Total capitalization of Vietnam’s stock market is predicted to reach U$200 billion this year, buoyed by  many favorable macro conditions, said Hoang Cong Tuan, head of economic research at MB Securities Company.

 Companies across the country still owe about VND5.7 trillion (US$250.9 million) in social insurance premiums, accounting for 3.3% of all receivables, Tien Phong newspaper quoted the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) as saying.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation of Japan is considering hiking its ownership at Eximbank if the restructuring of Eximbank is successful, said Yutaka Moriwaki, an Eximbank board member.

 Nguyen Ngoc Phat beat nearly 40 rivals to triumph at the Viet Nam – Ford Freestyle Football Championship 2018, which wrapped up in Hanoi over the weekend.

 The Ministry of Planning and Investment will submit a scheme on informal economic statistics to the Prime Minister for approval this year.

 Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) said on Monday it received formal registrations from foreign investors to buy 36 per cent charter capital at the Power Generation Corporation 3 (Genco 3).

 The Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC) has announced reference interest rates applied in the first quarter of 2018 on bad debts it had purchased.

 With huge investment, commodities suiting all tastes, ages and income levels, and round-the-clock services, convenience stores could make a splash in the Vietnamese food and beverage market.

 The body of Nguyen Xuan Dinh, who died in an accident in a construction site in Algeria, was brought home on January 15 at the request of his family.

 The use of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) in Vietnam in 2017 grew by 200 percent from 2016, heard a conference held by the Vietnam Internet Centre under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) in Hanoi on January 16. 

 The State Bank of Vietnam has given the Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) the green light to sell shares to foreign investors, according to Vietcombank chairman Nghiem Xuan Thanh.

 The PM has approved the preparation plan for joining the Hague Convention 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in the 2018-2021 period. 

The 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum creates an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral diplomatic relations between the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) and other nations’ parliaments.

 The HCMC government has again proposed the Construction Ministry issue a set of national technical criteria for apartments, including the minimum area of commercial apartments at 45 square meters, Thanh Nien newspaper reports.

 The Hanoi People’s Court will hear a graft case at the PetroVietnam Power Land JSC (PVP Land) involving Trinh Xuan Thanh on January 24.

 HCMC entrance gateways have been overloaded and traffic jam has regularly occurred partly because infrastructure has failed to catch up with population increase and fast urbanization speed.

VietNamNet Bridge - Forecasts about the real estate market in 2018 are all inclined towards optimism. 

Nearly 92.6% of credit institutions expected higher pre-tax profits in 2018 thanks to their good performance in 2017, released the latest survey conducted by the State Bank of Vietnam's Department of Monetary Forecasting and Statistics. 

 Do Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the NA Office and head of the subcommittee for APPF-26 information and communication, ran an article on the purpose and meaning of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

Beer consumption in Vietnam topped 4 billion liters last year, representing a year-on-year increase of 6 per cent.