SOE debt weighs heavily on government acting as guarantorVietNamNet Bridge - A State Audit report shows that by December 31, 2016, the government’s foreign debts had reached VND947 trillion, or 39.8 percent of total debts. As the enterprises cannot pay debts, the debt burden is on the government as the guarantor. As the enterprises cannot pay debts, the debt burden is on the government as the guarantor. However, it is very difficult to place the blame on individuals and agencies for ineffective investment projects. Under the current laws, public debt includes the government debt, the debt guaranteed by the government and the debts incurred by local authorities.

Dak Lak teachers have to give bribes to be hiredVietNamNet Bridge - More than 500 teachers in Dak Lak province are in danger of losing their jobs. By 2017, Krong Pak district hired 500 teachers to work under short term labor contractsBy 2017, Krong Pak district in the central province of Dak Lak hired 500 teachers to work under short-term labor contracts. The bribes went to the pockets of high ranking officials, who had the jurisdiction to recruit teachers. S, a primary school teacher in Phuoc An Town, said he understands that it is illegal to pay money to get a job. RELATED NEWSLow salaries for primary school teachers stymie reformLow salary deters talents, males from teaching careerThanh Mai

Fishing village builds fortune from lobstersLobster farming has been practiced for more than 20 years in Song Cau town, the central coastal province of Phu Yen. Being sold at 90USD per kilo, lobsters have brought a facelift to V​inh H​oa fishing village in S​ong C​au town. Le Thanh Long, another lobster farmer from Song Cau town, Phu Yen province, told reporters: "More than 10 years ago, we were stricken by difficulties. Lam Duy Dung, Vice Chairman of Song Cau town People’s Committee, Phu Yen province revealed: "We are working to promote Song Cau lobsters as a national product. In a long-term process, we will establish management boards at district and commune levels in order to keep eyes on the local lobster culture."

Pay-television companies change strategyVietNamNet Bridge - Pay-TV companies are now cooperating with each other, rather than slashing fees in an effort to find more subscribers. The deal, analysts said, shows that confrontation of many years among pay-TV companies has stopped. Meanwhile, other television companies which have copyrighted programs will be able to earn more money from profits shared by their partners. He said that service providers now can focus on upgrading service and content quality. RELATED NEWSStiff competition forces pay-TV service providers to lower feesContent industry will be ‘king’ in OTT gameMai Thanh

Facebook boss apologises in UK and US newspaper adsFacebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has taken out full-page adverts in several UK and US Sunday newspapers to apologise for the firm's recent data privacy scandal. In the advert, Mr Zuckerberg said a quiz developed by a university researcher had "leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014". The ads contained no mention of the political consultancy accused of using the leaked data, Cambridge Analytica, which worked on US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. About 270,000 users' data was collected, but the app also collected some public data from users' friends without their knowledge. Facebook has said Dr Kogan passed this information on to Cambridge Analytica without its knowledge.

NA Chairwoman meets Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker on IPU-138 sidelinesChairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan had a meeting with Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya on the fringes of the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-138) in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 25 morning (local time). Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Karu JayasuriyaShe told her Ski Lankan counterpart that Vietnam always attaches importance to the time-honoured friendship with Sri Lanka and wishes to advance the relationship on the basis of potential and advantages of each side. She asked the Sri Lankan Parliament to step up delegation exchanges to further promote the two countries’ relations comprehensively and intensively. For his part, Karu Jayasuriya said both the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka are interested in Vietnam’s development, and wish to enhance cooperation with the country. He described Vietnam as a model of socio-economic development that Sri Lanka wants to learn from.

Vietnamese chocolate wins consumers’ heartThe word chocolate mostly reminds us to Belgium or France. But you might want to think again as a Vietnamese chocolate has been making waves, with the renowned New York Times calling it “the best chocolate you have never tasted.”browser not support iframe. “Delicate scents, colourful look and brand new experience of enjoying chocolate” are anyone’s experiences when setting foot in Maison Marou chocolate patisserie in Hanoi. However here there is Vietnamese chocolate. Ever since, they have nurtured a dream of making Vietnamese chocolate a highlight in the world.

Vietnam’s 2018 list of billionaires includes industry titansVietNamNet Bridge - In the past, nearly all wealthy Vietnamese were real estate developers, but now two industry billionaires have appeared on Forbes’ list of billionaires. In Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires released in 2013, Vuong’s name was accompanied by ‘real estate’. Some analysts say that Vietnam needs more billionaires in technology or industry, rather than real estate. Vingroup is not only a real estate developer, but a retailer, education and healthcare service provider, and automobile manufacturer. Duong and Long, the two new names on Forbes’ 2018 list, were recognized as billionaires in industry, though they also made money in real estate.

