Local producers and suppliers have been at risk at many supermarkets in Việt Nam due to strong competition from foreign rivals, prompting Vingroup to launch a supporting programme that promotes domestic production.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has many precious orchid species, but many of them have become extinct because of poor conservation. 

 Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co (BSR), which operates and manages Dung Quat Oil Refinery, has asked the Ministry of Finance for permission to calculate the petrol selling price themselves.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged ministries to hasten the process of drafting decrees providing guidelines for investment and business activities, under Dispatch 789/TTg-PL that he signed last weekend.

 Dinh Quang Linh defended his men’s singles title on the last day of the National Table Tennis Championships at Ho Xuan Huong Gymnasium in HCM City on May 15.

VietNamNet Bridge - The difficulties Vietnam has to face in the next five years will increase as ODA loans will be cut by 50 percent, while new loans will bear an interest rate of 3 percent.

 The Prime Minister approved a project on studying the impact of groundwater use to land subsidence in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

 ​​​Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a plan to meet regulations in the annexes of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention).

 President Tran Dai Quang talked with outstanding entrepreneurs representing the small- and medium-sized business community in Vietnam during a meeting in Hanoi on May 16.

 A novel by German author Karin Kalisa about expatriate Vietnamese was released in Vietnamese recently in Hanoi.

 Vietnam have grabbed six medals at the 2016 Asia-Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO 2016) which was hosted by the Republic of Korea on May 7-8.

 US President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Vietnam from May 23-25 is to further deepen the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh said.

 Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh La Thang and other senior municipal officials welcomed Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith to the city on May 16.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev emphasised the resolve to enhance the countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership during their talks in Moscow on May 16.  

  Vietnam has almost everything needed for franchises to really take off.

VietNamNet Bridge - Though Vietnam is seeing the strong rise of the modern distribution channel, it is traditional retail which still plays an important role in the Vietnamese distribution system.

Demand for organic farm produce has increased significantly both in Viet Nam and globally, and this offers good prospects for businesses investing in the field, a seminar heard in HCM City yesterday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Police in HCM City has proposed to the Ministry of Public Security a plan to revive the special anti-burglary force to deal with robberies in the city.

 The HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will hold a concert featuring popular and latest pieces by leading local musicians and choreographers at the Opera House in District 1 on May 19.

Confusion reigns when it comes to food safety in Vietnam and greater awareness is becoming paramount.