After the deadly Carina Plaza fire, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been stepping up efforts to inspect and tackle fire safety issues. Thọ, 37, received the death penalty in May when the Hà Nam Province People’s Court found him guilty of dealing with narcotics, murder and theft. The result helped U19 Việt Nam, coached by Vũ Hồng Việt, grab nine points to match the U19 Seoul team. Then farmers will catch up fast, as Việt Nam farmers are hard working and very entrepreneurial. The police in Ho Chi Minh City have just launched a criminal investigation into alleged violations behind the fire.The Urban Traffic Management Board No.

Vietnam team close to world top 100Vietnam will place No 103 in April’s world ranking after their 1-1 draw against Jordan at the 2019 Asian Cup qualifier in Amman on Tuesday. Vietnam are close to world top 100 after their competition at the Asian Cup qualification. — Photo VFFThe draw brought Vietnam 38 points for a total of 331 points and helped the team close in on the top 100, a leap of 10 steps forward. Head coach Park Hang-seo promised to make Vietnam one of the 100 strongest squads in the world when he took charge of the team last October. The new position places Vietnam in group three of seeds, together with Iraq, India, Uzbekistan, Qatar and North Korea, at the Asian Cup final next January in the United Arab Emirates.

President Tran Dai Quang holds phone talks with Russian PresidentPresident Tran Dai Quang had a telephone call on March 28 with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his successful re-election. President Putin affirmed that Russia always regards Vietnam as one of its prioritised partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia approves of the active role Vietnam in the region and commits to continue cooperating with the country to further promote bilateral ties in the coming time, he said. They also agreed on the increase of contacts and delegation exchanges, especially at high level. President Tran Dai Quang invited President Vladimir Putin to visit Vietnam.

19,800 Vietnamese enterprises involved in National Single Window PortalAs many as 26,693 electronic C/O form D (e- C/O form D) were implemented on ASEAN Single Window from January 1 to March 15, 2018, according to statistics from the General Department of Viet Nam Customs. From January 1 to March 15, the total number of C/O form D sent from Viet Nam were 8,641 (667 sent to Singapore; 1,898 sent to Malaysia; 965 sent to Thailand; 5,101 sent to Indonesia). The total number of e- C/O forms D received from the ASEAN countries was 18,052. A total number of 11 ministries and sectors were connected to the system; 47 administrative procedures were implemented. The total number of dossiers processed on the National Single Window Portal reached 1.050 million and 19,800 enterprises are involved.

Vietnam promotes creative, high-quality tourismVietnam’s tourism industry is expected to maintain a high growth rate this year but remaining sustainable while still achieving such growth rate is a big challenge. In the policy system, we have a comprehensive tourism development strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030, together with regional development plans. In the last two years, Vietnam has witnessed rapid growth of five-star hotels and resorts as well as improvement in the quality of tourism services. Tourism promotion can be done through many channels like TV, social networks and fairs. Complying with the Prime Minister’s direction, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in co-ordination with other relevant authorities has called for the establishment of a tourism development fund whose main function is to promote national tourism.

What is a suitable growth rate of foreign trade for Vietnam? However, some analysts argue that foreign trade is not a good economic indicator to use for assessing development or economic potential. With a low production level, Vietnam’s foreign trade growth is different from that of China. Foreign trade doesn’t offer Vietnam a trade surplus and forex reserves big enough to increase the stability of the economy while Vietnam just exports to third countries what it imports. Vietnam hopes the trade agreements will help boost foreign trade activities.

Ticket sale begins for Danang firework festivalThe Danang International Fireworks Festival has announced ticket prices and sale locations for the event. Danang International Fireworks Festival to open in AprilTicket prices are similar to last year, running from VND300,000 (USD13) to VND1,000,000. The ticket prices for the opening and closing nights on April 30 and June 30 will be VND400,000 to VND2,000,000. Ticket prices for children during the whole festival remain at VND50,000. Asides from the host team of Vietnam, teams from France, Hong Kong, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the US will also participate in the festival.

Patient satisfaction hits 80%: SurveyVietNamNet Bridge – The results of a pilot survey have shown the average patient satisfaction index (PSI) in the country reached 3.98/5, that is some 79.6 per cent of their expectation. Patients were mostly satisfied with the access to health examination and treatment services, especially drug distribution and consultation services. Another survey conducted by the Medical Services Administration (MSA) from December 2016 to December 2017 showed the country’s general in-patient PSI reached 75.6 per cent. The lessons learnt from the survey will help the health sector and hospitals improve their check-up and examination services. The outcomes came from a pilot survey on patient satisfaction conducted by the MSA, operating under the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Vietnam Initiative of Indiana University and Oxfam Viet Nam.

