The restructuring of agriculture sector towards high technology was a highlight of the National Assembly’s debate on November 2. 

 Vietnam is determined to renew itself and build an incorruptible and constructive Government to serve the people and businesses, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on November 2.

 llowing insolvent banks to file for bankruptcy on a trial basis and settlement of bad debt are capturing public attention as theNA will discuss an economic restructuring plan on November 2, but a senior expert believes both jobs are tricky.

The application of information technology is expectedto significantly improve the insurance industry in the 2016-2020 period, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Insurance Supervisory and Authority. 

VietNamNet Bridge - While goods from ASEAN countries and China are flowing to Vietnam under free trade agreements (FTAs), Vietnamese goods are finding it difficult to penetrate the markets.

Many commercial banks have released their third quarter financial reports with profit rising sharply despite huge risk provisions, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reports.

 Vietnam used more than US$22 billion in official development assistance (ODA) in the five years ending 2015 but another US$22 billion was left unused, says a Government report to the National Assembly (NA).

 The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control’s permanent board and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Control for the Central region will establish two working groups to aid flood recovery in the Central provinces.

 Lotte Group will invest US$1 million to support the Vietnamese startup community over the next five years.

 The Vietnamese e-commerce market is expected to surge in the next five years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which has set an online sales target of US$10 billion or 5 per cent of total retail sales, has said.

 Vietnamese plastic firms are facing fierce competition and threats of being acquired by foreign peers, experts said at a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 2.

 Vietnamese businesses’ spending on environmental protection remains modest compared to their total investment and operation expenses, according to a survey released on November 2. 

 The police and relevant agencies of Ho Chi Minh City have intensified crackdowns on drug crimes this year, seizing a large volume of drugs, including 10kg of heroin and over 110kg of synthetic drugs in the last ten months. 

 Hanoi’s fire department will conduct safety checks on all 1,204 karaoke bars in the capital city following the deadly blaze on November 1 at a karaoke bar at 68 Tran Thai Tong Street that claimed 13 lives.

 ASEAN and USAID, in partnership with UL, a global safety science organisation, has announced Dr. Worajit Setthapun of Thailand as the winner of the 2016 ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women, according to the ASEAN Secretariat website. 

  National Assembly deputies on November 2 began exploring the outcomes of the implementation of socio-economic development plan in 2016, the plan for 2017 and the economic restructuring plan for 2016-2020. 

 China wants to deepen result-oriented defence cooperation with Vietnam, stated Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan during his meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh in Beijing on November 2.

 The Government has quickly responded to pressing issues in society since it took office earlier this year, several National Assembly (NA) deputies told the media on the sidelines of the November 2 plenary discussion. 

 The Czech Republic has expressed the wish to enhance the traditional cooperation with Vietnam in the field of labour, especially to bring Vietnamese nurses and doctors to work in Czech under long-term contracts. 

For some countries, the APEC Summit will listen to, discuss and begin to make important decisions about the new order centered by China when Washington under the reign of Donald Trump is preparing to reduce its role in global issues.