Experts from the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Japan met at a seminar in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 17 to discuss the application of emission-reducing technology in urban economic development and enhancement of climate change adaptability. 

The northern border province of Lang Son held a drill on dealing with outbreaks of A/H7N9 and other high-pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Cao Loc district on March 17. 

An estimated 12.5 million people will be eligible for agriculture land tax exemption, leaving merely 77,000 people still subject to this tax.

Construction of a waterworks kicked off on March 17 in Plei Kan town in Ngoc Hoi border district, Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, which is expected to supply sufficient clean water to about 20,000 local people.

As many as 3,465 traffic accidents occurred across the country in the first two months of this year, leaving 1,570 dead and 2,660 injured, an official has said.

Occupational ethics of journalists in the digital era was the topic of a forum held on the sidelines of the National Newspaper Festival 2017 in Hanoi on March 17, drawing a large number of representatives from press agencies, journalists and readers.

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City opened on March 17 the first instance trial on an asset embezzlement case at the Ben Thanh branch of the State-owned Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank).

A symposium was held in Hanoi on March 17 to gain an insight into Vietnamese people’s conception of happiness, an activity in response to the International Day of Happiness (March 20).

VOV.VN -On March 17, Japan handed over a patrol vessel to Vietnam to use for maritime security purposes.

The forestry sector will work to increase its average production value to between 5.5% and 6% a year, forest coverage rate to 42 percent, and export value to at least US$8 billion annually from now to 2020.

A high-end train service between HCM City and Phan Thiet city in Binh Thuan province will begin operation on March 20.

HCM City wants to expand the use of online public services to simplify administrative procedures and reduce their cost for the public, vice chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, Tran Vinh Tuyen said.

An exhibition titled “Hoang Sa, Truong Sa belong to Vietnam – Historical evidence” opened in the mountainous district of Lang Chanh, the north central province of Thanh Hoa, on March 17.

Two Vietnamese fishermen, who were in distress in the Gulf of Thailand, were brought to the homeland via air route, on March 17.

The thirst for female workers is real at industrial parks in northern Vinh Phuc province where the more foreign direct investment (FDI) projects arrive, the more demand for female workers rises, as they are believed to be more skilled at certain jobs.

VOV.VN - Dr Joël Leroy, a pioneer in minimally invasive surgery, has been awarded the Friendship Order, one of the most prestigious Vietnamese distinctions.

The Vietnam High Efficiency Software (VHES) Corporation officially debuted on March 16, becoming the first high-tech startup enterprise formed under the integrated circuit (IC) industry development programme of Ho Chi Minh City. 

The Government has tasked authorities of four central provinces, where mass fish deaths took place last year, with completing compensation for affected people by the end of June.

Bruneian police have arrested a Vietnamese boat with 10 people on board for fishing in Brunei’s territorial waters.

Authorities of the southern province of Binh Duong on March 16 received a delegation of the Cambodian women for peace and development of Kratie province.

The recent increase of child sexual abuse cases has raised public concern, which requires authorities to enforce children’s rights and scrutinise the implementation of signed international conventions to ensure the protection of children’s rights in particular and human rights. 

The National Press Festival kicked off in Hanoi on March 17 to honour the Vietnamese press.

Online public services are meant to help reduce direct contact between citizens and State employees to prevent corrupt practices, yet few people are using such services.

VOV.VN - The Royal Brunei Navy on March 16 captured a Vietnamese fishing vessel coded PY90541TS with 10 fishermen on board while they were fishing in  Brunei territorial waters, according to the Royal Brunei Police Force.

Several transport experts have thrown their support behind construction of the North-South Expressway despite public concerns over its huge cost, saying the road would play a vital role in north-south transport in the long run, especially in the absence of a high-speed railway.

The Vietnamese government has called on authorities to complete compensation payments for all fish farmers in the country's central provinces affected by the toxic disaster caused by Taiwanese steel firm Formosa last year.

A national workshop was held in Hanoi on March 16 to expand a monitoring system for forest resources by using tablets and Android apps.

The forest management department of the central province of Quang Nam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation with its counterpart body in Laos’ Sekong province on March 16.

Ho Chi Minh City has recorded three deaths caused by dengue fever in Districts 5 and 12 since the beginning of the year.

The Thu Cuc International General Hospital and the Cuban Ministry of Health’s SMC Company signed a contract on March 16 on sending Cuban doctors to work in Vietnam.