Locked iPhones no longer in great demand in VNVietNamNet Bridge - Locked iPhones, which have been hot products in Vietnam, have lost their luster. Locked iPhones have lost their lusterIn the domestic market, there are two kinds of iPhones – iPhone international versions and locked iPhones. Used iPhones are brought to certain markets, including Vietnam, where they are sold as locked iPhones. But the position of locked iPhone in the domestic market changed after a series of locked iPhones ‘died’ last October. A short time after each update, new versions of Gevey sim will appear, allowing locked iPhones to resume operation.

Land and forest battle in Central Highlands as forests devastatedVietNamNet Bridge - As illegal loggers are ‘protected’ by local officials, it will be difficult to stop deforestation in the Central Highlands unless heavy sanctions are applied. No one can stop the deforestation here.”As illegal loggers are ‘protected’ by local officials, it will be difficult to stop deforestation in the Central Highlands unless heavy sanctions are applied. In Dak Ngo commune, they saw were ravaged forests and burned trees on the ground and bare land. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests have been allocated to enterprises to develop projects on rubber plantation, husbandry and afforestation. RELATED NEWSWood from devastated natural forest found in wood-chip factoryProtecting forests from illegal logging an uphill battle in Central HighlandsThien Nhien

Vinacomin and EVN protest Geleximco-HUI’s thermal power plants proposalState-run Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) protested against Geleximco’s proposal to co-operate with Chinese partners to develop billion-dollar thermal power plants. Meanwhile, the joint venture is looking to acquire the entire 100 per cent stake of Quang Trach 2 from EVN. Geleximco affirmed that the joint venture can arrange capital without guarantee from the government and it can start the construction as it has yet to collect enough capital. Vinacomin disagreed with Geleximco's proposal to hold a 75 per cent stake in the joint venture. Quynh Lap 1 thermal power plant is one of the two projects in the Quynh Lap Power Centre in Quynh Luu district.

Expat photographer ponders life’s remnantsNana Chen is a Taiwanese photographer currently working on a variety of projects. I chose the 12 photos from hundreds and each shows a different side of the story for me. Do you think your art project will impact society? I have focussed mainly on personal art projects for the last four years, but still do some commissioned editorial work from time to time. The art projects are a way to think things through, work through feelings or emotions current or past.

Accidents at schools: who is to blame? These are just a few of the accidents that have occurred in schools recently. Lawyer suggested that new regulations need to be created on assessing the quality of public works, including schools, hospitals and terminals. A more serious accident occurred at Kong Ana Preschool in Krong Ana district in Dak Lak province in February 2017. Social organizations have voiced concern about the increase in the number of accidents recently, pointing out that, in most cases, accidents occurred because of poor facilities, and schools and relevant parties had failed to upgrade their facilities.

Hoang Sa-themed exhibition centre opens in Da Nang cityA centre for exhibiting documents and images on Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam was inaugurated in the central city of Da Nang on March 28. The Hoang Sa-themed exhibition centre opens in Da Nang city on March 28The exhibition centre, located on Hoang Sa road, was built from December 2015 at total cost of 43.3 billion VND (nearly 1.9 million USD). Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Chairman of the Da Nang municipal People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho said as Hoang Sa is a sacred integral part of Vietnam, Hoang Sa-themed exhibition centres could be built in any localities nationwide. Da Nang has continuously managed the whole Hoang Sa archipelago for almost six decades, so it is suitable for this centre to be located on a road named after the archipelago near the East Sea. In particular, the centre has the shape of the sovereignty seal in the Nguyen Dynasty, which is meant to show that Vietnam established and exercised sovereignty over Hoang Sa very early.

Artesian wells discovered in Bach Long Vy island districtTwo more artesian wells have just been found in Bach Long Vy island district in the port city of Hai Phong by the Northern Division of Water Resources Planning and Investigation. A corner of Bach Long Vy island districtTwo drill holes detected flowing artesian water of 75 cubic metres per day. Bach Long Vy island district, about 100km offshore, is populated by some 1,000 people and more than 2,000 people at peak during storms. The now four water wells can supply a combination of 90 cubic metres per day, leaving island residents still 120 cubic metres short of what they need. Secretary of the Bach Long Vy district People’s Committee Tran Quang Tuong said, the water reservoirs, with a combined capacity of 48,000 cubic metres, once completed in 2018, will meet the demand of local residents.