Sa Pa, a tourist destination in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, has become a magnet for real estate investors in recent years, according to insiders.

 With its knowledge and experience in agriculture, the Netherlands is eager to join hands with Vietnam to improve the quality and efficiency of its agriculture, a business forum on Agriculture-Innovation in Vietnam heard in HCM City on March 20.

 The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PVN) produced about 6.45 million tonnes of crude oil in the first quarter of this year, exceeding its three-month plan by 5 percent.

 The Prime Minister has decided to establish the National Council for Education and Human Resources for period 2016-2021.

 Several areas in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai were hit by hailstorms and whirlwinds during March 17-19, according to the office of the province’s natural disaster control and rescue committee.

 More than 2,000 students from the University of Sciences, Vietnam National University - Hanoi participated in an event on March 20 in response to the Earth Hour 2017 Campaign. 

 The Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau has proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to fast-track allocation of the funding for three local climate change response projects.

Associate Professor Tran Hong Con has spent time researching to deliver the most hygienic drinking water to Vietnamese people.  

 The national under-19 football championship will take place in Quy Nhon city, the central province of Binh Dinh, from March 21-31.

 An outbreak of A/H5N6 virus has been detected in the central province of Quang Tri, according to the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on March 20.

 Vietnam was ranked 94th out of 155 countries in the latest World Happiness Report that calls on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the well-being of their citizens.

 Vietnam-Israel bilateral relations

 Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with the Republic of Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Hanoi on March 20 to elevate the two countries’ strategic cooperative partnership to a new height.

 The National Assembly Standing Committee gave opinions on the draft law on public debt management (revised) on March 20 in Hanoi.

 The defence partnership between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) has reaped positive outcomes over the past time, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and beyond.

President Tran Dai Quang and his Israeli counterpart Reuven Ruvi Rivlin expressed their determination to step up wide-ranging ties, especially in the fields of economy and science-technology, during their talks in Hanoi on March 20.

 Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his spouse began a four-day official visit to Vietnam from March 21 at the inivation of  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

 Vietnam is ready to work with the Republic of Korea (RoK) to effectively implement the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), boosting their trade to 70 billion VND, even 100 billion USD, by 2020.

 The latest decree on gambling sets for the scene for the industry to finally secure a foothold in Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge - The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has been urged to quit zero-dong banks and let  commercial banks undergo restructuring themselves.