Some 30 new anti-vibration and noise-protective train carriages were handed over to the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) on December 27 to serve passengers during Tet (Lunar New Year).

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held a seminar in Hanoi on December 28 to look into activities of its central-level chapters in 2017. 

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man expressed his hope that the VFF and the Russian Social Bureau (RSB) will step up cooperation and the sharing of experience in social management, contributing to conveying public opinions to all-level authorities. 

Smuggling cases found in 2017 were down in number but up in value, said Deputy Director of the General Department of Customs’ Anti-Smuggling Department Nguyen Khanh Quang during a press conference recently held in Hanoi. 

Some 5.6 tonnes of Khat leaves were burned in May Chai ward, Ngo Quyen district, in the northern port city of Hai Phong on December 27.

The Vietnam-China Friendship Association of Ho Chi Minh City will better bring into play its role in people-to-people diplomacy so as to help enhance the two countries’ relations, delegates said at its second congress on December 28.

 Many hospitals in HCM City use software to monitor the prescription of antibiotics to ensure they are not abused causing bacteria to mutate to become antibiotic-resistant, a major global health problem, including in Vietnam.

VOV.VN - Vietnam has recorded 20,280 traffic accidents this year, leaving 8,279 dead and 5,587 injured, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.

Planning experts have urged authorities in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to preserve the special urban heritage of Da Lat city.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a directive ordering relevant agencies to enhance management to stablise the prices of essential goods and to ensure social security during Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.

Seychelles wants to cooperate with Hanoi in a project to develop plasma gasification waste treatment models, said Nico Barito, Assistant to President of the Republic of Seychelles. 

Vietnam still sees weaknesses in dengue fever treatment, although its fatality rate caused by the disease is lower than that of many countries in the region.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will propose a new roadmap for calculating pensions for female workers to the National Assembly (NA).

The HCM City Real Estate Association has proposed the State Bank of Vietnam raise a stimulus package similar to its previous VND30 trillion (US$1.3 billion) preferential home loan package.

A drawing exhibition on safe vegetables opened on December 27 in Hanoi in an aim to promote the reliability of agricultural products in the northern region of Vietnam.

The Medical Environment Management Agency has announced that 478 out of 543 hospitals across Vietnam have well-operating waste treatment systems, accounting for 88% of the total.

The Ministry of Health has proposed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc give it more time to issue circulation numbers for certain medical equipment (categories B, C, D) by January 1.

The Vietnamese are eating a lot of salty food. However, many people refuse to accept that excess salt in one’s daily diet is not healthy and may cause several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as high blood pressure or heart diseases, participants heard at a recent workshop.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court on December 27 imposed imprisonment sentences ranging from 16 years to five years on 15 defendants on the charge of “conducting terrorism against the people’s administration” under Article No.84 of the Vietnam Penal Code 1999.

Two seminars on Vietnam’s achievements in socio-economic development, external relations and international integration in 2017 will be held in early January.

Nearly VND5.2 trillion (US$229.3 million) will be spent on building new-style rural areas in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau in 2018-2020, heard a conference in the locality on December 26. 

Over the last 10 years, Vietnam has been able to stabilise its population growth, and authorities have shifted their focus to population quality.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee of the northern province of Hai Duong held a meeting on December 27 to launch a programme to call for support to the poor during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet).

Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) have been encouraged to register for joining the annual “Xuan Que Huong” (Homeland Spring) programme scheduled to take place at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on February 7, 2018. 

VOV.VN -Hanoi is suffering a spell of cold weather accompanied by scattered rainfall and fog, creating low visibility throughout the city.

Promoting doctor training programmes, coupled with using preferential policies to attract doctors to work in remote localities are part of efforts made by the Central Highlands provinces to improve health care in the region, according to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands.

An agricultural waste treatment that uses bioproducts has been developed by scientists from the Centre of New Material and the Hanoi Gardening Association. 

VOV.VN - All contact has been lost with a fishing vessel operating in the waters off Tri Ton island of Truong Sa archipelago since December 20, according to Binh Dinh province's Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue.

If environment indexes exceed permitted levels, the smart monitoring system will give an alert on the spot and via smartphones, and will turn certain devices on or off.

Several enterprises in the south, mostly in Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong, are accelerating worker recruitment, preparing to up production after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday that falls in mid-February 2018.