Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has proposed a plan to the Ministry of Transport to transfer Cau Gie-Ninh Binh Expressway toll-collection privileges at a cost of VNĐ9.1 trillion (US$402.12 million) over a period of 30 years.  

 The HCM City Department of Transport is considering building four smart parking lots, worth VNĐ170 billion (US$7.5 million), in the city’s downtown area, including Lam Sơn Square, 23/9 Park, Tao Dan Park and Le Van Tam Park.

 Hanoian parents face an annual headache of registering their children at public schools, and the school year 2017-18 is no different, with the number of public schools limited but the number of children at school age rocketing in the city.

Though street calling is less common now than it used to be, you can still hear it from time to time on the streets of Hanoi.

 The miners’ workplace is described as hell because it can be hundreds of meters deep underground with numerous hardships. In May, a month which honors workers, Truong Giang reports on how he experienced a day with miners.

 The judicial cooperation is one of the important fields helping to promote Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership in a more comprehensive manner.

 Vietnam has gained practical outcomes from its participation in the freshly-concluded 26th World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF-ASEAN) in Cambodia, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy.

 Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam hoped that the National AIDS Control Organization of India will make it easy for Vietnam to learn about its buprenorphine treatment programme and access low-priced buprenorphine in India.

 The Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) on May 12 held a graduation ceremony for 30 international commercial pilots, including seven from Viet Flight Training (VFT) – a company of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

 Vietnam encourages Chinese businesses, including those from Fujian province, to invest in projects using high technology in the country, President Tran Dai Quang said at an economic-trade cooperation seminar on May 13.

VietNamNet Bridge - Never before has Vietnam’s shrimp industry met such difficulties, as technical barriers have been used in large importing markets.

VietNamNet Bridge - Though franchise activities in Vietnam have been thriving in recent years, Vietnam remains a fledgling market. 

 The Vietnamese Government will continue creating favourable conditions for foreign businesses to make investment in Vietnam and protect their intellectual property and asset rights.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc wrapped up his activities at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2017 on May 12 with a speech at the discussion on smart infrastructure and the reception of the role of host country of WEF-ASEAN in 2018 from Cambodia.

 Stronger cooperation in all spheres between Vietnam and China is critical to each country’s development, bringing about economic benefits and reinforcing mutual trust and friendship between the two peoples, said President Tran Dai Quang.

 Nguyen Chi Vinh, standing member of the Central Military Commission and Deputy Defence Minister, met with Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, in Beijing on May 12.

 Vietnam play Thailand in their first match at the high stakes Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championship on May 13.

 The Political Academy, under the Ministry of Defence, held a ceremony to present PhD degree certificates to General Neang Phat and General Phorn Nara, high-ranking officers of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, in Hanoi on May 12. 

Big companies in steel, real estate and securities sectors have announced investments in agriculture projects, but they remain quiet about their profits from the projects.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese investors develop their businesses well in the beginning stages of growth, but have difficulty after expansion, analysts say.