VOV.VN - On February 16, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh attended the “Going to the fields” festival organized by the Vietnam Farmers’ Association in northern Nam Dinh province.

Although the number of Zika virus infection cases have dropped, the disease could break out on a large scale if no preventive plan was implemented since the beginning of the year, said a health expert.

The southern coastal province of Bac Lieu needs around VND250 billion (US$11 million) to upgrade the local sea dikes which were damaged recently, said Le Hoang Tung, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

With a smartphone on hand, Ho Chi Minh City residents can monitor their domestic water use, leakage, and even online payment no matter where they are.

VOV.VN - Former beauty queen Vu Ngoc Hoang Oanh recently visited the Tam Duc kindergarten for disadvantaged children in Ho Chi Minh City, putting lots of smiles on young people’s faces.

Fresh flowers, colourful decorations and the APEC logo can be seen everywhere these days in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa, as the first official event in 2017 of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is set to open here on February 18. 

The People’s Committee of Hoai Nhon district, the central province of Binh Dinh on February 14 received eight fishing ships with steel cover at a ceremony which saw the participation of more than 200 local seamen.

The project Adaptation to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta (AMD) plans to spend more than 130 billion VND (over 5.7 million USD) to help local farmers in Tra Vinh province switch to sustainable production models in 2017. 

Ha Long city, home to the world natural heritage site Ha Long Bay, is working to turn itself into a civilised and friendly resort destination.

Practical and specific measures are needed instead of general and vague directions from authorities to ensure clean production and food safety.

VOV.VN - The Vietnam Embassy in coordination with Hanoi Library has presented an English book collection that deals with various aspects of the capital city to Istanbul Library aiming to promote cultural diplomacy and Vietnam’s culture and tourism.

The administration of the central province of Nghe An on February 15 provided information about an incident involving Song Ngoc Parish regarding the marine pollution caused by Taiwanese Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co Ltd.

The Government has approved a national programme on fighting crimes through 2020, targeting to reduce the number of penal crimes by 5% as compared to the figure in 2016.

Vietnamese doctors are going to perform the country’s first lung transplant on a 6-year-old boy later this month, with help from Japanese colleagues.

The HCMC Tourism Association has written to relevant authorities proposing lengthening the visa waiver for citizens of five Western European countries from the current one year to five years and the visa-free stay from 15 days to 30 days.

State-owned Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company is working on a plan to clean the Hoan Kiem Lake, also known by the English name Sword Lake, which it says has become severely polluted.

Vietnam’s labor ministry is outlining a new plan to send more skilled workers abroad in the next few years as the number of unemployed Vietnamese has surpassed the million mark.

Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport have invited local journalists to a breakfast meeting to discuss issues regarding the city’s traffic situation.

A dozen children surround Bruno Cerignat, holding hands, singing and laughing as he teaches them a funny English song.

Authorities in downtown Ho Chi Minh City have requested that the installation of anti-motorbike barriers on several sidewalks be reconsidered as they may pose an obstacle to pedestrians

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment plans to organise a national meeting and a number of activities in response to the World Water Day 2017 (March 22) in Bac Ninh city, the northern province of Bac Ninh from March 17-23.

Ho Chi Minh City will undertake 14 projects to prevent erosion, including dredging of vulnerable waterways, at a cost of over VND1.7 trillion (US$75 million) this year, according to its Inland Waterway Management Division.

Soc Trang has completed making preschool education universal among five-year-old children since December 2016, as heard at a working session between the local authorities and an inspection group from the Ministry of Education and Training on February 15.

As many as 10,000 units of blood are expected to be collected during the Xuan Hong (Red Spring) Festival 2017, which will open on February 18.

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City will undertake strong measures to enhance the city’s Provincial Governance and Public Administration Index (PAPI) after the city dropped to the 47th place out of 63 provinces and cities in 2015.

A new technique that helps improve water drainage in urban areas has been proposed by a Japanese company. The technique will help clean underground pipelines without digging them up, saving energy and cost, and can be applied in emergencies.

VOV.VN -An explosion and a burst of flames alerted neighbours to a structure fire on February 15 at a residence located at Number 40 on Bat Dan Street.

Leaders of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho held a working session with a business delegation from the Japanese prefecture of Hiroshima on February 15, focusing on the building of urban waste water management software. 

An increase in drug- resistant malaria cases in many regions nationwide is of growing concern to community health, experts have warned.

The epidemics abroad are likely to break out in Vietnam unless preventive measures are taken, head of the Health Ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu warned at a seminar in Hanoi on February 15 to launch tasks against epidemic infection in the north.