VietNamNet Bridge – More than 2,000 canals around HCM City have been seriously polluted threatening people’s health, reported the Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam economy will encounter more difficulties in 2017 than in 2016 amid global geopolitical changes and financial uncertainties, experts say.

 Vietnam’s first astronomical observatory will be put into operation in March this year in the central province of Khanh Hoa.

 The Embassy of Vietnam in India held a ceremony in New Delhi on January 18 to mark 45 years of Vietnam – India diplomatic ties (January 7) and to welcome the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc particpated in activities on the sidelines of the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos city, Switzerland on January 18. 

The traditional atmosphere and cultural space of the Lunar New Year in the old days are being introduced and vividly recreated within the framework of an exhibition and trade fair named Tet Viet 2017

 Local firms have requested the Japanese government to simplify visa requirements and related procedures for Vietnamese information technology (IT) engineers to go to the northeast Asian country for guest work.

Recent analysis shows that the emergence of smartphones and tablets and the subsequent growth in consumption via mobile devices has dramatically altered the digital landscape in Vietnam. 

 Budget carrier Vietjet Air has registered to list 300 shares on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE).

 The Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee has approved the construction progress of the Sai Gon Safari Park project in Cu Chi district.

VietNamNet Bridge - Many e-commerce floors have opened to great fanfare, while others have shut down quietly.

 A ten-day annual antique market has just opened in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, along Hang Ma, Hang Can, Hang Luoc, Hang Dong, and Hang Ruoi streets.

 A ceremony to set up a cây nêu (New Year’s tree) on the 23rd of the last lunar month (January 20) will kick off a series of activities discovering Vietnamese traditional Tet (Lunar New Year festival) at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology.

Peach blossoms, kumquat trees and bouquets of flowers are indispensable in Vietnamese households during Tet.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh hosted a reception for D.J Pandian, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Hanoi on January 18. 

 A project to use foreign teachers for teaching English will be piloted at a number of primary schools in the central province of Khanh Hoa from February. 

 Global e-government rankings affect Vietnam’s investment attractiveness, national competitiveness, and negotiations on international trade deals, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a recent meeting.

 President Tran Dai Quang has assured Azerbaijani Minister of Energy Natig Aga Emi Olgu Aliyev that Vietnam is ready to create favourable conditions for Azerbaijan’s goods to enter the country. 

 Vietnam is focusing on completing economic reforms and building a consistent, synchronous and modern administrative regime to enhance governance efficiency, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade required the Chemical Group and management board of Ninh Binh Nitrogenous Fertilizer Plant and Ninh Binh Nitrogenous Fertilizer to clarify responsibilities relating to wrongdoings causing the plant huge losses.