NA votes to pass bills on defence, coast guardLawmakers will vote to pass the draft revised Law on National Defence and draft Law on Vietnam Coast Guard at the ongoing fifth session of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi on June 8 morning. Meanwhile, the Law on Vietnam Coast Guard aims to institutionalise the Party’s policies, guidelines and regulations relating to the Constitution 2013 on enhancing the country’s defence-security strength and creating a legal foundation for the operation of the Vietnamese coast guard force. The deputies discussed in groups the draft revised Law on People’s Public Security Forces, along with a draft Law on Animal Husbandry in the afternoon sitting. In the morning, the legislators are expected to vote on the Law on National Defence (revised), and discuss the Vietnam Coast Guard Law. They will also give ideas on a draft Law on Cultivation.

Man arrested in stabbing deaths of 2 Vietnamese tourists at Circus Circus hotel in Las VegasA 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stabbing two Vietnamese tourists to death during an apparent burglary at a Las Vegas hotel, police in the US said. Julius Trotter is pictured in an undated booking photo released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on June 7, 2018. Julius Trotter was arrested Thursday morning (US time) in connection with the deaths of a man and a woman who were found dead from stab wounds in a Circus Circus Hotel guest room on Friday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. Two people were killed in a stabbing at Circus Circus Las Vegas hotel and casino on Friday, June 1, 2018. It was not immediately clear when he would return to Las Vegas or appear in court.

500gram premature baby born at Hanoi's hospitalThe National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology announced on June 7 that they successfully delivered a premature baby born at 26 weeks that weighed only 500 grams. According to Quyet, the hospital successfully saved and raised premature babies since 2010 and the success rate is on the rise. Delivering premature babies in Vietnam costs VND300m (USD13,200) and is paid by health insurance. Each year, 5,000 babies who are born before 30 weeks of pregnancy or weigh less than 2kg are transferred to the hospital. It takes many steps to successfully raise a premature baby including respiratory failure prevention, incubators and jaundice treatment.

Public outcry challenges special economic zone lease lengthsPM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said the government will listen to ideas from the public and experts and may propose to reduce the land lease time limit stated in the draft law on special administrative-economic units. "I've seen a great love for our country from so many Vietnamese people living in or outside the country who are eagerly discussing or giving their opinions about this draft law," Phuc said. "The special administrative-economic units also have rules on the number of investors from a foreign country," he continued. "This means that investors from one country cannot take all the land and projects there." Besides giving explanations, the PM also said that he saw the need to reconsider the leasing time following opinions from the public.

VN advised to develop wind powerViet Nam needs to focus on developing the wind power industry and implementing transparent policies on granting investment licences to wind power projects. According to GWEC, the council is ready to help create favourable conditions and to support Viet Nam in wind power development. To develop the wind power industry, Viet Nam needs to establish a national wind power association and boost the sector to take advantages of wind resources. According to a representative of the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ), Viet Nam has many problems in wind power development, including policy, technology, the cost of exploiting wind power and integration of wind power into the national grid. According to the adjusted power plan VII, Viet Nam has set a target of reaching a wind power capacity of 800MW by 2020 and 6,000MW by 2030.

International cooperation in tertiary education poses challengesVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s universities have been advised to cooperate with foreign universities in tertiary education to improve training quality. Vietnam’s schools not only want to seek cooperation to organize training programs, but also to improve their management capability under consultancy contracts with elite schools. With the investment of large corporations in tertiary education, the demand exists. In fact, many joint training programs have been running for the last few years in Vietnam. Under the programs, they can either get a bachelor’s degree granted by both Vietnamese and foreign universities or by foreign universities only.

Vietnam’s fintech market value expected to reach $8 billion by 2020VietNamNet Bridge - Finance technology solutions are growing rapidly in Asia Pacific. In Vietnam, all conditions are favorable to pave the way for the fintech market to boom. According to Solidiance, Vietnam’s fintech market in 2017 was valued at $4.4 billion and the figure is expected to increase to $7.8 billion by 2020. The organization says that the government of Vietnam has offered strong legal support to develop the fintech market. Solidiance’s research shows that payment solutions account for 89 percent of Vietnam’s fintech market.

Made-in-Vietnam electric cars: dream or reality? Tam's car is a sedanTam's car is a sedan with compact design, 3 meters long, 1.6 meters high and 1.4 meters wide. He said it is easy to make a car by assembling car parts, but it is more difficult to manufacture cars on an industrial scale. Will an investor for Tam find support enterprises that make car parts for him if he intends to produce 50,000 cars only? RELATED NEWSVietnam considers making electric carsWithout support, e-vehicles still riseKim Mai

Hai said the Government has paid attention to the development of the supporting industry and issued many supportive and preferential policies to promote the industry. Hai Duong to host litchi festival this weekendThe first-ever Thanh Ha Litchi Festival will take place on June 10 in Thanh Ha district in the northern province of Hai Duong, some 60 km from Hanoi. Along with booths offering Thanh Ha litchi, there will be also be presentations of dishes made using the fruit and a workshop identifying Thanh Ha litchi specialties. Thanh Ha litchi has been exported to Australia, Canada, Japan, China, France, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the US. VV Mall is also connected to Crowne Plaza Da Nang, providing beachfront access to its customers.

