The 4th ASEAN Chief Justices’ Meeting took place in Ho Chi Minh City on April 1, focusing on the institutionalisation of the meeting itself to improve the efficiency of the cooperation mechanism in the bloc.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held meetings with leaders of foreign countries and international organisations on the sidelines of the ongoing Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. on March 31 (local time).

 It is necessary for related sides to avoid taking unilateral actions that complicate the situations and affect the negotiations and delineation in the waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf, said Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given a nod of approval to the establishment of Hoa Lam International University of Medicine and Pharmacy invested by Hoa Lam-Shangri-La Healthcare LLC.

 After March 31 certain enterprises will be not permitted to borrow foreign currencies from banks and then exchange it into VND to buy materials, according to Circular No. 24 from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).

 Three coach operators have jointed a pilot program to offer rides for about VNĐ40,000 (US$1.8) per ride from downtown Hanoi to Noi Bai International Airport beginning this month.

 Authorities of Quang Ngai Province have asked the Government to suspend operations of a hydropower plant worth trillions of VND for illegal deforestation.

 Preparations for the election of deputies to the 14th National Assembly and People’s Councils for 2016-2020 are being conducted in line with the law and progressing smoothly, according to the National Election Council (NEC)’s Office.

 David Sapterstein, Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom, and a delegation from the US Department of State took a fact-finding tour in Vietnam from March 26 to 31.

 The Vietnamese Embassy in Mozambique called on local agencies to take effective measures in order to ensure security and safety for Vietnamese and their property amid increasing armed conflicts in the country.

VietNamNet Bridge - The state-owned enterprises (SOEs) using foreign loans for production and business fields which bring profits will no longer get a government guarantee for loans.

In the severe drought that has lasted for several months, water levels of hundreds of reservoirs in the Central Highlands are at 30-40% of capacity. In Dak Lak, 250 lakes are dry and the numbers are 17-40-5 in Dak Nong, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai.

 Taxi operator Mai Linh Group has recently requested the support of the Vietnamese government for its electric car project, which it is going to carry out with French car-maker Renault.

 The Saigon Railway Company has rejected a proposal that having the HCM City station and rail tracks in an urban area causes traffic congestion and so should be moved to the suburbs or a neighbouring province.

 Budget revenues were estimated at about $10 billion in the first quarter of this year, up 0.3 percent year on year and meeting 22.7 percent of collection goals, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said on March 31.

 Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang on March 31 had a working session on information technology cooperation with representatives from the US Microsoft Corporation.

 A number of coastal provinces in the Mekong Delta which are located about 25-40 km from the sea are expected to welcome inflows of fresh water in April when the tide recedes, according to the Southern Irrigation Science Institute.

 The government has approved the draft content of an agreement on establishing an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Animal Health and Zoonoses (ACCAHZ) in Vietnam.

Hanoians’ dream of owning cheaper cars after the tax cuts under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) may be dashed as local authorities are considering applying a quota scheme in an effort to restrict the number of cars in circulation.

 The 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Youth Week in conjunction with the Model ASEM will be held in Hanoi and the northern province of Quang Ninh from April 1 to 7.