More private universities get approval for medical coursesVietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training has permitted more private universities to offer medical courses starting in 2018-19. Medical students at a lab in a university in Vietnam. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the country had nearly 200 training facilities offering healthcare-related courses as of 2017. Tran Duc Thuan, deputy head of the Health Strategy and Policy Institute, told Nhan Dan (People) newspaper that medical training programmes and methodologies are changing too slowly. More and more medical universities have sprung up in recent times, making it a challenge and burden for hospitals to absorb the increasing number of interns, he added.

Vietnamese karatekas dominate regional tourneyVietnam topped the ranking table after winning 29 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Karate Championships which closed yesterday in Bac Ninh Province. Vietnamese athletes perform their women’s team kata at the Southeast Asian Karate Championships. According to Le Tung Duong, head coach of the national team, his athletes did better than expected. He hoped that the tournament brought them good opportunities to warm-up for the Asian Games in Indonesia this August. The competition lured competitors from seven countries competing in kata (performance) and kumite (combat) categories for individuals and teams.

HCM City symphony orchestra to perform at Opera HouseThe HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will perform at the “From the New World” concert at the Opera House on April 29. The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will perform the “From the New World” concert on April 29. The four-movement symphony was composed in 1893 when Dvorak was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America. Minh has won top prizes at international and national contests such as the International Competition for Young Conductors in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2003, and the annual All-Russia Competition for Professional Conductors in 2006. He also won the first prize at the 2009 Vietnam National Competition of Voice-Dance and Music and the 2014 International Choral Festival organised by Interkultur in Hoi An.

Art installation exhibition to connect familiesFamilies from all over are invited to visit the art exhibition called "Together", which will kick off on Saturday in Hanoi. Together exhibition displays art installation created by children. — Photo courtesy of the Vitamin Art AcademyThe exhibition offers visitors to get the real-life experience of living in very unique-artworks, as well as being able to connect directly to each other. Participants use their hands and creative thinking to make materials such as paper and cardboard become works of art. The art installation does not only convey the artistic value of works, but also messages to reflect on global issues such as climate change, fuel economy, and working towards a peaceful society and civilisation.

BandFest focuses on music without lyricsThe BandFest 2018 will gather internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Nguyen Le and his band along with four other young Vietnamese bands. Initiated by Vietnam’s famous composer and music producer Anh Quan and his wife, diva My Linh, BandFest is expected to be Vietnam’s first international indoor music festival dedicated solely to instrumental-only bands and not just singers. My team and I have nurtured the idea for a long time because I have long wanted to create a “real” stage for music bands to play and present themselves. There was the “golden time” for music bands in the past, when the bands played a key role in establishing new trends in music. For most of the young people, listening to music means listening to singing, and very few of them listen to instrumental music.

Vietnamese acrobats likely to pull out of Britain's Got TalentThe Giang brothers circus acrobats are considering withdrawing from the Britain's Got Talent TV show to prepare instead for a live show in Vietnam. The 29-year-old circus artist said that they were reluctant when invited to participate in the Britain's Got Talent TV show because they knew the show often priortised dance and music acts rather than circus performances. The Giang brothers perform a head-to-head balance stunt at the Britain's Got Talent 2018 on April 21"Based on this encouragement, we flew to Britian," Nghiep continued. But we showed our acts and introduced about Vietnamese circus to international friends." "We’re also thinking of pulling out of Britain's Got Talent as our purpose for joining this show was to introduce Vietnamese circus to more people but not to win that show.

Tobacco control is losing groundLast week the Ministry of Health, allied with health experts and policymakers, called for an increase in the consumption tax on cigarettes. The country ranks among the world’s top 15 countries with the heaviest tobacco consumption, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey’s study. World Health Organisation experts said the health and social toll of tobacco use may take up to 20-25 years to manifest in full form. Simply take a walk around the country’s major cities and the failure of our tobacco prevention programme is evident. Public health should not be treated as an economic equation and our policies on the use of tobacco should clearly reflect that.

Responsible coordination needed to solve terrorism: Vietnamese ministerVietnamese Minister of Public Security Sen. Lt. Gen. To Lam said at the 9th International Meeting of High-Level Representatives on Security Issues in Sochi city, Russia, that solving terrorism is a long-term issue and needs active, synchronous and responsible coordination of many countries. Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Sen. Lt. Gen. To Lam (R) meets with a delegate from the PhilippinesIn his speech at the two-day meeting, which opened on April 25, Minister Lam clarified Vietnam’s viewpoint on the need for common and consistent solutions to this issue on an international scale. Countries concerned and the international community must work together to thoroughly address the root causes of the problem, especially to end armed conflicts, restore peace and stability in war zones, and enhance cooperation to fight terrorism and extremism. "This, in turn, generates political and social instability, plays into the hands of the forces of terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, leading to an escalation of local conflicts and crises," he added. On the sidelines of the meeting, Vietnamese Minister To Lam had talks with Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev and met with the delegations of China, Laos, Mongolia, Venezuela and the Philippines.-VNA

