The first APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 1) in 2017 holds a significant meaning in reasserting APEC’s determination to boost cooperation for growth and connectivity in the Asian-Pacific region.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said he is happy with important progress in the cooperation between Vietnam and India while hosting the Indian Ambassador to Vietnam in Hanoi on February 9.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has proposed VNA and the Republic of Korea’s Yonhap News Agency to continue strengthening multi-dimensional cooperative ties.

 President Tran Dai Quang urged Vietnam and Uzbekistan to fully tap their cooperation potential in various fields while receiving Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and  Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Mirzaev Zoyir in Hanoi on February 9.

 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely coordinating with relevant agencies to implement Vietnam’s policy on e-visa granting to foreigners to Vietnam.

 Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has received Vietnam’s Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh, affirming the support that he and the State and the Government of his country give to defence ties with Vietnam.

Da Nang has taken full advantage of being able to start afresh, unencumbered for the most part by outdated infrastructure, to become the most livable place in the country. 

 New express boat service in place, 3-alarm fire burns through Dak Lak warehouse, Fishermen rescued in Quang Tri, Comprehensive inspection on treatment, medicine to be conducted  

 Xoe festival opened on the morning of February 8 in Sapa town of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai province, attracting a large number of Mong, Tay, Dao and Xa Pho ethnic minority people as well as visitors.

 Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) posted the slowest revenue growth since it went public four years ago, sending shares down more than 10 percent on Thursday

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietlott and traditional lotteries, casinos, and dog and horse races are causing social problems, some people contend, but experts believe they are a normal part of the market economy.

 Well-known K-pop band Block B will liven up Ho Chi Minh City in the Ho Chi Minh City-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017 to be held on February 21, according to an official fanpage of the band in Vietnam.

 A concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) will be held at the Vietnam National Academy of Music on February 18.

 The number of visitors to the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo Tourism Area in Son Tay Town, Hanoi, reached 500,000 on December 26, 2016, marking an increase of 200% compared to last year.

 More hotels have got underway in Hanoi, indicating that the capital city is growing attractive to hotel investors.

 The Goethe-Institut is starting the New Lunar Year out with a musical performance by the German Ensemble Resonanz on the evening of February 13 at the Rec Room in Hanoi Creative City.

More than 50 serious pollution cases were discovered in 2016, including the mass fish deaths in four provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue in the central region.

VietNamNet Bridge - On January 10, 2017, for the first time in Vietnam’s physics history, an article about nuclear physics by Vietnamese authors was published in an international scientific journal.

The confrontation between Vuivui and Tiki, one of the most successful e-commerce firms in Vietnam, which is supported by VNG, is expected to be an interesting story in 2017.

VietNamNet Bridge - In mid-January 2017, the Publishing & Printing Department of Vietnam asked publishing houses to stop releasing books about love stories, called ‘Truyen ngon tinh’ in Vietnamese.