A plan approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc targets that 11 percent of Vietnam’s population will have bought life insurance by 2020, and the rate will reach 15 percent by 2025.

 Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The has affirmed that investors in Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts will have to stop collecting fees if they don’t install electronic toll collection (ETC) systems by the end of this year.

 Besides exploring volcanic remnants on the untouched land of Ly Son island, Quang Ngai province, now tourists can go hunting for rock crabs at night with locals.

 The second Indochina Retail Technology and Innovation Summit, a conference focusing on retail technology, is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City on March 7.

 The National Assembly’s Justice Committee on March 6 asked relevant ministries to analyse shortcomings in road and railway transport.

A fishing boat from Quang Ngai has been sunk by a Chinese ship near the Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands), according to the Vietnam’s National Committee on Incident, Disaster Response and Search and Rescue.

The Vietnamese leadership seems to have been inspired by Singapore and the Nordic countries which would ensure more sustainable and equitable growth.

VietNamNet Bridge - The scientists who discovered the presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Vietnam work at the Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology at the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam is one of the biggest rice exporters in the world, but it remains highly dependent on the Chinese market.

 Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien talked about priority tasks in 2019 to better manage the pharmaceutical market and to increase the quality of examinations and treatment.

 The central coastal city of Danang is striving to attract more tourists from Europe, especially overseas Vietnamese in Eastern European countries.

 The shortage of space to hold large-scale international fairs and exhibitions is putting Vietnam under pressure, especially as the number of foreign enterprises entering the country to expand their reach and market their products is on the rise.

 The HCMC government does not have a plan to completely ban motorcycles from entering the downtown area but will develop public transport and gradually limit motorbike traffic in inner-city areas.

 South Korea saw Vietnamese visitor arrivals in the first two months of the year surging 70% year-on-year at 69,000, partially backed by its relaxed visa policy, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam.

 Investigators from the Ministry of Public Security have proposed the Government Inspectorate instruct its units to provide documents related to the comprehensive inspection of projects at No. 8-12 Le Duan Boulevard.

 Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflote (‘the magic flute’) is one of HBSO’s most popular productions, and it is being revived for a single performance on March 31 at the Saigon Opera House.

 Hanoi Innovative Business Incubator of Information Technology and Vihago JSC on March 5 launched a transport service website and a mobile app, called Vihago, to help connect passengers with transport operators.

 HCMC has allowed the conversion of officetels for some projects in the city, allowing them to be used for other purposes, besides residences, to remove obstacles for enterprises, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.

 The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has told commercial banks to provide continued support for the rice sector in the Mekong Delta by offering loans to rice farmers and trading firms to beef up their rice production and consumption.

 After a year with many ups and downs in business, the shareholders' meeting season returned, with many prominent entrepreneurs revealing to retire early.