The things of universal interest in Vietnam, if put in order of importance are general economic information, bills for basic needs, job stability, food price increases and health. This explains why the functional food market in Vietnam is hot.

VietNamNet Bridge - Many waste treatment plants, which are used to prevent pollution, have made the problem worse in some localities.

VietNamNet Bridge - The establishment of the REIT (real estate investment trust) fund shows that the real estate market has integrated more deeply into the global market.

VietNamNet Bridge - In Vietnamese eyes, only shy students not capable of studying natural sciences would register to study social sciences.

VietNamNet Bridge - With a smartphone with GPS (global positioning system), users can take a roll call and conduct timekeeping no matter where they are.

VietNamNet Bridge - The great achievements made by Vietnamese young people have been recognized by the world.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam, which has exported PhDs, specialists and farmers, has begun sending fishermen to the US.

Thai conglomerates are running a race to buy Big C supermarkets in Vietnam and Thailand from French Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Commercial Division in Thailand.

VietNamNet Bridge - ‘One program, many sets of textbooks’ is the principle of the plan on renovating curricula and textbooks, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien has said.

More than 10 years ago, scientists warned about the endangered yew (Glyptostrobus pensilis) forests in the central province of Dak Lak. Since then, activities have helped to preserve the species.

VietNamNet Bridge - The number of cards issued by small and medium-sized commercial banks and the payment value via cards increased sharply by 55 percent in a two-year period.

VietNamNet Bridge - Tens of millions of cards for use at bank ATMs have been issued but Vietnam remains a cash economy as millions of cards have been left unused.

VietNamNet Bridge - When the ASEAN Economic Community takes effect, Vietnam will have to allow up to 70 percent of foreign ownership ratio in Vietnamese banks.

VietNamNet Bridge - Four commercial banks have taken over finance companies, and other banks are consulting with their shareholders about buying such firms to expand their consumer lending.

 FPT, Vietcombank, PetroVietnam Gas (PVGas), Vinamilk, and Vingroup are five Vietnamese enterprises that appeared on the Asia300 report, which was released recently by Nikkei Asian Review.

 A series of banks are facing towering bad debt provisions that ate up their profits for the first three quarters of the year, which had been promisingly reported.

VietNamNet Bridge - As of September 30, BIDV had taken the lead for bad debt among the three largest State-owned commercial banks of Vietnam, followed by Vietcombank with over VND7,100 billion and VietinBank, with approximately VND4,700 trillion.

VietNamNet Bridge - About VND18 trillion worth of capital was still stuck in banks by the end of September 2015 which needs to be divested as per the government’s request, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

VietNamNet Bridge - The Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) said that government debt of VND30 trillion to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) put pressure on monetary policy.

VietNamNet Bridge - Sources said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) is planning to borrow one billion US dollars more from Vietcombank, one of Vietnam’s largest commercial banks, at the interest rate of 3-4 percent per annum.