HCMC, Quang Ninh benefit from tourism boom, SHB merger with VVF approved in principle, China dominates Vietnam wood chip trade, VN-Japan company opens big warehouse in Binh Duong

 Local experts have delved into the low labor productivity of State employees at many forums and seminars, but the specific number of incompetent staff at government agencies remains unfathomable, said the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh extended his Christmas wishes to Catholic and Protestant dignitaries and followers in HCM City yesterday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – City dwellers and experts are concerned about the effectiveness of the bus rapid transit (BRT) route connecting Kim Ma and Yen Nghia, which is being launched later this month.

VietNamNet Bridge - National Assembly committees all want to tax second and subsequent houses  purchased to restrict speculation, but it is still unclear when the tax would be applied.

 Unlike the abovementioned cakes, khoai cake contains many ingredients and goes through totally different processing procedures.

Ministry warns of disease outbreak in floods aftermath, HCM City releases centurial literary project, Tons of clams wash up on beach in Ha Tinh Province, WB specialist believes in first BRT route’s effects in Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge - The State is encouraging institutional and individual investors to establish new ecological industrial zones (IZ) or develop existing IZs into ecological zones.

VietNamNet Bridge - Following the market entry of Netflix, Danet, Fim Plus and Amazon Prime, Vietnamese online copyright films have a new competitor -- ClipTV from Vega. 

BIDV is the No 1 bank in terms of total assets and VietinBank is No 1 in stockholder equity, networks and high pay for workers.

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).