Construction of a giant Xmas tree of 5,000 earthen pots is underway in the Phu My parish in Tru Son commune, Do Luong district, the central province of Nghe An to welcome fast-coming Christmas season.

 General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith arrived in Hanoi on December 19 morning, starting an official friendly visit to Vietnam.

 A new typhoon, Kaitak, entered the south of the East Sea on December 18 afternoon. As the 15th storm to hit the waters this year, it is forecast to get stronger, according to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

 The Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) has launched a freight rail service between Vietnam’s northern port city of Hai Phong and Kaiyuan in China’s Yunnan province.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Mekong Delta region to improve logistics to increase fruit and vegetable exports to global markets.

 Shares on both local markets advanced further towards the end of December 18 afternoon session on solid investor confidence following the successful Sabeco share auction, as well as the recovery of major large-cap stocks.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade on December 18 sold all of its 343.6 million shares or a 53.6 percent stake of Sabeco, receiving an estimated $4.89 billion.

Mai Linh group, a well known taxi firm, has officially joined the app-based motorbike taxi market with its Mai Linh Bike service provided in HCMC, Hanoi and Da Nang, after one month of trial.

Authorized resellers are selling iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus at quoted prices, while second-class agents are setting lower prices to lure more buyers. The price of products imported through unofficial channels is even lower.

VietNamNet Bridge - Large forests in Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces continue to be cut down despite serious protection measures applied by local authorities.  

A newly graduated preschool and primary school teacher receives an average VND3.2 million a month, far below the income of a taxi motorbike driver or a sidewalk ice tea seller.

 Farmers in Cho Lach district, the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre have prepared eight to nine million of ornamental plants and flower pots for the Tet Holiday falling in February next year.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 50 photos featuring the Literature Temple by night are on display at an exhibition being held at the temple in downtown Hanoi.

The Secretariat of the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, during its meeting on Sunday, decided to take disciplinary action against some officials for violating Party and State regulations.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Fans of pop singer My Tam will flock to the open-air concert at the Pham Van Dong Park in Da Nang tomorrow to watch their idol perform songs from her latest album. 

The People’s Court of the central coastal province of Nha Trang will begin proceedings on Monday in the case against Hoang Tan Hai, who was found illegally trafficking 10 tonnes of marine turtles in 2014.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Danish Week – Sustainable City Solutions hosted by the Danish embassy in Hanoi and the HCM City University of Architecture began in HCM City on Thursday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – U21 Vietnam beat U21 Myanmar 2-0, at the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper’s International U21 Football Tournament in the southern province of Can Tho on December 16.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Vietnamese food market is thriving, with 10.9 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) predicted by BMI Research for the 2017-2019 period.

The newly-signed agreement between the parliaments of Vietnam and Morocco is an important legal foundation for the two sides to boost legislative relations as well as partnership in all fields, stated National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.