Vietnam’s three cities to join ASEAN smart cities networkThree major cities of Vietnam - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang - will be part of the ASEAN network of smart cities being proposed by Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on April 26. The smart cities network, which aims to better connect digital infrastructure and services like e-payments across the region, is Singapore's flagship initiative as the chair of ASEAN this year. Singapore is keen to strengthen ASEAN's resilience and innovation by developing e-commerce regulation and technology infrastructure, and boosting cyber security in the region. The proposal on the smart cities network is scheduled to be approved by ASEAN leaders at the 32nd ASEAN Summit on April 28 and will be launched within the framework of the next ASEAN Summit hosted by Singapore in November. ASEAN now groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA

Prime Minister visits Singapore Management UniversityPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited the Singapore Management University (SMU), one of the top establishments supporting start-ups in Singapore on April 27. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits Singapore Management UniversityTalking with SMU lecturers and students, the PM expressed his impression on a start-up incubator there that fostered 170 well-known firms in the country and region. Extending a message to around 100 Vietnamese students in SMU - one of the top public universities in Singapore, the PM wished that they would acquire the most advanced management skills and develop their ability in the most creative environment. The SMU, UEH and the Private Economic Development Board under the Vietnamese Government’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform signed a cooperation agreement on studying and reporting Vietnam’s start-up system. SMU President Prof. De Meyer said SMU plans to hold leadership training courses with the Young Businesspeople Association of Ho Chi Minh City.-VNA

Vietnam lauds efforts of RoK, DPRK in Inter-Korean Summit organisationVietnam congratulates and applauds efforts made by the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in successfully organising the Inter-Korean Summit on April 27, said spokesperson of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang. RoK President Moon Jae-in (right) and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un at a meeting ahead of the Inter-Korean Summit on April 27. (Source: YONHAP/VNA)Hang made the remarks on the same day while answering reporters’ query regarding the organisation of the Inter-Korean Summit. She said the meeting has significantly contributed to peace and stability in the region and the world at large, including the acceleration of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula. “Vietnam believes that the RoK, the DPRK and concerned parties will step up efforts to promote dialogues and carry forward active outcomes they have recorded over the past time to lay a long-term foundation for peace, stability and development on the peninsula and the region, meeting aspirations of people of the two Koreas, and for the sake of the international community,” Hang said.-VNA

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 to take place in Quang NinhThe annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2019) is scheduled to take place in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh from January 14-19 under the theme “ASEAN: The Power of One”. The hosting of ATF in 2019 creates a golden opportunity for Vietnam in general and Quang Ninh in particular to promote tourism. A wide range of activities will be held as part of the forum such as formal meetings between officials of ASEAN National Tourism Organisation (NTO) and meetings between ASEAN tourism ministers and their counterparts from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India. Other events include association meetings involving ASEAN Tourism Association, Federation of ASEAN Travel Association, ASEAN Airlines Association, and ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association, exhibition and business appointments seeking to facilitate the trade of regional and individual tourism products of ASEAN member states, and a tourism conference. Under the Overall Plan for Tourism Development, Quang Ninh strives to become an international tourism centre and a leading tourism destination in Vietnam with modern infrastructure and diverse, high quality and competitive tourism products.

Asia-Pacific Gateway submarine cable problem fixedAsia-Pacific Gateway (APG) International’s undersea cable problem, which occurred at 11.50pm on Monday, was completely fixed on Wednesday at 5.10pm. A submarine cable.— Illustrative photoThe technical problem, which disrupted internet feed from Vietnam to other countries, was fixed two weeks earlier than expected, the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT) Group said. The APG cable experienced the first rupture on January 6, caused by the expansion of Changi Airport in Singapore. Initiated in 2009, APG International is a partnership between Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan), China Telecom (China), China Unicom (China), KT Corporation (South Korea), NTT Communications (Japan), PLDT (the Philippines), Telekom Malaysia (Malaysia) and VNPT (Vietnam). The cable system became operational at the end of 2016, aiming to reduce Vietnam’s dependence on the Asia-America Gateway, which broke down several times last year.

Fashion Street launched in District 5, HCM CityThe 2-km Nguyen Trai Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City has been named Fashion Street which accommodates more than 200 fashion boutiques selling all kinds of items, from clothing, footwear, bags to hats and sunglasses. A fashion show is held to celebrate the launch of the Fashion Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. The Fashion Street, launched on April 26, is expected to be an appealing destination for not only local youngsters but also tourists. To celebrate the launch of the Fashion Street, a promotion week is taking place in the street from April 26 – May 2, offering various deals of up to 70 percent discount. A representative of the People’s Committee of District 5 added that the district will put the e-commerce platform “muasamquan5.com” on a trial run from late June in which shops on the Fashion Street will be offered an online store free of charge.-VNA

Carnival Ha Long kicks off with brilliant paradeThe northern province of Quang Ninh’s Ha Long city was treated to a splendid parade on April 26 held as part of the spectacular Carnival Ha Long 2018. The splendid parade on April 26 held as part of the spectacular Carnival Ha Long 2018. With meticulous preparation, the parade has become an impressive highlight, making significant contributions to the success of Carnival Ha Long 2018. This year, the province also hosts the National Tourism Year 2018-Ha Long- Quang Ninh. The province, home to the world natural heritage site of Ha Long Bay, is the host of the National Tourism Year 2018 themed “Ha Long-Heritage, Wonder, Friendly Destination”.

