The fifth International Conference on Vietnamese Studies will be held in Hanoi on December 15-16, announced the Vietnam National University (VNU) – Hanoi on December 8.

Many provinces in the Mekong Delta are taking measures to secure freshwater for farming and household use since drought and saltwater intrusion is expected to be severe in the 2016-17 dry season.  

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations and the municipal Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association co-held on December 8 a get-together to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Akihito (December 23).

VOV.VN - Experts from the UN Office on Drug and Crime said Vietnam has obtained significant results in implementing the UN Convention Against Corruption. 

VOV.VN - The mobile game Politaire developed by Pines Entertainment Company, an independent developer based in Ho Chi Minh City, has topped the Apple App Store chart as one of the top 10 best games of 2016.

The Vietnam – Finland Friendship Association and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development jointly held a ceremony in Hanoi on December 7 to mark the 10th founding anniversary of the Association.

A project on cooperation in higher education between Vietnam and the European Union was launched at a ceremony in Hanoi on December 7.

There is so far no report on any Vietnamese citizens affected by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s western province of Aceh in Sumatra island on December 7, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in Jakarta. 

VOV.VN - The recent flooding has inundated thousands of houses in the central provinces of Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai, leaving at least 19 dead and 2 missing in recent times.

VOV.VN - The HCM City Department of Education and Training and Microsoft Vietnam has co-hosted the Hour of Code 2016 event for primary and high school students. 

Over 38,000 flights operated by Vietnam-based carriers were delayed or canceled in the first 11 months of 2016, according to a recent report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

Police in the central Vietnamese province of Thua Thien-Hue are hunting for a suspect who robbed a local bank with a BB gun on December 6.

Myanmar’s Labour Department said on December 7 the sending of workers to Malaysia will be suspended indefinitely following protests there against Myanmar administration.

At least 97 people have lost their lives in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Indonesia’s western province of Aceh on December 7 early morning, said rescuers.

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia agreed to work closely together to fight drug crimes, said a joint statement adopted at the closing session of their 16th Tripartite and Bipartite Ministerial Conference on Drug Prevention and Control in Phnom Penh on December 7. 

Transport firms in HCM City have begun to add more buses to meet demand during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which begins in late January.

The third session of the ninth People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City on December 7 focused on measures to realise the target of 50,000 new firms in 2017 and 500,000 by 2020 while improving local business performance.

Vietnamese students have performed well in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a dispatch, instructing measures to overcome the consequences of floods triggered by heavy rains in the central region, which caused huge losses of lives and assets.

A Save the Children project helped improve knowledge on maternal and newborn care for thousands of mothers and health workers in Yen Bai Dak Lak and Ca Mau provinces from mid 2012 to December 2016.

VOV.VN -A fire gutted a personal protective equipment factory in Hanoi overnight on December 6, trapping workers who narrowly escaped, rapidly engulfing it into a fiery inferno.

An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck at dawn in Aceh province, north of Sumatra, leaving at least 20 people dead and dozens of others injured, said Indonesian authorities on December 7.

The first photographic book covering all of Vietnam’s primate species was launched recently, kicking off a project initiated by business leaders turned conservation pioneers. 

None of Vietnam’s provinces are spending as much as they should on preventive medicine, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said on December 5 at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the country’s preventive healthcare system.

 A conference focusing on the need to establish groups to handle cyber security problems and maintain safe cyber operations was held in Ho Chi Minh City December 6.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) supports establishing relations between Vietnamese and Mongolian trade union sectors and localities.

Launching M-Powered, Microsoft continues to strengthen commitment to support young people in Vietnam.

After 10 years of captivity, six Asian black bears have been rescued from a farm in Buon Ma Thuot City in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak  Province.

The Hanoi police are applying a range of measures to ease traffic congestion in the city as Tet (Lunar New Year) draws near.

Hanoians are raising more concerns about food safety and hygiene in the run-up to Tet, the Lunar New Year celebrations, as some recent visible violations related to animal slaughter in the city are especially troubling.