Vietnamese students graduate from agricultural course in IsraelUp to 330 Vietnamese students have completed a short term training course on agriculture carried out by the Arava International Centre for Agriculture Training (AICAT) of Israel. First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel Khuat Van Quyen said after 10 months studied in Israel, Vietnamese students had gained access to knowledge of the country’s advanced agriculture and will contribute to Vietnam’s agricultural development. Le Thi My Trinh from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry said students of this programme learnt about agricultural economy, finance, management, irrigation system and food security. The programme also offered opportunities for learners to improve their skills, both in agriculture and life skills, and helped them practice English, she added. Currently, there are four centres participating in the enrolment of students in Vietnam, including AICATA, Ramat Negev, Sdot Negev and Agrostudies.-VNA

9th Documentary Film Festival kicks offVietNamNet Bridge – Twenty-two documentaries will be screened during the European - Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival from tomorrow to June 17 in Hanoi and HCM City. On the occasion of the 100th birthday celebration of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, the film Ingmar Bergman Through The Choreographer’s Eye will open the European - Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival. — Photo belairclassiques.comThe 9th European - Vietnamese Film Festival is held by Viet Nam National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio and European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). "This festival brings some films which have won prizes at international film festival. The film won Best Documentary Film MIFF at the Martinique International Film Festival 2017.

Inspections of exhaust emission yet to be conductedThe Transport Ministry’s scheme approved by the Prime Minister in 2010 to impose checks on motorcycles’ exhaust emission has yet to be implemented by competent agencies to date, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reports. Since emission from such a large number of vehicles is a main source of air pollution, the exhaust emission inspection has been considered one of the urgent measures to handle environmental pollution in the city. A representative of the HCMC Department of Transport attributed unsuitable criteria for checks on motorcycles’ emission to the delayed implementation. Circular 70 on technical inspections and traffic environment protection regulates a low emission standard which is applicable to autos circulating on the street while a more stringent exhaust emission standard regulation, according to Decision 49/2011, was set to apply to new vehicles, the representative explained. To tackle the problem, the Ministry of Transport earlier set up a road map and three solutions to impose compulsory checks on motorcycles’ exhaust emission.

FVH to host city walksThe Friends of Vietnam Heritage will organise two English-speaking city walks during the weekend. A walking tour by the FVH on June 10 will discover the Hoan Kiem Lake area. — Photo muonmau.vnThe first walking tour on Saturday, June 9, will visit the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. The second tour on Sunday, June 10 will discover the Hoan Kiem Lake area – the heart of Hanoi, starting at 9am until 11am. The group will walk around the streets bordering Hoan Kiem Lake, discussing points of interest, stories, history, legends and traditions.

Over 100 singers to perform at Hanoi concert tonightVietNamNet Bridge – Some 150 Japanese and Vietnamese artistes will perform at a concert tonight (June 6) at the Ha Noi Opera House, featuring Beethoven masterpieces and contemporary dance. — Photo of VNOBSummer Symphony will open with the music of The Creatures of Prometheus ballet and Symphony No. According to Kimura, all the musicians are the same, irrespective of whether they are Japanese or Vietnamese. “This is the first time VNOB’s concert will feature a large number of singers from international and Vietnamese choirs,” said VNOB director Tran Ly Ly. Conductor Kimura is skilful and has the experience to lead VNOB.”Conductor KotaThe second part of the concert will feature a contemporary dance called Moment.

Steel producer in Ba Ria-Vung Tau fined for importing substandard scrapVietNamNet Bridge – The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s People’s Committee has fined Pomina Steel VND4.8 billion (US$210,500) over 17 environmental violations committed by two subsidiaries over the last two years. The Pomina 3 Steel Billet Refining Plant imported over 24 tonnes of scrap steel with impurity rates above the allowed limit in the last three years. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang HaiPhu My Industrial Park-based Pomina 2 Steel Joint Stock Company was found to have imported scrap steel with impurity rates exceeding the amount allowed under national environmental technical standards. The Pomina 3 Steel Billet refining plant was found to have imported over 24 tonnes of scrap steel with impurity rates above the allowed limit and was fined VND1.4 billion. In addition to the fines, local authorities have also withdrawn the two Pomina subsidiaries’ environmental protection certifications, which facilitate the import of scrap steel for production.