Lawmakers voted to approve a resolution on the allocation of central budget in 2017 during the ongoing second session of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi on November 14.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with Governor of Japan’s Mie prefecture Eikei Suzuki on November 14, saying he wants Mie to invest in the industries it has advantages in such as cargo machinery, electronics and chemical production in Vietnam. 

 President Tran Dai Quang left Hanoi on November 14 for an official visit to Cuba from November 15-17 at the invitation of President of the Cuban Council of State and Council of Ministers Raul Castro.

The Party and State of Laos highly value the outcomes of cooperation with Vietnam in developing the border areas between the two countries, a Lao official has said.

 The Ministry of Finance is drafting a Government’s decision on a master plan for practising thrift and preventing wastefulness for the 2016-2020 period, with specific regulations on economical spending in some budget-using areas.

The 14th National Assembly begins Question & Answer session this morning, which is being broadcast live on national television and radio. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – The interest rates on medium- and long-term loans to the property sector have recently increased by 1-1.5 percentage points.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam Competition Authority has revoked the licences of 14 multi-level marketing firms and forced 11 others to halt business until November,

VietNamNet Bridge - The decision to shorten training periods has been applauded by university leaders, who say it is in line with international practice.

Recently, many people in HCMC, Dong Nai and Binh Duong have rushed to a hill with big herds of sheep in Suoi Nghe Commune in Chau Duc District in the southern coast province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to take photos and have outdoor camping activities. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Further debate continues about the use of nuclear power and the proposed Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant project.

The Thanh Hoa provincial authorities on November 1 decided to allow the Nghi Son Petrochemistry Company to discharge its wastewater into water sources in the Nghi Son Economic Zone.

 Nowadays, Thu Huong no longer shops at the traditional stores and wet market near her home, choosing instead to grab a cab and head to a newly opened air-conditioned Aeon Co. mall across town in Hanoi.

 VietNamNet Bridge – In three years, the merry expats behind last weekend’s Quest Festival have built it into something improbable, a force bringing sleepover music festival culture to Viet Nam and infusing it with Vietnamese culture.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Despite difficulties in its implementation, Viet Nam is utterly resolute in its plan to scale up the number of facilities that provide voluntary and diversified services of treatment to 200,000 drug addicts by 2020.

 Vietnam took market share of EU trade away from other ASEAN nations in 2015, a trend that appears likely to continue in light of a free trade agreement it concluded with the regional bloc earlier in 2016.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has said it will remove 471 small and cascade hydropower plants from its master plan and reject another 213 potential projects over environmental and efficiency concerns.

 The 28th Duyen dang Vietnam or Charming Vietnam Gala will be held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on December 11 and January 14.

 Actress Chi Pu has been invited to attend Asia Artist Awards on November 16 at Grand Peace Hall in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.

 The eighth International Conference on the East Sea, themed Cooperation for Regional Security and Development, kicked off in Nha Trang city, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on November 14.