Vietnam has called on the ten-member ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance (PA) to increase their exchanges in order to effectively deal with challenges hindering their affiliation like geographical distance and cultural differences.

VietNamNet Bridge - BPhone was brought into life in an impressive way, but the smartphone which was hoped to be ‘Vietnamese technological pride’ did not have an impressive performance in the last year.

 The Prime Minister has assigned Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung to participate in a steering committee and negotiation delegations related to border and territory.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will pay an official visit to Russia and attend the Commemorative Summit in celebration of the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Relations there from May 16-20.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 11 hosted a reception for ambassadors of ASEAN member countries.

Donaco International Limited has expressed interest in joining in the development of Lao Cai airport in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Drivers of xich lo (cyclos or pedicabs), a favourite form of transport in the UNESCO-declared World Heritage site of Hoi An in central Viet Nam, are doing quite well these days.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has decided to develop teaching kits under VNEN – the new teaching model for Vietnam – into one of the sets of textbooks to be used for general education reform, commencing from 2018.

 HCM City needs VND2 trillion for flood control projects this year, Thanh Hoa: remains of martyrs reburied, Vietnam’s reform achievements introduced in France, 423 tons of safe fish bought by traders in Quang Binh

VietNamNet Bridge - The water of the Ba River has turned abnormally green, covered with scum and moss. However, it is still being used by thousands of local households, as it is their only source of water.

 A new master plan in Vietnam has mapped out medium-term objectives for investment and development in the power sector to meet the goal of advancing industrial capacity.

There has yet to be a definitive conclusion on the cause of mass fish deaths in the central region, but nonetheless, local residents whose diets rely on seafood and fishermen living along the coast from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue have been suffering.

 The government management agency will not "intervene" in the purchasing activities of retailers until suppliers can prove that supermarket chains were discriminating against their products, the governments e-portal reported.

 Tran Ngoc Lan Khue, former Miss Ao Dai Vietnam 2014 titleholder, who was supposed to compete at the Miss Grand International 2016 pageant, has bowed out due to scheduling conflicts.

 Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and Vietnam Oiland Gas Group (PetroVietnam) have extended the production sharing contract with their partners for offshore fields in the overlapping zone between Malaysia and Viet Nam.

 Olympic qualifier Vu Thanh An will participate in the Senior World Cup Men’s Sabre individual and team events in Madrid, Spain, from May 13-15.

 Nearly 140 samples of seafood, vegetables and water in the four central coastal provinces which suffered mass fish deaths are determined to be safe and within the prescribed level.

 The Ministry of Health has collected samples of two beverages sold by Vietnam URC Co., Ltd., to test for lead in response to allegations it was selling poor-quality products.

 No case suspected of carrying Zika virus has been detected in District 7, HCM City, since a Republic of Korea (RoK) woman was found with Zika virus on her return home from the city.

 The Government has approved a report on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) so as to submit the deal to the 14th National Assembly for ratification at its first session scheduled for this July.