VN pepper farmers are on pins and needles as pepper prices continue to decline. The industry, once known for its high profit margins, is in crisis due to unsustainable development, lack of strict control over production and unforeseeable speculation.

 Set to be opened for public viewing in seven days, Nguyen Hue Flower Street in 2018 will be one of the key cultural and tourism events for city dwellers and international visitors during the forthcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The Tu Lien village in Tay Ho district, Hanoi is famous for growing kumquat trees. In recent years, the majority of people in Tu Lien have begun to cultivate bonsai kumquat.

 2017 marked a milestone of $3.8 billion in Vietnam’s shrimp export value. To achieve the target of 10 billion dollars in 2025, the sector is witnessing drastic changes in various fields.

Since Vietnam Asset Management Company seized Sai Gon One Tower using the authority conferred on it by Resolution 42 on settling bad debts, several banks have followed suit and offered mortgaged assets for sale 

 The VN Index, Viet Nam’s benchmark stock index, grew 12.8 per cent in January, as it joined the top three best performers in the world in the first month of 2018, just behind Argentina (16.21 per cent) and Nigeria (15.95 per cent).

 Vietnamese startups kicked off the new year by mingling at the 2018 Demo Day Investment Festival (Demo Day) on Thursday, aiming to present themselves to a crowd of potential domestic and foreign investors.

Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng has asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to examine forest protection and forest land management in the Central Highlands provinces.

No 1 seed duo Ly Hoang Nam and Trinh Linh Giang won the men’s doubles at the Viet Nam Tennis Federation (VTF) Pro Tour 1. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – Bui Thi Thu Thao brought home a bronze medal at the eighth Asian Indoor Athletics Championship, which opened at the Aftab-e Enqhelab Stadium in Tehran, Iran, on February 1.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Grandmaster (GM) Le Quang Liem ranked seventh at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival 2018, which concluded in England early February 2.

 Dozens of paintings and sculptures featuring performers and plays of tuồng and hát bội (classical drama), a Vietnamese traditional theatre originating in the 12th century, are now on display at the Garden Mall in HCM City.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has defended the Government’s call to prioritise domestic products following the scandal last year involving Khaisilk’s false claims that it sold “made in Viet Nam” goods.

The Northern Airports Authority has fined two staff members of the Noi Bai Airport Security Centre for not seriously obeying regulations when they allowed a woman listed on a no-fly list to board an Aeroflot plane, 

 Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong has urged Japan’s law enforcement agencies to soon conclude investigation into the death of a ten-year-old Vietnamese girl named Le Thi Nhat Linh, and strengthen evidence to bring the suspect to trial. 

 Online shopping has increased significantly in Vietnam, especially by young consumers, according to the High Quality Vietnamese Product Business Association.

 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked agencies to comment on its special project to control companies thought to be likely of polluting the environment - even industries not yet in operation, such as power plants. 

 An annual book street festival will be organised in downtown Ho Chi Minh City from February 13-19, or the 28th day of the 12th lunar month to the fourth day of the lunar new year, in celebration of Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has affirmed that the city will seek all measures and mechanisms to deal with its urban problems and improve living and working conditions for its citizens.

 New Year 2018 had a better beginning than the same period in 2017, regarding some indicators, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said at the Government meeting for January.