Vietnamese spend big money on shopping during overseas tripsVietNamNet Bridge - Reports have found that the amount of money Vietnamese travelers spend on shopping overseas is higher than the fees of their tour packages. With increasing high income, more Vietnamese travelers are going abroad. With increasing high income, more Vietnamese travelers are going abroad. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, a tour guide, noted that Vietnamese travelers choose tours with shopping programs. “Vietnamese buy electric cookers in Japan, ginseng in South Korea, and cosmetics in Europe,” he said.

An Bang among Southeast Asia’s 25 most stunning beachesHoi An City in the central province of Quang Nam has once again proved its charm in the eyes of both domestic and foreign travelers when An Bang Beach in the ancient city made the list of the 25 most picturesque beaches in Southeast Asia in 2018, as voted by TripAdvisor readers. Fishermen pull their bamboo basket boat to the shore at An Bang Beach. The beach in Hoi An City is on the list of the 25 most beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia in 2018, as voted by TripAdvisor readers - PHOTO: TUNG SONJust around three kilometers away from the city center and 22 kilometers south of Danang City, An Bang comes 22nd among the 25 beaches in this year’s Travelers’ Choice Awards released earlier this month. According to TripAdvisor readers, An Bang is one of the few white-sand beaches left in Vietnam that hasn’t been spoiled by the overheated development of beach tourism linked to issues such as overcrowding, coral damage and beach environment pollution. In 2013, An Bang Beach was voted as one of the top 100 beaches in the world by CNN Summer Travel.

Vietnamese badminton players continue successVietnamese competitors continued to win in the second day of the “Ciputra Hanoi – Yonex Sunrise VietNam International Challenge” badminton tournament yesterday. Nguyen Tien Minh advances to the quarter-finals of the Ciputra Hanoi – Yonex Sunrise VietNam International Challenge. His teammate, Phạm Cao Cuong, also progressed to the last-eight, after beating Chen Chi Ting of Chinese Taipei by 21-16, 16-21, 21-8. In the women’s competition, Vu Thi Trang progressed to the second round after defeating Tang Wan Yi of Chinese Taipei by 21-19, 21-19 yesterday. Her teammate and the number eight seed, Nguyen Thuy Linh, will meet Chananchida Jucharoen of Thailand in her next match.

Exhibition pays tribute to talented lacquer artistThe art of Nguyen Huyen (1915 – 1994), a talented lacquer artist, is featured at an exhibition that runs in Hanoi from tomorrow through April 2. The exhibition of selected paintings will be held at Chon’s Auction House, 17 Tran Quoc Toan Street, Hanoi. The 100 dong banknote with a picture of farmers and a blue buffalo painted by Nguyen Huyen. — Photo courtesy of Chon’s Auction HouseThe painting Chua Mot Cot by Nguyen Huyen is among the 50 paintings on display. — Photo courtesy of Chon’s Auction House The painting "Mau To" by Nguyen Huyen is one among the 50 paintings on display.

Through the lens: Vietnamese images on ceramic artworksA collection of 12 Thanh Le ceramic pieces made in the 1960s is on display at the HCM City Book Pedestrian Street from March 19-25. Its founder was Nguyen Thanh Le, an artist who graduated from the Tho Dau Mot Applied Fine Art School in Binh Duong Province. Thanh Le ceramic products had won awards at many exhibitions in Asia and Europe. Thanh Le ceramic features images of Vietnamese people and culture. Collector Huyen Nguyen is showing 12 Thanh Lo ceramic artworks on HCM City Book Pedestrian Street from March 19-25.

NGO wants harsher punishment for wildlife trafficking leaderEducation for Nature Vietnam (ENV), a non-governmental organisation working on wildlife conversation in Viet Nam, on Thursday, submitted an appeal to the Hanoi People’s Court. The appeal was against the first instance verdict for Nguyen Mau Chien, an alleged kingpin of a transnational network, involved in trafficking rhino horns and ivory from Africa to VietNam. Moreover, in comparison with the 10-month imprisonment sentence granted to his accomplices Nguyen Van Tung and Nguyen Mau Thuon, Chien’s sentence of 13 months of imprisonment is not fitting considering his role as the leader of the wildlife trafficking and storing network. According to the Vietnam News Agency, Nguyen Mau Chien is alleged to be leading a transnational network involved in trafficking rhino horns, as well as in other illegal wildlife trade. The arrest of Chien in 2017 marks a milestone in VietNam’s battle against wildlife traffickers, as this is the first time a suspected leader of a wildlife trafficking network has been apprehended and prosecuted.

Hanoi tackles plant protection packaging wasteHanoi has paid more attention to collecting and treating packaging of plant protection products and veterinary medicines after use, reported Economy and Urban Affairs newspaper. A container collecting empty packaging of plant protection products placed in a vegetable field in Long Bien District. According to Hanoi Argiculture and Rural Development, the city has three workshops manufacturing, bottling and packaging plant protection products, and 76 companies and more than 1,200 stores selling the products. The city uses about 400 tonnes of plant protection products in agricultural production yearly, said the department. Currently, areas for collecting packaging of used plant protection products have been set up in several agricultural production areas in the city.