HCM City sees busy real estate transactions in outlying districtsLand registration offices at some outlying districts in HCM City have been extremely busy due to recent rising land prices in the area. "We’re having to work at full capacity every day to serve the high demand for land transactions." Land transactions are busy not only in District 9 and 12 but also in some other outlying districts including Binh Tan, Hoc Mon and Binh Chanh. According to a real estate company in Binh Tan District, the real estate market in the area has been fuelled by the rising land prices in the city's suburbs since early 2016. "Authorities in these areas should intensify the management of land and update information for local people to prevent possible cheating in land transactions," Tuyen stressed.

Cuong’s business was among the top twenty startups at the APEC 2017 Startup Forum and was a typical Vietnamese startup in 2017Flower Farm now has over 24,000 regular individual and institutional customers in VietnamWhen studying in Japan, Cuong was impressed by Japanese paper flowersReturning home, he decided to invest 1.5 billion VND into making paper flowers as he found the potential for developing this business in VietnamPeach blossoms always in high demand during Tet holidaysPaper imported from ItalyPeach blossoms, roses and daisies are favorite during TetFlower Farm’s products at the 2017 Startup Fair

Phu Quoc's major river polluted severelyVietNamNet Bridge – Duong Dong, the largest river that supplies water for Phu Quoc Island in southern Kien Giang Province, is polluted with garbage and waste water. Workers from Phu Quoc Island’s Public Work Management Board collect garbage from the surface of Duong Dong River. Triet said the waste water was being treated only through the sedimentation tank, and then discharged directly into the river along canals. The deterioration of the water quality has affected the beauty of the river and disrupted the living conditions of the local people along the river. Pham Van Nghiep, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the river was not polluted from the headwaters, but the discharge of waste water and garbage from households on both sides of the river had inflicted the damage.

Government draws up resilience plans for rainy seasonVietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) recently asked concerned agencies and localities to tighten the management of dyke maintenance and flood prevention for the coming rainy season. According to the Vietnam News Agency, MoARD has also asked Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority to guide localities on evaluating dyke systems and approve protection plans as well as inspect and urge the implementation of dyke maintenance during floods and stormy season. Meanwhile, from May 1, HCM City Greenery Parks Company will set up 17 quick response teams during working hours to handle incidents of falling trees in the coming rainy season. People can also notify the company in its subsidiary offices at Nguyen Thong Street, District 3; Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 11; Hoang Minh Giam Street, Phu Nhuan District; Street No.3, District 9; No.20A1, Nguyen Van Bua Street, in Xuan Thoi Son Commune, Hoc Mon Distrcict; and the company’s headquarter in Cong Truong Quoc Te, District 3. The company, therefore, is planning to plant new trees while handling old ones to minimise accidents caused by falling trees.

Ca Mau Province to inspect illegal farming activitiesVietNamNet Bridge – The Mekong Delta Province of Ca Mau on Tuesday launched an inspection of arbitrary seafood farming and planting activities on its island. Bich Thuy Enterprise carries out illegal aqua agricultural and farming activities on Hon Hang Island. — Photo thanhnien.vnThe inspection team, led by Le Van Su, vice chairman of Ca Mau Province People’s Committee, will inspect the activities of aqua agriculture, planting coconut trees and breeding chickens without the permission of Hon Hang Island authorities in the Hon Chuoi Island Cluster in Song Doc Town, Tran Van Thoi District. It will also inspect the project of breeding wild animals in combination with eco tourism on the islands of Hon Sao and Hon Doi Moi in Tan An Commune, Ngoc Hien District. Earlier this month, the provincial department of natural resources and environment submitted a report to the People’s Committee on the illegal farming activities of Bich Khai Enterprise in Song Doc Town, Tran Van Thoi District.

Deputy PM orders strict fines for fake drugsDeputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has called for tough punishment for faking medicines and medicinal supplements which poses risks to human health. Dam ordered the Health Ministry and Ministry of Public Security to work closely with the police and health departments of related localities to impose fines on Vinaca. Criminals involved in fake drugs cases have a lot of tricks under their sleeves, Đam said, adding that all activities related to producing and selling of fake products, fake medicines and functional foods must be punished, especially violations related to the treatment of incurable diseases. For a long-term solution, Dam asked the health ministry to continue tracking the origin of drugs and managing more than 4,000 pharmacies nationwide. Early this year, Hai Phong City police discovered thousands of Vinaca Company’s products being manufactured at a facility of Dao Thi Chuc in Kien An District.

Thanh Hoa coastal forest swamped by rubbishDa Loc Commune protective coastal forest in Thanh Hoa Province has become a huge dumping site as large amounts of rubbish are being washed up on the beach. According to the local people, Da Loc Commune has about 400 hectares of protective forest along over five kilometres of the beach. Vu Van Dinh, chairman of Da Loc Commune, admitted that pollution was a serious problem and they needed help. Dinh said the rubbish was generated both from Da Loc Commune and other places upstream. The tide brings in rubbish to the forest in Thanh Hoa ProvinceRubbish remains tangled in the trees when the tide goes downDtinews

Former police officer sentenced for espionageA former police officer of a department under the Ministry of Public Security was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of espionage and property plundering. Nguyen Hoang Duong at the trial.—Photo thanhnien.vnOn Monday, Ho Chí Minh City People’s Court sentenced Nguyen Hoang Duong to seven years in jail for espionage attempts and one year for property plundering. According to the indictment, from July 22-29, 2016, Duong had blackmailed his sister to get VNĐ100 million (US$4,500) but failed. October 4, 2016: Yang was arrested, and his attempt to sell classified documents was foiled. Considering his behaviour, personal background and the consequence of his crime, the Trial Panel sentenced Duong to eight years imprisonment, lower than the Procuracy’s suggestion of 13-14 years for two crimes.

