Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of considering the US one of the top important partners during a reception in Hanoi on January 10 for former US Secretary of State John Kerry. 

 Vietnam always treasures and has made significant contributions to the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) in the past year, affirmed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with his counterparts from China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia on the sideline of the second Mekong - Lancang Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in Phnom Penh on January 10.

VietNamNet Bridge - A survey has found that 80 percent of students sleep less than seven hours a day.

The Ministry if Finance’s (MOF) decision to reject eight foreign loans with high interest rates totaling $1.2 billion was highly applauded by economists.

VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi will strictly control motorbikes in 2018 and prohibit them in inner city areas by 2030.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Doctors have advised people not to consume the meat of sick pigs, following the death of one person who ate infected pork. Another person is in critical condition.

iPhone users commenting on internet forums say that Apple is ‘selling batteries at a low price’ instead of correcting the fault of slowing down older iPhones as the battery ages. 

 The Ministry of Finance (MoF) expects to keep this year’s State Budget deficit at 3.7 per cent of the GDP, below the 3.9 per cent mandated by the National Assembly.

Five months after winning the silver medal at the 2017 IMO, a student from Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted has scored another goal – winning a $264,000 scholarship for 4-year study at the University of Chicago. 

 Depite growing interest, private investments in Vietnam’s aviation sector remain below expectations. Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong talked about the mechanisms to leverage private investments in the sector.

 HCMC has plans to collect a wastewater drainage fee of VND1,800-2,000 (8-9 U.S. cents) per cubic meter of running water used, starting from this year.

 The amount of blood type O available at the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion on Wednesday dropped to 2,934 units, from 3,500 units, after blood was distributed to hospitals in Hanoi and the northern provinces on Monday.

 Many securities companies have opted to issue corporate bonds to raise capital to finance their margin lending service, following upbeat forecasts for the market in 2018.

 The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee convened its 20th session in Hanoi on January 10, which is scheduled to deal with a range of matters within one and a half days. 

 Local authorities of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum have approved a project to grow Ngoc Linh ginseng in Tu Mo Rong district, in a bid to preserve and develop the medicinal plant.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has sent drafts of tax laws to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) before being submitted to the Prime Minister and NA for approval in 2018.

 All administrative units of Ho Chi Minh City need to build applications (apps) so that local people could access information via their smart devices, said Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.

 Half of respondents in a recent survey expressed concern about the competitiveness of domestic goods, in which business cost plays a decisive role but it is still high.

 Foreign investors will be allowed to establish companies providing logistics services following Decree 163, which will take effect on February 20.