As “Made in Vietnam” smartphone brands are jealously guarding their tiny market share in the fiercely competitive mid-end segment against Chinese devices, newcomer Vsmart’s chances in the arena are subject to heavy speculation. 

VietNamNet Bridge - South Korea’s new visa policy for Vietnamese citizens is expected to stimulate travel in the country, possibly doubling the number of Vietnamese visitors. 

 Vietnam’s corporate bond market is expected to boom in the near future, taking into account high liquidity and growth rate of the bond market, as well as favorable legal framework.

 Six people were killed and another injured in a fire broken out in a restaurant under renovation on the afternoon of December 21 in Long Khanh town in the southern province of Dong Nai.

 The Vietnamese monetary market will not suffer from any significant impact from the US Federal Reserve (FED)’s fourth interest rate hike in 2018 as the move was already expected, experts have said.

 Vietnam won the Asian Youth Xiangqi (Chinese chess) Championship Vietnam Open, with 17 out of the 30 gold medals.

VietNamNet Bridge - Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan has announced the termination of cooperation between it and the Malaysian Tan Chong in distributing its products in Vietnam.

 Many deals struck this year to come to completion next year, according to Baker McKenzie report.

 Transport experts have agreed that minibuses would encourage more people to use public transportation to ease congestion in big cities at a conference held by the Voice of Vietnam Radio on December 19.  

 Almost two dozen Chinese nationals have been detained for organising gambling and producing fake bank cards in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

VietNamNet Bridge - To obtain the targeted turnover of $45 billion by 2025, the tourism industry needs to reform its way of doing business through digitalization, experts say. 

 Seventeen traditional taxi operators have forged a new partnership to use the same technology platform in order to win back customers from foreign ride-hailing services providers, including Grab. 

The HCMC government has canceled its previous decision to recall some 5,000 square meters of land at 8-12 Le Duan Boulevard in District 1, a prime location in the central business district.

 The International Air Transport Association also estimated that between now and 2020, passenger transportation in Vietnam is expected to rise by 16 percent, and from 2020 to 2030, by 8 percent.

 Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin will pay an official visit to Vietnam from December 23-24.

 Vietnam’s national men’s football team has maintained its 100th spot in the latest FIFA rankings released on December 20.

 A series of large events are scheduled for Vietnamese expatriates visiting their homeland later this month and in January, according to Luong Thanh Nghi, deputy head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs.

VietNamNet Bridge - Xiaomi and Nokia are step by step replacing Samsung, LG and Sony products in the market for hand-carried smartphones.

Former Director General of the Dong A Bank Tran Phuong Binh was sentenced to life in prison on December 20 in the trial of 26 defendants who were involved in the loss of $153.47 million at the bank.

VietNamNet Bridge - Emulation movements aim to encourage teachers and students to improve, but the so-called achievement disease will kill national education, experts say.