Budget revenues were estimated at about $10 billion in the first quarter of this year, up 0.3 percent year on year and meeting 22.7 percent of collection goals, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said on March 31.

 Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang on March 31 had a working session on information technology cooperation with representatives from the US Microsoft Corporation.

 A number of coastal provinces in the Mekong Delta which are located about 25-40 km from the sea are expected to welcome inflows of fresh water in April when the tide recedes, according to the Southern Irrigation Science Institute.

 The government has approved the draft content of an agreement on establishing an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Animal Health and Zoonoses (ACCAHZ) in Vietnam.

Hanoians’ dream of owning cheaper cars after the tax cuts under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) may be dashed as local authorities are considering applying a quota scheme in an effort to restrict the number of cars in circulation.

 A molecular map of Zika has revealed important structural differences on a key protein of the virus that may explain why the pathogen attacks nerve cells while other viruses in the same family do not,

 An exhibition displaying children’s paintings on Vietnam and Russia opened at Hoan Kiem Cultural Centre in Hanoi on March 30, the Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper reported.

 Vietnamese people were called to improve their image when travelling abroad, at a forum held by the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) on March 31.

 The 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Youth Week in conjunction with the Model ASEM will be held in Hanoi and the northern province of Quang Ninh from April 1 to 7.

 Police in the Republic of Korea (RoK) recently busted an online sport gambling ring with a fake office in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, Yonhap News Agency reported on March 31.

 Chairman of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly Zulkifli Hasan has pledged to do his best to foster ties between Vietnam and Indonesia as well as their legislatures.

 Vietnam congratulates Myanmar on the establishment of its new Government, said Foreign Ministry Vice Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang on March 31.

 Unilateral actions taken in the waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf should be avoided as the delineation of the area is being negotiated by Vietnam and China, said Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang.

 The National Assembly deputies continued their plenary session in Hanoi on March 31.

 Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang answered questions regarding citizen protection abroad during a regular press conference in Hanoi on March 31.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended a working dinner marking the opening of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC on March 31 (local time).

VietNamNet Bridge - The Hanoi authorities cannot use land for much-needed schools because hundreds of land plots have been left idle or used for wrong purposes.

 An overpass under construction in the bustling Indian city of Kolkata collapsed on Thursday on to vehicles and street vendors below, killing at least 14 people with more than 100 people feared trapped.

VietNamNet Bridge - Two students have invented a house which protects people in areas near the Khanh Son dumping ground in Da Nang City from pollution.

The Vietnam Record Organization (VietKings) on March 30 said that it was coordinating with the authorities of Quang Binh Province to prepare the file of the world’s largest cave of Son Doong to send to the World Records Union (WorldKings).