Many ornamental plants and gifts featuring dog figures have been appearing in markets to serve customers looking for something special for the Year of the Dog 2018.

 Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien and China’s Minister of Culture Luo Shugang agreed to continue realising the common perception of the two countries’ leaders on enhancing bilateral cooperation in culture.

 The Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) said that its Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) welcomed 11 newly registered stock codes, increasing the total number of businesses trading on the bourse to 701 as of January 5.

 HCM City targets a serious reduction in the number of AIDS cases by 2030, according to the city’s Health Department.

 National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan chaired a meeting on January 8 to review the preparation of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26).

 Total revenue in Vietnam’s insurance sector was estimated at VND105.6 trillion ($4.6 billion) in 2017, an increase of 21.2 per cent against 2016, according to the Insurance Supervisory Authority (ISA) at the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

A representative of the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said after the sales of Sabeco and Vinamilk,  PetroVietnam, Binh Son Refinery (BSR), PV Power, PV Oil and the subsidiaries of the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) will be put on sale in 2018.

 Increased consumption and consumer demand have in recent years made Vietnam a more desirable destination for several international retailers – one which is expected to see giant retailers embracing the omnichannel approach to retail in 2018.

 Manufacturing sector experienced a positive end to 2017, according to report accompanying Nikkei Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index.

 Below are the ten major events that shaped the year.

Cyber-attacks, including the rise of ransomware, cost Vietnamese users some VND12.3 trillion (542.8 million) last year, according to a report from leading local online security firm the Bach Khoa Internetwork Security Center (BKAV).

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called for strict punishment of organizations and individuals who commit violations in military land use and management.

The Ministry of Finance is once again looking at raising VAT rate from the current 10 per cent to 11 per cent in 2019 and then 12 per cent in 2020, after it issued a proposal in August last year calling for a 12 per cent rate starting next year.

The Vietnam Steel Association has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Trade Defence to assist Vietnamese steel producers in anti-dumping investigations of corrosion-resistant steel and cold rolled steels launched by the US. 

 A 3.9-magnitude earthquake hit the northwestern province of Dien Bien, about 295 km west of Hanoi, at 3:14am on January 8.

 The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) reported that it had passed 1,152 petitions from the business community to relevant State agencies as of the end of November 2017, and 954 of which had received replies.

The Hanoi People’s Court opened the first instance trial on January 8 for Trinh Xuan Thanh and his accomplices on several charges of wrongdoings at the company.

 The Power Generation Corporation 3 (Genco 3) will put more than 267 million shares, accounting for 12.8 per cent of its charter capital, up for sale in its initial public offering (IPO) in February 2018.

 The National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) estimates that credit growth in 2017 will be at 18.7-19.3 per cent in its annual financial market review.

 Vietnamese cities and provinces have been rushing to seek licences for large-scale and costly seaports to cash in on growing interest among domestic and international investors and rising trade, triggering concerns over a supply-demand imbalance.