Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan on March 12 conducted a field trip to inspect the progress of the flood prevention project in the city.

 The UN Human Rights Committee held a session on March 11-12 in Geneva, Switzerland to review Vietnam’s third national report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project on a new national public service portal, with people and businesses the centre of these services. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – An accident between a car and a motorbike that left one person dead in the northern province of Lao Cai on March 1 has drawn public attention in recent days.

 Viet Nam’s aviation market is forecast to increase rapidly, fuelled by new growth from the participation of more private carriers and improved infrastructure.

 Phở Thìn – a family-run noodle shop in Hà Nội open for 30 years – has opened its first franchise in Tokyo.

 Foreign Minister Pham Bình Minh had a telephone conversation today with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah regarding the trial of a Vietnamese national involved in the murder of a North Korean citizen.

 Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramiz Hasanov conducted a political consultation in Hanoi on March 12 to discuss bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

 The 2019 International Francophone Day entitled “Couleurs Francophones” (Francophone Colours) will offer a range of interesting activities, heard a press conference on the event held in Hanoi on March 12.

The Hanoi-based High-Level People’s Court has decided to reduce the imprisonment penalties for 13 defendants that were involved in an online gambling ring, considered the biggest of its kind uncovered in Vietnam so far.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 12 for Myanmar’s Minister of International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin, who is in Vietnam for the ninth meeting of the two countries’ Joint Committee for Bilateral Cooperation.

The Government Office held a ceremony in Hanoi on March 12 to launch the National E-Document Exchange Platform, a move towards a digital government and economy. 

VietNamNet Bridge - A source from the Hanoi People’s Committee said IKEA is planning to develop a system of retail centers and storehouses in Hanoi with investment capital of $450 million.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vu Van Vien, Director of Hanoi’s transport department, told Dân trí newspaper that the drastic barring of motorbikes is not meant to cause difficulties for the people.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Pham The Anh, from the National Economics University’s Faculty of Economics, speaks to Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper about the role of the unobserved economy in the national economy.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese farmers are now under pressure as South Korean businesses plan to take measures to boost farm produce export to Vietnam.

 Nominations for the Devotion Music Awards 2019 hosted by The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency were announced at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 12. 

 Three black bears kept in Bien Hoa city of the southern province of Dong Nai were handed over to a wildlife conservation centre on March 12. 

The Vietnamese dong would be steady next months, buoyed by positive foreign inflow and reasonable gap between interest rates of the dong and the US dollar as well as the stability of the Chinese renminbi, 

VietNamNet Bridge – During my recent trip to the northwestern province of Dien Bien, I was blown away by the unique flavour of mac khen (the Thai ethnic group’s wild pepper) in dishes such as ga nuong (grilled chicken).