VietJet inks deal to open direct flights between HCM City, BrisbaneVietnamese budget carrier VietJet and the Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) of the Australian state of Queensland signed a cooperation agreement in Sydney on March 16 to open a direct route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane. The direct route linking HCM City and Brisbane is scheduled to open in 2019. VietJet selected Brisbane as the first destination in Australia for a direct flight with HCM City given the Vietnamese southern metropolis is one of the five biggest markets of Brisbane but there is yet a direct route between them. VietJet is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. To prepare for this plan, VietJet has signed agreements with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers to purchase more brand-new and modern aircraft.-VNA

Dong Thap win national U19 football eventVietNamNet Bridge – Dong Thap won the National U19 Football Tournament after beating defending champions Hanoi 3-2 in a penalty shootout at Tu Do Stadium in Hue City yesterday. A player of Hanoi (right) vies for the ball with Dong Thap player in the final match National U19 Football Tournament at Tu Do Stadium in Hue City yesterday. — Photo bongda.com.vnTran Cong Minh scored the winning spot-kick for Dong Thap, holding his nerve to beat goalkeeper Duong Tung Lam of Hanoi. In the 15th minute, Le Van Nam broke Dong Thap’s offside trap but couldn’t beat the Dong Thap goalkeeper Le Nhut Huy to open the scoring. Dong Thap then fought back strongly to create several openings but they failed to capitalise.

Hai Phong residents live in fear of fuel stationsVietNamNet Bridge – Some residents in northern Hai Phong City have been living in fear of the fuel stations located near their houses, causing health problems and posing deadly risks. The gas station brought fear for these households as they had to pass it to get in or out of the alley. Local residents said they first reported the situation to local authorities when the gas station was built in 2013. Local residents said that they hoped the city would soon move these gas stations out of their living places to ensure their safety. If gas stations near residential areas fail to ensure people’s safety, they should be relocated.

Vietnam’s banking system records $440bil in total assetThe total assets of the Vietnamese banking system surpassed 10 quadrillion VND (440 billion USD) in late 2017, according to the State Bank of Vietnam. Meanwhile, commercial joint stock banks owned 4.03 quadrillion VND, or more than 40 percent of the total, marking a 17.69 percent increase. As of late 2017, total equity capital of the system rose by 11.64 percent to 714.106 trillion VND. The espective figure for financial and financial lease companies, and cooperative banks was 23.353 trillion VND and 3.633 trillion VND. The commercial joint stock banks recorded a ratio of 11.47 percent.

Q1 workforce up by 150,000Vietnam expects to have a total of 54.2 million people in the workforce in the first quarter of 2018, up 150,000 from last year’s final quarter, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA). The number of employed people hit 54.05 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, up 0.53 percent from the previous quarter and 1.21 percent year-on-year. The highest growth was recorded in manufacturing with an increase of 226,000 people, followed by construction, logistics and automotive repair and maintenance service industries. Meanwhile, the number of people working in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries saw the largest decline of 698,000 people from the same period of 2016. The number of unemployed was estimated at 749,000 people, up 6,700 from the third quarter of 2017 and unchanged year-on-year.-VNA

Lam Dong: Waste treatment factory found dumping waste illegallyEnvironmental police in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on Wednesday found about 40,000 tonnes of solid waste dumped illegally in the area of Da Lat Waste Treatment Factory in Xuan Truong Commune, Da Lat City. Untreated waste was dumped in the area of the Da Lat Solid Waste Treatment Plant in Xuan Truong Commune. Thanks to a secret report, police inspected the factory owned by Green Energy Environment Ltd Company and found a truck throwing solid waste into a hole some four-metre deep. Further investigation showed that the factory dumped about 30,000 cubic metres or 40,000 tonnes of solid waste in the area of about one hectare. It was designed to deal with about 200 tonnes of solid waste daily and the treated waste would be used for fertiliser production.

Francophone Day to be celebrated in VNA variety of activities, including art events, concerts, film screenings and a writing contest will be held nationwide to celebrate International Francophone Day 2018 in Viet Nam. FilmsThe highlight of the celebrations will be the 11th Francophone Film Festival which will showcase the cultural diversity of the Francophonie, from this coming Saturday to April 1. In addition, the third journalistic writing contest for young Francophones has been launched by Le Courrier du Việt Nam, the only French-language newspaper in Viet Nam. directed by Stéphane Klebb, a renowned Swiss film director, at 6:30 pm on March 19 at IDECAF. Viet Nam is home to the biggest number (674,000) of French-speaking people in Asia.

