The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a list of coaches and athletes approved for special perks while they prepare upcoming international sports competitions.

 The Governor of Gangwon Province of South Korea, Choi Moon-soon, has confirmed the appointment of midfielder Luong Xuan Truong as the Viet Nam Image Ambassador for Culture.

 The northern city of Hai Phong will pilot solar-powered buses on Cat Ba Island in 2017, local officials said.

 It appears that Vietnam is best placed to become Southeast Asia’s Silicon Valley while most members of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) have ambitions of developing competitive technology sectors, “Asia Correspondent” said in a recent article.

 Overseas Vietnamese play an important role in developing Vietnam’s economy by contributing their talent and intelligence in the science and technology field, a deputy minister of Science and Technology said recently in HCM City.

 Cleaning up or replacing the altaris the most crucial ritual in the festival of the Mong people. It is believed to please their ancestors, who will protect and bless them during the upcoming year.

LienVietPostBank Cup 2017 International Volleyball Championship kicked off on February 11 in Bac Ninh, with the participation of 100 athletes from four Vietnamese teams and four foreign ones.

 The Tet cake is made with sticky rice and filled with pork fat and beans seasoned with black pepper and shallots. It is considered a variant of Chung cake (square glutinous rice cake), which is more popular in the northern region.

 Vietnam’s Saigon Heat defeated Chinese Taipei’s Kaohsiung Truth 85-76 on their home turf, CIS Arena in HCM City, in an ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) match on February 11.

 Twenty Vietnamese flower artisans are displaying original floral installation works at a new exhibition in Hanoi to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

 Vietnam Airlines said that it plans to sell or lease back four new aircraft which the corporation will receive in 2017 to ease the pressure on the due-debt-over-ownership-capital ratio and boost liquidity.

 Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has just called on the Australian Government to soon lift its ban on prawn and uncooked shelled shrimp imports, saying that it poses negative impacts on Vietnam’s shrimp breeding and processing sector.

 Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Le Van Khoa asked relevant departments to improve management and take measures to tackle factors that could create the conditions for a property market bubble.

 The Transport Ministry has declined to approve a Uber Vietnam request to pilot an IT upgrade for its services, citing, among other things, a lack of authorisation and validation from its parent firm.

 The market segment for offices and retail space for lease in Hanoi is expected to become fiercely competitive as supply increases.

Vietnam’s leather and footwear industry expects to reach a total export value of 18 billion USD this year, up 10 percent from last year, said the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso). 

 The property market of Vietnam is attractive to foreign investments due to the country’s rapid ubanisation, open policies and improved investment climate, experts said.

 The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have discussed the implementation of a joint project to build a smart city, which was signed in 2015.

 As many as 490 foreigners have registered for electronic visas to enter Vietnam, 210 of whom have been issued with their visas, after the first week of the e-visa pilot scheme, the Ministry of Public Security’s Department of Immigration has said.

 Ho Chi Minh City is now offering online registration for 15 administrative procedures managed by the city’s Transport Department.