Students in ASEAN countries, China, Japan, and Korea yesterday began a four-day forum to discuss issues related to Vietnam’s international integration.

 Two coaches lying in front of the toll station on the Hanoi – Hai Phong Expressway stalling other vehicles, was a hostile act planned by the drivers, an official said.

 Vietnam drew nearly US$4.03 billion in newly-registered and additional capital from foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the first quarter of this year, up 119.1% against the same period last year.

VietNamNet Bridge - A lot of Vietnamese businessmen nurture plans to ‘do big business’. Some of them have succeeded, while others have tasted failure, but they do not give up, still awaiting new opportunities.

 With the support of 450 or 91.09% of the total National Assembly deputies, Ms Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh was elected new Vice State President on April 8.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The central province of Quang Nam has approved the second phase of a project to build concrete dykes along Cua Dai beach to cope with worsening coastal erosion near Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 The Vietnamese men’s team, with the presence of top player Le Quang Liem, raked in the silver medal in the rapid chess event of the 2016 Asian Nations Chess Cup, which is underway in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

 The wedding photos of this elderly bride and her heartthrob are making rounds on social media.

 Fashion designer Kelly Bui has announced she will attend the next instalment of Shanghai Fashion Week, Southern China.

 The Steering Committee for Digitising Television Plans will stop transmitting to all analogue televisions (TVs) in Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Can Tho, and HCM City starting on August 15.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Vietnamese don’t spend as much money on laptops as they did in the past because they have many other choices, from tablets to smartphones.

 Vietnam’s No. 1 player Ly Hoang Nam will play Mercelo Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile in the first round match of the 2016 International Tennis Federation Junior Masters at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu starting today.

 The traditional craft of making bánh tráng phơi sương (dew-wetted rice paper) in Trang Bang District, Tay Ninh Province, has been recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 The YDA Club, a cinema club dedicated to Vietnamese movies in Paris’ District 5, will present three short movies by Vietnamese independent filmmakers on April 16.

 HCM City and Hanoi stock exchanges this week put shares of many companies on the warning list or under supervision, due to their losses.

VietNamNet Bridge - Exporting laborers must not be seen as a long term solution to the economy, experts have recommended.

VietNamNet Bridge - In its macro report on Vietnam market outlook in April, HSBC Vietnam lowered its forecast for Vietnam’s 2016 GDP growth from 6.7% to 6.3%.

The HCM City authorities have given the nod to the Saigon Water Supply Company (Sawaco) plan to build underground water reservoirs in some parks in the city which would help ensure water supply after earthquakes and other natural calamities.

 People in the central city of Da Nang who want their information and opinions to be dealt with now only have to send them via one hotline.

 A texting campaign to raise funds for people affected by drought and saline intrusion was launched at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 7.