Vietnam’s Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap and Cambodia’s northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey have inked an agreement on bilateral cooperation for the 2016-2020 period.

 Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has told Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Ory Csaba that the Vietnamese capital city is willing to extensively cooperate with Hungary in all spheres.

 The Institute for Nanotechnology-Vietnam National University HCM City said on December 20 that it has made a system to automatically monitor salinity in rivers in the Mekong Delta and set off an alarm if the level is too high.

 A digital economy is an inevitable step for development as the traditional economy is being saturated, said Nguyen Thanh Hung, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications at the 2016 Internet Day event in Hanoi.

 Vietnam has won the men’s team title at the Southeast Asia Table Tennis Championships 2016 in Indonesia on December 21.

 Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park granted investment licences to nine projects worth a total of 200 million USD in 2016, bringing the number of licensed projects up to 78 worth 3 billion USD combined.

 The property and retail conglomerate Vingroup JSC (Vingroup) has denied information that it plans to sell its supermarket chain VinMart to the US convenience store giant 7-Eleven, local media reported.

 The State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) is likely to divest from FPT Telecom early next year, a Ministry of Finance official said.

 National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has recorded a sound economic growth in France despite a fierce competition with numerous regional and international airlines.

 The HCM City People’s Committee has asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment for official development assistance funds to build its metro line No 3A from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Binh Chanh district’s Tan Kien commune.

 Floods in Central Vietnam: 111 dead and missing

 Ho Chi Minh City authorities will provide free train and bus tickets as well as gifts for workers and students to go home for Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

 Prof. Dr. Pham Van Thuc, Rector of the Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy, has become the first Vietnamese people to receive the “academician” title at the French National Academy of Medicine.

 Lawrence Manley Colburn, the US army helicopter gunner who helped stop the massacre of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese villagers by US troops at My Lai in 1968, has died at the age of 67, reported the Associated Press.

  Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has told Belgian Ambassador Jehanne Roccas that capital the city is keen on fostering partnership with Belgian enterprises in various fields, especially construction and health care.

 President Tran Dai Quang presented appointment decisions to the new ambassadors to Cuba, Laos and Spain at a ceremony in Hanoi on December 21.

 Head of the NA Committee for Deputy Affairs Tran Van Tuy has affirmed that Vietnam attaches special importance to developing stable, healthy and sustainable ties with China, considering it a strategic choice and top priority in its external policy. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Many Vietnamese food items are not available on the world market, while export items often do not have a Vietnamese brand name.

 Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Tri Dung has expressed wish that Lao leaders will continue to assist Vietnamese firms in doing business in the country in order to lift two-way trade. 

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen concluded a successful official visit to Vietnam on December 21 afternoon.