The number of business startups nationwide in the year to December 20 had reached 110,100, an increase of 16.2% against the same period last year, according to the Business Registration Agency at the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

VietNamNet Bridge - About 3-5 percent of students are in a state of mild depression, while some suffer from severe depression and need medication and long-term treatment, according to a psychologist.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has lowered the fee for registering and using the national domain name ‘.vn’ in order to become more competitive with international domain name ‘.com’.

VietNamNet Bridge - After the long rains, residents in the provinces of Bac Lieu, Soc Trang and Kien Giang were surprised to see unusually large butterflies in their gardens. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The low-cost real estate market has become more competitive with big property companies that usually specialize in developing high-end products.

Vietnam’s economy in 2016 slowed to an estimated 6.3% from 6.7% last year due to a contraction in mining and largely flat agricultural growth, the National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) has projected.

 Vo Kim Cuong, former deputy head of the HCM City Chief Architect's Office, blamed urban planning for severe congestion in the city.

VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Dang Phu is a veteran illustrator. He is a contributor to dozens of newspapers and magazines and has won many Vietnamese and International awards.

 Farmers in the Central Highland province of Gia Lai are destroying their coffee plantations to grow sacha inchi plants believing they will gain better returns.

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam’s gross domestic product (GDP) rate in 2016 was 6.21 per cent, predictably below the set growth target of 6.7 per cent. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – DJs Katty Q, Oxy and Mie will perform at the Countdown Party 2017 in celebration of New Year at the central city’s March 29th Square on Saturday (December 31st).

VietNamNet Bridge – Around 1,500 tonnes of frozen seafood and 450 litres of fish sauce produced locally remain unsold in the stores of Quang Tri Province because of Formosa toxic spill. 

 A concert featuring masterpieces of classical music by composer Ludwig van Beethoven will be held at the French Cultural Exchange Center, L'Espace, in Hanoi on December 28-29.

 The Science and Technology Journalists' Club in Hanoi yesterday announced Vietnam's top 10 science and technology events in 2016.

 The irresponsibility of Chinese contractors caused the long delay in the construction of the multimillion-dollar Thuong Kon Tum Hydropower Plant, located in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

 The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has ceased issuing treasury bills and begun pumping capital totaling VND22 trillion ($966.46 million) into the market via open market operations (OMO) in the last three weeks.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap will organise its first ever Tourism Week in Sa Dec City on January 7-14.          

VietNamNet Bridge – Following the parking practices in the Philippines, Ha Noi’s Department of Transportation is asking the municipal People’s Committee for permission to convert roadways into long-term parking zones. 

Quang Nam will host the 2017 RS: One World Championships, the sixth of its kind and Vietnam Open Windsurfing Race during Quang Nam Heritage Festival next year, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

 Viettel Global Investment JSC (Viettel Global) successfully issued 800 million shares in the form of private placement, mobilising VND8 trillion (US$360.4 million) to become the company mobilising the largest amount of money this year.