Socio-economic issues high on agenda of National AssemblySocio-economic issues are high on the agenda of the National Assembly (NA) on May 25 and 26, which are important discussions part of the ongoing fifth session of the 14th-tenure parliament. Amendments of denunciation, competition law discussedThe 14th National Assembly (NA) convened its plenary session on May 24, with debates focusing on amendments of the Law on Denunciations and Competition Law. In the afternoon session, the NA members discussed the amendments of the Competition Law. They made recommendations on the issues of application of legal regulations on litigation, identification of the rights and responsibilities of the National Competition Committee and inspection agencies, among others. On May 25, the deputies will discuss the evaluation of the implementation of the socio-economic development and state budget plan in 2017, the execution of the socio-economic development and state budget plan in the first months of 2018, and the 2016 state budget balance sheet.

North Korea ready to talk 'at any time' with Donald TrumpNorth Korea has said it is still willing to talk "at any time in any form" after US President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled his meeting with Kim Jong-un. A senior administration official in the US later gave further details, saying North Korea had shown "a profound lack of good faith". In a later statement at the White House, Mr Trump said the step was a "tremendous setback for North Korea and the world", adding the US military was "ready if necessary" to respond to any "reckless" act from North Korea. Choe Son-hui had said the suggestions from US Vice-President Mike Pence that North Korea "may end like Libya" was "stupid". UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the US and North Korea should not give up, saying "nerves of steel" were required.

VIPs build wooden houses as illegal loggers continue to decimate forestsVietNamNet Bridge - Top businessmen and high-ranking state officials in the Central Highlands have spent billions of dong to build wooden villas. There are many large wooden houses in Gia Lai provinceDespite the PM’s command on forest closure, deforestation continues apace. The border Ia Grai district in Gia Lai province is an area where there are still large natural forests. The road section from the Ia Grai district’s center to Ia O commune is 50 kilometers long only, but there are many wooden houses. The gate is made of large wooden trunks, and the doors are made of precious wood with delicate patterns.

Miners stir discontent as they continue selling ore on the cheapVietNamNet Bridge - A report from the General Department of Customs (GDC) found that ore and minerals that Vietnam exports to China are much cheaper than exports to other markets. The exports to China amounted to 80 percent of total exports, 1.2 million tons. The prices of minerals sold to South Korea were 10 times higher than to China, at VND5.8 million per ton. “Why does Vietnam sell ores and minerals cheaply to China? “It is dangerous to sell raw resources, and it would be even more dangerous to sell raw resources as low prices,” Ba said.

VinUni – a new ambition of billionaire Pham Nhat VuongVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s tertiary education system has a new link, VinUni, a private university belonging to Vingroup. Vingroup, established as a real estate developer, recently poured money into many non-real estate business fields, including retail and automobile industry. Vingroup, established as a real estate developer, recently poured money into many non-real estate business fields, including retail and automobile industry. It has announced the establishment of VinUni, a not-for-profit higher education system, which will begin enrolling students by 2020. VinSchool, the general education system of Vingroup, only brings one percent of Vingroup’s total revenue & profit in 2017.

VN young scientist with 47 ISI publications and scientific awardsVietNamNet Bridge - Being one of the two young scientists nominated for the Ta Quang Buu Award in 2018, at the age of 34, Truong Vu Thanh of Ho Chi Minh City University of Science & Technology has made remarkable achievements with 47 ISI publications and scientific awards. Mr Truong Vu ThanhHis ‘research work is titled “Azobenzene-containing metal–organic framework as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for direct amidation of benzoic acids: synthesis of bioactive compounds”. Being one of the two young scientists nominated for the Ta Quang Buu Award in 2018, at the age of 34, Truong Vu Thanh of HCMC University of Science & Technology has made remarkable achievements with 47 ISI publications and scientific awards. In the same year, the results of their scientific research were published in Chemical Communications, Scimago’s journal ranked Q1 with the impact indicator of 6.10. The subjects for selection are ISI published articles in chemistry, and articles in SYNFACTS will receive comments from renowned specialists in the field.

Well-trained staff resign from Danang’s state agenciesUp to 40 people who are members of the central city of Danang’s a high-quality workforce training project have resigned from municipal state agencies. Among those, 460 graduated and are working for the municipal state agencies. Chinh admitted that current low salaries and subsidies are among the main reasons why state agencies find it difficult to lure qualified people. The resignations of staff from Danang City’s state agencies is an example of the low confidence people have in public services. It is essential for state agencies in Vietnam to have better mechanisms to retain talented people, Quoc warned.

