Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko began the first State visit to Vietnam with a meeting with volunteers of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on late February 28.

 Vietnam resolutely opposes and rejects China’s new regulations on a fishing break at sea, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Le Hai Binh has said. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The doctors at the Military Hospital 103 have successfully conducted the first lung transplant operation in Vietnam, saving the life of a 7-year-old child who was born with bronchiectasis.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Hanoi authorities are trying to recall 2.5 million old motorbikes which discharge harmful substances to the environment. However, observers don’t think the solution is feasible. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The number of Chinese travelers to Vietnam in 2016 accounted for one-third of all foreign travelers. 

VietNamNet Bridge - While some analysts jeer at the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs’ (MOLISA) plan to export unemployed university graduates, others support the idea.

 Increasing numbers of Hanoi’s pavements, particularly in the city centre, have been encroached upon despite measures by municipal authorities to deal with the problem.

Vietnam remains the most attractive investment destination for Japan’s manufacturing firms in the medium-term prospects, according to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

 The State Treasury will cut down its bond issuance this year to VND183.3 trillion (US$8 billion), a decrease of 26.7 per cent compared with its initial projection, the agency has announced.

 Saigon Heat have jumped to fourth place in the ASEAN Basketball League after their 78-74 win over Alab Pilipinas on their home turf at HCM City’s Canadian Interntaional School Arena on February 26.

 Hoang Xuan Vinh took silver on February 28 in Men’s 10m Air Pistol at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in New Delhi, India.

 There are currently 1.2 million international students studying in the US, nearly 75% of whom are enrolled in bachelor, masters or doctoral programs, according to SEVIS by the Numbers.

 Vietnam – Japan Economic Relations

As part of the first APEC Senior Officials Meeting and related meetings, the SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation – Committee of the Whole convened its meeting in Nha Trang on February 28.

 An ecosystem-based climate change adaptation project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Building and Nuclear Safety in Vietnam made strides in 2016.

Lecturer Nguyen Kim Phi Phung of the Nature University’s Chemistry Faculty has won the International Kovalevskaia Award.

 The National Traffic Safety Committee yesterday said that in February, the country has 1,763 traffic accidents killing 826 people and injuring 1,482 people.

 Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has assigned the Ministry of Transport to improve two projects of building North-South Expressway.

VietNamNet Bridge - HCMC authorities are considering working with Facebook on a policy which would control revenue from sales on the social network.

 Up to two thirds of domestic financial leasing companies operate at a loss and are riddled with inefficiencies.