24.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Singapore and Indonesia on July 24 on the sidelines of the 49 th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Australia defeated Viet Nam in the final match of the AFF Smart Under-16 Championship 2016 in Cambodia on Saturday.

VietNamNet Bridge - The granting of licenses to Formosa and Lee & Man to discharge waste water appears to have violated the 2015 Environmental Protection Law and the 2013 Water Natural Resources Law.  

The oil price keeps dropping dramatically, leading to a decrease in Vietnam’s state budget revenue. Meanwhile, other indicators that measure the health of the national economy all show worrying signs.