In 2016, despite facing numerous difficulties, particularly in relation to the serious marine environmental pollution incident which affected four central provinces and the surge of the number of foreign tourist guides, Vietnamese tourism still managed to gain spectacular growth.

An east ring road in Ho Chi Minh City has been named Vo Chi Cong after a former President of the State Council, former Chairman of the National Defence Council and former Deputy Prime Minister.

The 38-year-old man, who has also been recorded as a sex offender, is expected to be deported later this month.

Vietnam’s health and education ministries recently launched an online platform allowing schools to design nutritiously balanced meal plans for students from a bank of 360 dishes.

Nearly 200 people in Vietnam with the rare Rh- blood type have registered for a local donor club to readily answer any emergency calls for life-saving blood transfusions.

The Prime Minister has approved adjustments to a project supporting the prevention and combat of violations against women and girls in Vietnam, towards the successful implementation of the national strategy on gender equality in 2011-2020.

A bomb weighing about 450kg was removed from a field in Kim Dong district in the northern province of Hung Yen, the provincial Military Command said on December 16. 

Binh Phuoc provincial authorities and a visiting delegation from Cambodia’s provinces of Kratie, Mondulkiri and Tbong Khmum discussed border cooperation at a conference on December 17. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc have instructed ministries, sectors and central localities to mobilised all forces and resources to ensure safety and food for residents in flood-hit areas and minimising losses in human lives and property.

VOV.VN -A 28-year-old Vietnamese adventure seeker, Hoang Le Giang, has successfully surpassed all other qualified candidates in his quest to win a 300-kilometer sled trip to the North Pole next April.

VOV.VN - The floods from the tropical depression are still having an impact and creating chaos across the provinces of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa where schools and business have been forced to shut down. 

The fifth international conference on Vietnamese studies concluded in Hanoi on December 16 afternoon after two days of in-depth discussion on sustainable development issues.

A seminar discussing experience in generating jobs for the disabled in Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) opened in Hanoi on December 16. 

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai visited Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese, Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon in Hanoi on December 16 on the occasion of the upcoming Christmas holiday. 

 Tay Ninh province and its nearby Cambodian provinces of SvayRieng, TboungKhmum and Prey Veng are set to press on with cooperation to prevent cross-border drug trafficking in 2017.

Ministries, agencies and administrations of central provinces have been requested to work harder to deal with the widespread flooding which has left heavy consequences in the central region.

VOV.VN - The local nursery of Tran Tien Dung in the Nhat Tan Flower Village of Hanoi has more than 400 white apricot trees for sale at prices ranging from US$44 (VND1 million) to US$1,320 (VND30 million).  

VOV.VN -  An exhibition featuring Vietnam’s international integration opened in Hanoi on December 16 with hundreds of photos and books that detail Vietnam’s international integration during each period and its achievements in the process.

VOV.VN - The Vietnam National Committee for UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Training have honored organizations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to encourage book reading habits in rural areas. 

VOV.VN - The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour in collaboration with the Asian Foundation held a conference on December 16 in Hanoi to discuss measures to expand the guest worker program and comprehensive reforms to improve it.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, has urged relevant agencies to step up food safety inspections as consumption increases ahead of the Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak aims to cut the poor household rate by 2.5 – 3 percent per year by 2020, said Pham Ngoc Nghi, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Ho Chi Minh City has set a target of saving 2 - 2.5% of energy consumption per year between now and 2020, with a view to protecting the environment.

An exhibition on archeological excavations at the Ho Dynasty Citadel in the past five years opened in the central province of Thanh Hoa on December 15.

VOV.VN - The national workshop on the results of the 2015 national internal migration survey was held in Hanoi on 16, December.

Representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Malik research institute in Switzerland met on December 15, focusing on cooperation between the two sides in security management and technology application in fighting security challenges in many fields.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked ministries, provincial and city people’s committees and relevant offices to strengthen traffic safety works during New Year, Tết (Lunar New Year) and the Spring Festival.

Six people including three children were killed when their house in an alley in Ho Chi Minh City's District 3 went on fire early on December 16.

A woman in northern Vietnam in critical condition due to a tubal pregnancy has been saved after an hour-long surgery in her home’s attic.

 The Government is developing guidelines enabling People’s Committees of districts and provinces to sue polluters, Pham Van Loi, head of the Environmental Study Institute under the Vietnam Environment Administration, said at a recent conference on sustainable development.