The race of interest rate hikes among commercial banks is showing signs of cooling down as many banks have adjusted down the rate by several percentage points per year after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday and have set stricter conditions for customers to enjoy the high rates.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and India saw a yearly increase of 13.6% to US$15.05 billion in 2022, statistics from the General Department of Customs showed.

The ritual at Princess Huyen Tran Temple in the central city of Hue is underway at the Ngu Phong Mountain Complex, about 7km southeast of Hue.

Around 18,000 Vietnamese tourists chose outbound tours through travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday this year, spending a total of VND430 billion (US$18.3 million), according to a report from the city's Department of Tourism.

The consumption habits of Vietnamese people are changing after the COVID-19 pandemic, with many using second-hand products to save money and promote sustainability.

From being net sellers in the first nine months of 2022, foreign investors have become the driving force supporting the Vietnamese stock market in the last few months, and the inflows are expected to continue this year.

Vietnam's U20s will test their skills against Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U20 Asian Cup finals in Uzbekistan in March.

Vietnamese World Boxing Association (WBA) Asia Super Middleweight champion Truong Dinh Hoang will defend his belt next month in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak, though the challenger has yet to be named.

Vietnam will participate in the DGB Cup, an international baseball tournament from February 21-26 in Laos.

Domestic steel demand is expected to keep falling due to the property market slump and tightened monetary policy, economic downturn in many export markets and a rise in supply making the outlook for the industry in 2023 poor, analysts said.