VietNamNet Bridge - The Vietnamese stock market on November 7 witnessed its biggest-ever transaction: 415 million VRE shares of Vincom Retail, worth $740 million, were transferred within one trading session.

 Ly Hoang Nam, the sole Vietnamese player left at the Vietnam F2 Men’s Futures tennis tournament’s singles event in Binh Dương province, has secured a berth in the quarter-finals.

 Two Vietnamese researchers on November 16 were awarded the 2017 Newton Prize Vietnam for their project “Building a Foundation for Sustainable Development: Networked Societies for the Cities of Tomorrow”.

 The HCM City Blood Transfusion Haematology Hospital on Thursday successfully performed the country’s first ever peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.

 The Ministry of Public Security has announced that it is widening investigation into different problems related to a batch of cancer drugs called H-Capita (500mg).

 The Vietnam Talent Awards 2017 were presented in Hanoi on November 16, honouring persons with practical inventions and initiatives.

 Young women aged less than 25 and men suffering from breast cancer has become not uncommon in Vietnam, said Dr Tran Nguyen Ha of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital.

 The Indonesian Foreign Ministry and the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies opened a seminar in Indonesia on November 16, focusing discussions on managing potential conflict in the East Sea.

 The Government will not raise public debt ceiling in order to ensure debt payment capacity and balance the national financial system, said Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue during the NA hearing session yesterday. 

Ministries have approved the restructuring plans of additional SOEs, with the latest including Mobifone and VNPost, in line with the Government’s SOE restructuring action plan.

 Four- and five-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City have seen a slight decline in room rates although the rising number of tourists has resulted in an increase in occupancy rates at high-end hotels.

SBV Governor yesterday fielded lawmakers’ questions about the banking system’s operations, underlining the need to focus on effectively implementing a resolution on piloting the settlement of bad debt at credit institutions.

The question and answer session of the 14th National Assembly’s fourth sitting on November 16 was heated up with issues regarding tax, public debt and monetary policy management.  

 Shares soared on both local markets on November 16 with the VN Index hitting a fresh 10-year high as investor confidence improved, pouring strong investment into all sectors and stocks.

VietNamNet Bridge - A representative of a mobile phone retail chain in Hanoi said iPhone X with VNA codes reserved for the Vietnamese market will hit the shelves by the end of this month.

Many investors have been reluctant to buy a stake of equitized SOEs (state owned enterprises) because of problems in current regulations and the internal weaknesses of the enterprises.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has been unable to recycle or treat e-waste because of difficulties in e-waste collection, according to some experts.

Foreign investment funds and technology firms have poured hundreds of millions of dollars in Vietnamese fintech firms in anticipation of an increase in non-cash payments in the country. 

The Ministry of Education & Training (MOET) plans to produce 9,000 PhDs more for universities and junior colleges by 2025 in a VND12 trillion program, though Vietnam now has over 24,300 PhDs.

 Jobseekers should have the ability to learn and the willingness to acquire new skills to stay competitive on the job market, as technologies will usher in drastic changes and pose huge challenges to them.