As the ground level is often used as stores, they are sometimes modernised. However, upper levels are often remodelled as people try to expand their living spaces upwards and outwards.

Vietnamobile yesterday received the three licences for telecom establishment, telecom service provision, and 2G & 3G spectrum usage from the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Some start-up projects in Ho Chi Minh City will receive financial support of up to VND2 billion ($90,000) within two years under a mechanism recently issued by the municipal People’s Committee.

VietNamNet Bridge – The quality of seawater in coastal areas of Viet Nam has been on the decline, with a heavy weight of total suspended solids (TSS),

  President Tran Dai Quang, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on October 14 sent their condolences to Thailand over the death of King Bhumibol Abdulyadej.

 The 12th Party Central Committee closed its fourth plenary meeting in Hanoi on October 14 after six days of sitting, reaching a high consensus on resolutions and conclusion adopted at the meeting. 

 Remnants of Champa architecture have recently been found in the central province of Binh Dinh, said Nguyen Van Ngoc, Director of the Binh Dinh provincial museum.

 Asset management company VinaCapital on Thursday announced at its annual investor conference that it expects to set up next month a domestic fund for foreign investors and raise US$5 million.

 Stock prices of many local start-up companies are valued extremely high, far above prices of large-cap shares on the two national stock exchanges, which demonstrates investor confidence in the high-growth potential of the Vietnamese startups.

Budget revenues reached $32.2 billion in the first nine months of the year, accounting for around 70 percent of the annual target, a representative of the Ministry of Finance said in its quarterly press briefing this week.

 Viet Nam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) will hasten its restructuring efforts to overcome this difficult period, with more job cuts planned this year, local news reported.

 Vietnamese duo Ly Hoang Nam and Nguyen Hoang Thien entered the quarter-final round of the Vietnam Open tennis tournament’s doubles category on October 12 in HCM City.

 Vietnam's national football team will have three friendly matches during their two-week training in Paju, South Korea.

 Vietnamese craftsmen have applied traditional lacquer techniques to create a unique item – an Italian-brand scooter inlaid with eggshell.

 A group of Japanese artists from the Kodo art group will participated in the monthly traditional music show Chuyen Nhac Pho Co.

 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has intensified inspections of industrial zones to ensure they build and operate concentrated waste water treatment systems. 

 Director Ngo Thanh Van has brought her most recent film “Tam Cam: The Untold Story” to the 21st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which runs between October 6 and 15. 

 The 7th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 7) will take place at the National Convention Center in Hanoi from October 24-26. 

 Japan’s Nikken Sekkei Company on October 13 proposed a construction planning for Ly Son island to the Quang Ngai People’s Committee. 

 Two people were killed and four others seriously injured when the scaffolding collapsed early on Thursday at a construction site in Hanoi's Hoang Mai District.