Government urges caution against controversial “World Mission Society Church of God” movement in VietnamWith the mounting negative reports concerning activities from the controversial religious movement “World Mission Society Church of God” in the north of Vietnam, the Government’s religion authority has called for alertness and advised not to equate the movement with other legitimate Protestant groups with similar names in the country. According to Thang, several religious leaders in the country have already been vocal in their condemnation of the dubious tactics of the so-called Church of God’s society. “Despite being individual voices from religious leaders, it helps the public understand that the reported activities of this movement are in fact anti-religious. We welcome such statements; however, when voicing protests, we insist that religious leaders and religious groups maintain civility and avoid discrimination and defamation against legitimate religious groups,” Thang said. Vietnamese law does not allow the use of the names of already existing and legal religious organisations to conduct evangelism, however, many people in recent times were led to falsely believe that the “World Mission Society Church of God” movement is by the Government-approved Protestant groups.

Social News 27/4Deputy PM: Police stations to be built at airportsDeputy PM Truong Hoa Binh speaks at an online conference on aviation security on April 24. Infamous poet’s 100th birthday marked in HanoiPoet Nguyen Binh Hong Cau, the daughter of famous Poet Nguyen Binh. Nguyen Binh, whose real name was Nguyen Trong Binh (1918 - 1966), was a native of Nam Dinh province. At the age of 13, Nguyen Binh soon revealed his poetic talents when he won the first prize at a local competition. He said the academy will arm trainees with in-depth knowledge on sustainable development, efficient management and use of resources, and social affairs.

Facebook’s advertising restrictions criticized by local companiesVietNamNet Bridge - The accounts of a number of professional marketing companies have been locked, causing harm to many advertisement campaigns, companies say. The accounts of a number of professional marketing companies have been locked, causing harm to many advertisement campaigns, companies say. In addition, Facebook has also been repeatedly criticized for blocking ad accounts of sellers for no reason. Some Facebook users said it was difficult to contact Facebook’s support team. RELATED NEWSVietnamese hackers earn VND1 billion a month selling Facebook accountsThousands of Vietnamese online stores to go bankcrupt by Facebook blocking APIKim Chi

The men who love and take care of elephants in the Central HighlandsVietNamNet Bridge - The members of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center are all “amateurs” as they were never professionally trained to take care of elephants. None of the workers at the conservation center were trained to take care of elephants, because there is no such school major in Vietnam. The number of elephants in Dak Lak is rapidly decreasing. In Dak Lak, elephants are seen not only as important laborers like any member of the M'nong ethnic minority, but also as a symbol of luxury and power. According to the Elephant Conservation Center, in 1980 Dak Lak had over 1,000 domestic elephants, but the figure dropped to 100 in 2015.

Agricultural innovation needed for growthWithout a proper supply chain, Viet Nam’s agriculture may be in for a harsh winter. Certain limitations persist within the agricultural value chain from input, production, post-harvest processing, to end consumption or export purposes, said Nguyen Duc Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR). In order for Vietnamese farmers to sustainably develop agricultural value chains, he strongly advised the promotion of linkage between rural agricultural cooperatives and distributors, as well as public-private partnerships in infrastructure investment. The State should also implement supporting policies for enterprises, such as low-interest loans and subsidisation, while planning large-scale agricultural production areas in a concentrated and modern manner. Tuesday’s agricultural forum was organised by VEPR, in collaboration with the Agricultural Alliance, focusing on innovating the supply chain to improve national agricultural competitiveness.

Int’l capital needed for north-south expressway projectDeputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong has pledged to create optimal conditions for calling international investment capital in the eastern North-South expressway. The Ministry of Transport and the World Bank co-hosted a seminar in Hanoi on April 26 to acquire experts’ experience in public-private partnership (PPP) model before launching the project. According to the Transport Ministry, one of the major challenges to infrastructure in general and transport infrastructure in particular is limited investment resource. In many countries, the PPP model is a tool to improve the efficiency of public services and ease financial pressure on governments. According to the Resolution 52 dated November 22, 2017 of the National Assembly, the eastern North-South expressway project began in 2017 and will be basically completed in 2021.

Oxygen sharp reduction blamed for fish deaths in Binh PhuocSharp reduction of oxygen is blamed for the death of over 20 tonnes of fish at Binh Ha 1 Dam’s reservoir in the southern province of Binh Phuoc’s Da Kia Commune since Monday. Previously, authorised agencies in Binh Phuoc took samples of dead fish to investigate the cause of the dead fish. Fish owner Duong Van Cu, who had signed a contract with Binh Phuoc Irrigation Services Co., Ltd to hire the dam’s reservoir to breed fish, said he had seen several dead fish starting Monday night. Cu said the dead fish were mainly freshwater catfish (Hemibagrus guttatus), weighing some 700gm to 3kg each, that he was harvesting. Local authorities too supported Cu in taking the dead fish from the reservoir to gardens so that they could be composted into fertilisers.

Europe Days to return to Vietnam next weekendThe “Europe Days 2018” programme will take place at Ly Thai To Square by Hoan Kiem Lake, downtown Hanoi from May 4-6, said Ambassador Bruno Angelet, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam at a press briefing on April 26. Ambassador Bruno Angelet, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, speaks at a press briefing on the Europe Days 2018 in Vietnam on April 26. (Photo: European Union in Vietnam)The highlight of the programme is “the Europe Village” to be held for the first time in Vietnam. Visitors to the Europe Village this year will be entertained with a string of various unique activities that demonstrate the diversity of European culture from art and cuisine to lifestyle. The “Europe Days 2018” will be co-held by the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam, 18 embassies of the EU member states and the European Cultural Institutes to mark the Europe Day on May 9.