A team of researchers from the Eastern People's Military Hospital have finished detailed designs for a robot to clean and disinfect rooms of those quarantined due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To date, 17 confirmed cases in Vietnam have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong chaired the Politburo’s meeting on the COVID-19 combat on March 20, saying over-confidence or complacency must be avoided as the pandemic’s development remains very complex and unpredictable.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 19 wrote to leaders of ASEAN countries and New Zealand proposing that the 36th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN-New Zealand Summit and related meetings.

After repeated delays, Ho Chi Minh City’s new Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in District 9 is finally set to open next month, according to the municipal Department of Transportation.

Vietnam Airlines said on March 16 that it has created the most favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens in Europe who want to return home amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19.

Currently, 140 of 164 recognised national treasures are being preserved and displayed in museums nationwide, while the remainder are located in monuments and religious facilities. 

The Mekong Delta and southern islands like Phu Quoc and Con Dao are dominating domestic tour bookings as COVID-19 cases rise elsewhere in Vietnam.

The Foreign Ministry issued a notice on March 14, asking people who come from or transit areas hit by the COVID-19 epidemic to keep themselves updated on regulations of airlines and ensure they have all required documents in order to take flights.

The national population database will be completed by April next year to improve State management of citizens, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA) has reported that the total arrivals of vessels leaving or entering Vietnamese seaports from China or countries hit by COVID-19 outbreak neared 6,790 as of the early March.

French auction house Aguttes is focusing on major works by Vietnamese artists on March 11.

The Government Report Platform will be launched on March 13, the first step towards forming a National Report Platform by the end of 2020, heard a meeting on March 10.

Boxer Nguyen Van Duong has become the fifth Vietnamese athlete qualified for competing in the coming Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Domestic wood processing enterprises are urged to use more online commercial channels to find new markets and customers, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Fifty-seven people related to the flights a Japanese passenger with SARS-CoV-2 boarding have been put under quarantine, the disease control centre of Ho Chi Minh City said on March 5.

The British Embassy in Vietnam has coordinated with Vietnamese relevant agencies to carry out communication activities since March to raise public awareness of human trafficking prevention and combat.

The Department of Consular Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Vietnamese in Iran and Italy to stay vigilant as the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is rampant in those countries.

Enhancing intra-ASEAN trade and investment towards a cohesive and responsive ASEAN is one of the shared topics by many regional officials, researchers and policymakers.

Officials of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho had a working session with World Bank (WB) representatives on March 2 to discuss a water supply project for the region.