The Yen Nghia bus station - Kim Ma Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) No.1, the first of its kind in Vietnam, has carried more than 4.98 million passengers since its operation on January 1, 2017. 

Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hailed Pou Yuen Vietnam Co., Ltd., a footwear business in Binh Tan district for the good implementation of social welfare policies for its workers while visiting the company on February 1.

Ho Chi Minh City hopes the World Bank (WB) will include support for creative city building in the two sides’ memorandum of understanding (MoU) of strategic connectivity for 2017 - 2020, said Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong.

Pham Cong Danh, ex-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam Construction Bank (VNCB, present name CB), said before court that all the money involved in the case of “deliberately violating State regulations on economic management causing severe consequences” in VNCB was used to serve the bank’s operation.

VOV.VN -Hang Ma street in Hanoi is seeing a flurry of trade with the hustle and bustle of shops selling different types of decorations and votive offerings in anticipation of the upcoming traditional lunar New Year festival or Tet.

A strong cold spell continues to wreak havoc on the northern and central provinces and the Central Highlands region in Vietnam.

A scientific workshop on distinguished communist revolutionary Nguyen Duc Canh (1908-1932) was held to commemorate the 110th anniversary of his birth in his homeland in the northern province of Thai Binh on February 1.

Authorities and labour federations at all levels are busy distributing gifts to the disadvantaged in order to help them celebrate the year’s most important traditional festival – the Lunar New Year (Tet) – in comfort and happiness. 

Starting on February 1, 2018, a smoking ban is being imposed on 24 beaches in 15 coastal provinces across Thailand, in order to maintain a clean and safe environment for everyone and protect marine and coastal resources.

Representatives of the Health Ministry and Abbott Vietnam Company signed a memorandum of understanding on a project to prevent and control diabetes in pregnant women in Hanoi on February 1.

Researchers at Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) have recommended improvements in slaughtering and hygiene to limit cross-contamination with non-typhoidal salmonella, particularly in poultry wet markets in HCM City.

More than 60 photos on activities within the APEC Year 2017 are being displayed  at the Da Nang Museum in the central city of Da Nang, which hosted the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week from November 6-11.

The Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Control has asked northern and north central localities to update developments of cold spells on means of communications to help people, especially those in mountainous areas, take countermeasures. 

The Hanoi chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) on February 1 held a ceremony to honour 10 outstanding young people of the city in 2017. 

Vietnamese authorities have handed over a suspected drug trafficker to Bulgaria at the extradition request of the European nation.

 Vietnam’s central coastal province of Thua Thien-Hue is cooperating with localities in the Republic of Korea (RoK) in various fields such as planning, health, tourism, and industry.

Vietnam has to date detected no new avian flu virus strains despite its location in the Southeast Asian region’s hotspot of the diseases.

VOV.VN - Low-cost airline Jetstar Pacific officially brought their automatic check-in kiosk system online at airports on February 1, allowing passengers to check-in in 30 seconds without lining up for long check-in queues. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project that would build a national database of waste resources, helping authorised agencies better control the discharge of waste nationwide.

VOV.VN - Locals in Hanoi are under the grip of a particularly cold spell, upsetting their daily habits, as primary students are allowed to stay home, and many workers must seek ways to stay warm.

 President Tran Dai Quang extended Lunar New Year (Tet) greetings to people in Gia Lai during his working trip to the Central Highlands province on February 1.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 1 handed over a ball and football shirt with signatures of the all U23 footballers to the Ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and Information and Communications for an auction to raise funds for the poor.

 Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh presented 200 gifts to poor families and students in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on February 1 to help them enjoy a warm Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

 Hanoi will intensify educational campaigns to raise public awareness about the rights of consumers as part of efforts to better protect consumers’ interests. 

VOV.VN - A spectacular lunar trifecta combining a total eclipse with a blue moon and super moon could be seen in the skies above HCM City on January 31. Following are some photos of the astronomical phenomenon seen from HCM City as captured by the Voice of Vietnam’s reporter:

 A charity running competition entitled ‘Run Against Cancer’, aiming to support cancer patients will be held on February 4 at Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi.  

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines’ branch in China’s Hong Kong held a meeting with its partners on January 30.

An illegal ring of thieves has been broken up after carrying out multiple thefts in which they stole motorbikes in Da Lat, a popular tourist destination in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, and sold them in Ho Chi Minh City.

An American citizen working as an English teacher in Hanoi has presented himself to information authorities after being summoned over offensive, law-violating remarks he had posted on Facebook.

Police forces have been permanently deployed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time in an effort to tighten security.