Southeast Asian (SEA) Games winner Le Trong Hinh was involved in a traffic accident and may not be able to defend his title at the upcoming games in Malaysia.

 Ho Chi Minh City authorities will use smart mobile devices to manage and examine work, a representative from the city’s Department of Information and Communications (DIC) told the Steering Committee of the Smart City project recently.

 Trinh Hoa Binh, head of Vietnam Sociology Association has criticised young people for wearing revealing clothes at pagodas or being violent at festivals.

 Valentine’s Day has become a special occasion for young people to celebrate romance and love by giving each other unique and special gifts.

 On February 12, Italian motorcycle racing icon Valentino Rossi and Spanish motorcyclist Maverick Viñales arrived in Ho Chi Minh City to attend an event at the invitation of Yamaha, a Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles.

VietNamNet Bridge - The government has approved a plan to develop a national rice brand by 2020, aiming to improve marketing capability and competitiveness.

Interest rates were stable in the first month of 2017 and will remain steady for the entire year, the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) said on Thursday.

 Phu My Hung Development Corporation has unveiled plans to develop Sakura Park to create a new famous public place in HCM City following the success of its The Crescent area.

 CMC Telecom has begun construction of its 2,000km cable express system through Viet Nam.

 Many young people, including those who’ve studied abroad and returned home to establish their own businesses, shared useful ideas on startups at a conference held last week in HCM City.

 Thailand’s plan to sell all its rice reserves of about eight million tonnes this year has sparked concerns that this move will undermine Viet Nam’s rice exports.

 HCM City authorities have urged the city’s Department of Planning and Investment to propose solutions to achieve a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of between 8.4 and 8.7 per cent this year.

 Viet Nam’s insurance sector is predicted to grow 20 per cent this year thanks to a change in Government policies, experts said.

 A resident of Ma Lu Thang Village in the northern province of Dien Bien found three people hacked to death in a field shack last weekend.

Universities and educational institutes must publicize their achievements, such as the rate of their graduates who have found jobs, before the national high school entrance exam of 2018, experts said at a conference last Friday. 

 HCM City Police are investigating an attack against a female student by three young males who used a weapon to slash her thigh.

 The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a list of coaches and athletes approved for special perks while they prepare upcoming international sports competitions.

 The Governor of Gangwon Province of South Korea, Choi Moon-soon, has confirmed the appointment of midfielder Luong Xuan Truong as the Viet Nam Image Ambassador for Culture.

 The northern city of Hai Phong will pilot solar-powered buses on Cat Ba Island in 2017, local officials said.

 It appears that Vietnam is best placed to become Southeast Asia’s Silicon Valley while most members of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) have ambitions of developing competitive technology sectors, “Asia Correspondent” said in a recent article.