The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications and South Korea's Korea Communications Commission (KCC) agreed to co-operate in-depth in the television field in Ha Noi last Friday.

 The Israeli Embassy in Vietnam will host a week of Vietnamese and Israeli cuisine from January 18 to 24, offering chances for food connoisseurs to figure out similarities in the countries’ cooking styles.

 The agricultural sector plans to slash rice cultivation by 100,000 hectares in 2016 to grow other grains used to feed animals, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

 Vietnam received 12.25 billion USD in remittances in 2015, the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon)’s newspaper reported. 

 The Prime Minister has approved a programme to crack down on human trafficking in the 2016-2020 period.

 Authorities of the northern province of Phu Tho have earmarked $202.5 million for upgrading and embellishing the Hung Kings Temple complex, aiming to turn the special national historical site into an attractive tourism destination.

 President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan, received Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference Cardinal Reinhard Marx in Hanoi on January 11.

 Vietnam and Indonesia need to enhance economic-trade and investment ties and speed up the implementation of an action plan on realising their strategic partnership in 2014-18.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of mobile phone subscribers in Vietnam has dropped significantly as registrations for pre-paid service have been tightened, but there are still around 127 million subscribers

 VietNamNet Bridge – Cafe Me on Luong Huu Khanh Street in District 1, HCMC is a place for artists and those who love handmade products.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The following is the list of high technologies that the Government gives high priority to development investment.

VietNamNet Bridge - The new national education system plan submitted by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to the Prime Minister is believed to contain ‘no new thing’.

VietNamNet Bridge - Many white-leg shrimp farming areas have been set up next to the Lap An Lagoon in Lang Co Town in Thua Thien - Hue province, threatening the world’s beautiful bay of Lang Co.

VietNamNet Bridge - The shareholders of big listed banks - Sacombank, ACB and SHB – in 2015 had total stock assets worth VND3.55 trillion, an increase of VND275 billion compared with the previous year.

 Farmers in Binh Chanh District, HCM City, are farming ornamental Japanese koi fish and Japanese carp following an incentive programme launched by the city recently.

The fate of $22 billion Victory Oil Refinery project, invested by Thailand’s PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) and Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), remains uncertain in the face of a global slump in oil prices.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The year 2015 was marked with flourishes in many fields of Vietnam’s fine arts, which can be seen in the numerous quality exhibitions and well-regarded fine arts events, as well as positive signs in the art market.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of crimes committed through the use of high technology and on the internet by foreign individuals and groups has caused concern to the security police in HCM City.

  Japanese retail giant Seven & I Holding Group’s expansion to Vietnam is likely to create severe competition in Vietnam’s retail landscape.

VietNamNet Bridge - According to the Department of Transport of HCM City, around 4,000 Uber taxis are operating in HCM City and around VND1 billion (nearly $50,000) of profit is transferred to the management company in the Netherlands each day.