Vietnam rice exports notch volatile in Q1Vietnam’s rice exports faced an unpredictable first quarter this year, increasing in January, declining in February and recovering in March, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The rice export price also surged in March by 3.3 percent to 513.7 USD per tonne. The country’s overall rice exports in the first quarter of this year increased by 15.5 percent compared to the same period in 2017. However, rice exports to this market fell sharply by 95 percent in volume and 90 percent in year-on-year value. A similar but smaller-scale trend occurred in rice exports to Turkey, Iraq, Malaysia and France.

Vietnam in Group B of futsal club championshipVietnam’s Sanatech Khanh Hoa are in Group B of the coming ASEAN Football Federation Futsal Club Championship which will be organised in Indonesia in July. Sanatech Khanh Hoa of Vietnam are in Group B at the AFF Futsal Club Championship. (Photo: bongda.com.vn)After a draw on April 24 in Jakarta, Vietnamese champions Sanatech Khanh Hoa are in the same pool with Bangkok BTS (Thailand), Melaka United (Malaysia), the runner-up of the Indonesia Pro Futsal League who have not been recognised yet. Group A sees UYFC Komchaymear (Campuchia), Arbisyam FC (Brunei) East Coast Heat FC (Australia) and MIC FC (Myanmar). The tournament is scheduled to be played from July 15 to July 21.-VNA

Vietnam start-ups need more investmentDespite strong growth, investment into innovative start-ups in Vietnam remains relatively modest compared to the region and the world. Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said that capital for start-ups is very important. The Government has promulgated many regulations and programmes to support start-ups, especially innovative start-ups, including Decree 38/2018/ND-CP on innovative start-up investment. Trinh Thi Huong from the Enterprise Development Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment, said Decree 38 identified and recognised innovative start-up investment activities as a business; identified the legal status of innovative start-up companies and funds. “This is considered one of the goals of developing a start-up community in Vietnam, therefore, large enterprises need to boost action plans and spend for start-up capital," he said.

11 hospitalised in scaffolding collapse in HueVietNamNet Bridge – A scaffolding collapsed in the central province of Thua Thien- Hue leaving 11 construction workers injured on Sunday. Rescue workers in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue try to save victims of a scaffolding accident that occurred yesterday. Witnesses said the scaffolding collapsed when the workers were moulding a concrete porch at a height of some 3m at around 8am in the morning. Firefighters and rescuers spent nearly four hours to rescue the trapped workers, of whom 11 were sent for treatment to a local hospital. Col Hoang Long, head of the city police, said the investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the collapse, as well as to ensure workers’ safety once the work is resumed.

To solve supply glut, no new sugarcane plants until 2020Viet Nam will not build more new sugarcane plants between now and 2020, following a plan for the sugar industry’s development until 2020 with a vision to 2030. In the 2017-18 crop, the domestic sugarcane industry has struggled, the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper cited the Viet Nam Sugarcane and Sugar Association as saying. From now to 2020, the country’s sugarcane growing area will be maintained at 300,000ha while its sugarcane production will be ensured at more than 20 million tonnes and sugar output at 2 million tones, including 1.3 million tonnes of refined sugar. About 5.5 million tonnes or 90 per cent of bagasse will be used to produce 1.1 million kWh of electricity every year. By 2030, sugarcane and sugar output will be respectively increased to 24 million tonnes and 2.5 million tonnes.

Stock market still hot, but experts warn of oversupplyVietNamNet Bridge - Businesses are rushing to issue shares to increase their charter capital amid the stock price upswing that began last year. Sam Holdings said it would issue shares at the minimum price of VND10,000 per share, or VND2,000 higher than the current market price. And Thanh Nam Group is seeking VND300 billion through the issuance of 31 million shares. Risks aheadAs the stock price is on the rise, both the issuers and investors are now excited. US$1=VND22,000RELATED NEWSVietnam’s stock market: it’s the age of mid-cap stocksWhat’s behind the strong performance of the stock market in 2017?

Incense offering ceremony held in honour of Hung KingsPM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and delegates offer incense at Thuong Temple at the Hung Kings Temple Relic Site. PM Phuc and delegates laid wreaths and offered incense and flowers in tribute to the Hung Kings and other ancestors at the main temple. The same day, provinces and cities nationwide held a wide range of activities in commemoration of the Hung Kings. Ruling the country through 18 generations (2879–258 BC), the Hung Kings taught locals how to grow wet rice. The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, an important part of people's spiritual life.