VN, Russian soloists perform at “Musical Journey through Europe”Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy and Russian cellist Dmitri Feygin will perform at the Musical Journey through Europe concert at the HCM City Opera House on March 18. Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy will perform at the “Musical Journey through Europe” concert at the HCM City Opera House on March 18. The night will continue with Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, op 26, a famous work of German composer Max Bruch. He won top prizes at international competitions, including the first prize and golden medal of the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Saint Petersburg in 1997. Russian cellist Feygin will perform Cello Concerto No 1 in A Minor, op 33 by French composer Camille Saint-Saens in 1872.

Dialogue seeks to promote fishery cooperation in East SeaThe Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and the Embassy of Australia co-hosted the second Ocean Dialogue in Hanoi on March 15, focusing on fishery cooperation in the East Sea. Opening of the dialogue, DAV Vice President Le Hai Binh said for regional countries, fishing in the East Sea brings about more than simple economic benefits. He said the dialogue provided experts with a valuable opportunity to share their view and discuss ways to improve fishery cooperation in the region. Peter Girke, Head of the KAS Office in Hanoi, contended that the fish stocks in the East Sea have been depleted at an alarming rate. Australia has been working with Vietnam to foster effective fishery cooperation and will maintain its strong commitment to bilateral cooperation in the future, she added.

Vietnamese fruit could face trade barriers in Chinese marketVietNamNet Bridge - China has become more fastidious about fruit imports, setting high requirements similar to those applied by the US and Australia. China is one of the largest export markets for Vietnam’s fruits. However, Vietnam’s fruit exports to the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia just account for only 10 percent of total export turnover, while the other 75 percent is from the Chinese market. With the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Vietnam’s fruit exports to China will enjoy the zero percent export tariff. Vietnam has many kinds of tropical fruits, but exports to the world market remain modest.

Frenchman wins award for cultural museum in Hoi AnFrench photographer Réhahn, based in Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam, won the Trophées des Francais de l’étranger in recognition of his art gallery and museum in Hoi An, in a ceremony in Quai d’Orsay, Paris, this week. Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum project, at 26 Phan Boi Chau in Hoi An city, was selected as the winner among nine nominees for Trophées des Francais de l’étranger this year. “I’m very honoured to win the award for my project after a seven-year course seeking photos of ethnic groups and their fashion collections for exhibition in Hoi An,” Réhahn said in a statement. Réhahn has met almost all 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam in his time living and working in Hoi An town, an UNESCO-recognised world heritage site. He has also been building a Co Tu Museum in Tay Giang district of Quang Nam province.

Muong Lo rice granary in danger because of lack of waterVietNamNet Bridge - The Muong Lo field in Yen Bai province, the rice granary in the northwest, is withering as it has not received enough water from hydropower plants during the dry season. It now faces a water shortage as hydropower plants refuse to discharge water to save crops. As a result, 17.36 hectares of the Muong Lo field in Sang Han hamlet in Nghia Loi commune and a part of Nghia Lo are suffering from drought. It now faces a water shortage as hydropower plants refuse to discharge water to save crops. In the dry season, hydropower plants all try to store water and refuse to discharge water.

About startups in the field of blockchain have registered their headquarters in VietnamCharles Hoskinson, the co-founder of Ethereum and Cardano, which participated in Vietnam Blockchain Week on March 7, said the blockchain field was entering a boom period like the internet in 1990s. Another challenge for blockchain technology in Vietnam is the lack of a legal framework. Junya Yamamoto, CEO of Infinity Blockchain Lab, said that Vietnam has great potential to develop technology and blockchain. Ta Viet Dung from the Ministry of Science & Technology (MST) said that Vietnam has talent in the field of blockchain technology. RELATED NEWSVietnamese PhD in blockchain technology predicts big year for cryptocurrencyGlobal experts attend blockchain event in HCM CityThanh Mai

University students’ plagiarism at a “terrible” level: educatorsVietNamNet Bridge - Only a small percentage of university students and postgraduates in Vietnam are able to write essays that meet ethical academic standards, educators say. Nearly all university students admit that they refer to theses on the same topics written by older students when doing their own work. Ngo Quy Nham, a lecturer at the Hanoi University of Foreign Trade, said that plagiarism is at a ‘terrible’ level. “At primary, middle and high schools, students are given sample essays so they can create similar work. “Many students copy other authors’ works verbatim, with no words being changed,” she said.

PM wants building permits granted fasterAs part of efforts to improve the investment and business environment, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered ministries, sector and localities to grant construction permits and perform related procedures faster. People are fulfilling formalities for getting construction permits in Hanoi. According to a direction issued on Tuesday, the time limit for granting construction permits and related procedures should be reduced from 166 days to 120 days. The time limit to handle procedures to supply electricity and water and connect water drainage systems will be seven days, instead of 14 days. State bodies involved in the process were also asked to increase co-operation to simultaneously carry out related administrative procedures to speed up the process.