Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong had a bilateral meeting in Hanoi on January 7 with Vice President of the European Parliament (EP) Heidi Hautala who is leading an EP working delegation to Vietnam from January 7-9.

VietNamNet Bridge - Local newspapers noted six noteworthy events in e-commerce in 2018.

 Four domestic carriers, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific and the Viet Nam Air Services Company (VASCO), reported a total of 39,632 delayed flights in 2018.

 The Tax Department of HCM City has decided to suspend its decision to collect VND3.14 trillion (US$134.8 million) from Sai Gon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) for the company’s special sales tax violations.

 Viet Nam is among the most dynamic start-up hubs in the world and well-educated, young entrepreneurs are expected to improve the country’s position on the global start-up map.

 The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) has recently accepted or looks set to accept the listing of three more large-cap companies, but questions remain following a volatile year for the market.

 Commercial banks have to adjust the limit of cash withdrawals in foreign currency abroad to the maximum equivalent of VND30 million (US$1,280) per day for international credit and debit cards from early this year to meet a central bank regulation.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has advised Vietnamese exporters to strictly abide by regulations related to products’ origin.

 The credit growth in the economy in 2018 is at five-year low, but it still helped the economy grow at a decade-high of 7.08%, VnExpress reported.

 The value went down 82.24% from the peak in the first quarter 2013.

 Flower farmers in Tay Tuu Village, Hanoi, are having to find land in another district to expand their work due to urbanisation.

 In 2018, Vietnam’s total rice exports reached 6.15 million tonnes, with export turnover of 3.15 billion USD. The industry saw a 5.7% increase in volume and 19.6% increase in value compared to 2017.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced the 10 most outstanding achievements of the sector in 2018. 

In Janurary 7, 1979, the Vietnamese army along with the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation overthrew the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime, ending the long nightmare of Cambodian people.

 Vietnam’s tra fish export sector was probably the most improved industry this year, but rampant production could lead to excess supplies and price drops, according to Viet Dragon Securities Company (VDSC).

VietNamNet Bridge - The uncontrolled exploitation of wild orchids could lead to the eventual disappearance of beautiful, rare and precious species in Vietnam. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Some Vietnamese people attach too much importance to foreign university degrees, according to Prof Neal Koblitz from University of Washington in Seattle.

VietNamNet Bridge - Chinese mobile phone brands only had to spend five years to grab a high market share in the Vietnamese mobile phone market. 

VietNamNet Bridge - More automation manufacturers are entering the Vietnamese robot market, which as estimated by Universal Robots (UR) to have a value of $184.5 million by 2021.

 Only about 300 of the over 1,800 businesses working in supporting industries in Vietnam have joined production chains of multinational enterprises, a figure described by analysts as too modest.