Vietnam handed over two wanted Korean men to police of the Republic of Korea (RoK) at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport on January 24. 

 Prudential Plc on January 23 announced that it had reached an agreement to sell 100 percent of its Prudential Vietnam Finance Company (PVFC) to Shinhan Card Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the Shinhan Financial Group (Shinhan), at a cost of 151 million USD.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with Minister of State attached to France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne in Hanoi on January 24.

 The Spanish Government pledges to provide financial assistance for Ho Chi Minh City to develop one more metro line, said an official from Spain’s Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MEIC). 

 The ninth International Exhibition on Shipbuilding, Shipping and Offshore Technology (Vietship 2018) officially opened at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on January 24.

 The Prime Minister has recently granted approval for a national action plan to prevent, mitigate and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing until 2025.

 Non-life insurance premium in 2017 continued its sustained growth, with an estimated revenue of 40.5 trillion VND (1.78 billion USD), representing an 11 per cent year-on-year increase.

 Vietnam is in urgent need for a national strategy on financial inclusion, which is in line with the country’s socio-economic development strategy, according to Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Kim Anh.

 Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue continued activities on January 23-24 (local time) in the framework of the 48th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

 Shares fell slightly on January 24 on the Hanoi Stock Exchange after rising for four consecutive sessions, due to investors’ profit-taking attempts that hit the large-cap stocks in the energy and banking sectors.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have expressed their delight at the strong development of bilateral ties since the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership during Modi’s Vietnam visit in September 2016.

 Viet Nam have made international headlines after they secured a berth in the final of the Asian Confederation U-23 Championship.

 The National Assembly and the Supreme People’s Court should guide implementation of new laws and the Government should provide more funding for courts at all levels to use IT in their daily working to improve their efficiency.

 Viet Nam finished at the bottom of the CFA Four National Tournament that concluded in China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday.

VietNamNet Bridge - More than one-third of Vietnamese households shop at convenience stores or minimarts 10 times a year, according to Kantar Worldpanel. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Samsung, Oppo and Apple topped the list of the best selling smartphones in the Vietnamese market in 2017.

 Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) has plans to add new train cars to gradually replace all aging ones by 2021.

Smart environment management systems have been applied in the central city of Da Nang, considered by many expats and locals alike to be the most livable city in Vietnam. 

The non-State sector took the lead in contributing to the State budget (accounting for 46%) in 2017, according to the General Statistics Office. 

 Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee exporter, behind only Brazil. However its coffee export value is much lower than other nations’ as the country only exports raw coffee.