Specialty of Nha Trang: Squid PancakeVietNamNet Bridge – The beautiful sea beach of Nha Trang not only lures visitors for its romantic nature and landscapes, but also for its culinary specialties, including banh xeo muc (squid pancakes). Photos monngonnhatrang.comThe food is a pride of Nha Trang since coming into being almost a century ago. Similar to making other rice pancakes folded in half and filled with a shrimp, meat and green bean spouts, Nha Trang squid pancakes also uses rice powder to make the cover. “My favourite is Nha Trang Xua in Vinh Thai Village, three kilometres from the city centre," said Dung. In demand: Nha Trang squid pancakes lure a lot of visitors from inside and outside the country.

More than 11,000 new firms established in MayA total of 11,027 businesses with combined registered capital of 104.8 trillion VND (4.61 billion USD) were established in May, according to the Business Registration Management Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The average capital of an enterprise reached 9.5 billion VND, a month-on-month surge of 3.3 percent. The average capital for an enterprise was 9.9 billion VND (435,600 USD), a year-on-year rise of 2.8 percent. The sector also saw the highest development in registered capital of new firms, accounting for some 29 percent of the total registered capital. Sectors such as electricity production and distribution, real estate trading, finance-banking and mining led in terms of average registered capital per enterprise.

Land use planning of three localities adjustedVietNamNet Bridge – The Government has issued resolutions to adjust land use planning until 2020 in Hanoi, the northern Hai Phong City and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. The Government has issued resolutions to adjust land use planning until 2020 in three localities including Hanoi. The localities have been asked to use land following approved plans, hold auctions on land use rights and avoid abandoning land which has been assigned or hired. The Government has also urged the province and cities to closely monitor land funds used for urban development, industrial parks, industrial clusters and non-agricultural land used for production and businesses so that land is used effectively and economically. Local authorities are not allowed to hand over, lease or retrieve land or switch the land use purpose for areas not in the list of land use planning, the resolutions say.

Can Tho reports no bears in captivityBy handing over the last captive bear to the bear rescue centre in Cat Tien National Park on May 29, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has become the 22nd locality in the country with no captive bears. This is the third delivery of captive bears from the beginning of the year, marking the efforts of the Government, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) and partner organisations in ending bear captivity in the country. ENV Vice Director Nguyen Phuong Dung said her organisation applauds the efforts made by municipal authorities in ending bear captivity in the locality. In 2005, Vietnam reported more than 4,300 bears held in captivity in bear farms nationwide. More and more owners of bear farms are voluntarily releasing their bears, showing the change in their awareness of the importance of protecting bears.

In 2017, certificates were provided for three projects with total investment of more than 5 trillion VND, covering 11.7 hectares of land. However, the sharp decrease in market share and business activities of its store chain are bad signs. “We want to develop these two chains into major business segments with their performance doubling that of the MWG chain. The project has a total investment of $59.7 million and charter capital of $39.86 million. In 2017, certificates were provided for three projects with total investment of more than 5 trillion VND, covering 11.7 hectares of land.

Book on Cho Lon lifestyle releasedVietNamNet Bridge – Author-journalist Nguyen Dinh’s Chuyen Nho O Cho Lon (Stories of Big Market), a book on the Old Quarter, known as Cho Lon (Big Market) in HCM City, was released last weekend. Lifestyle of Hoa living in Cho Lon ( Big Market) in HCM City (Photo by Ngoc Diep)The 309-page book features the 200-year old history, culture and lifestyle of Cho Lon, which lies on the west bank of the Sai Gon River. It is one of the biggest wholesale markets in HCM City, offering a wide range of goods. Writer Dinh has spent more than 20 years researching, collecting and capturing information and images of daily life of the Hoa people in Cho Lon. The book Chuyen Nho O Cho Lon is published by the The Gioi Publishing House and Phuong Nam.

600-year-old citadel in Thanh Hoa faces erosionVietNamNet Bridge – The 600-year-old citadel in the central province of Thanh Hoa is facing serious erosion caused by heavy rains. At sites of erosion, big stones have slid dozens of metres from the base of the wall. The most serious erosion was formed in September last year due to a big storm. In October 2017, the Ho Citadel Heritage Preservation Centre invited experts from the culture ministry, UNESCO office in Hanoi and local scientists to discuss solutions. Pham Duy Phuong, director of the Thanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper that two solutions have been proposed.

