Champion 10m air pistol shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh starts the new year 2017 out continuing to occupy the top spot in the latest International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) world rankings.

  Science-technology is one of the key solutions to restructuring agriculture and building new rural areas, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong told a workshop in Hanoi on January 3.

 The International Football Federation (FIFA) website has run an article lauding achievements of Vietnam futsal and U-19 teams, said Vietnamese Football Federation (VFF) on January 3.

 The Vietnamese economy has shown resilience in the face of global headwinds, an Australian economist wrote in a recent article.

 The following are Vietnam’s top ten economic events in 2016.

 The stock market has provided 25 percent of the total capital for Vietnam’s economy, according to Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung.

 Hanoi’s Traffic Police Division has proposed installing 3,000 additional cameras to supervise traffic, but experts think installing so many cameras at once should be considered carefully.

 Health insurance covered 81.7 percent of Vietnam’s population in 2016, 2.7 percent higher than the target set by the Prime Minister, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).

VietNamNet Bridge - In a new business field like e-commerce, the competition in quality is important as it brings benefits to Vietnamese users.

 The Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument and the Independence Tower were inaugurated in Cambodia’s Kompong Chhnang province on January 3.

In the high-end market segment, Vietnamese customers have seen a fierce battle between the two giants Samsung and Apple, while in the mid-end market, competition was mostly between Samsung and Oppo.

 Viet Nam’s stock market has seen 16 companies delist a total of 621 million shares from the two national stock exchanges this year, a sharp decline from the 34 firms in 2015.

2016 has been a year full of burning environmental issues, with Vietnam saying that it would not welcome foreign investors who conduct transfer pricing or cause environmental problems.

In the first quarter of 2017, FAA will send staff to Vietnam to assess Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam’s (CAAV) safety supervision capability in preparation for Vietnamese air carriers to open direct air routes to the US.

VietNamNet Bridge - Educators argue that it is unreasonable to blame the education sector for the high number of unemployed university graduates.

 Bank stocks are expected to stage a comeback this year after experiencing one of its worst performing years in 2016, driven by cheap valuation as well as positive growth forecast.

  Vietnam will continue to face challenges but will see plenty of opportunities for economic growth in 2017.

 The HCMC Department of Transport is weighing using text messaging as one of several emergency measures for dealing with chronic traffic congestion.

 Emeritus Professor Carl Thayer from the Australian Defence Force Academy spoke with VET about Vietnam's foreign relations in 2016 and the outlook for 2017.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed with a proposal from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to temporarily suspend a draft decree allowing slot machines at Vietnam’s international airports.