Thanh Hoa lose to Yangon United at AFC CupThanh Hoa lost to Yangon United of Myanmar 1-2 in the second match of Group G of the AFC Cup 2018 in Myanmar on February 27. Yangon United also performed with their best players including Sekou Sylla of Guinea who scored twice in the 3-1 win of United against Bali United of Indonesia on February 13. Although playing away from home, Thanh Hoa played confidently and captain Pape Omar opened the score in the fifth minute. In the last minutes of the second half, Le Thanh Binh, Omar and Le Van Thang missed chances to help Thanh Hoa take the lead. Despite having five more extra minutes, Thanh Hoa didn’t earn any goals and accepted the loss of 1-2.

Advanced technology helps bring Vietnamese food to worldThe High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology will help bring the original flavour of Vietnamese traditional dishes like “pho” or “bun bo Hue” (Hue-styled noodle soup with beef) to foreign countries, said Lam Dao Hung, Chairman of Minh Hung Group. “We want to deploy HPP technology to keep food taste, texture and quality. In the coming time, Minh Hung Group will work with its partners to sell processed pho in foreign markets like North America and the EU”, he noted. The construction on the HPP food processing plant will begin in September 2018 in Ben Luc district, the Mekong Delta province of Long An. As part of efforts to support domestic enterprises to deploy advanced technologies into agriculture, the National Assembly will legalise the issues of technology and technology transfer.-VNA

What if Chinese control the online retail market? VietNamNet Bridge - Chinese online retailers are penetrating the Vietnamese market, putting pressure on domestically made products, analysts have warned. While Vietnamese retailers can compete with giant retail groups from Thailand, South Korea and Japan in modern retail, they are inferior in the online retail market because of limited financial capability and technology platforms. “With the presence of big Chinese online retailers, Chinese goods will have better opportunities to penetrate the Vietnamese market. Once Chinese goods flood the market, the room for Vietnamese goods in online retail channels will shrink,” the expert said.

Male caregivers break down social stigmasAlthough widely seen as a female profession, nursing is gradually becoming a more inclusive profession. On the occasion of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (Feb. 27), join us to meet male caregivers in Da Nang oncology hospital to get to know more about these respectful guys. There are now 200 caregivers in Da Nang oncology hospital with only around 10% being males. According to Vo Thi Bich Nga, Head of the Nursing Division under the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, male caregivers have some advantages over females as they are stronger and more durable. However with enthusiasm, responsibility and sympathy for patients, these male caregivers still do their job everyday with their whole hearts.

Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter to perform in VietnamVietNamNet Bridge – Audience in Hanoi will have the opportunity to experience Swedish two-time Grammy winner Anne Sofie von Otter and her extraordinary voice in this one-night-only performance on March 2. Having performed and being praised at the world’s biggest opera houses, such as the Royal Opera House, La Scala and Metropolitan, Anne Sofie von Otter is now doing her first ever concert in Vietnam. Anne Sofie von Otter is one of today’s most recorded artists with an unrivalled discography built across a career spanning more than three decades at the very top of her profession. Anne Sofie von Otter was considered the superlative Octavian of her generation appearing at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, and at The Metropolitan Opera. An ever-evolving repertoire has played a key role in sustaining Anne Sofie von Otter’s international reputation as an operatic force.

Embassy stresses importance of Vietnamese President’s visit to IndiaThe Vietnamese Embassy in India held a press conference on February 27 on the upcoming State visit to India by President Tran Dai Quang, highlighting the trip’s importance to bilateral ties. Vietnam and India have enjoyed continual progress in their relations with many mutual visits and trade approximating 7.5 billion USD made in 2017. The visit by President Tran Dai Quang from March 2 to 4 is the first trip to India by a President of Vietnam in seven years since a visit by then President Truong Tan Sang in 2011. He said this time’s visit is important since it aims to affirm Vietnam’s consistent policy of enhancing the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with India. During the visit, the two sides are set to review the Friendship Year 2017 and kick off an array of activities within the framework of the Vietnamese culture days in India.

APPA helps performers get copyright moneyVietNamNet Bridge – The Viet Nam Association for Rights Protection of Music Performing Artists (APPA) has the first contract to represent singer Tan Nhan and collect copyright money. How much does APPA get from the copyright money which it collects? Performers will give 10-20 percent of copyright money collected from the internet to APPA. But they pay singers only when the singers know about the business and ask for copyright money. I’m sure that APPA will collect copyright money for performers who authorise us to do this.

Vietnam’s major medical achievementsVietnam’s medical sector has made important achievements in healthcare and treatment, which help ensure social security and socio-economic development. Professor Mai Trong Khoa, Deputy Director of Bach Mai hospital and Professor Kryspel, President of the US Radiosurgery Association held a consultation on gama knife operation for a brain cancer patient. (photo: Vietnamnet)To mark the 62nd Vietnam Physicians’ Day on February 27, VOV highlights some major medical achievements. We must continuously improve our profession and code of ethics.”These are some of the many outstanding individuals in Vietnam’s medical sector. Everyday doctors nationwide work hard to treat patients, improve medical methods, and offer better care to the public.

