VietNamNet Bridge - Many banks have said they will pay dividends in shares instead of cash, causing concern among investors. 

 The Government has told the Ministries of Science and Technology, and Planning and Investment to quickly connect their database to avoid confusion in State management.

 For the first time in years, the U.S. is no longer the largest seafood export market of Vietnam as it is overtaken by Japan, says a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 The ratio of businesses having to pay “under table” fees when doing customs procedure was 31 percent, according to a survey on administrative reform last year by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

 The Mekong Delta province of An Giang has so far had 51 riverside sections where have been landslide or prone to landslide with the total length of 162 kilometers affecting 20,000 households.

 Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has paid an official visit to the UK from April 24-26, during which he discussed a wide range of issues on bilateral cooperation with UK officials and business leaders.

 RMIT University Vietnam has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vietnam National University Hanoi (VNU-Hanoi), with the two to cooperate in establishing closer links in a number of areas.

The HCM City Department of Transport has recently announced that the city will pilot the addition of English-language signage from early May, in order to support foreign visitors to travel in and discover the city.

 Vietnam’s franchising market continues to flaunt its potential, as a new wave of the world’s biggest brands are increasingly looking for franchising partners.

The military-run mobile carrier Viettel is planning to expand its investments to Indonesia and Nigeria, group leaders told the annual general meeting of Viettel Global, a subsidiary of the Viettel Group.

 Da Nang is one of five cities in Southeast Asia with the fastest emerging startup scenes, according to the latest report from JLL, joining Malaysia’s Penang, Thailand’s Chiang Mai, and Indonesia’s Bandung and Bali.

 Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG) expected that by 2019, the Bach hoa XANH chain will become its main source of revenue. However, the grocery store chain, along with BigPhone in Cambodia, is dealing with several obstacles. 

 The $220 million Dai Duong paper plant project, invested by the Taiwanese company Chang Yang Holding Ltd. in the southern province of Tien Giang, may be scrapped due to environmental concerns.

 Tran Quang Nghi and Le Tien Truong served in key positions on the team representing Vinatex’s capital interests PetroVietnam Petrochemical and Textile Fiber JSC (PVTEX) between March and August, 2008. 

 Vietnam’s trade deficit is becoming a burning problem as the country’s new free trade agreements are coming into effect.

 The Ministry of Finance has issued a draft on conditions to lift the ban on Vietnamese playing at casinos.  

 The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has requested Hoa Sen University to explain why a professor wore shorts during giving lectures.

 The Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) will offer more than 500 opportunities for Vietnamese students to study and work in Japan this year.

 Petrolimex Insurance Joint Stock Company (PJICO), with code PGI, will sell 20 per cent of its charter capital to Samsung Fire&Marine Insurance.

 Vietnamese developer BIM Group and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel operators, on Thursday opened their five-star property Crowne Plaza Vientiene in Laos’ capital city.