Vietnamese wins gold medal in junior world taekwondoVietNamNet Bridge – Ho Thi Kim Ngan won a gold medal on Wednesday (Ha Noi time) at the World Taekwondo Junior Championship in Tunisia. Ho Thi Kim Ngan of Vietnam (second, left) poses with other athletes after winning a gold medal of the women’s U49kg title at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Tunisia. Two years ago, Ngân won a gold in the U44kg discipline. Prior to Ngan, Pham Ngoc Cham (women’s U46kg) and Pham Dang Quang (men’s U63kg) both lost at the world event. The world tournament, which will wrap up on Friday, has welcomed more than 1,500 visitors from over 156 countries.

HNX, Moscow Exchange sign MoU on cooperationThe Hanoi Stock Exchange and the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation within the framework of the 22nd Capital Market Development Forum in Moscow on April 10. He said the MoU will open up new opportunities for Russian investors and offer Vietnam an insight into the Russian securities market and bourse model. Deputy Chairwoman of the HNX Board of Management Nguyen Thi Hoang Lan lauded MOEX as not only a large-scale securities bourse but also a hub of great ideas to run Russia’s securities market and economy. She said through the MoU, Vietnam will learn about MOX’s experience in developing investment funds, stocks and debts, transaction and monitoring system and corporate governance. Following the signing ceremony, both sides held a working session to discuss experience in operating stock, bond, derivatives and goods markets.-VNA

High-speed composite ferries to undergo inspection after accidentVietNamNet Bridge – All high-speed composite ferries operating on the Bach Dang – Can Gio - Vung Tau route will undergo inspection and vessel verification following a ferry accident on April 8, according to the owner of the Greenlines ferry service. A Greenlines DP C3 ferry sank near the Tac Suat Wharf in HCM City’s Can Gio District early Sunday morning. All high-speed ferry services were suspended after the ferry accident. The Greenlines’ high-speed ferries DP C4 and DP C5 have also suspended service. All of the high-speed ferries are new vessels that are periodically maintained, he said.

South Korean couple found dead in Hanoi apartmentHanoi police is investigating into the death of a South Korean couple at the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower on April 11. The Keangnam Hanoi Landmark TowerAccording to the Tu Liem District's Police Department, they were informed about the death of a South Korean man and woman at room A1702 on the 17th floor of the building at 8 am. The man was found dead on the bed and the woman was dead hanging in the wardrobe. Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower which was invested by South Korea's Keangnam Enterprise was put into used in 2011. The 72-floor building was recognised as the highest building in Vietnam and 17th tallest in the world.

PM orders tighter control of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencyPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has required the State Bank of Vietnam (SVB), financial institutions, and other organisations providing payment brokerage services to intensify inspections and promptly report suspicious cryptocurrency transactions. The State Bank of Vietnam (SVB), financial institutions, and other organisations providing payment brokerage services ​must intensify inspections and promptly report suspicious cryptocurrency transactions. The Ministry of Industry and Trade must channel efforts into addressing illegal activities relating to the illegal use of Bitcoin to make payment on e-commerce websites or applications. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for completing a legal framework on the management and settlement of cryptocurrency or crypto assets. Cryptocurrency is considered an illegal non-cash payment method in Vietnam.

The ‘bone lane’ in HanoiVietNamNet Bridge - Next to the Bac Thang Long Bridge area in Hanoi, a ‘bovine bone’ lane full of big piles of animal bones and viscera is located. The bone lane in HanoiIn the last few years, Co Dien Hamlet (in Hai Boi Commune of Dong Anh District) slaughterhouses near the area have been providing cattle meat to wholesale markets throughout Hanoi. Tens of bone piles, big and small, together with viscera, are dumped along the country lane, harming the local environment and creating a bad smell. Tens of bone piles, big and small, together with viscera, are dumped along the country lane, harming the local environment and creating a bad smell. “To reach the rice field, we have to climb the bone piles,” Nguyen Thi H, a farmer, complained.

Transport Ministry plans to boost inland waterborne transportThe Ministry of Transport is working on a plan to prop up inland waterborne transport to ease the pressure on road transport and promote logistics services. The market share of waterborne transport remains smallAccording to the Vietnam Inland Waterway Administration, inland waterborne transport holds high growth potential in the country but the market share of the sector remains small. Hoang Hong Giang, head of the administration, said many bridges with low vertical clearance are obstructing inland waterborne transport. The asked relevant agencies to suggest incentives for waterway transport firms including policies to encourage the establishment of large-scale waterborne transport firms. According to the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam, road transport dominated more than 77% of the transport market.

9X generation math talent works at Google after turning down initial offersVietNamNet Bridge - Besides its 2018 list of 30 Under 30, Forbes has also named the 10 most promising faces are believed to go far in their fields. Later, as an 11th grader, he won third prize at the national mathematics competition, silver medal at the 2009 International Math Olympiad (IMO) and other prizes. When he was a second-year university student, Hieu passed the interview round organized by Google to seek interns, but he was rejected because of lack of experience. At third year at university, Google invited Hieu to return for internship there, but he refused the opportunity. In 2016, Hieu accepted his third invitation from Google, joining the team to develop apps for Google Brain.

