The second international seminar to seek peaceful solution to the East Sea dispute from ASEAN’s perspective took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 1, attracting more than 60 scholars and experts from ASEAN member states. 

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 2 attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kim Quy cultural, tourism and amusement park, which features both traditional culture of Hanoi and the modern design of Universal Studios and Disneyland. 

 The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union on September 2 held a collective wedding for 100 couples who are working in industrial parks, export processing zones and other facilities in the city and adjacent areas. 

 A Vietnamese fisherman who sustained a serious injury while working at sea has fully recovered and is ready to return to the homeland thanks to the help of both Vietnamese and Chinese sides. 

 US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged China and the Philippines to abide by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)’s ruling on the East Sea issue, saying that military acts are not a solution to the dispute. 

 The second Eastern Economic Forum opened in the Russian city of Vladivostok on September 2, attracting nearly 2,500 delegates from Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the US and Vietnam. 

Vietnam hopes foreign donors and partners to continue assisting Vietnam with preferential capital for developing economy, coping with climate change and realising the goals and programmes towards sustainable development. 

 Cabinet members discussed several draft laws in the spirit of building a constructive government with zero tolerance toward corruption during the first two days of the Government’s monthly meeting.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will lead a Vietnamese delegation to the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Vientiane, Laos, from September 6 - 8. 

 The Mexico-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group was introduced in Mexico on September 2, taking on the task of promoting the bilateral cooperation.

 Vietnam and India signed 12 cooperation documents on September 3 during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Vietnam. 

 The establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and India will create a new momentum for the development of the two countries and the whole region in general.

Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Cuban Councils of State and Ministers, has congratulated the Communist Party, Government and people of Vietnam on the 71st National Day. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has the largest cement plant in Southeast Asia as well as many other plants, creating excessive supply. This has led to more merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in recent years.

VietNamNet Bridge - Some provisions of the Labor Code have placed difficulties on enterprises, especially those with a high number of workers.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has many advantages for tropical fruits, but because of poor packaging, marketing and high prices, local fruits cannot compete with imported products. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Only four out of 21 airports receive small aircraft, while other airports all have been upgraded to receive jet planes. 

Having moved to Hanoi a few months ago, Mai Kathryn Brand shares her first impressions on life in the capital.

 The Vietnamese renewable power sector, especially solar power, is becoming more attractive in foreign investors’ eyes due to the increasing demand for renewable energy in the country.

The Ministry of Transport is dusting off three feasibility studies it received three years ago for a high-speed north - south rail following the Government’s approval of a railway development strategy last year.