The 39th meeting of the Vietnam – Laos Intergovernmental Committee in Hanoi on February 8, will reaffirm the two countries’ foreign policy priorities in developing bilateral friendship and comprehensive cooperation. 

 A cold spell is forecast to hit the northern region from Wednesday night, bringing the average temperature down to around 13-16 degrees Celsius.

VietNamNet Bridge - More than 70 percent of Vietnam’s total export turnover belongs to foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs), while Vietnamese enterprises still cannot join the global value chain. 

 The Vietnam national football team will meet Chinese Taipei in a friendly match on March 24, according to the Vietnam Football Federation.

After a long holiday filled with fun, fun and more fun, millions began returning home on February 6, creating traffic backups and headaches all over HCM City metropolitan area.

 Leaders of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (Molisa) say an updated forecast for 2017 shows the guest worker program is on solid ground.

 The Government of Vietnam has issued a long-awaited decree allowing Vietnamese citizens to bet on international football matches and on horse and dog races in Vietnam.

 Vietnam utilises 11 million tonnes of fertiliser annually and its consumption of local products is rising, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

 Six Vietnamese athletes will compete in the eighth Asian Winter Games from February 19 to 27 in Sapporo, Japan, announced the Vietnam Sports Administration on February 6.

 The southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City collected 35 trillion VND (1.52 billion USD) for its coffer during January 2017, departments and agencies reported the municipal authorities during a working session on February 6. 

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has formed a Steering Committee to tackle problems of a number of projects and enterprises showing ineffectiveness and lagging behind.

 The body of a missing Australian visitor in Ha Long Bay was found underwater at around 1 pm on February 6, after a four-hour search.

 The southernmost province of Ca Mau is taking actions to prevent coastal erosion, which has been getting worse over the past few years.

 Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and a government delegation arrived in Vietnam on February 7 to attend the 39th meeting of the Vietnam – Laos Intergovernmental Committee at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

VietNamNet Bridge - Analysts believe that modern drug retail chains will replace traditional drugstores in the near future, following the trend of modern supermarkets. 

The trade pact is a "material" loss to the export-driven Vietnamese economy.

VietNamNet Bridge - Anti-globalization and protectionist attitudes are increasing in some countries, but Vietnam still has an open economy. This means big challenges for Vietnam in upcoming days.

Analysts say the success stories of Flappy Bird, Politaire and DesignBold show that Vietnam can produce quality intellectual property. But experts say that Vietnam needs to create favorable conditions for talented people to promote their abilities.

 In real terms, the Vietnamese construction industry registered a growth rate of 9.1 per cent in 2016, measured at constant 2010 US dollar exchange rates, according to latest report by ReportLinker, an award-winning market research solution.

VietNamNet Bridge - The well-off are often willing to spend tens of millions of dong for every child, equal to six months of income of many poor people.