VN Index hits new record highVietnam’s benchmark VN Index marginally surpassed the record high of 1,170 points on March 22 as energy stocks remained upbeat and insurers and agriculture firms performed strongly as well. The VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange edged up 0.26 percent to end at 1,172.36 points, posting a nine-day increase of 4.3 percent in total. The benchmark index narrowed its growth from the intraday gaining pace of 0.94 percent, which helped the VN Index rise to the 1,180-point level. Rising oil prices and growing energy stocks remained the most important factors that boosted the benchmark index over its former all-time high of 1,170 points. On the opposite side, the benchmark index suffered strong investor selling when it touched the intraday peak of 1,180 points.

HCM City apartment building fire kills 13As many as 13 people died and 28 others were injured when a blaze burned an apartment complex at No. 1648 Vo Van Kiet street, District 8 of Ho Chi Minh City in early morning of March 23, reported local authorities. The Fire Fighting Police Department of the city sent 34 fire trucks and 200 police to the site to control the blaze and rescue stuck people. According to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Huong from the department, most of the 13 victims died from suffocation. Carina Plaza is a high-end apartment complex including three buildings with 15-21 storeys and 736 apartments.

Japan presents Hanoi school Smart Education solutionsJapan’s Wanokai International Culture Association presented Nguyen Du Secondary School in downtown Hanoi a set of Smart Education solutions, worth 12 billion VND (528,000 USD), during an event on March 22. 2018 marks the 45th year of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, a milestone for both sides, Inamine Hidenobu, a Wanokai representative, remarked at the event. To foster the cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, the Wanokai presented the Smart Education solutions to Nguyen Du School in the hope that they will be widely applied in the city in the future, he said. Tsuruo Ogawa, technical director of Jib Media Co., Ltd., Japan's NHK Television said, Smart education solutions support a hi-tech education with the use of advanced equipment and software for teaching, learning and management. It also plays a significant role in promoting the two nations’ diplomatic ties, he noted.-VNA

Quang Ninh tops in provincial competitive indexThe northeastern province of Quang Ninh, for the first time ever, became the most competitive locality in the country, topping Vietnam’s Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) 2017. According to the report, Quang Ninh was followed closely by Da Nang (70.1 points) and Dong Thap (68.8 points). “The PCI report has been very influential in promoting transparency and good economic governance in Vietnam. According to Dau Anh Tuan, Director of the VCCI’s Legal Department, the 2017 PCI report witnessed impressive reform efforts by local government across the country. The 2017 PCI survey revealed optimism among the private and foreign business communities helped raise their economic prospects.

HAGL lose to FC Seoul at int’l U19 football eventVietNamNet Bridge – Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) lost to FC Seoul of South Korea 1-2 in the opening match of the International U19 Football Tournament yesterday. Both coach Guillaume Graechen of HAGL and Myung Jinyoung of Seoul used their best line-up in this game to earn three points for a strong start. However, only two minutes later, Park Geon Joon made his name with a goal to level the score of 1-1. The team, who finished third in the same event last year, aimed to take the trophy of this international event. The tournament has attracted the participation of six teams including HAGL, Chonburi, FC Seoul, Mito Hollyhock of Japan and Vietnam U19.

Vietnam posts trade surplus of $2.92 billion in 2017Vietnam’s trade surplus hit a record high of 2.92 billion USD in 2017, according to a report released by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Ho Chi Minh City on March 22. The surplus was mainly with developed countries like the US and Australia, and the EU. Vietnam has 29 groups of items whose export revenue exceeded 1 billion USD, 20 groups with export turnover of above 2 billon USD and eight groups with export value of more than 6 billion USD. The annual report provides accurate information on the country’s trade for management agencies, policymakers and businesses. He called on the ministry to include more information on trade protectionism and barriers, and offer solutions and recommendations to overcome them.

Vietnam, RoK look to increase two-way tradeMinister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Paik Un-gyu sought measures to complete the two countries’ trade goal of 100 billion USD by 2020 during their talks in Hanoi on March 22. They agreed on the need to continue working closely in building joint action programmes in industry, trade and energy while coordinating in designing and carrying out effective policies and measures to promote bilateral economic and trade partnership. The RoK will continue assisting Vietnam to train high-quality human resources for industry, oil and gas, and renewable energy. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, trade between Vietnam and the RoK jumped from 500 million USD in 1992 to 61.5 billion USD in 2017, making the RoK the second largest trader of Vietnam after China. In 2017, two-way trade reached 61.5 billion USD, up 41 percent year on year, including Vietnam’s exports of 14.8 billion USD, a rise of 30 percent over 2016 and its imports of 46.7 billion USD, up 45.3 percent year on year.

