The Government has approved a national programme to look for underground water in 44 cities and provinces where water supply was limited.

A concert will be held at the HCM City Opera House on March 9 to commemorate the 330th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, both born in 1685.

All preparations have been completed for the fifth coffee festival to be held in downtown Buon Ma Thuot, a Central Highlands city, from March 9 to 12, said the organisers.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to maintain an investment term of 70 years for the Taiwan-invested Formosa project in the central province of Ha Tinh.

Foreign business groups hailed Vietnam and HCM City's success in attracting FDI and boosting trade at a meeting with the city People's Committee on March 4.

Although Vietnam saw its consumer price index slip in February due to plunging oil prices, purchasing power surged during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The Government raised more than VND24.5 trillion (US$1.15 billion) from bonds on the primary market in February, a drop of 12.2% from January, the Hanoi Stock Exchange reported.

The manufacturing sector maintained its recent period of growth in February, with new orders and output both rising at faster rates than at the start of the year, HSBC's Purchasing Managers' Index reveals.

The Vietnam- the Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will serve as a milestone to strengthen the two countries' economic relations, expected to reach US$70 billion in trade by 2020.

A seminar to promote attractive destinations in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo was held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 2, with the participation of nearly 30 Vietnamese travel agencies.