2018’s summer not harsh, expert saysVietNamNet Bridge – La Nina will conclude and move to a neutral state from around June, and maintain this status until the end of this year, said meteorologist Le Thanh Hai. The first heat wave of this year’s summer has just appeared, although with a moderate temperature when compared to past years. It is likely that this summer will have about six to eight heat waves, none will be long lasting. In the summer of 2017, there were 15 heat waves; most of them were long lasting and severely hot. According to Hai, there are two types of heat wave, each with its own characteristics.

Uber ends Arizona driverless car programmeUber has pulled the plug on its self-driving car operation in Arizona two months after a pedestrian was killed in an accident involving one of its cars. Uber began testing its first self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2016, gradually expanding to other places, including Arizona, San Francisco, California and Toronto. It halted all those operations in March after the crash, which sparked debate about the readiness and safety of driverless car technology. About 300 workers for the firm's self-driving programme in Arizona will lose their jobs. Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi said Uber was likely to remain in the red as it reinvested in its food-delivery and new bike-renting services.

Left, right, left: The procession is popular among the cultural and spiritual activities at the Pho Hien folk cultural festival. — Photo hungyentourism.com.vnIn its tourism development plan, recently approved by the provincial authorities, the ancient Pho Hien (Hien Street) relic complex and the Hong (Red) River eco-travelling lodge have been listed as trade marks of Hung Yen tourism. Pho Hien preservationHung Yen has, for several years, undertaken measures to preserve the ancient Pho Hien relic complex, which is recognised as a special national heritage site. It is among the 16 historical relics in the Pho Hien complex recognised as special heritage sites. Pho Hien was second only to the imperial capital city of Thang Long as a trading point.

P2P lending feared to trigger black creditVietNamNet Bridge - Peer to Peer Lending (P2P), under which lenders and borrowers connect via apps, has been developing rapidly in Vietnam. P2P lending has been developing rapidly in VietnamNguyen Thi Thinh, 20, a petty merchant in HCMC, said she borrowed money this way recently. Nguyen Tri Hieu, a banking expert, said P2P companies are not credit institutions, so they do not have to be put under the control of the State Bank of Vietnam. However, they carry out activities of mobilizing and lending capital, as currency brokers, and must be put under professional control by the State Bank of Vietnam. She borrowed VND18 million at the interest rate of 2.99 percent per month and though she paid debts for seven months, she still owes VND14 million.

US$33 million educational scheme withdrawnVietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), on Tuesday, scrapped a scheme to renew the national high school examination from 2018 to 2020. Hung Yen Province estimates some 13,000 of its students will take the national high school examination in 2018. - VNA/VNS Photo Pham KienThe scheme, which was set to cost VND749 billion (US$33 million), triggered social uproar recently as its content indicated that the national high school examination would have little change compared to the one in 2017 for the next three years. The only significant difference is the preparation of technical infrastructure and software for the 2021 national high school examination. He recommended considering education system reform when drafting the scheme as well as its impacts to the present high school education.

Vietnam’s GDP projected to grow 7 percent in 2018Vietnam’s economy could grow by 7.02 percent in 2018 under a high growth rate scenario, according to the National Center for Socio-Economic Information and Forecast (NCIF). Vietnam’s economy could grow by 7.02 percent in 2018 - Illustrative imageThe NCIF predicted two economic development scenarios for Vietnam’s economy this year, including a basic scenario marked by a medium growth rate and a high economic growth rate scenario. This economic model could see more restructure, but the capital and exports are expected to remain the backbone of economic development. Under this scenario, the economy could grow by 7.02 percent in 2018, with average inflation at 4.8 percent. The NCIF also projected 2018 will be the year that Vietnam’s enterprises are able to integrate further into the regional and world markets.

Thai artist finds strong energy in VietnamVietNamNet Bridge – For Thai artist Wattanachot Tungateja, he finds inspiration from something that cannot be seen but is all around us. Two of a kind: Thai artist Wattanachot Tungateja and Vietnamese sculptor Vu Binh Minh at Ha Noi March Connecting event. And whenever he comes to Vietnam, the energy follows him. “Vietnamese and Thai people have been familiar in culture and behaviour, we can understand so easy and respect each other,” he said. — Photo courtesy of TungatejaGood vibrations: For Thai artist Wattanachot Tungateja, he finds inspiration and motivation from energy or precious mineral which is buried within the Earth.

Reclaim Hanoi’s long-delayed projects: People’s CouncilVietNamNet Bridge – The supervision group of the Hanoi’s People’s Council has asked the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment to work with the city’s authorities in order to reclaim long-delayed projects which violate the current Land Law. During a working session on Tuesday, the supervision group pointed out the department’s shortcomings in the management of these projects. The department has been slow in consulting with city’s authorities to address these projects’ difficulties, and given too few updates on the status of long-delayed projects, the supervision group said. Vice chairman Tuan pointed out that land management is a complicated issue that is of particular concern to citizens. Land management and use has been part of the local People’s Council supervision programme this year.