Elephant-carrying truck shocks driversA truck carrying an elephant without proper safety measures surprised drivers on a highway in Ha Tinh Province. The elephant standing on the truck without safety measuresOn March 20, a video clip showing an elephant standing freely on the back of a truck was shared on social media. The open-back truck was running along National Highway 1A with the elephant. Many people were shocked and wondered what would have happened if the elephant decided to escape the truck. The traffic police in Ha Tinh Province confirmed that a truck carried an elephant through Ky Tho Commune at 10 am on March 20.

Health Ministry says ‘no’ to opening drug distribution market to foreignersVietNamNet Bridge - Decree 54 and the draft circular that guides its implementation compiled by the Ministry of Health (MOH) have both raised controversy: foreign investors say the regulations break Vietnam’s WTO (World Trade Organization) commitments. Vietnam still has not opened drug distribution servicesAmCham’s managing director Adam Sitkoff said the presence of multi-national drug companies in Vietnam allows access to high-quality drugs. The draft circular is feared to lead to an increase in drug importers’ and distributors’ operation costs. As Vietnam still has not opened distribution services, it has the right not to open transport and preservation services, which are parts of distribution services. RELATED NEWS$5.2 billion drug market attracts more foreign investorsDrug market bounces back with M&A dealsMai Thanh

He emphasised the need for the province to further promote people-to-people diplomatic activities in the border areas between the two nations. The border defence friendship exchange programme will take place in Cao Bang’s Phuc Hoa district and China’s Longzhou district. Vietnam, Malaysia eye stronger audit cooperationState Auditor General of Vietnam Ho Duc Phoc (R) receives Deputy Auditor General of Malaysia Khalid Khan. Both sides have also educated young people about bilateral ties and facilitated the exchange of delegations in culture and communications, particularly the upcoming signing of the cultural cooperation programme for 2019-2020. “Khai oversaw Vietnam's fastest and most stable economic growth during his nine years in office from 1997 to 2006.

The curious case of mini marts and convenience stores in Indonesia and VietnamConvenience store chains are on their way to conquer fast-growing ASEAN markets, but they get little love in Indonesia, the region’s largest market. The minimarts here, littered across the city, tend to be bigger and offer more products than typical convenience stores. Most global convenience stores have limited presence in downtown Jakarta, undermining their relevance to the daily lives of most locals. Moreover, some Indomaret stores have set up sit-in areas for ready-to-eat meals, imitating the concept of global convenience stores. 200 new supermarkets and 4,000 convenience stores are the goals of VinMart and Vinmart+ for 2020.

Former CEO of Fossil Vietnam takes charge in FacebookLe Diep Kieu Trang (38) will manage the development of the biggest social network in Vietnam, Facebook. Her father, Le Van Tri, is former deputy CEO of leading rubber manufacturer Casumina, while her brother, Le Tri Thong, is now vice chairman of Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC (PNJ). After Misfit was acquired by Fossil Group for $260 million in 2015, Trang worked as CEO of Fossil Vietnam until earlier this March. Currently, Vietnam has around 64 million Facebook users, accounting for 3 per cent of the global user base. According to the latest survey of Nielsen, 53 million Vietnamese people were online by 2017, which will hit 59 million by 2020.

HCM City set to merge emergency numbers into 114VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City has approved the integration of its three emergency numbers as one of the first steps in its makeover as a smart city. The headquarters of the HCM City Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department in District 1. The fire and police departments will soon handle all emergency calls since the city plans to merge the multiple emergency numbers it has now. The city plans to build a data warehouse and a smart city management centre and traffic, security and order will be the first to be tested at the latter place. The 114 centre will be located within this centre.

Ministry wants to restart railway projectVietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Transport wants to secure investment from the private sector to complete the Yen Vien – Cai Lan Railway project, which connects Yen Vien Station in Hanoi with Cai Lan Station in the northern province of Quang Ninh. The 131-km railway consisted of four parts: Ha Long – Cai Lan, Lim – Pha Lai, Pha Lai – Ha Long and Yen Vien-Lim. However, according to the ministry, the project was delayed and suspended in 2011 when Government tightened its belt, cutting public investment. The ministry’s Railway Project Management Board, the project investor, has proposed the Government call on private investors to complete the project under a Public-Private Partnership contract. Cai Lan Station already has seven lines, as well as a warehouse and container area.

Hoi An memories show wins two recordsThe Hoi An Memories show, which debuted on March 18 at Hoi An Impression Theme Park in the central province of Quang Nam, has set two Vietnamese records. The Hoi An Memories show, which debuted on March 18 at Hoi An Impression Theme Park in the central province of Quang Nam, has set two Vietnamese records. The colourful and musically dazzling night show, with a cast of nearly 500 actors and actresses, recalls the memories of Hoi An as a prosperous trading port over 400 years. Photo/Clip: Thuy Tinh/VietNamNetThe show is a key component of the Hoi An Impression Theme Park that will open in the second quarter of this year. The 10-hectare theme park in Hoi An includes indoor and outdoor theatres, shopping and entertainment complexes, and 200 hotel rooms.

