About 200 brands have been franchised in Vietnam over the last decade, but the franchise of Vietnamese brands is just in the initial stage at present, insiders said at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on May 4.

 Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung clarified issues relating to farm produce consumption, especially pork which recently saw its prices slumping during the government’s regular press conference in Hanoi on May 4. 

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has directed that each ministry and locality must devise a detailed plan to fulfill set targets, in which responsibilities of individuals and units must be specified. 

 Customs officers at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on May 4 discovered over 4kg of products from elephant tusks and pangolin scales illegally transported from Africa to Vietnam.

 Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh and Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong reviewed bilateral defence ties during their meeting in Hanoi on May 4. 

Chairman of the NA’s Committee for External Relations Nguyen Van Giau met the ambassadors and heads of diplomatic representative agencies of IPU member countries in Hanoi yesterday.

 Vietnam will work with the member states of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to reach a consensus on future orientations for the deal, Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang told a regular press conference in Hanoi on May 4.

 The second Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM2) and related meetings as part of the APEC Vietnam 2017 will take place in Hanoi from May 9-18, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

 Vietnam adamantly opposes and rejects China’s unilateral ban on fishing in the East Sea from May 1 to August 16, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang told the media at a regular press conference on May 4.

 Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Vietnam Vitezslav Grepl has suggested that Vietnam and his country take new measures to ratchet up defence ties.

If Vietnam wants to apply foreign curricula, it can import textbooks in natural sciences and technology. 

 National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan held talks with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan Oshima Tadamori in Hanoi on May 4.

VietNamNet Bridge - Amateur inventors as well as scientists at research institutes and universities are also afraid of writing descriptions about their inventions when registering for patents.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese steel manufacturers are importing more and more scrap steel for domestic production, as this is the easiest and most profitable way to make steel.

VietNamNet Bridge - Resources have been applied to prevent landslides in the Mekong Delta, but the problem has proven to be difficult to solve.  

 The number of Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG) retail outlets doubled to 1,207 in 2016 from 633 in 2015, with three new outlets opening every two days on average. 

Just before the four-day vacation last weekend, Ha Noi People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung cancelled the exclusivity of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in the capital city.

 Cyber insurance makes a lot of sense but it’s expensive and as a fledgling industry lacks established standards.

 An exhibition featuring entries of the photo competition themed “Green, Clean and Beautiful Hanoi” opens to the public Thursday morning at 45 Trang Tien Street.

 Hanoi T&T crushed Felda United, from the Philippines, 4-1 in the AFC Cup, yet the win may not be sufficient to ensure the Hanoi team proceeds to the next round.