VIETNAM TODAY

An action program for the government during the 2016-2021 period has been set under recently-introduced Decree No. 100, which identifies six major missions of focus.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has expressed his hope that the Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) will achieve its target of ranking among top Asian universities and becoming a source of brainpower and start-up incubation.

Asia-Pacific leaders are expected to send a strong message in defence of free trade on Sunday (Nov 20) as they wrap up a summit that has been overshadowed by US President-elect Donald Trump's protectionism.

Police will not be allowed to randomly stop a vehicle to check ownership certificate as the new regulation on penalties for the non-transfer of vehicle ownership takes effect next year.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has requested the USD1.2-billion Lee & Man Paper Plant in Hau Giang Province to halt operations due to public concerns over its environmental impact.

Vietnam’s swimming star Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won two bronze medals in the women’s 200m individual medley and the women’s 800m freestyle event on the last day of competition at the 2016 Asian Swimming Championships in Japan on November 20.

Vietnam made a perfect start to their AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 campaign by defeating hosts Myanmar 2-1 in their Group B opener on November 20.

Indian rescue workers concluded their search of the mangled carriages of a derailed train on Monday, bringing the number of passengers killed in the disaster to at least 142 and the injured to more than 200.

Foreign banks and credit institutions will be licensed to lend in foreign currencies to export enterprises, which will provide short-term capital to exporters and manufacturers.

Vietnam is unlikely to meet the 10 per cent export growth target for this year, said Minister of Industry and Trade, Trần Tuấn Anh.

The Vietnamese Talent Awards are one of the supports of the Vietnamese start-ups community, which will be our important mission in the next 20 years if we want fast and sustainable development, an official said.

Only about 65 per cent of rural households in Vietnam have standard toilets, said associate professor Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương, director of the Health Environment Management Agency under the Ministry of Health (MoH), addressing the challenges related to rural hygiene.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang delivered a speech at the closing ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit 2016 in Lima, Peru.

Eight people were killed Sunday when fighting broke out in a northern Myanmar town on the border with China, a region long plagued by ethnic rebel insurgencies.

Coffee farmers in the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong are complaining about their coffee trees being cut down and beans in their houses being stolen due to rising prices.

Some 4,200 prisoners are expected to be granted amnesty later this year, a senior police officer said.

The illegal market for bears and bear parts is still strong in Vietnam despite the introduction of legislation to ban their sale in 2006.

Vietnam was ranked 31st among 72 countries regarding English language skills in the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI), prepared from the latest research by EF Education First, a global language training company.

Japanese businesses are keen to share their experience, transfer technology and invest in the construction of Metro Line 3A and a trade centre at the central station of metro line No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City.