U15 PVF enter quarter-final of ASEAN eventVietnam’s U15 PVF team entered the quarter-final of the U15 ASEAN Dream Football Tournament, held at the SCG Muangthong United Practice Field on March 21. Vietnam’s U15 PVF team (Photo: zing.vn)The team topped Group C with nine points after three wins. Earlier, they bested Thailand’s Police Tero 5-1 and Kamatamare Sanuki of Japan 5-0. The Vietnamese side were in Group C with Police Tero, Nakhon Ratchashima and Kamatamare Sanuki of Japan. U15 PVF finished third in the same event last year.-VNA

RoK President Moon meets Vietnam’s U23 football teamPresident of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam engaged in an exchange with Vietnam’s U23 football team - the runner-up of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship, and its RoK head coach Park Hang-seo in Hanoi on March 22. This is the first official visit to Vietnam by President Moon Jae-in. Welcoming President Moon and his spouse’s meeting with the team, Deputy PM Dam underscored that cooperation between the two countries in sports has been encouraging over the past years. For his part, President Moon expressed his impressions of the Vietnam U23 team’s high record at the AFC U23 Championship under the training of head coach Park Hang-seo. U23 Vietnam surprised the world when they only lost out in the last minute of the final match to Uzbekistan at the AFC U23 Championship in China.

Skytrax ranks Noi Bai among top 100 global airportsNoi Bai International Airport in Hanoi has been ranked 82nd among 500 airports worldwide surveyed by the UK–based aviation consultancy Skytrax. Terminal T2 of Noi Bai International Airport in HanoiThis was the third time in a row Noi Bai has been listed in Skytrax’s top 100 best airports in the world. At present, the airport receives 25 million passengers a year. The figure is estimated to grow to 34.5 million passengers in 2020, 54 million in 2025, and 65 million in 2030. The upgrade of Noi Bai’s domestic terminal T1 will be completed this year.-VNA

Former PM Khai – pioneer in int'l integrationFormer Prime Minister Phan Van Khai passed away on March 17 in his home in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City. “Phan Van Khai is our comrade, a great brother of the Cuban Party, Government and people. Im Hen, Consul General of Cambodia in Ho Chi Minh City, also lent his deepest condolences at PM Phan Van Khai passing, saying: “Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai left a great imprint during his leadership tenure. The former Prime Minister deserves credit for boosting Vietnam’s international integration. Former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai was one of the leaders who laid the foundation for Vietnam’s international integration.

Domestic fashion brands seek foothold in $3.5 billion marketVietNamNet Bridge - Domestic brands are expected to have opportunities to prosper in the local market amid the massive arrivals of foreign brands. The Vietnamese fashion market is worth $3.5 billionPessimistic forecasts have been given about the fate of Vietnamese fashion brands which have to compete with powerful brands like Uniqlo, Zara and H&M. Vietnamese brands, such as Blue Exchange, Ninomaxx, PT 2000, Couple TX and Canifa, once dominated the domestic market. The value of the Vietnamese fashion market (clothing & footwear) is estimated at $3.8 billion in 2018, of which expenditures on clothing are $3.5 billion. The value of the Vietnamese fashion market (clothing & footwear) is estimated at $3.8 billion in 2018, of which expenditures on clothing are $3.5 billion.

Technology sector sees rising number of startupsVietNamNet Bridge - With nearly 3,000 startups, Vietnam is entering a startup boom similar to Europe’s in the 2010-2011 period, according to Max Scheichenost, the co-founder of 15 startups. Most startups are in the technology sector as Vietnam has many technology talents. However, this is also a barrier because startups focus on technology rather than solutions to life issues. Mai Huong, the founder of Coco Sin, Fibér and 8870 Link brands, also showed interest in technology, especially Big Data. “With huge information about users, you need Big Data to better understand clients.

Vietnam universities use software to uncover plagiarismVietNamNet Bridge - To deal with the increasingly serious problem of plagiarism, several top-tier universities in Vietnam have begun to use software to discover plagiarized work. DoIt has been used by the Hanoi National University since 2016The universities include state-owned Hanoi National University, Hanoi Foreign Trade University, Hanoi Economics University, Hanoi University of Education, HCMC Economics University, and non-state owned universities such as Ton Duc Thang and Hoa Sen.DoIt, the software used by Hanoi National University since 2016, can discover identical paragraphs in different documents. According to Hieu, software is being used by all the member schools of Hanoi National University to discover plagiarism, and its database has been updated and developed. DoIt, the software used by Hanoi National University since 2016, can discover identical paragraphs in different documents. Turnitin, a popular software used around the world, has also been used by many Vietnam schools.

Work begins on Vietnam-RoK institute of science, technologyVietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) on March 22 co-organised a ground-breaking ceremony for Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) Institute of Science and Technology in Hanoi-based Hoa Lac High-Tech Park. RoK President Moon Jae-in, who is on a State visit to Vietnam from March 22-24, and Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, at the ceremony. The enhancement of cooperation to spur Vietnam’s economic development through science and technology is evidence of the RoK’s New Look South Policy towards prosperity of both sides, he stressed. In her remarks, Vice President Thinh noted with pleasure the breakthrough development of Vietnam-RoK cooperative ties over the past 25 years, especially after the two countries established the strategic cooperative partnership in 2009. Vietnamese Minster of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said his ministry, which has been assigned to construct and manage the operation of the institute, hopes that the institute will soon become a model for the Vietnam-RoK friendship.