French consultant offers Tan Son Nhat Airport expansion plansVietNamNet Bridge – Building a new terminal and more taxiways without building another runway and improving access to the airport are among the solutions suggested by a French consultancy for expanding HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport. The company forecast that by 2025 passenger traffic through Tan Son Nhat would reach 51 million a year and cargo, nearly one million tonnes. The limited taxiway system and insufficient tools to exploit airspace cap the airport’s capacity at the current 36 million passengers a year, they said. They recommended limiting the airport’s capacity to 50 million passengers by 2025 so that no additional runway would have to be built. Tan Son Nhat now has two terminals that serve 32 million passengers annually, well above its designed capacity of 25 million.

Singer makes video about Mother GoddessesVietNamNet Bridge – Singer Hoa Tran has launched a music video for the song Chieu Phu Tay Ho (Afternoon in Tay Ho Temple) to honour Dao Mau (Mother Goddess religion) – a world intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO. Spiritual scene: Singer Hoa Tran in her new music video, in which she honours Dao Mau. The poem was written in 1993 when the poet and the composer visited Tay Ho Temple in Quang An Ward, Tay Ho District one afternoon. Director Lam Ha wrote the script, which moved singer Hoa Tran the first time she read it. Dao Mau worships three Mother Goddesses, representing the three realms of the universe: Heaven, Water, and Mountains and Forests.

Brazil's top court approves controversial forestry lawBrazil's supreme court has upheld major changes to laws protecting the Amazon rainforest, delivering a blow to environmentalists. The revision of the 2012 law includes an amnesty programme that scraps penalties for landowners who have cut trees down illegally in the past. Environmentalists say it will make illegal deforestation of the world's largest rainforest acceptable. The revised rule will reduce the amount of land that should be restored by 112,000 sq miles (290,000 sq km) - an area the size of Italy. Environmentalists say the revised laws will reward those who have deforested in the past.

Tens of thousands of bank officers, factory workers to lose jobs in 4.0 eraVietNamNet Bridge - Automatic convenience stores, automatic vending shops and robot-waiters at cafes do not exist only in developed countries. The first automatic shop in VietnamIn late December 2017, in HCMC, the first automatic shop with no seller or check-out counter opened. A made-in-Vietnam robot at a café in Hanoi serves hundreds of clients within 15 consecutive hours, stops when meeting barriers and brings drinks to customers. A made-in-Vietnam robot at a café in Hanoi serves hundreds of clients within 15 consecutive hours, stops when meeting barriers and brings drinks to customers. In 2017, Vietnamese for the first time heard that hundreds of factory workers lost their jobs to robots.

How humans echolocate 'like bats'A study has revealed secrets that help some blind people navigate their world by "seeing with sound". "I click using my tongue against the roof of my mouth - it's an implosive, sharp sound. Lore Thaler: "Click energy is very much to the front of the person, with very little going to the back. "Each echolocation click is like a single snapshot of the world," Dr Kolarik told BBC News. "So teaching echolocation skills could provide blind people with the means of exploring new places [through sound]."

Dutch newspaper calls Hau future star of footballVietNamNet Bridge – Dutch online newspaper Voetbalzone (Football zone) has featured Vietnamese U23 player Doan Van Hau, saying he is the future star of football. Doan Van Hau is called player of the future by Dutch newspaper. Born to a poor family in a rural village in 1999, Hau would have probably worked on his parents’ farm had he not become a football player. At 18, he is the second youngest international football player for Vietnam. He suggested PSV instead, which American Vietnamese player Lee Nguyen had also played.

Song Lam Nghe An win second match at AFC CupTwo national under-23 players scored to help Song Lam Nghe An beat Johor Darul Ta’zim 2-0 in their second match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup’s Group H in Vinh city, the central province of Nghe An on February 28. Johor Darul Ta’zim who have won the Malaysian Super League for four years in a row since 2014, are second with one win and one loss. Earlier, Song Lam Nghe An missed two opportunities to extend their lead. Johor Darul Ta’zim also had attempts in the first half but none were good enough to find Song Lam Nghe An’s net. Both teams’ next matches come on March 6, when Song Lam Nghe An host Persija Jakarta while Darul Ta’zim travel to Singapore to take on Tampines Rovers.-VNA

Industry and Trade Ministry proposes alternative restrictions to US’ steel importsThe Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has requested the United States to carefully consider alternative means to restrict the import of steel and aluminum products from Vietnam. MoIT said Vietnamese imports accounted for a negligible share of the total US steel and aluminium imports. The US President needs to decide on the steel recommendations by April 11 and on the aluminium recommendations by April 19. Of the exports, ASEAN countries imported 59.3 per cent of Vietnam’s steel, while the United States imported 11.1 per cent. The association has predicted a year-on-year increase of 20-22 per cent in steel production this year.

Cabinet meeting reviews socio-economic situation in first two monthsThe Government convened its regular meeting, the first sitting in the Lunar New Year, in Hanoi on March 1 chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The leader also commented on exports in the month, which stood at some 13.4 billion USD, raising the total export value in the two months to 33.6 billion USD, up nearly 23 percent year-on-year. He cited a trade surplus of 1.08 billion USD as a highlight of the national economy in February. Inflation pressure this year could be high due to tens of billions of USD in foreign investment being poured into the country. Focusing on business production development to create a healthier environment remains a major requirement for all departments and sectors, the PM stressed.

Many poets but few good poems: criticsMany critics and poets attending a workshop on contemporary poetry in Hanoi on February 27 agreed: the country is home to many poets, but few good poems. “There are too few good poems while too many bad ones,” he said. “Thousands of poetry collections published every year do not express the poets’ personal feelings; they discuss the country’s issues. “New poems may not good but good poems are always new. Good poems should conquer people and stay inside people.

Japanese flower arrangements dazzle on display in HanoiElegant ikebana flower arrangements, together with hundreds of multicoloured flowers from Japan, are on display at “The Beautiful Japanese” – a special event that aims to introduce to Hanoi’s people the fresh flowers from the Land of the Rising Sun. A piece by Japanese flower communicator Chiharu Suzuki on display in a workshop on the Japanese art of flower arrangement, ikebana, in Hanoi. “Through Métaphore, one of the pioneers in the art of European contemporary arrangement in Hanoi, we hope to bring Japanese flowers closer to the capital’s residents,” he said. Also on Febraury 28, Japanese flower communicator Chiharu Suzuki conducted a workshop on the Japanese art of flower arrangement, ikebana, in Hanoi. “The Beautiful Japanese” welcomes all flower lovers to the ballroom of Press Club Hanoi, 59A Ly Thai To street, from 9am until 3pm on March 1.-VNA

FIFA expert to help develop Vietnamese women’s footballFIFA expert Belinda Wilson is in Hanoi to survey the national women’s youth football teams. Belinda Wilson is in Vietnam to help developing women’s youth footballVietnam was recently chosen to be part of a project of the world football governing body. The country will join an 18-month programme to develop youth football as well as tournaments for them. According to Wilson, Vietnamese footballers under 12 years old are at an ideal age to train. She hoped the Vietnamese women's football team will succeed at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2018 in Jordan to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

VN President’s visit to boost effective cooperation with IndiaPresident Tran Dai Quang and his spouse will pay a State visit to India from March 2-4 at the invitation of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. Extended defence ties were seen in naval, ground and air forces with a focus on training, defence industry and vessel visits. Economic and trade ties are considered one of the pillars in bilateral relations by the two governments. President advocates enhanced trade ties, maritime connectivity with IndiaPresident Tran Dai Quang. The Vietnamese leader also outlined defence, security and trade as effective strategic areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Forbes’ ‘30 under 30’ member likes to be called ‘cavegirl’VietNamNet Bridge - Le Nguyen Thien Huong, the founder and coordinator of Save Sơn Doong organisation (#SaveSonDoong), which protects the pristine beauty of the largest known cave in the world, has been listed on Forbes Vietnam’s ’30 Under 30’ list. She said the title "30 Under 30" honors individuals, but #SaveSonDoong is implemented by a team of seven key members and the entire community. When I was a secondary school student, I read ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’. So, soon after hearing about the discovery of Son Doong, I began saving money and preparing my physical health before the trekking tour to Son Doong. RELATED NEWSRussian paper hails Son Doong Cave as lost world undergroundMaximum of 900 guests allowed to visit Son Doong in 2018Thanh Mai

Red tape causes big red book backlogVietNamNet Bridge – Red tape has dragged out the issuance of land use certificates in HCM City, causing more than 100,000 cases to remain on the shelves, gathering dust. But the latest statistics from the city Land Registry Office (LOR) shows that the files of 109,251 land lots whose owners have applied for the red book have fallen into the backlog. An experienced real-estate services provider in Thu Duc District named Hanh said that the mounting delays in red book issuance since the new law came into effect was irritating the residents. She said that while it only took about three months to have a red book granted a few years ago, now it could take at least six months and even the whole year. “It will save a lot of time and cost because we already have an extensive network of branch LORs,” Thang said.