Though the Vietnamese government and Ho Chi Minh City’s administration offer many incentives and have favourable policies to encourage businesses to invest in agriculture, they often remain on paper, heard a conference held in the city on August 27.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Investment and Trade Promotion Centre will organise the second HCM City Trade-Service-Tourism Promotion Conference in Savannakhet, Laos, in October to help Vietnamese businesses tap the Lao market and enhance co-operation between the two countries, a workshop heard on August 28.

Every 13 minutes a child is born with congenital anomalies in Vietnam, putting a burden on their families and the health sector as well as affecting the quality of the population.

With its high economic growth rate and population of over 90 million, Vietnam is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for international franchising businesses, especially in the food and beverages sector.

Artists of different nationalities and backgrounds will co-organise an event that features an interplay of literature, art and music from the East and West in Hanoi next month.

HCM City is seeking help from the Prime Minister to resolve a financial conflict that has led to the suspension of the city’s multi-million dollar anti-flooding project.

A ceremony to inaugurate the Mahatma Gandhi bust took place on August 27 at the Indian Embassy in Hanoi as this year Indian people are celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has ordered relevant agencies to speed up the implementation of major projects throughout the country.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has required credit institutions and branches of foreign banks in the country to limit cash withdrawal at their automatic teller machines (ATMs) at night.

Claude Brendel, director of the Conservatory of Rouen in France, will lead the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) in a concert at the Opera House on August 29.