Customs officers at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat airport have seized two pistolets in the luggage of a passenger arriving on March 12 from Hong Kong, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

About 40 villas are being constructed on a natural peninsula in the central Vietnamese province of Danang without permits, while local authorities had not been aware of the violation until recently.

A tornado swept through Dong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri on March 18, though no injuries were reported.

The second congress of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) chapter in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien took place in Dien Bien Phu city on March 19.

More than 1,500 volunteers collected garbage along Xuan Thanh beach in central Ha Tinh province’s Nghi Xuan district on March 19 following the launching of a beach clean-up campaign.

Nearly 1,000 blood units were collected during the “Red Spring Festival” 2017 in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on March 18. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 19 held a meeting with 10 winners and 10 young prospects of the Vietnam Outstanding Youth Faces Award 2016, during which he lauded their talent, creativity as well as desire for making contributions to the country and society.

A series of serious traffic accidents throughout the country on March 18 left eight people dead and dozens injured.

Vice President of the Vietnam-USA Society (VUS) Bui The Giang on March 18 met with a delegation from the Club of Friendship Force of San Diego County led by Brenda Pearson, director of the club’s Exchange Programme.

The participation of children in policy-making needs to be encouraged by families, schools and society, experts have advised.

The three-day National Newspaper Festival 2017 with the theme of “Vietnamese press accompanies national renovation” wrapped up in Hanoi on March 19.

The people of Vietnam in general and Hoi An residents in particular will never forget the priceless contributions made by Polish archaeologist and architect Kazimierz Kwiatkowski, known as ‘Kazik’, to restoring the ancient town, My Son Sanctuary and Complex of Hue Monuments.

The police, army and customs are acting together against smuggling and counterfeiting, but the results fall short of expectations because the crimes are getting more sophisticated, officials said.

VOV.VN - Climate change is having global effects. To protect human rights against climate change, Vietnam has focused on the rights of children, who are vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters. 

Danang, the most popular tourist destination in Vietnam, is waiting for guidance from the Ministry of Transportation on its request to pilot plan to apply technology in contracted passenger transport businesses.

Most of the container truck fell off the bridge and a rear wheel kept it from hitting the ground.

VOV.VN - Education cooperation between Japan and Ho Chi Minh City has been one of the highlights of bilateral relations. 

The Ho Chi Minh City administration has finished drafting a plan to call on city-dwellers to walk more to join the municipal efforts to curb traffic congestion.

The role of archaeological research in the preservation of the Trang An Landscape Complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh was highlighted at a conference held in Ninh Binh on March 18.

About 300 delegates, who are government officials and representatives of diplomatic missions and international organisations in Vietnam, visited Tay Phuong pagoda, a special relic site in Hanoi, as part of a friendship spring tour on March 18.

Construction of a 40,000-m2 service-entertainment complex in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang’s Rach Gia City started on March 18.

The Ministry of Information and Communication has urged enterprises to collaborate with the Government in efforts to build a healthy Internet society through advertising only on online channels which comply with established laws.

Ten fishermen were rescued after their boat was hit by a cargo ship 24 miles offshore the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on March 17.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 18 inspected a waste-to-energy (WTE) technology model – a made-in-Vietnam invention successfully applied in Dong Van 2 industrial park in the northern province on Ha Nam. 

VOV.VN - Celebrations are under way in Hanoi and all around the globe this week to enjoy International Francophonie Day on March 20.

VOV.VN - Residents of the province of Dien Bien were awaken on March 17 by a terrifying storm with high wind gusts, rain and hail leaving many homes without roofs and tree limbs protruding through others.  

VOV.VN - The Hanoi Red Cross in collaboration with REACH has announced that registration is now open for free training classes for disadvantaged youth who meet the eligibility requirements.

VOV.VN - An elementary school in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre in southern Vietnam has opened its doors thanks to funding provided by Cargill under the umbrella of an ongoing employee-led initiative that began in 1995.

The first two river bus lines in Ho Chi Minh City will open in June to offer locals an alternative traffic-free means of public transport.

A national meeting and a range of activities in response to World Water Day (March 23) will be held in the northern province of Bac Ninh on March 21-22, announced the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on March 17.