The 2017 Vietnam Provincial Government and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI 2017) report was released in April 4 in Hanoi.

Many hydrants in Hanoi do not work while the city lacks water sources for firefighting and measures to tackle high-rise fires.

AVG has paid VND2.5 trillion (US$109.5 million) to MobiFone, a State-owned business under management of the Ministry of Information and Communications, after the two sides cancelled the mutual share transfer agreement on March 12. 

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has asked the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) to hold an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting to review personnel matters.

  Itochu, Japan’s second-largest trading company, has spent some five billion yen (US$46.9 million) to buy an additional 10 per cent equity in Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex).

 The US Department of Commerce (DOC) last week announced the initiation of anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into the import of laminated woven sacks (LWSs) from Viet Nam.

Large areas of pine forest along the Highway 28 in Quang Son commune of Dak G’Long district in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have been destroyed due to land encroachment.

 The environmental protection tax increase would make CPI in July rise by 0.27-0.29 per cent from the previous month, said Vu Thi Mai, deputy minister of Finance at the monthly Government meeting held in Ha Noi on Monday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Pressure from local media and public has prompted an investigation by ranger authorities into the origin of three large perennial trees found at a plot in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ports in Cat Lai Area in HCM City’s District 9 cannot be expanded because they are surrounded by residential areas just as they were 20 years ago when they had been located in inner districts.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Three pregnant women in the southern province of Tien Giang and another from Bac Lieu Province were given incorrect medicine, and one of them miscarried soon after.

 Heineken will bring Formula 1, one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events, to Viet Nam for the first time in May.

 A museum in central Ha Tinh Province has announced the discovery of an incense holder dating back to the 19th century.

 There will be two direct flights weekly from Switzerland to Viet Nam starting November, Federal Councilor of Switzerland Doris Leuthard said on Tuesday when she met Transport Minister Nguyen Van The.

 Forty-one people have been removed from the list of newly-appointed professors and associate professors that was announced in early February.

 Investors of apartment buildings in Hanoi who fail or defer to follow regulations on fire prevention would face legal proceedings, a municipal People’s Committee meeting heard yesterday.

 A smart healthcare system that exploits Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI) has been set up by the Ministry of Health to improve the quality of health examinations and medical treatment.

Property developer Vingroup on April 3 signed a strategic cooperation agreement with US-based Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).

 The Ministry of Transport has asked the representative of State stake in Vietnam Airlines to draft plans to reduce State ownership to 51 percent of the national flag carrier’s charter capital in 2019.

Despite their high prices, some wealthy Vietnamese people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on miniature bonsais.