Four workers at Duyen Hai Thermal Power Plant in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh died of gas suffocation yesterday.

VietNamNet Bridge - Chinese import management agencies are planning to tighten control over rice imports early next year.

 Exports of footwear, suitcases and bags of all kinds are estimated at 19.5 billion USD in 2018, according to the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO).

VietNamNet Bridge - Many retailers have reported losses, but they are continuing to pour more money into Vietnam to expand their networks.

Van Don International Airport in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh will officially open on December 30.

 The manufacturing and processing sector garnered the most interest from foreign investors in 2018, attracting 16.58 billion USD, or 47 percent of the registered capital.

 The General Department of Vietnam Customs estimates the country’s trade surplus this year at 7.21 billion USD, 5.1 billion USD higher than the figure registered last year.

 Vietnam’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 7.08 percent in 2018, the highest in the past 11 years, the General Statistics Office (GSO) announced on December 27. 

 The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has set up seven teams to keep special watch over the budget carrier Vietjet Air from December 28, 2018 to January 15, 2019.

Vietnam’s stock market capitalisation rose 13.5 percent against the end of last year, reaching a record high of 3.98 quadrillion VND (170.93 billion USD), according to the State Securities Commission (SSC).

 Vietnam plans to build 160 stations to serve its Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), aiming to increase the system’s accuracy and nationwide coverage.

 2018 is considered a successful year in controlling inflation as the average consumer price index (CPI) rises by 3.54 percent from 2017 and 2.98 percent from last December, meeting the CPI growth target of under 4 percent.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired the Government’s regular meeting on December 27, during which he shared that Vietnam’s GDP growth rate rose 7.08 percent in 2018 – the highest ever in the past 11 years.

 The number of young Vietnamese people aged from 16-30 is estimated at 23.3 million in 2018, accounting for 24.6 percent of the country’s population, down 0.6 percent against the previous year.

 Track and field athlete Bui Thi Thu Thao, who won a gold medal for Vietnam at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia in August, has overcame other rivals to become the most outstanding athlete of Vietnam in 2018.

VietNamNet Bridge - A survey has found that Vietnamese youth spend VND13 trillion a month on snacks. 

Many parents have urged schools to install CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras in classes to prevent teachers’ abuse of students, but experts say the it will not solve the problem.

VietNamNet Bridge - Experts from BKAV Corporation, the Vietnamese cybersecurity firm, have predicted that malicious codes using AI may turn up in Vietnam in 2019 under the form of PoC (proof of concept). 

VietNamNet Bridge - Experts have found a link between urbanization and the increased risk of flooding from heavy rainfall.

 The Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the country’s largest telecom operator, plans to spend US$1 billion on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in technology enterprises.