VietNamNet Bridge - The export turnover of Vietnam’s key export items unexpectedly fell sharply in the first two months of the year. 

 Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung is attending the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the UN’s largest gathering on gender equality and women’s rights.

 Hoi An is a well-known travel destination in Vietnam. The ancient town was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

 Historical and cultural relic sites, pagodas, and temples are not only a destination for Vietnamese people. Throughout the country, these important sites also attract a great number of both international tourists and expatriates. 

Vietnam remains a magnet for international corporations but there are calls for the country to revitalise government policies in order to make efficient use of foreign direct investment inflows. 

 The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have said they are willing to help Vietnam deal with the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

A ceremony took place on March 11 in Ban Don district, Dak Lak province, to pray for elephants’ health and the mahouts' safety and prosperity.

Airport Council International (ACI), a non-profit organization representing the world's airports, has just named Vietnam the number one market on its 10 fastest emerging aviation markets.

 The Ban (Bauhinia) Flower Festival will take place at the Hanoi Museum, the first of its kind in the capital city, from April 4 to 14, according to Hanoimoi newspaper.

Nguyen Huy Ngoc, Chief of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, has urged competent agencies to strictly handle fake social network accounts.

 Vietnam detailed its efforts and achievements in protecting and promoting civil and political rights at a UN Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva on March 11.

  It is expected that the interbank interest rates are likely to decrease further in the case of better situation of geopolitical tensions.

As of March 10, a total of 109,561 subscribers successfully switched between four mobile carriers of Vinaphone, Viettel, Mobile and Vietnamobile while retaining their mobile numbers via the mobile number portability service.

 The Department of Information and Communications of the two northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Quang Binh announced the use of Zalo app in performing administrative tasks.

 More than US$1.02 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) was registered for projects in HCM City in the first two months of the year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

 Orders for furniture exports have risen strongly so far this year as demand has risen, according to Huynh Quang Thanh, chairman and CEO of Binh Duong-based Hiep Long Fine Furniture Company.

 Researchers of the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) have proposed the Government levy special consumption tax rate for bio-fuel equal to half of the rate for gasoline.

 Public hospitals in the southern province of Dong Nai are facing a brain drain with many doctors moving into the private sector due to more attractive salaries.  

 The global coffee market is estimated at some $500 billion per year. However, Vietnam’s coffee exports only reached 3.5 billion last year, a very small proportion of the market.

On the second day of the second lunar month, people flock to Phu Luu commune of Ham Yen district for a unique market which is only held once a year to buy and sell luck for the year.