HCM City has great potential to attract tourists from new markets like India but the city must diversify its products and services to appeal to more international visitors, an official said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has asked Bình Thuận Province to further improve its investment environment, remove difficulties for enterprises, and boost the growth of both industry and agriculture.

Smoking now claims over 100 lives in Việt Nam every day and the number is expected to nearly double in 2030.

Preferential loans from Việt Nam Bank for Social Policies have been proved effective to help poor people in southern province of Trà Vinh to prosper their lives.

HCM City needs to develop specific healthcare policies and guidelines for transgender women as HIV prevalence among this group is estimated to be about 19 per cent worldwide, according to Dr Hoàng Đình Cảnh, deputy director of the Việt Nam Authority of HIV/AIDS Control.

HCM City has been pushing to promote a work safe environment, aiming at protecting workers’ health and businesses’ property.

Revenue from the customs sector in HCM City fell in the first five months of the year due to a decline in import tax rates agreed to under several trade agreements that took effect earlier this year, according to the city’s Customs Department. 

The Thủ Dầu Một University and University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Information Technology Park yesterday (May 31) signed a memorandum of agreement for jointly organising an international conference titled South-Eastern Region Outlook.  

The People’s Committee of Đắk Nông has approved a programme to attract well-qualified doctors and pharmacists to the Central Highlands province.

Twenty-eight former officials of Đại Tín Bank (Trust Bank, now Việt Nam Construction Bank) charged with "abusing trust to appropriate property" and "intentionally violating state regulations on economic management and causing serious consequences" were sentenced to three to 30 years in jail by the HCM City People’s Court on May 31 after a three-week trial.  

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved the merger of the Chàng Riệc historical and cultural forest with Lò Gò- Xa Mát National Park for administrative purposes.

Việt Nam has outperformed some ASEAN neighbours including Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines in keeping children safe and happy, but inequality is holding its poorest children back, a report revealed.

The intellectual property (IP) registration process, which lasts 36-42 months, will be shortened from June1 next year.

Government agencies are wrapping up final plans to prepare for approval of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Lý Son Island’s roads could be overloaded with commercial transport vehicles in the near future, according to a local official.

Concerned organisations in Hà Nội are actively studying and finalising the details of an intelligent transport scheme, which is expected to be completed next year.

No new health insurance cards will be issued from 2019, according to Việt Nam Social Insurance (VSI).  

A pilot project of Germany on training Vietnamese nurses has proved effective, as was reported at a seminar reviewing the project held in Berlin.  

Vietnam Railways (VNR) has suspended the officers, chiefs and drivers responsible for two train accidents in Thanh Hóa and Quảng Nam provinces recently.