Shares up on bank stocks, oil risesA huge purchase of banking shares in the final minutes of the February 27 session on the local stock exchanges drove shares up, after a brief fall at the beginning of the session. Large-cap stocks also had a good trading day as 18 of the 30 largest shares by market capitalisation advanced in the VN30 Index. Foreign investors were net seller of 196.50 billion VND on HOSE, focusing on VJC (45.4 billion VND), DIG (20.7 billion VND) and BID (16.2 billion VND). In addition, they sold a net of 11.01 billion VND on the HNX. Bank stocks rallied across the board as only Lien Viet Post Joint Stock Commercial Bank (LPB) slid and others jumped such as Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (VCB), rising 1.8 percent, Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (CTG), climbing 4.6 percent, and Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), moving up 2.4 percent.

Gap widens in deposit interest ratesA gap has opened up between deposit interest rates offered by different categories of banks due to differences in their liquidity, cash demand and status. There is a growing gap between deposit interest rates offered by small and large banks. Photo HD BankSmall- and medium-sized banks have hiked their interest rates. Viet Capital Bank, GPBank, Bac A Bank, NCB, and DongA Bank have raised their six- month rate to 7 per cent or above. The difference in rates between small and large lenders is 2-2.6 points for six-month deposits.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 28/2Two-month FDI disbursement up 9.7 percentDisbursement of foreign direct investment (FDI) increased by 9.7 percent to 1.7 billion USD in the first two months of 2018. Of this total, 1.83 billion USD came from manufacturing and processing firms, accounting for 54.6 percent of the nation’s total registered capital. Construction ranked second with 345.4 million USD and estate trading ranked third with 312.1 million USD. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 6.7 percent last year with the total volume of trade reaching a record 425 billion USD, of which exports accounted for 200 billion USD. Vietnamese businesses need to focus on improving product quality, diversifying export items, increasing export of value-added products and building brands for their products.

Stop burning objects in pagodasPham Tat Thang, vice chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, talks to the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper about efforts to change public behaviour regarding the burning of votive objects in pagodas or shrines. How do you respond to the Viet Nam Buddhist Association’s proposal to ban the burning of votive objects in Buddhist pagodas and shrines? Burning votive objects is a common act in all Vietnamese shrines or pagodas. However, the act of burning votive objects, including paper horses or motor bicycles and others is wasteful and causes environmental pollution. — Photo tienphong.vnSome people have suggested that the authorities should ban the production of votive objects or impose heavy taxes on the production and the consumption of votive objects.

Diesel ban approved for German cities to cut pollutionGerman cities will be allowed to ban older diesel vehicles from some areas following a landmark court ruling. Photo: MARK RENDERSThe Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig said the cities of Stuttgart and Duesseldorf could legally ban older, more polluting diesel cars from zones worst affected by pollution. The environmental group DUH brought the cases after about 70 German cities exceeded European Union limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) last year. Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens have all pledged to ban diesel vehicles from city centres by 2025, while the mayor of Copenhagen wants to ban new diesel cars from entering the city as soon as next year. Analysts at Evercore ISI said the latest German ruling had "set a strong precedent for similar action across Europe".

Disney 'celebrates' Black Panther by giving $1m to charityDisney is celebrating the success of Black Panther by donating $1m (£718,000) to a national youth club. Chadwick Boseman stars as Black Panther in the film -- Photo: MARVEL/DISNEYThe money will go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to develop their science, technology, engineering and maths programmes. It follows the Black Panther Challenge, which raised money for children from deprived backgrounds to see the film. Joseph got backing from Ellen DeGeneres and the Black Panther himself Chadwick Boseman, who donated $10,000 (£7,000) and meant that children from the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem got to see Black Panther. The company said the Black Panther donations will be used to "serve and inspire kids" across 12 communities in the USA and develop "3-D printers, robotics, high-definition video production and conferencing equipment."

Government accepts VTA certificate issued by ThailandThe Ministry of Transport has accepted the model of Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) certificate issued by the Thailand Government for vehicles exported to Viet Nam. Honda Viet Nam says that its batch of CR-V will be imported to Viet Nam in early March. Tuan told Viet Nam News that VTA certificate was the most important document, as required by the Vietnamese Government’s Decree 116/2017/ND-CP on automobiles, for businesses that wanted to export cars to Viet Nam. Honda Viet Nam told ndh.vn that its batch of CR-V would be imported to Viet Nam in early March. Shipments that were previously booked but cannot be exported to Viet Nam have been exported to other markets.