Total assets of credit institutions and foreign banks in Vietnam by the end of last year surged by 10.62 per cent against the beginning of the year to more than VND11 quadrillion (US$472.1 billion).

 Japanese companies want Viet Nam to further streamline inspection procedures for imports, especially of foods.

VietNamNet Bridge - The buyers in recent big M&A deals in the real estate markets in Hanoi and HCMC were Vietnamese, not foreign investors, as seen previously.

VietNamNet Bridge - Commercial banks will be under pressure to meet Basel II capital standards, which could prompt them to think of M&A (merger & acquisition) as a solution for growth.

 Viet Nam now exports 1 billion pairs of shoes per year and the nation is the second largest leather and footwear exporter in the world, according to experts at the Viet Nam Footwear Summit 2019 held in HCM City Wednesday.

 Although people and businesses don’t want the price of electricity and other commodities to increase, it is necessary to raise these prices to balance the economy in a multidimensional way.

 The country is facing fierce competition, even in the domestic market. Businesses therefore need to better exploit the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

A bird garden located in the Ho Chi Minh President monument area in Ca Mau City in Ca Mau Province is a great place to view many kinds of birds. 

 More than 100 spring-summer designs of the Eva De Eva brand were released during the fashion show ‘Colour Your Mood’, held on Wednesday in Hanoi.

 Eight students aged 10 to 15 drowned on Thursday afternoon while swimming in the Đà River in the northern city of Hoa Binh, Hoa Binh Province.

 Prison sentences ranging from 4-9 years have been proposed for two ex-leaders of the Vietnam-Russia oil and gas joint venture Vietsovpetro for “abusing position and power to appropriate assets”.

 The Saigon Securities Incorporation (SSI) and a group of seven foreign financial institutions, led by Taiwan’s SinoPac bank, signed a trust loan contract worth 55 million USD during a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on March 21. 

 Dozens of mortar shells left behind from the war were unearthed and dealt with by competent agencies in Tan Thanh commune, Huong Hoa district, the central province of Quang Tri, on March 21.

 Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has asked the consultancy agencies of Long Thanh international airport to complete the project’s feasibility study by May 30.

 The Vietnam Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2019 will take place from March 22-24 at Hanoi Bach Thao (Botanical) Park, featuring 15 collections by 14 designers from Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City. 

 Surgeons from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy provided free surgery for 30 children with cleft palates in the central and Central Highlands regions from March 17-21.

 Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand, and Indonesia have demonstrated their readiness and confidence in the qualifiers of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship.

 VinSmart Company, a subsidiary of Vingroup, announced on March 20 that its Vsmart smartphones would be distributed in Spain by Media Markt.

Vietnam has investors who are willing to develop waste treatment plants, but startups, when contacting local authorities, are told that there is no waste to treat, says Dang Huy Dong, former Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment.

 Vietnam is boosting the growing of speciality coffee in an effort to raise coffee quality and the country’s coffee export value.