Self-made bank changing the lives of local womenVietNamNet Bridge – Local women in a small town in Soc Trang Province are working together to escape poverty. A special interest free loan from a local collective bank is responsible for bringing hope into the lives of these disadvantaged farmers. Dao Thi Dau (left) with her fresh fruit stall, which was purchased using a loan from the special bank. — Photo tuoitre.vnThe bank is worth the small sum of just a few million dong, which the local women contribute to each month. Just a small sum of money has helped change the lives of many local women in Dai Ngai Town.

Vietnam is spending more money on tourism promotionThe tourism sector will have a large budget of VND400-500 billion to carry out marketing activities. These are just two of a series of tourism promotion programs that VNAT will run this year. Tourism promotion will be accelerated in the time to come thanks to a bigger budget from the Tourism Development Supporting Fund. Meanwhile, Thailand, which receives 32.5 million foreign tourists a year, spends $69 million on tourism promotion. RELATED NEWSPromoting tourism – Lever to develop Vietnam tourism industryFund to boost Vietnam tourism developmentThanh Mai

Young students make head motion wheelchairs practicalVietNamNet Bridge – Wheelchairs controlled by head motion may bring new hope to people with disabilities in Vietnam. Dat and Khanh try using the head motion wheelchair. Their project competed against hundreds of others and received first prize in the 2018 National Science and Technology Competition for high school students in the northern region. Although a head motion wheelchair is not a new innovation in the world, its high cost is a real obstruction to Vietnamese people with disabilities. Not only the Bac Ninh high school students, a group of students from the HCM City University of Transportation were also inspired to make a wheelchair for people without limbs.

The predicted global recession: will Vietnam prepare for such a scenario? VietNamNet Bridge - Jim Rogers, the co-founder of Quantum Fund, a familiar name in investors’ circles, has predicted an eventual global recession. Vietnam began cutting unnecessary business conditions in 1999, but more and more new business conditions continued. An analyst estimated that there were 400 business conditions in the past, while the figure is now 5,700. RELATED NEWSVietnam surpasses 2017 GDP target aided by global strengthVietnam facing challenges ahead as GDP growth uncertain in 2018Mai Thanh

Phu Quoc struggles to control land speculationWhat comes to mind when you think of Phu Quoc Island? Dozens of hectares of agricultural land have been divided illegally for sale in Cua Duong Town on Phu Quoc Island. On average, Phu Quoc Island discharges more than 150 tonnes of waste per day. In the face of such development, Phu Quoc authorities have urged people to carefully consider their decision to buy land. Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has asked the Government Inspectorate to improve inspection of management and use of agricultural land on Phu Quoc.

Defeating South Korea a must for World Cup berthMoving on from their two huge defeats in the Asian Women’s Cup, the Vietnamese players are positive for their last Group B match against South Korea today in Amman, Jordan. Vietnamese players in a training for the clash against South Korea yesterday. Although their previous defeats eliminated them from the final four, they can still reach the playoffs for the fifth place and earn a ticket to FIFA Women’s World Cup if they defeat South Korea, who are world No 16. Speaking about their rivals, Chung said the South Koreans were a team of physical players, who also owned good technique. In today’s match, Chung will welcome back his key midfielder Chuong Thi Kieu, who is expected to strengthen his defence.

Vietnamese firms brace for Industry 4.0Updating technology and revamping administration are crucial for the existence and development of Vietnamese businesses amidst the fourth industrial revolution, experts said at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on April 12. The experts agreed that the industrial revolution has directly impacted Vietnam’s economy, especially enterprises. Le Hoai Quoc, head of the management board of the Saigon High-teach Park (SHTP), said the revolution generates both opportunities and challenges for local firms. Highlighting the efficiency of new technology in production, Nhon said after revamping production technology, ICC needs only 50 workers compared with 150 in the past, with output up three-fold. They suggested employing more labourers with high skills, encouraging foreign firms to participate in the local supply chain and promoting innovation.-VNA

Two jailed for anti-State attemptThe People’s Court in the central province of Ha Tinh on April 12 handed down a jail term of nine years, which will be followed by another five-year probation, to Tran Thi Xuan for attempt to overthrow the people’s administration. With her position, and instructions and support from foreign and domestic reactionary organisations, Xuan increasingly demonstrated her attempt to oppose and overthrow the Government. Xuan’s acts were said to "attempt to overthrow the people’s administration" under Clause 1, Article 79 of the 1999 Penal Code. Releasing from prison, Dung used social networks to collude with extremists and reactionaries to write articles, post photos that distort the truth about the country and destroy the peaceful life of countrymen. From April 30, 2017 to May 19, 2017, Dung used his own Facebook page to post numerous articles with contents containing wrong information about the Party and State’s policies, defame the Government, and distort the national history.

