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.

VOV.VN - HIV experts and policy leaders gathered at a technical workshop to disseminate key achievements of HIV lay and self-testing in Hanoi on December 16.

VOV.VN - Hoi An ancient town is submerged in knee-deep water and local people have to travel by boat.

Conservation experts warn that 21 of Vietnam's 24 primate species are critically endangered.

The year 2016 has seen significant achievements and efforts from the entire education sector, helping boost its growth.

Coast guard officers in the southern Vietnamese city of Vung Tau are now able to harvest their first batch of fresh produce from their high-tech vegetable farm following several months of hard work.

VOV.VN - The 5th International Conference on Vietnam Studies themed “Sustainable Development in the Context of Global Change” takes place in Vietnam on December 15-16.

A strategy and programme on children-oriented disaster risk mitigation for 2017-2021 with a vision until 2030 will be built, as heard a national conference held in the central province of Ninh Thuan on December 15. 

Ho Chi Minh City hopes to receive support from Japan, including the country’s Ministry of the Environment, in climate change adaptation projects, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem. 

Over 1,000 people attended a career fair co-organised by the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korean Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City on December 15.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam called on scientists to provide scientific findings and recommendations for national development during the fifth international symposium on Vietnamese studies held in Hanoi on December 15. 

A regional symposium “Russian language in Southeast Asia” opened in Hanoi on December 15, attracting more than 200 delegates from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Russia. 

Indonesia on December 15 handed over to Vietnam 39 fishermen who were arrested for illegal fishing in Indonesia’s waters.

The Government and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union should work together to create the most favorable environment for young people to take the lead in renovation and start-up activities and in tackling pressing social issues, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.

A delegation of doctors from HCM City in collaboration with doctors of an eye hospital in Laos performed free eye surgery using Phaco technique on cataract patients in Vientiane from December 14-16. 

VOV.VN -  Japanese Minister of State Katsuro Nagai has pledged more support for Vietnam’s climate change response efforts.

VOV.VN -  The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs launched the first Action Month for gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence, which ended on December 15.

The Prime Minister has approved a master plan for the media system serving external relations to 2020 with a vision to 2030, which defines the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) as the main national media agency in the field.

The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA) Central Committee convened a conference in Hanoi on December 15 to review its performance in 2016 and set tasks for 2017.

The central province of Binh Dinh will distribute rice aid to families affected by natural disasters this year, with an average 15kg of rice for each person. 

World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) and Vietnamese nature authorities on December 14 kicked off an emergency project to protect the biggest herd of elephants in the country from extinction.

A pregnant woman residing in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 11 has been diagnosed with Zika virus, raising the total number of Zika infections among expectant mothers in the city to 18.

Using family values-prioritised culture to tackle domestic violence has reduced the compatibility of the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control with Vietnam’s legal system and international standards.

The Yoga Federation of Vietnam (VYF) was established in Hanoi on December 14.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Labour (MOLISA) has pledged to provide 300 tonnes of rice in aid to the central province of Quang Ngai which was hard hit by flooding during November 30-December 8.

More than 280,000 people have received free HIV tests and 15,000 patients were newly enrolled for anti-retroviral treatment over the last five years.

VOV.VN -.South-central and central regions are confronting new floods as a result of hydropower plants’ continuing to let out floodwaters while they are trying to deal with previous consequences. 

A UNESCO representative recommended the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho apply the national strategy for community-based tourism development during a working session with the municipal People’s Committee on December 14.

A reconstruction plan for old apartment buildings in Hanoi should be completed by the end of this month, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Passengers on a Vietnam Airlines flight bound for the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa were frightened as the aircraft repeatedly had failed landing attempts due to foul weather on December 14.