Vietnamese ride-hailing businesses are still struggling to grab market share even after the departure of Uber from Southeast Asia and complaints about the top ride-hailing app Grab.

 The development of artificial intelligence needs closer links between the Government, universities and businesses, a workshop heard in HCM City on Saturday.

 The plan for the merger of the Ha Noi and HCM stock exchanges has been submitted to the Government for review, according to the Ministry of Finance.

  An additional three billion bank stocks will start trading on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) this week, HOSE announced.

  The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has approved a plan to remove or simplify 257 business conditions under its management.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade is preparing necessary documents to submit the CPTPP to the National Assembly for approval by the end of this year.

 In the first six months of 2018, there were 150,010 flights operated by domestic carriers including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Company (Vasco), a year-on-year increase of 9 per cent.

 Mytel, Viettel’s mobile company in Myanmar, has signed up more than two million subscribers in just one month since officially starting operations.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade has granted 206 franchise licences for foreign brands in Vietnam since 2007, reports from the ministry showed.

 The Iodine Global Network has ranked Vietnam among the top 19 iodine-deficient countries, according to the Vietnamese Health Ministry’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).

 Major economic hubs of big cities and provinces nationwide have announced ambitious multi-billion dollar projects to become smart cities, well-equipped to take advantage of opportunities presented by the digital age.

 Fruits and vegetables may earn the country 4.7 billion USD this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

VietNamNet Bridge - More than 80 percent of the market share for bottled tea, an industry valued at $1.7 billion, belongs to three big players.

 Google Maps has announced a new motorbike mode in ASEAN countries, including Viet Nam this week.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has lured big investments into the textile & garment industry, but the projects are unwelcome in localities for fear for pollution.

As anticipated, soon after the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) removed the floor mark scheme, some universities decided to admit students who got only an 11 score on three exam subjects.

 Many banks have reported impressive profit growth in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period last year, thanks to the high credit growth and the improvement from the retail banking segment.

 The Canada Border Services Agency has launched an investigation into whether or not carbon steel welded pipes from Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Turkey are being sold at unfair prices in this country.

 Cargo shipping has seen positive growth in the first six months of the year, with 254.8 million tonnes handled via the country’s seaports, up 17 percent on last year.

 Vietnam has launched a series of action plans to realise the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), according to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong.