National land database to be completed in 2020In two years’ time, a national land database will be completed and information on land from the smallest administrative unit to the central level would be available. An electronic national land database is expected to be completed by 2020 for easier management of land resources and more convenient access to land-related policies. The land database is not just an archive of information, it will also serve as a crucial tool for State management and satisfy the demands to access land information as well as land policies of all organisations, businesses and the public in a transparent, objective and convenient manner. Đào Trung Chính, deputy director general of the General Department of Land Administration (GDLA) under MONRE, said that the Government and the ministry itself has issued several legal frameworks providing details on the building of national land database and land information system. According to Chính, the deployment of the land information system must be consistent across all 63 municipalities and provinces in the country.

Events in Hanoi & HCMC on March 12-18MUSIC & PERFORMANCESHanoi-Concert “Night Rain”Mar 17, 8pm Mar 17, 8pmGoethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District,The concert features the participation of the Hanoi New Music Ensemble. Since the 1970s, a new genre, contemporary netsuke, has taken shape, inspired by new sensibilities and ideas. Today, contemporary netsuke carvers continue to ply their craft, steadily producing to new works. For this Nha Mat Pho photo relief series Son was awarded the talent prize at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts Master’s Program in Beijing in May 2012. Hanoi- Exhibition "About Time"Exhibition Centre of Fine Arts and Photography29 Hang Bai Street, Hoan Kiem District,Featuring more than 100 artworks by non-professional artists from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Hoan Kiem Lake paths to be paved with natural stoneA project to replace pavements around Hoan Kiem Lake with more durable natural stone is expected to be started by the middle of this year. The natural stone to be used for pavements around Hoan Kiem LakeAccording to Pham Tuan Long, vice chairman of Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee, many sections of pavements around Hoan Kiem Lake have deteriorated. The project will use stone for the pavements around the lake. The stone, which is originated from the central province of Binh Dinh and 10-cm deep, should last decades. According to Chung, the natural stone paving will only be prioritised in central areas with historical meaning.

Helicopter crash in New York City's East River kills twoAt least two people have died after a helicopter went down in the East River of New York City on Sunday. Three passengers are in a critical condition in hospital after being pulled out of the water by rescue divers, said city police. The New York City fire department said the pilot managed to free himself. The helicopter was owned by a tourism group, but police commissioner James O'Neill told reporters it had been privately leased by the group of photographers. Video posted on social media showed a red helicopter appearing to make a semi-controlled descent before landing with some force in the water.

VN-Index forecast to continue strugglingVietnam’s benchmark VN-Index is forecast to struggle due to uncertain market sentiment this week, with eyes on the two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) set to finish reviewing their portfolios on March 16. The VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange ended down 0.07 percent on March 9 to finish last week at 1,123.41 points. The benchmark index scored weekly growth of only 0.2 percent after five up-and-down sessions. The UPCOM Index on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) added 0.88 percent to end March 9 at 61.37 points, up 2 percent week on week. Sai Gon-Hanoi Securities Company (SHS) warned that investors should be careful given current risky conditions in both domestic and international markets.-VNA

Vietnam enters final of Japan-ASEAN youth football eventVietnam’s U16 team defeated Thailand 5-4 in a penalty shootout on March 11 to reach the final of the Japan-ASEAN friendly football tournament 2018 held in Japan. Vietnam will meet Indonesia, who beat Japan 1-0 the same day, in the final on March 12. Vietnam won Group D after beating Laos 2-1 and drawing with Miyazaki 0-0. Among the 18 members of the Vietnam U16 team, there are some of the outstanding players of the U15 squad, who won the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U15 Championship last year. The event is a warm-up for the Vietnamese players ahead of their 2018 AFC Championship campaign, slated for late September in Malaysia.-VNA

Win for Lac Hong University at Shell Eco-marathon AsiaTeam LH-EST of the Lac Hong University, based in southern Dong Nai province, has won the UrbanConcept – Battery Electric sub-category of the Shell Eco-marathon Asia in Singapore. Team LH-EST of the Lac Hong University won the UrbanConcept – Battery Electric sub-category of the Shell Eco-marathon AsiaVice Rector of the Lac Hong University Lam Thanh Hien said on March 10 that the car of LH-EST covered a 129.3km distance on only 1kWh of electricity. He said this is the fourth consecutive time a team from his university has come first at the UrbanConcept category of the Shell Eco-marathon Asia, which is also a record. Shell Eco-marathon Asia took place in Singapore from March 8 to 11, attracting more than 100 teams from universities of many Asian countries. The two teams of the Lac Hong University attended in the sub-categories of internal combustion, battery-electric power, and hydrogen fuel cell.-VNA

PM’s visit to be driving force for Vietnam-New Zealand ties: diplomatThe official visit to New Zealand by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc from March 11 to 14 will create a driving force for the enhancement of the countries’ comprehensive partnership and the expansion of cooperation areas in the future, Ambassador Nguyen Viet Dung has said. Ambassador Dung said the visit is made amid the developing cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and New Zealand. It is meant to affirm Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, autonomy, and multilateralisation and diversification of foreign relations, including those with New Zealand. New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews (second, left) and representatives of the Plant and Food Research of New Zealand visit a dragon fruit farm in Tien Giang province (Photo: VNA)Agriculture is also an important contributor to trade and investment ties. New Zealand has also assisted Vietnam to develop value chains in agricultural production and build the capacity of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

VN wants exclusion from US steel tariffsThe Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has urged the US Government to consider excluding Vietnamese products from its newly announced tariff measures on imported steel and aluminium. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has urged the US Government to consider excluding Vietnamese products from its newly announced tariff measures on imported steel and aluminium. The ministry stressed that Vietnamese steel and aluminium products sold to the US are intended for use in civil construction, not for infrastructure or security-defence purposes, thus not affecting the US goal of ensuring its national security. Moreover, Viet Nam’s steel and aluminium products account for just a marginal proportion of US imports of those products, and neither cause nor threaten to cause damage to the US steel and aluminium industries, the MoIT said. US President Donald Trump, on March 8, signed proclamations to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on imported steel and a 10-per-cent tariff on imported aluminum.

HCM CITY — Inviting all Vietnamese citizens to experience the different flavours of Indian culture, cuisine and nature was the theme of a tourism-promotion event that was held by the Consulate General of India in HCM City. The event, named ‘Visit India in 2018’, was organised in the city last Friday, attended by representatives of the city’s Department of Tourism, Vietnamese and Indian tourism enterprises, and other relevant agencies. Speaking at the event, Indian Consul General K. Srikar Reddy in Việt Nam highlighted the historical and civilisational links between two countries. Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese visiting India has increased 60 per cent during the last five years. Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, deputy director of the HCM City’s Department of Tourism, said the city welcomed about 57,000 Indian visitors last year, an increase of 10.4 per cent over 2016.

Vietnam warned it may lose market share in pepperVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam is in the peak harvest season for the 2018 pepper crop, but sharp price falls and market problems all signal a challenging year for the pepper industry. Vietnam is a big pepper exporterIn 2017, Vietnam exported 38,861 tons, worth $221.2 million, to the US, a decrease of 1.9 percent in quantity and 35.4 percent in value compared with 2016. The country also imports pepper from other markets, including Brazil, Indonesia and Ecuador. A report from ESA (European Spice Association) found that only 17 percent of 799 black pepper samples imported into the EU had an MRL below 0.05 ppm.If the EC applies the new MRL, more than 80 percent of Vietnam’s pepper exports to the EU will meet difficulty.Meanwhile, the US, India and UAE are the three biggest export markets for Vietnam’s pepper. If Vietnam cannot control the quality of exports, it may lose its biggest markets.In 2017, Vietnam exported 38,861 tons, worth $221.2 million, to the US, a decrease of 1.9 percent in quantity and 35.4 percent in value compared with 2016.

Doctors quietly fight rare diseasesVietNamNet Bridge - They are pioneers in studying rare diseases and disseminating knowledge in the community. Tran Minh Dien, deputy director of the National Hospital of PediatricsFourteen years ago, no one had information about congenital metabolic disorders, and there was no therapy for it. However, the disease can be discovered through early screening and is curable 70 percent of the time. Many patients with rare diseases in Vietnam have to be treated with specialized imported drugs.In the US, one out of every 1,500 newborns has a rare disease. In the past, the therapy was considered impossible in Vietnam because the enzyme was too expensive.

HCMC to raise environmental protection fee against strong oppositionVietNamNet Bridge - The HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment plans to raise the environmental protection fee on industrial waste, but some experts disagree about the plan. HCMC plans to raise environment the protection fee on industrial waste waterThe HCMC environment department has suggested applying a fixed fee of VND1.5 million to production workshops with wastewater capacity of less than 5 cubic meters per day. HCMC collects VND8 billion a year from environmental protection fees. As stipulated in Decree 154, production workshops with wastewater volume of less than 20 cubic meters per day pay VND1.5 million a year, while factories with more than 20 cubic meters of waste water a day pay VND1.5 million plus an additional fee based on the total wastewater volume and pollutant content.The calculation method used, however, is not in correspondence with the discharged volume.The HCMC environment department has suggested applying a fixed fee of VND1.5 million to production workshops with wastewater capacity of less than 5 cubic meters per day.The fee for production workshops with more than 5 cubic meters of wastewater would be calculated based on the K coefficient (wastewater flow). The fee would be proportional to the pollutant content found in waste water.According to HCMC authorities, there are 2,790 production workshops in the city paying environmental protection fees for wastewater (143,430 cubic meters per day).However, healthcare establishments with medical wastewater (22,260 cubic meters per day) and solid waste treatment establishments (7,880 cubic meters) are not subject to the environmental protection fee.The environment department estimates that 3,310 production workshops would have to pay fees, totaling VND60 billion a year.Of this amount, 25 percent would be used to pay for services and fee collection management, while the remaining 75 percent would be transferred to the local budget to be disbursed for environmental projects.Speaking about the department’s plan, Tong Huu Chau, member of the HCMC Advisory Board for Science, Technology and Environment Issues, said the K coefficient was an unreasonable measuring method.

Saigon Heat beat Westports Malaysia Dragons at ABLViet Nam basketball team Saigon Heat defeated Westports Malaysia Dragons of Malaysia 102-88 in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) at CIS Arena in HCM City on March 11. Saigon Heat vs Westports Malaysia Dragons of Malaysia in the ASEAN Basketball League at CIS Arena in HCM City on March 11. — Photo voh.com.vnWestports Malaysia Dragons took the lead with a score of 5-0. Later in the game, with two three-point shots by Williams, the Heat opened the gap. While the visitors played to narrow the gap, the quarter concluded with the score of 48-41 in favour of the Heat.

Why do state officials want professorships: ‘greed for fame’VietNamNet Bridge - Le Thanh Van, National Assembly Deputy and member of the NA’s Finance & Budget Committee, said that state officials’ ‘demand for professorships’ exists because the title brings big benefits. A comment in a local newspaper said this is manifestation of the ‘greed for fame’ of many state officials. In other words, it is legal for state officials to be professors or associate professors. Why do state officials want the professorship title? He said that Vietnam needs to reconsider the regulation on awarding professorship title to state officials.