A ground-breaking ceremony for a school in Banlung commune of Ratanakiri province, 600km northeast of Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh was held by the overseas Vietnamese community in the province on September 27.

The People’s Court of Hanoi on September 29 sentenced Nguyen Xuan Son, former Director General of Ocean Bank, to death and Ha Van Tham, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, to life imprisonment.

Many delegates to the 2017 APEC Women and the Economy Forum in Vietnam’s central Hue city emphasised the need to eradicate biases against women and to empower them in order to boost development.

The Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Centre on September 28 opened an international clinic with two examination rooms to serve foreigners, as part of a pilot programme to develop a medical tourism network that meets international standards.

The central city of Da Nang has completed preparations for medical services at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Economic Leaders Week in early November, the municipal Department of Health reported on September 28.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung hosted a reception in Hanoi on September 28 for Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish who said India will continue supporting Hanoi in human resources training.

The social insurance sector has made significant improvement in administrative procedures reform after four years implementing the Government Resolution on improving the business environment, delegates told a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on September 28.

The US government has finally granted a visa to a Vietnamese woman so that she can travel to the US for a stem cell transplant that could save her sister from cancer.

The Vietnam Red Cross Society on September 27 launched its campaign to solicit relief assistance for people affected by typhoon Doksuri this month, the year’s 10th storm over the East Sea, in central provinces, especially Quang Binh and Ha Tinh.

The World Vision Vietnam (WVV) and the Dien Bien province People’s Committee have agreed on principles in carrying out programmes and projects funded by the WVV in the  northern mountainous locality from 2017-2022.

The central province of Quang Nam hosted a Vietnam-Laos friendship exchange on September 28 to mark the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and 40 years since the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Cooperation Agreement. 

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on September 28 to mark the 27th International Day of Older Persons (October 1) and launch the Action Month for the Vietnamese Elderly.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh has voiced her hope that with joint efforts, one day, there won’t be any barriers and bias against women, and female leaders in businesses and economic organisations will make up 50 percent and even higher of the total number.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), the Asia-Pacific International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) shared experience to promote cooperation at the sixth Joint Coordination Meeting in the northern province of Ninh Binh on September 28.

The Global Centre for Mekong Studies (GCMS) made debut in Cambodia on September 28, aiming to strengthen the academic exchange and support for the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC).

More than 300 reports of both domestic and foreign archaeologists were sent to the 52nd national archaeological conference that opened in the north central province of Thanh Hoa on September 28.

As many as 33 wards and communes in central provinces will be assisted to combat natural disasters under the second phase of a project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). 

A team of Vietnamese and Cambodian volunteer doctors provided free health check-ups and medicines to poor people in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on September 27-28.

The number of new HIV infections has been on the rise in Vietnam, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM) and those with unsafe sexual behaviours, heard a conference on policies for HIV/AIDS prevention in Ho Chi Minh City on September 27.

More than 70 hospitals nationwide that conduct kidney dialysis fail to follow proper procedures for liquid quality management and testing regulations, according to the Health Ministry.

An Italian-language book entitled “Il Banco Di Sabbia Dorata. Il Vietnam e Gli arcipelaghi del Mare Orientale” (Golden sands, Vietnam and archipelagoes in the East Sea) was introduced in Rome, Italy, on September 27.

Vinmec Da Nang, a member of Vingroup’s high-end hospital chain, was inaugurated in the central coastal city of Da Nang on September 27.

The Health Ministry’s Medical Services Administration (MSA) and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on September 27 launched the clinical decision support training initiative to medical services in Vietnam aiming to improve the detection, diagnosis and control of infectious diseases.

The Seeds of Hope project, which promotes sustainable professional integration for young Vietnamese in the fields of residential and industrial electricity and automotive maintenance, was officially launched in HCM City on September 27.

Booming cities and vigorous urbanisation are challenging Vietnam’s future, according to a business conference titled "Smart Cities" held in Hanoi on September 27.

Law enforcement authorities of northern Dien Bien province on September 27 arrested one drug trafficker and seized 24,000 methamphetamine pills.

The investigation security agency of the central province of Nghe An’s Police on September 27 arrested Nguyen Viet Dung for conducting propaganda against the State.

The Government has approved a plan to simplify administrative procedures, citizenship papers and databases related to population management run by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

The first International Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)/Sensors Conference took place in Ho Chi Minh City on September 27.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh on September 27 presented scholarships and gifts to 100 disadvantaged children in central Thua Thien-Hue province to help them enjoy the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.