VIETNAM TODAY

The International Football Federation (FIFA) ran an article entitled “World Cup successes inspire ambitious Vietnam” on its website on January 2 to honour the historic World Cup achievements that the Southeast Asian country attained in 2016.

State President Tran Dai Quang has urged the Viet Nam People’s Army in general and the Defence Ministry’s National Defence Academy in particular to continue upholding their crucial role in strengthening defence and safeguarding the nation.

Violence claimed the lives of at least 6,878 civilian Iraqis last year, the United Nations said on Monday, as the Iraqi government struggles to maintain security nationwide and to dislodge Islamic State group militants from areas under their control.

A three-year-old girl in a remote area in Ha Giang Province is in need of financial support after her mother died and father became ill.

HCM City hopes to incorporate 50,000 new companies in 2017 so that there are 500,000 operational ones by 2020, the chairman of the city People’s Committee, Nguyen Thanh Phong, has said.

The new Cabinet was introduced on July 28 following the Legislature’s approval of the members of the Government.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs decided to take Euro Auto Corporation, the authorised distributor of BMW and Mini automobiles and BMW motors, to the court after discovering signs of smuggling and trade fraud, according to newswire Vnexpress.

The Chinese capital was on the second-highest orange smog alert in the depth of winter on Tuesday as city officials said the air quality was improving overall, citing data for the whole of last year.

HCM City People's Committee is asking the city police to propose strict measures to curb violations in car parking which is worsening traffic problems in the area.

Director of Hanoi’s Department of Tourism Do Dinh Hong said that the city planned to build around 20 4-5 star hotels in the city centre.

A suicide bomber driving a pickup loaded with explosives struck a bustling market in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 36 people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group hours after French President Francois Hollande arrived in

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended a ground-breaking ceremony for the Minh Tam Cement Plant in Binh Phuoc Province on January 2.

During the three-day calendar New Year 2017 holiday, the country saw 93 traffic accidents which killed 79 people and injured 54 others, according to the Traffic Police Department.

Vietnam welcomed a record 2.7 million Chinese visitors in 2016, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO).

Vietnam suffered losses of USD813 million caused by natural disasters in 2016, accounting for 0.4% of the country’s total GDP in the year, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.

Việt Nam’s index of industrial production (IIP) rose by 7.5 per cent this year, much lower than the 9.8 per cent growth seen in 2015.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street, a very popular attraction in HCM City during Tet (Lunar New Year festival) every year, will be ready to welcome visitors on January 25, 2017.

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are planning to make their first visit to Vietnam in early March, the Mainichi Newspaper said.