The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh has licensed a project to build a wind power plant with a capacity of 48MW in the first phase.

Officials agreed on March 16 that they need to do more to ensure commodity prices operate on market mechanisms with greater transparency, even as national utility Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) was roundly criticised for opacity in its price calculations.

The ninth ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM-9) ended on March 16 with a joint declaration issued by all member nations to reaffirm the ADMM's commitment to work towards the realisation of an ASEAN community, including the ASEAN Political-Security Community.

A dictionary of Nom scripts – the Chinese-based Vietnamese script that was widely used between the 15th and 19th centuries – will be introduced to the public on March 17.

Hanoi needs to develop its own brand of tourism, focusing on craft villages, eco-tourism and cultural tourism, said Nguyen Cong Hoan, the deputy director of Hanoi Redtours.

Authorities in the northern province of Quang Ninh have approved the feasibility report of the Quang Ninh airport project that will be built on a build-operate-transfer basis.

The Duc Giang Corporation (Dugarco), one of Vietnam's leading garment enterprises, has signed a contract with Hong Kong (China)'s largest listed garment firm, Luen Thai Holdings.

A seminar will be held on March 23-24 in Lam Dong Province to strengthen investment cooperation in the agricultural sector between Japanese and local businesses.

Tuna exports have continued to slide this year due to a fall in consumption in major import markets, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters (VASEP).

Malaysia expects an upsurge in Vietnamese tourists this year to more than 275,000 as tourist operators and the country promotes its attractions in Vietnam.