(VOV)- Conditions for foreigners in Vietnam to buy and own houses have been loosened under the revised Law on Housing announced by the Presidential Office last week. The new regulations will help Vietnam attract more foreign currencies and stimulate the real estate market.

The United Nations (UN) pledged further support for Vietnam in dealing with all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls, including physical, emotional, sexual abuse and human trafficking.

The Hanoi People’s Committee hosted a ceremony on December 15 to inaugurate an art sculptural work presented by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. 

State President Truong Tan Sang attended an inaugural ceremony for the Phat Tich Truc Lam Ban Gioc pagoda in Dam Thuy commune, the northern border province of Cao Bang, on December 15.

The 12th annual KOVA Awards on December 13 honoured four groups and eight individuals for their outstanding contributions to the fields of applied science and technology and social welfare.

The 36th International Theatre Institute (ITI) World Congress will be held in Vietnam in 2018.

The fourth ASEAN Chief Justices’ Roundtable on the Role of the Judiciary in Environmental Protection concluded in Hanoi on December 14 after two days of sitting.

The remote rural commune of Suoi Bang in Van Ho district, the northern mountainous province of Son La, is a popular destination for adventure and discovery tourism not only for its natural beauty but also for the mystery existence of caves full with ancient hanging coffins, with remains found to date back to 1,240 years ago. 

The Mekong Delta region targets an economic growth of 10 percent in 2015, the same figure for this year, according to the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region.

Vietnamese businesses will be granted licences to provide e-wallet services from March 2015, after five years of a pilot programme.