VIETNAM TODAY

Authorities of the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa are taking measures to protect and restore the maritime ecosystem in lagoons and bays, focusing on forming marine preservation areas.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended Dong Da festival in Hanoi on February 1(the fifth day of the Lunar New Year), which marked the 228th anniversary of Ngoc Hoi – Dong Da victory over the Chinese Qing invaders.

Fishermen in Hai Hau District in the northern Nam Dinh Province enjoyed big catches in their first fishing trip since the holiday on Tuesday.

Many spring festivals and cultural activities kicked off on January 31 or the fourth day of the first month as per the lunar calendar.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that he won't run for South Korea's presidency, a surprise announcement that removes a well-known figure from contention and further stirs the country's already tumultuous politics.

The Government Office has announced an audit of major state-invested projects with funding of more than VND10 trillion (USD443.27 million).

Local economists forecast that the Vietnamese economy will face greater challenges in 2017 amidst global geopolitical changes and financial uncertainties.

Small-sized banks are making great efforts to grow to avoid being merged or acquired, however, it is not easy, according to the Dau tu chung khoan (Securities Investment) newspaper.

The next round of United Nations-based peace talks on Syria have been scheduled for Feb. 20, diplomats told reporters on Tuesday.

A musician in the northern province of Phu Tho is running a permanent exhibition of his own music instruments collection at his home. His house has become a tourism destination for visitors to Thanh Thuy district.

A series of regulations on foreign workers, personal income tax exemptions for experts of UN, NGOs, number of apartments owned by foreigners, management of foreign construction contractors and foreign insurance business providing trans-border insurance services have taken into effect.

A string of new policies on civil status registration, employment, escorted transfer of violators, and individual income exemption involving foreign elements came into effect in 2016.

The death toll from traffic accidents amounted to 118 during the first three days of the Lunar New Year (January 28-30).

After a thirty-year hiatus, Vietnamese German Francis Van Hoi, 67, returned to his childhood roots in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2014 and opened a vocational school named Anre Mai Sen for disadvantaged youth.

Top tennis player Ly Hoang Nam has climbed five spots to No. 635 in the men’s singles rankings in the latest Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings.

The Mông ethnicity’s cultural view of marriage is driving young girls out of school and into early marriage in the central province of Nghệ An.

Many Vietnamese register to study in Japan under the mode of self-sufficient study just to seek jobs in the country.

The Ban Flower Festival 2017 will take place on March 12 together with the fifth Culture – Sports – Tourism Festival in the northern province of Điện Biên.