Following tests during the inspections, unsafe food will be confiscated, creating a radical change in public compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations, he said at a meeting with the press on March 20. Along with enhancing state management by setting up food safety watchdogs and inspection groups at grassroots levels, the city will develop food safety production and supply chains and join hands with localities in food safety chain management. Chung also pointed out that poor awareness of both food businesses and consumers of the issue as well as a lack of involvement of local authorities hamper the fight against unsafe food. Authorities detected 26,310 production units violating food safety regulations and punished 7,221 of them. At present, Hanoi has 60 farm-to-fork food chains and has been working with other provinces to manage vegetable farming to VietGAP standards to ensure safe food supply for its citizens.-VNA

Airport security intercept US passenger with gunsSecurity forces at Noi Bai International Airport have intercepted an American man for carrying guns. The transport of guns, even if transiting through Viet Nam airport, is a violation of law.— Illustration photoTien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported that the security forces discovered the case at the checked baggage liaison area, T2 passenger terminal, at Noi Bai International Airport. Aviation security forces checked the baggage of passenger L.S, who took flight BR397 from Taoyuan International Airport (Taiwan) to Noi Bai airport, and was to board the connecting QV312 flight to Wattay International Airport (Laos). Security forces seized several detachable guns and three plastic boxes containing 200 bullets. A day later, Noi Bai airport security force discovered another baggage belonging to this passenger (planned to move to Laos), with three detachable guns and 450 bullets.

ROK President touts special ties with Vietnam ahead of state visitPresident Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea has praised Vietnam as a key partner and invaluable friend in an interview with Nhan Dan Newspaper ahead of his state visit to Vietnam from March 22-24. Over the past 30 years, a variety of development cooperation projects totaling US$1.65 billion have been carried out in Vietnam. I will pursue economic cooperation between our two nations in a mutually beneficial way that contributes to our common prosperity. I hope bilateral cooperation in new industries such as the Smart City and ICT will strengthen the foundation to promote future-oriented economic cooperation between our two nations. The RoKGovernment intends to continue expanding bilateral cooperation in sports to create yet more Korea-Vietnam Magic.

Korean man found illegally transporting gold bullionCustoms officers at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on March 20 detained a Korean man after he was found illegally transporting a gold bullion to the Incheon airport in the Republic of Korea. The gold bullion seized in the case (Source: http://thoibaotaichinhvietnam.vn)The 39-years-old man, named H.W.I was found hiding a gold bullion worth nearly 700 million VND (around 30,800 USD) in his luggage. 11/2014/TT-NHNN by the State Bank of Vietnam, Vietnamese and foreign individuals are banned from carrying gold bullions or gold materials when leaving or entering VietnamIndividuals on exit or entry are permitted to carry only jewellery gold and fine-art gold articles. If the gold totals 300 grams or more, they must declare to customs officers. In this case, the man may face up to 2-5 years in prison if he is prosecuted.-VNA

Social network users spread false health claimsVietNamNet Bridge – Social media has recently lit up with a discussion about medical treatments that supposedly “follow natural therapies”, reported Lao Dong (Labour) Newspaper. -- VNA/VNS Photo Duong NgocSeveral therapies have rapidly spread across social networks as users describe their experiences. “At present, there are no medical organisations recommending that women should give birth without medical assistance”, Tien told the paper. After birth, babies’ health is checked and monitored carefully by doctors. “If we blindly follow false information, we’ll put our health at risk.”Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Vinh, head of the Child and Maternal Healthcare Department of the Health Ministry, recommended that social network users take greater responsibility for posting information.

RoK President’s Vietnam visit expected to tighten bilateral tiesPresident of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in will pay a state visit to Vietnam from March 22-24, which is expected to be a chance for the two countries to further enhance their relations. In terms of economics, the Vietnam-RoK free trade agreement, which became effective on December 20, 2015, has opened a new chapter in bilateral economic ties. The RoK is currently one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners, ranking first in terms of investment, and second in development cooperation, trade and tourism. Two-way trade jumped from 500,000 USD in 1992 to 61.5 billion USD in 2017, of which 14.8 billion USD came from Vietnam’s exports, up 30 percent from the previous year, and 46.7 billion USD from the Southeast Asian country’s imports, a year-on-year increase of 45.3 percent. The RoK also provided Vietnam with 1.2 billion USD in official development assistance for Vietnam in 2012-2015, and a 1.5 billion USD loan for the country during 2016-2020.

Young entrepreneurs born in the Year of Dog achieve early successVietNamNet Bridge - Born in 1994, many of these entrepreneurs are young but have already become rivals of prominent businesspeople. Born in 1994, many of these entrepreneurs are young but have already become rivals of prominent businesspeople. Pham Anh Tai, the 'fashion scrap dealer'Born into a family of architects, the young Hanoi man studied to become an architect. Following success with his first shop, Tai opened the second one recently. With a hobby for shopping and passion for fashion, just a short time after she finished junior college, she opened a fashion shop for men.