Growing medicinal plants brings big profitsVietNamNet Bridge – In 2009, farmer Bui Van Chung in northern Nam Dinh Province’s Hai Quang Commune made the difficult decision to chop down ornamental trees to grow dinh lang (Polyscias fruticose), a medicinal plant species. With a total area of 3.7ha of land, Chung has grown 12,000 dinh lang trees which has brought in an annual income of VND200-300 million (US$8,800-13,300). “Growing dinh lang also frees farmers from worrying about finding an output for their products. She stressed that farmers should be encouraged to grow medicinal plants because this can bring profits three to 10 times higher than rice cultivation. Domestic demand for herbal medicinal materials is about 60,000-80,000 tonnes per year, mostly for producing foods, medicines and cosmetics.

Education and healthcare among priority FDI sectors in 2018-2030New-generation FDI attraction for 2018-2030 will focus on education and healthcare, the sectors making the most added value, in addition to financial services, metal forging & chemistry, hi-tech equipment, logistics, and pharmaceutical. FDI value per capita has exceeded China, India, and all big ASEAN countries, excluding Malaysia. However, processing and manufacturing projects, which create low added value, wages, and weak spillover effects, have been dominating the FDI scene with huge total investment value. Priority FDI sectors are combined with others that make the most added value for connected investment promotion activities. Of these, education and healthcare bring the most added value, and pharmaceutical and hi-tech equipment, health products, OEM automobiles, and transport are the sectors with the highest potential.

Vietnamese, Chinese border guards hold joint patrolThe border guard forces of Vietnam and China on April 11 conducted for the first time a joint patrol at provincial level along the shared border line in the Lao Cai-Hekou International Border Gate area. The border guard forces of Vietnam and China on April 11 conduct for the first time a joint patrol at provincial level along the shared border line. In recent times, the Lao Cai province’s border guard and the Mengzi border guard, China’s Yunnan province, have cooperated in managing and protecting the border line. Both border guard forces have worked to provide people living along the border lines and organisations and individuals operating in the border area with related legal documents. After the joint patrol, they reached consensus on joint patrol plans for the second quarter of this year, and agreed to promote the fight against cross-border smuggling and illegal immigration.

Vietnam Kendo practitioners keep sword skills sharpIntroduced in Vietnam more than 10 years ago, the Japanese martial art, Kendo (way of sword), is increasingly attracting young people to practice it. Japanese martial art, Kendo (way of sword) was first introduced to Vietnam in the 1990s. Nguyen Van Hien, President of the Kendo Hanoi Seikenkan Club, said Like in other sects of Japanese martial arts, practitioners practice and compete in bare feet. Following this martial art, practitioners (kendoka) not only learn how to use a sword but also the way of it, or put differently, the manner of sword users. Afterwards, the martial art was practiced more and more by Vietnamese.

Vietnam to hand over dossiers on swindling suspect to FBIThe Can Tho Police said on April 11 that they are carrying out procedures through the diplomatic channel to hand over dossiers relating to Rafael Vazquez Floresl, an American of Mexican origin, to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the request of the agency. Hung then asked the victims to spend over 3 billion VND to invite Rafael to visit Vietnam to assess projects in which they intend to invest. At Hung’s residence, the police also collected many relevant documents along with two bills of exchange worth 5.1 billion USD (suspected to be fake) that Rafael brought to Vietnam. However, the municipal police cancelled the ban due to verifying the exchange bills took time. Responding to the Vietnamese side’s verification request, the FBI identified that Rafael whose address is in Texas recorded convictions.

Massive cryptocurrency fraud investigated in HCM CityPolice in Ho Chi Minh City are coordinating with relevant agencies to examine an alleged cryptocurrency fraud involving over 32,000 people and a sum of 15 trillion VND (666 million USD). Police in Ho Chi Minh City are coordinating with relevant agencies to examine an alleged cryptocurrency fraud involving over 32,000 people. In December 2017, the committee issued a document directing the management and settlement of cryptocurrency and e-money in the city, he said. More than 32,000 investors poured some 15 trillion VND into buying virtual money. Modern Tech set iFan’s value at 5 USD, much higher than the market price, causing losses to the customers.-VNA

Online gambling ring defendant returns $22 millionPhan Sao Nam, the mastermind behind the Rikvip online gambling ring, has pleaded guilty and returned VND500 billion ($22 million). Defendant Phan Sao Nam, the mastermind behind the online gambling ring. Throughout the inspection of the multi-million dollar online gambling ring, the Phu Tho investigation agency determined that Nguyen Van Duong (former chairman of high-tech security development company CNC) and Phan Sao Nam (former chairman and director of VTC Online) were the masterminds behind the ring. Defendant Nguyen Van Duong has earned VND800 billion ($35.25 million) from the gambling ring, but the investigation agency only seized VND100 billion ($4.4 million) from his savings books. The investigation agency also revealed that the $3.5 million Phan Sao Nam deposited in Singapore would be seized soon.