Trump to reconsider joining TPP trade pactUS President Donald Trump has said he will only join the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) if the deal is "substantially better" than the one offered to President Barack Obama. The TPP is the free trade pact with primarily Asia-Pacific nations that Mr Trump backed out of last year. Just hours earlier, Mr Trump had unexpectedly said the US would consider rejoining the pact. Mr Trump's Democratic rival in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton, also came out against the agreement during the campaign. Mr Trump ordered his staff to evaluate rejoining "on our terms", according to accounts from the meeting.

New individual of world’s rarest turtle found in HanoiAn additional individual of the Swinhoe's Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), the world’s most endangered turtle species, has been found at Xuan Khanh Lake on the outskirts of Hanoi, thanks to the efforts from the Asian Turtle Programme (ATP) of Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC), a UK based conservation charity. In January 2016 a large male Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle that had lived in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake passed away. This ancient animal was the last surviving individual of the species in the lake and was possibly over 100 years old. A photograph of the Swinhoe's Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) that was rescued following a dam break in Dong Mo Lake, Hanoi in 2008. The photo is clearly a large softshell turtle, similar in general appearance to a Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle, but again was not enough to confirm the species.

Renewable energy: which option for Vietnam? VietNamNet Bridge - Considered a country with great potential for solar and wind power, Vietnam continues to be one of the 12 ‘hotspots’ in the globe for coal-fired power development. In India, the renewable power price has decreased by 50 percent in the last two years because of higher capacity. According to Takimoto Koji from JETRO office in HCMC, some Japanese investors came to Vietnam to seek opportunities to invest in renewable energy. RELATED NEWSDeveloping renewable energy from wasteVN seeing a boom in renewable energy projectsKim Chi

IFC to assist HCM City in building smart cityThe International Finance Corporation (IFC) will help Ho Chi Minh City to build a smart city plan, IFC Vice President for Asia and Pacific Nena Stoiljkovic told Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem on April 12. HCM City and IFC officials pose for a photoAt the meeting in the southern economic hub of Vietnam, Liem thanked the IFC for supporting the city’s leaders during their working visit to the US in late 2017 during which HCM City and the IFC signed a cooperation agreement. He asked the IFC to help HCM City learn smart city building experience from countries around the world, especially in the formation of a centre for research, simulation, forecast and building of socio-economic development strategies. She highly evaluated the city’s strategic vision and efforts in building a smart city, noting that the IFC will help it study smart city building projects. Cooperation between the IFC and HCM City will open up new approaches in development cooperation and sponsorship, she said.

Sam Son sea festival slated for April 21The 2018 sea festival of Sam Son city of the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa will take place on April 21, heard a press conference held in the city on April 12. Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Sam Son city Hoang Khac Nhu said the city is striving to improve quality of tourism services in 2018. New destinations in Sam Son are open to the public this year, namely ones invested by Sun Group and FLC Group, he added. Located 16km from the central city of Thanh Hoa to the east, the coastal city of Sam Son is home to the famous Sam Son beach. Sam Son city together with Thanh Hoa city and Nghi Son economic zone will form a development triangle.

Dong Thap works to preserve Vietnamese bamboo speciesMore than 60 Vietnamese bamboo varieties have been planted in the Gao Giong eco-tourism site in Cao Lanh district, the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, as part of the site’s bamboo conservation project. This is the place having the largest number of bamboo trees in Dong Thap. Huynh Thanh Hien, head of the Gao Giong cajuput forest management board, said there are now 61 bamboo species planted in the forest. The forest management board is collecting bamboo species from other Southeast Asian and European countries. In 2018, the board plans to plant bamboos to form a map of Vietnam covering 15 hectares in the Gao Giong eco-tourism area.-VNA

Ministry tackles surging land prices in Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang NinhThe Ministry of Construction has urged authorities on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province and Van Don Island in Quang Ninh Province as well as Van Phong Bay area in Khanh Hoa Province, to take immediate steps to control surging land prices. A view of Van Don Island in Quang Ninh Province. He told authorities to conduct inspections and uncover violations of land and real estate laws, among other regulations. The localities were told to report their inspection results to the ministry’s Housing Management and Real Estate Market Department before May 7. Land prices in Van Don, Van Phong and Phu Quoc have reached VND60 million (US$2,632) per square metre, according to a report from the Viet Nam Association of Real Estate Brokers.