Addressing a rally in Moscow after the early results were declared, Mr Putin said voters had "recognised the achievements of the last few years". In some areas, free food and discounts in local shops were on offer near polling stations. Mr Navalny was excluded from the election because of an embezzlement conviction that he said was manufactured by the Kremlin. In his first reaction to the news, Mr Navalny indicated he had been unable to contain his anger. Mr Putin was scheduled to speak at a rally scheduled for the fourth anniversary of the annexation - the same day as the election.

Mountainous village develops community tourismWith its natural beauty and investment of local authorities, Si Thau Chai village in Tam Duong district, the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau has been becoming a spotlight in developing community-based tourism, and an ideal tourist destination. About 40 km from Lai Chau city, Si Thau Chai village in Ho Thau commune, Tam Duong district, is home to 62 households of Dao ethnic minority people. Situated 1,400m above sea level, Si Thau Chai has cool weather all year round. I’m looking forward to the next time,” said Nong Thi Sam from Lai Chau city, Lai Chau province. With its natural beauty, Si Thau Chai is a promising destination for anyone.-VNA

Environmental protection tax opposed by some economistsVietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has proposed raising the environmental protection tax to offset the decrease in tax collection caused by tariff cuts under foreign trade agreements (FTAs). MOF has proposed raising environmental protection taxes on oil and petroleum products, from VND3,000 (13 US cents) to the ceiling level of VND4,000 (17 cents) per liter, commencing on July 1, 2018. MONRE estimated that the GHG volume in Vietnam was 247 million tons in 2010 and would surge to 300 million in 2012, 423 million tons in 2016, and reach 466 million tons by 2020. Dang Dinh Dao, former head of the Institute Economics & Development Studies, said the reasons cited by MOF for the tax increase plan area is unreasonable, and it is not the right time to raise the environmental protection tax. “MOF is trying to impose an even higher tax when Vietnamese businesses are already burdened with taxes,” he said.

What do the new figures about professorship titles show about the state of academe? VietNamNet Bridge - The analysis of figures officially made public by the State Professorship Council shows that many problems continue to exist among Vietnamese academic staff. The number of ISI/Scopus articlesOfficial statistics show that 1,226 candidates were recognized as meeting standards for both the professor and associate professor titles in 2017. The number of professors/associate professors recognizedThe number of 1,226 candidates awarded the professor/associate professor titles in 2017 showed a 1.7 times increase compared with 2016. Analysts have questioned the sharp rise in the number of professors/associate professors recognized this year.

CPTPP to widen Vietnam’s inroads to partner marketsTwo-way trade turnover between Vietnam and almost all members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have surpassed $1 billion annually. Two-way trade turnover with Japan hit $33.4 billion in 2017, and Vietnam’s trade surplus reached $250 million. Other billion-dollar partners of Vietnam are Malaysia (export turnover of $4.2 billion, import turnover of $5.86 billion), Singapore (export $2.961 billion, import $5.3 billion), Australia (export $3.3 billion, import $3.16 billion), Canada (export $2.7 billion, import $0.774 billion), Mexico ($2.34 billion, $0.567 billion), Chile ($1 billion, $0.283 billion). Vietnam’s average export and import turnover with about 200 countries and territories hit $2 billion, while average with CPTPP members was 3.5 times higher, reaching $6.7 billion. To the biggest CPTPP market, Japan, there were five export item groups reaching a turnover in excess of $1 billion.

Taxi associations request temporary policy to hamper Uber and GrabWhile local authorities plan to build a new decree on business and conditions for transportation business by automobile, Vietnamese taxi associations request a temporary policy to tighten the operations of Uber and Grab to replace the existing Decision No.24/QD-BGTVT on the pilot schemes for ride-hailing services. The taxi associations also showed numerous disadvantages during the implementation of the pilot programme in the past two years. The taxi associations also complained that two years is a long duration for implementing a pilot programme. In reality, the operations of traditional taxi firms have been seriously impacted by the appearance of Uber and Grab. Hence, the taxi associations proposed to build a temporary policy with the aim to stop extending the fleets and the geographic scale of the pilot programme.

Import tax on Japanese cars will be removed from 2029According to CPTPP commitments, import tax on motor vehicles from Japan will be removed from 2029. Thereby, these items will no longer be subject to trade tariffs between the 11 countries in general and Vietnam and Japan in particular. Vietnam would eliminate tariffs for all cars 13 years after the CPTPP takes effect. If imported cars cannot pass these requirements, they are instead left to gather dust in storage. Vietnam imported only 17 cars with less than nine seats in January this year, compared to the 3,700 units in just a fortnight in January 2017.

