The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa has provided prompt assistance for a Vietnamese sailor who was left in Cape Town city by China’s Taiwanese fishing ship.

The Ministry of Health has denied the existence of 10 so-called cancer villages, as their rates of cancer were found to be no higher than the national average. 

VOV.VN -  The Communications and Education sector needs to strengthen the management of press and publications and define the responsibilities of press agencies in preventing “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”. 

VOV.VN - The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations unveiled on December 26 at a conference in Hanoi that it has generated a record US$300 million in financial assistance in 2016.

VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City police say they have arrested a Colombian woman for attempting to smuggle 1.6kg of heroin into Vietnam.

A co-operative programme on population and reproductive health was signed last week between the General Office on Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health, and DKT International.

VOV.VN - Bui Thanh Son, Head of the Committee on Foreign Non-Government Organisations has praised the significant contributions by non-government organisations (NGOs) in Vietnam to alleviating poverty, dealing with social issues and boosting sustainable development.

Experts debated last week whether the Law on Mineral Resources (LoMR) should be amended, with some arguing that several of its articles are unrealistic.

VOV.VN - Students from the University of Industrial Fine Arts in Hanoi and the University of Architecture in Ho Chi Minh City have received gold awards at the 2016 Asia Young Designer Award Competition.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has selected the 10 most outstanding events of Vietnam in 2016 as follows: 

Various events highlighting the culture and history of the northern province of Bac Kan will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the province’s establishment. 

Vietnam along with Thailand, China, India and Indonesia, participated in the fifth sea festival 2016 in Cambodia from December 23-25. 

The northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang has six more communes recognised as meeting new-style rural area standards this year, raising the province’s total to 16 communes.

The O Dong Mac – Nguyen Khoai flyover in the belt road No.1 in the capital city of Hanoi was opened to traffic on December 26, expected to ease traffic jam in the eastern part of the city.

Vietnam’s biggest international airport Tan Son Nhat is no longer able to handle all the pressure from the recent travel boom.

APM Terminals partners up with AIP Foundation to promote road safety in Vietnam by sponsoring the education of road users and pedestrians in the community around Cai Mep International Terminal.

Hanoi police have proposed that the prosecutor’s office press charges against two Japanese citizens for attempting to smuggle US$260,000 worth of gold earlier this year.

Hanoi has started a new public campaign to improve the manners of its residents, hoping that there will be more queuing and less littering.

The impact of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on the lives of students and young workers in HCM City was the main focus of a conference in HCM City on December 25.

The Christmas atmosphere weaved its way through every corner of the country on the night of December 24, from churches and parishes to lamp-lighted streets and colourfully-decorated shops.

A delegation from the southern province of Binh Duong’s authorities on December 24 visited and wished local Catholic and Protestant dignitaries and followers a merry Christmas.

President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Bui Van Cuong on December 24 visited and handed over financial aid worth VND500 million (US$22,000) to flood-hit people in the central province of Khanh Hoa. 

As Vietnamese tend to spend more money during the Christmas season, many local enterprises tried all possible ways to satisfy there “God’s” demands.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Skills Internship Programme was signed on December 24 in Tokyo between Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs and IM Japan – the Japanese international human resources training agency.

The code, scheduled to take effect soon, also requires public servants to dress and talk nicely.

VOV.VN - Vietnam is one of the countries worst hit by climate change. In 2016, the national climate change strategy has received strong support from the international community.

VOV.VN - Moved by her great sympathy for Agent Orange victims, Le Thi Thanh Thuy, Director of the Petrolimex Bank in Ba Ria Vung Tau province, has worked actively to help them. Over the years, Thuy has taken part in many charity programs for AO victims.

VOV.VN - The Ministry of Planning and Investment has hosted a workshop to assess how far Vietnam has gone in achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The Ministry of Health on December 22 announced the top ten notable events of the sector in 2016.

Police in the central province of Ha Tinh said on December 23 they found a tiger carcass in a house of a local man.