The Foreign Ministry hosted a New Year meeting with foreign embassies and foreign media agencies in Vietnam in Hanoi on January 19.

Vietnam will focus on developing human resources, science and technology in a bid to keep pace with the fourth industrial revolution, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a debate session on the future of production in Davos, Switzerland.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has affirmed that Vietnam always welcomes international media to the country to cover its development and global integration. 

 Algeria and Vietnam should press ahead with developing their friendship and multi-faceted cooperation which has yet to match potential and aspirations, Speaker of the People’s National Assembly of Algeria Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa said.

Nhat Tan flower village in Hanoi are richly beautified with blooming peach trees welcoming the forthcoming lunar New Year or Tet

 The Vietnamese gas industry aims to double its exploitation output to reach as much as 21 billion cubic metres by 2035, according to a master plan approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc early this week.

The Vietnam-UK Network has contributed significantly to stimulating the strategic partnership between the two countries, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Van Thao at a recent meeting of the network. 

 The first-phase construction of a memorial site dedicated to 64 navy soldiers who laid down their lives while protecting Gac Ma island in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on March 14, 1988, is scheduled for completion in March.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam economy will encounter more difficulties in 2017 than in 2016 amid global geopolitical changes and financial uncertainties, experts say.

 Vietnam’s first astronomical observatory will be put into operation in March this year in the central province of Khanh Hoa.

 The Embassy of Vietnam in India held a ceremony in New Delhi on January 18 to mark 45 years of Vietnam – India diplomatic ties (January 7) and to welcome the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc particpated in activities on the sidelines of the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos city, Switzerland on January 18. 

 Local firms have requested the Japanese government to simplify visa requirements and related procedures for Vietnamese information technology (IT) engineers to go to the northeast Asian country for guest work.

Recent analysis shows that the emergence of smartphones and tablets and the subsequent growth in consumption via mobile devices has dramatically altered the digital landscape in Vietnam. 

 Budget carrier Vietjet Air has registered to list 300 shares on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE).

 The Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee has approved the construction progress of the Sai Gon Safari Park project in Cu Chi district.

VietNamNet Bridge - Many e-commerce floors have opened to great fanfare, while others have shut down quietly.

Peach blossoms, kumquat trees and bouquets of flowers are indispensable in Vietnamese households during Tet.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh hosted a reception for D.J Pandian, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Hanoi on January 18. 

 A project to use foreign teachers for teaching English will be piloted at a number of primary schools in the central province of Khanh Hoa from February.