Israeli films to be screened in HanoiVietNamNet Bridge – The Embassy of Israel in Vietnam will present the Israel Film Festival 2018, from June 1-4 with various films touching on a number of topics from daily life to monumental dramas, and from documentaries to kid’s films. Tune in: A scene in the film Abulele (2015) which will be screened at the Israel Film Festival 2018. — Photo wjff.pl“Through the films, Vietnamese audiences will have a chance to contemplate the beautiful landscapes of Israel, as well as learn more about the culture, traditions and identities of the Israeli people,” said Ambassador Nadav Eshcar. Opening on June 1, Wedding Doll tells the story of Hagit, a young woman with a mild mental deficiency who works in a toilet-paper factory. A Quiet Heart features Naomi, a secular young woman, who seeks refuge from the pressure of her life in Tel Aviv as a concert pianist.

With those prices, farmers could break even or make low profits, with some even sustaining losses, according to the association. The situation has forced most farmers to stop shrimp production or reduce the quantity of reared shrimp, waiting for prices to recover in the coming months. In 2017, the consumption of shrimp increased on the world market, leading to higher selling prices of shrimp for farmers. From the third quarter, local factories would increase purchasing raw shrimp material due to increasing demand from import markets, leading to higher shrimp prices, they said. Those actions would improve competitiveness of the local shrimp production industry and quality of shrimp products.

Foreign firms eye VN plasticsThe massive increase in the number of M&A deals involving foreign investors is putting pressure on Viet Nam’s plastics industry. According to the Viet Nam Plastics Association, in 2017, the total value of plastics exports in Viet Nam reached over $3 billion, up 17.6 per cent over 2016. SCG Group also plans to invest up to US$6 billion to strengthen its position in the Vietnamese plastics industry from now until 2020. Ho Duc Lam, chairman of the Viet Nam Plastics Association (VPA), told Phap luat thanh pho Ho Chi Minh (HCM City Law) newspaper that Thailand is gradually penetrating the Vietnamese plastics market with professional distribution systems. In addition to Thai firms, Korean players are also eyeing the Vietnamese plastics market.

Two boys die of rabiesTwo ethnic minority boys in the northern provinces of Hoa Binh and Lang Son have died of rabies over the past five days, said Dr. Bui Huy Vu from the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. He did not tell his parents about the bite until he suffered from the symptoms of rabies. He had clear symptoms of rabies and died on the same day. Vu said that people need to be vaccinated against rabies after being attacked by dogs or cats. Cats and dogs need to be vaccinated against rabies and also need to wear muzzles in public places.

SSI leaders calm down investorsInvestors should not panic about the continuous fall of the stock market in recent times, said leaders of Saigon Securities (SSI). Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Vu Quang Trung and Nguyen Duy Hung (from left to right). However, he advised investors to calm down and invest in securities for a long-term value. According to Hung, foreign investors are still interested in Viet Nam’s stock market. He said the issuance of large-cap stocks forced foreign investors to balance their portfolio by selling some stocks to buy others.

Railway sector under scrutiny as accidents pile upMinister of Transport Nguyen Van The said on Monday he apologised to the families of the victims in recent railway accident and would take responsibility for what had happened. Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The apologises to the families of the victims of the recent railway accidents at the meeting on Monday. “The railway sector needs to frequently test skill and knowledge of train drivers and operators of railway crossing barriers or gatekeepers,” Khôi said. “The capability of railway rescue teams must also be strengthened.”Asked about weaknesses of the railway department, Khôi blamed it on the lack of necessary equipment at railway stations, as well as on human resources issues. Minister Thể acknowledged the views given by experts and officials and asked railway sector leaders to seriously review and verify the causes of recent accidents.

VN keeps close eye on Ebola in DR CongoThe Ministry of Health is liaising with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to strengthen supervision over the Ebola virus in Congo and assess the risk of the virus spreading to Viet Nam. An International Health Quarantine Centre staff member checks arrivals’ body temperature. The risk of the virus spreading into the country is low. The WHO also convened an emergency committee to discuss the matter, assessing the Ebola epidemic in Congo to be at level 3, a high alert level. The world health body also stressed that it was “particularly important there should be no international travel and trade restrictions”.

Embassies, int’l organisations join in preventing plastic pollution in VNTwenty-two embassies and international organisations in Vietnam will sign a code of conduct on plastic pollution prevention on June 4 to mark World Environment Day (June 5), according to the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam. Initiated by the Canadian Embassy, the campaign aims to raise public awareness of adverse impacts of plastic pollution and calling for changes in behaviours, institutions and policies, thus helping reduce plastic waste in Vietnam. Following the ceremony, there will be a roundtable workshop on plastic pollution, during which policy makers, business executives, scholars and environmental activists will discuss challenges to plastic waste reduction and propose measures to effectively address the issue. According to earthday.org, 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity.