The management board of the North-South Expressway project will issue prequalification documents to bidders of the National Highway 45-Nghi Son section of the project from May 8 to July 8.

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan highlighted the development of the Vietnam-Italy strategic partnership while receiving Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Enzo Moavero Milanesi in Hanoi yesterday.

The Vietnam Circus Federation has hosted a circus show re-enacting the Dien Bien Phu battlefield in Hanoi to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the victory.

Sixty-five years ago, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, President Ho Chi Minh launched the Dien Bien Phu campaign with the aim of putting an end to the French empire over Indochina.

Experts, scientists and architects agreed that a construction boom along the Han River over past decade had impacted on the river flow, erosion and floods, and could result in environmental tragedy in the future.

With the approval of the Vietnamese Prime Minister, two Australian Navy ships, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Newcastle visited Cam Ranh International Port, Khanh Hoa province on May 7- 10.

Following the Prime Minister’s instruction, the current contribution rate has been decreased to 14 – 16%, allowing provinces and cities to increase expenditure for investment and carry out wage reform.

Drawing Words, an exhibition of children’s book illustrations commissioned by the British Council and curated by illustrator Lauren Child from Children’s Laureate Foundation, is on at the French Institute in Hanoi.

Local banks have continued raising the interest rates for certificates of deposit (CD) to attract customers, with some even raising rates beyond the record high of 9% per annum, according to a report on the Nguoi Lao Dong Online website.

Tax authorities are still struggling to find ways to tax cross-border trading services, said Nguyen Nam Binh, deputy head of the HCMC Tax Department, at a workshop on May 6.

There are 50,000 technology firms currently active in Vietnam, but the country is set to double the number by 2030, said To Thi Thu Huong, deputy director of Information Technology at the Ministry of Information and Communications.

BUSINESS NEWS 8/5

Hoang Thuy, the first runner-up of Miss Universe Vietnam 2017, has been officially chosen to represent Vietnam at the upcoming Miss Universe 2019 beauty pageant.

Within five recent years, many parents have been choosing private school education and the trend of sending children to private schools is escalating in Ho Chi Minh City.

Heated debate is continuing around the proposal to regulate ride-hailing firms as taxi companies, due to concerns that it will dampen Vietnam’s Industry 4.0 efforts.

The Goethe Institut in Hanoi will hold a theater performance of “Woyzeck”, an excerpt from a play by German doctor and poet Georg Buchner.

A large amount of untreated wastewater has been discharged into a park in the central city of Danang over the past 10 days with the local authorities struggling to deal with the problem.

The draft law on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is being composed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), and will be submitted to the government in July.

Up to 61% of consumers now make payments on their mobiles, compared to just 37% in 2018.

A proposal to raise the retirement age in 2021 will be tabled for discussion at the 34th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee, which is scheduled to take place on May 8-10.