Hanoi seeking ways to save low-priced daikon radishesHanoi authorities on March 16 held a meeting to seek measures to help farmers boost sales of daikon radishes which are facing incredibly low prices. After Tet Holiday, radish prices have dropped sharply due to the slow sales to around VND1,500-2,000 (6.5-8.6 US cents) per kilo. Hoang Thi Sang in Dong Cao Village said that it costs roughly VND3 million (USD136.3) for every 360 square metres of radish. Lots of farmers in Dong Cao Village have to pull out the radishes in order to plant other vegetables. Farmers in Trang Viet Commune have been estimated to lose around VND2 billion (USD91,000) in total for the slow radish consumption.

PM Phuc suggests orientations of ASEAN-Australia partnershipVietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia to intensify cooperation and mutual trust, for interests of each side, as well as for cooperation and stability in the region. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the plenary session of the ASEAN-Australia Speicial Summit. He made the appeal while addressing a retreat between leaders of ASEAN and Australia within the framework of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Sydney on March 18. Meanwhile, at the plenary session of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit the same day, they compared notes on orientations of the ASEAN-Australia strategic partnership with the centre on collaboration in economy and anti-terrorism. Such dialogue mechanisms include the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

Hoi An beach among TripAdvisor's Top 25 in Asia in 2018An Bang Beach in Hoi An ancient town has been listed among the Top 25 beaches in Asia in 2018 by TripAdvisor. A corner of Hoi An BeachThe list is based on the votes of thousands of travelers from around the world. The beach is great for swimming and good food, TripAdvisor said, recommending May to September as the best time to visit. Located in the central province of Quang Nam, Hoi An was a leading trading port in Southeast Asia in the 17th and 18th centuries. It became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999.

Gia Lai encourages young to preserve gongThe gong, a musical instrument native to the Central Highlands, is popular in the five provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông, and Lâm Đồng. She joined a xoang dance class and was selected to perform in the Gong, Folk Singing and Folk Music Instrument Festival for young people in 2017. I feel it is the responsibility of the youngsters to preserve the traditional art and culture of our ethnic group,” Theo said. Besides the gong classes, the villages, districts and provinces also hold annual or biannual festivals and cultural events featuring the gong, and folk singing and folk music instrument performances for young people. Each troupe contributed with three types of performances: gong, folk dance and folk music instrument performances.

Grab and Uber as taxi firms: a step back in the Industry 4.0 era? The heated debate over whether Vietnam should regulate Grab and Uber as taxi services continues. Defining tech-based firms as traditional taxi services would be a step back for scientific and information technology development. If Grab and Uber were regulated as traditional taxi firms, it would hinder Vietnam’s progress to become a startup nation in the age of Industry 4.0. When Uber made its foray into China, the firm threatened the market shares of traditional taxi firms.

Dinh La Thang to stand for series of allegations at second trialThe Hanoi People’s Court will open the second trial of Dinh La Thang, who is charged with of pouring VND800 billion ($35.3 million) of state-run Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) into OceanBank despite all the alerting signs on March 19. Dinh La Thang and other defendants committed several violations during the contributions. On August 6, 2010, Dinh La Thang signed a document to purchase OceanBank’s additional capital and submitted it to the prime minister for approval. Without any bidding procedures, on June 18, 2010, Dinh La Thang signed the resolution to assign PVC the EPC package in the form of a bidding appointment. These amounts were spent for the wrong purposes and Dinh La Thang played the mastermind role in this case.

Vietnam, China talk sea area off mouth of Tonkin GulfVietnam and China held the ninth round of negotiations of a working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the sixth round of negotiations of a working group on cooperation in sea development in the central city Da Nang, on March 15-16. Soldiers of Vietnam Coast Guard in a Vietnam-China joint patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin. The two sides discussed various issues relating to the two working groups. Vietnam and China also agreed to promptly organise the 10th round of negotiations of the working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the seventh round of negotiations of the working group on sea development cooperation in China. At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed the minutes of the negotiations.-VNA

US’s education featured in HCM exhibitionVarious types of education in the US were introduced at an exhibition held by the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on March 16. Various types of education in the US were introduced at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City on March 16 (Source: https://www.hcmcpv.org.vn)During the event, representatives from 65 universities and colleges of the US have updated participants on scholarship programmes of the US Government for Vietnamese students, scholars and experts. Speaking at the exhibition, US Consul General in HCM City Mary Tarnowka stressed that education is still one of the leading cooperation priorities in the relations between the two countries. The number of Vietnamese students pursuing their study in the US has continuously increased over the last 16 years, she said. At present, around 31,890 Vietnamese students are studying in the US, ranking fifth among the countries with students studying in the country, and first in Southeast Asian nations.