Weak food safety compliance by agricultural product exporters has negatively impacted Vietnam’s exports to European markets, experts said at a trade policy forum.

 FPT Corporation may complete its divestment from FPT Trading and FPT Retail sub-units in 2017, officials said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting.

 The fluctuations in deposit rates at the beginning of March were an anomaly and things have returned to normal now, says Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.

 HCM City reported a 7.46 percent year-on-year increase in GRDP in the first quarter compared to 7.08 percent in the same period last year.

VietNamNet Bridge - Soon after the government of Vietnam approved sports betting, investors began plans to pour millions of dollars into projects. 

Analysts thought that with the increased popularity of smartphones, feature phones would disappear from the market. However, a high proportion of loyal users still exists. 

Many graduates with bachelor’s are attending vocational schools because they have been unable to find jobs. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The nghien (excentrodendron tonkinense) kingdom growing on the rocky mountains in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang is getting smaller because of illegal logging. 

 A big sinkhole appeared in Le Van Viet Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9 after heavy rain on April 1.

 The General Statistics Office (GSO) has released a list of the 44 major import items in the first quarter of 2017, in which the volume and value of imported completely-built-unit (CBU) motor vehicles stood at their highest ever.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam spends big money every year to buy foreign goods and services, including those which could be made or offered domestically.

 Tonnes of young shrimps and fish have recently been released to the wild across the Mekong Delta region for the restocking of marine resources.

 An ongoing exhibition entitled “Treasures of Vietnam Archaeology” at the State Museum of Archaeology in Germany’s Sachsen state has been attracting a large number of visitors.

 The Culture Centre of Vietnam (CCV) in France has officially become the 56th member of the World Folklore Union (IGF).

 The northern province of Phu Tho held rituals on April 2 (the sixth day of the third lunar month) to commemorate the death anniversary of the nation’s legendary Great Father Lac Long Quan and pay incense tribute to Great Mother Au Co.

 Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations Nguyen Van Giau highlighted the significance of gender equality and women’s rights at the 275th meeting of IPU Assembly.

The Vietnamese and Australia governments on March 31 held their High-Level Consultations to discuss results of their long-term development co-operation and the importance of its transformation into an economic partnership.

Xiaomi, the Chinese technology startup, and Digiworld, its partner in Vietnam, have declined to reveal how long they will cooperate, but sources said the contract they signed would last two years. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Instead of buying Vietnam’s rice at just VND10,000 per kilo, Vietnamese are willing to pay higher to buy rice from Thailand or Japan.

The invention won the consolation prize at the 2016 National Innovation Competition for Teenagers and Children and the first prize at the 2016 Thua Thien – Hue provincial Innovation Competition for Teenagers and Children.