Meat imports threaten domestic livestock industryVietNamNet Bridge - To improve their competitiveness, Vietnamese livestock companies have been told to restructure their production and supply chains. Le Ba Lich, chair of the Vietnam Feed Association, said that imported meat is cheap because export countries have highly specialized and automated livestock industries. At present, poultry and animal meat imports still bear tax, but are putting pressure on domestic products. According to Nguyen Dang Vang, chair of the Vietnam Livestock Association, the best solution for the livestock industry to become competitive is to develop closed farming chains. RELATED NEWSVN livestock industry in danger as imports are too cheapMeat imports reach record high as local livestock industry floundersKim Chi

AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship slated for April 20The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship will kick off in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on April 20 with the competition of 36 players of 18 teams from 10 countries and territories, announced the organising board at a press conference on April 17. Cups for top teams of AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball ChampionshipThe host country of Vietnam will send three teams to the four-day event, while Australia, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand and Thailand will have two teams each, and Kazakhstan, Singapore and Malaysia to send one team each. Total prize money of the tournament is 12,000 USD, with the winner pocketing 2,600 USD, the runner-up receiving 2,000 USD and the third one bagging 1,600 USD. Pham Van Luan, Vice Director of the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and deputy head of the organising board, said that the AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship is part of point-scoring system for players. The annual event is also a chance for the teams to exchange and improved their skills, he added.-VNA

The two sides exchanged views on the progress of the project and discussed measures to remove difficulties for enterprises. He proposed and Artamonov welcomed Manh’s idea of establishing a cooperative relationship between Kaluga and a Vietnamese locality. Cooperation between the Vietnamese side and Kaluga is now more convenient as the railway from Kaluga to China has been cleared. HCM City, Greece’s Edessa city seek stronger cooperationLe Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee (middle), and the Greek guests. In reply, Mironov highlighted the thriving economic links, along with cultural and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.

The model aims to strengthen coordination among justice, healthcare, social agencies as well as the community in assisting drug addicts in accessing and strictly following healthcare, social and judicial services in the community, thus reducing the relapse risks. This year, the number of participating firms rose three-fold, namely Kyushu Electric Power, AEON Kyushu, Kyushu Engineering and Okura hotel. The two countries’ researchers will deal with a wide range of topics, such as educational studies; literature and linguistics; philosophy and religion; history, archeology, ethnology and anthropology; arts; sociology, psychology and social work. The association has worked hard to guide Buddhists in their social interactions, and educate the younger generation on Vietnam’s identities and cultural traditions. Việt Nam Red Cross (VNRC) and Việt Nam Women’s Union will work together in social and humanitarian activities from 2018 to 2022 under the framework of a joint agreement.

Crossing borders project looks for Asian artistsArtists from Asian countries will have a chance to get to know more about the German culture through the Crossing Borders programme, the Goethe Institute Vietnam has announced. Asian artists have chance to get fund from Robert Bosch Foundation for their address current social issues and seek to examine different cultures and societies through their work. In addition to the publication of the Crossing Borders projects, grants can also be applied for the presentation of these works at public events. One project leader, male or female, should be named, to be the contact person for the Robert Bosch Foundation and responsible for the project. Applicants, who have already received a Crossing Borders grant, can apply again, after the research for the first project is completed.

Korean pianist to perform in HCMCSouth Korean conductor Kim Joon-cha and pianist Cho Eun-young will perform in “A Night of Mozart & Tchaikovsky” concert at HCM City Opera House on April 19. South Korean pianist Cho Eun Young will perform at the “A Night of Mozart & Tchaikovsky” concert at HCM City Opera House on April 19. — Photo courtesy of HBSOPianist Cho will play Piano Concert No 21 in C Major, K 467 composed by Mozart in 1785, together with the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO)’s symphony orchestra. She holds bachelor and master’s degrees and a doctorate in piano performance from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow. The concert will begin at 8pm at the HCM City Opera House at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1.

France remains main partner of Hue Festival 2018France is one of the main partners of the Hue Festival, which is set to take place in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue from April 27 to May 2. The Hue Festival, previously known as the France-Vietnam art festival, was first held in 2000 by the French Embassy in Vietnam and the ancient city of Hue, said Dung, who is also head of the festival organising committee. Most recently, at the Hue Festival 2016, the L’Homme Debout art troupe from the Poitou Charentes region of France joined Vietnamese artists to create an art performance called Venus. In addition to boosting cooperation at the Hue Festival, the two countries have stepped up collaboration in economy. Apart from France, the Hue Festival 2018 is expected to draw 21 international art troupes from the Republic of Korea, the UK, Mongolia, Japan, Thailand, Russia, Belgium and China.