Vietcombank to sell 10 percent stake to foreign investorsThe Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) is planning to sell more than 350 million shares, or a 10 percent stake, to foreign investors in the first half of 2018. The shares will be issued by way of public auction or private placement to a limited number of foreign investors. Vietcombank is among a small number of banks that have a 9.12 percent stake reserved for foreign investors, according to Linh Nguyen from Saigon Securities Research. To raise capital by issuing shares, Vietcombank originally expected to complete the transfer of a 7.7 percent stake to GIC in 2016. Vietcombank shares closed at 71,400 VND (3.14 USD) on February 23, having doubled in value since the end of 2016.

Farmers will receive money for "public goods", such as investment in sustainable food production -- Photo: PAEnvironment Secretary Michael Gove wants to end direct payments based on the amount of land farmed. Instead, farmers will receive money for "public goods", such as investment in sustainable food production. But the National Farmers Union said it should not all be about the environment. "Now the balance has shifted... and this command paper today backs farmers who want to do the right thing. "We'll only give you money if you are contributing to the environment, making sure we have fewer floods, making sure that there are habits for the wildlife that we value, making sure that our water, our rivers are cleaner, and that our air is purer."

Festivals nationwide ring in glorious springVietNamNet Bridge –Three major spring festivals – the Mother Au Co Temple Festival, the Tinh Dien (Ploughing) Festival and the Vieng Market Festival – began on Fiday, as part of the festive season in the north of Vietnam. The worship of Mother Au Co at the temple, practised in numerous forms, including worshipping Mother Au Co and her children, was recognised as national intangible cultural heritage in 2017. Another festival in northern Vietnam during spring, the Vieng Market Festival, in which the market goers exchanged products, opened last night in Vu Ban District in Nam Dinh. The spring market features handicrafts, antiques (both genuine and fake), household utensils, farm tools and many kinds of ornamental plants. — VNA/VNS Photo Quy TrungShiny: Vieng Spring Market features handicrafts, antiques (both genuine and fake), household utensils, farm tools and many kinds of ornamental plants.

Hanoi: other vehicles could use BRT lanesThe Hanoi Department of Transport’s Public Transport Management and Operation Centre have just proposed to allow other vehicles to use BRT (Rapid Bus Transit) lanes. According to the centre, it is also necessary to open parking services near BRT bus stops so that passengers can actually leave their bikes to use BRT services. The Kim Ma-Yen Nghia BRT route will use e-tickets. According to Government Decree 46 on traffic violation fines, vehicles are fined between VND800,000 and VND1.2 million (USD38-USD57) for going into BRT lanes. The 14.7-km Kim Ma-Yen Nghia BRT route has been operated since early 2017 with 26 buses.

Executives, officials meet VN trade aidesLocalities and businesses appreciate the efforts made by Vietnamese trade counsellors in helping the country’s businesses boost their exports, and want them to continue providing information in a timely manner. Delegates at the 2018 Trade Counsellor Conference held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in HCM City on Monday. The city was focusing on developing infrastructure and logistics, and trade counsellors should help find investors in those sectors, he added. Nguyen Canh Cuong, Viet Nam trade counsellor in the EU and Belgium, said Belgium could help Viet Nam, especially HCM City, train human resources in the logistics sector. The conference was followed by a direct meeting between businesses and trade counsellors in the EU, Americans, Asia and Africa markets.

Vietnam lags behind region in economic freedomVietNamNet Bridge - Though Vietnam has managed a modest rise in its overall score, it still is at the bottom position in the region in the latest ranking by the US-based Heritage Foundation in terms of economic freedom. The 12 aspects of economic freedom measured in the index are grouped into four categories, namely Rule of law (property rights, judicial effectiveness, and government integrity); Government size (tax burden, government spending, and fiscal health); Regulatory efficiency (business freedom, labor freedom, and monetary freedom); andMarket openness (trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom). However, the gap has gradually narrowed as Vietnam’s economic freedom has increased over the last decade. In 2008, Vietnam’s economic freedom index reached 50 percent, but it was still lower than the Asia-Pacific level. Tuyen affirmed that after two decades of transition, the Vietnam economy has seen platforms established for a more comprehensive market economy.

The largest vault of wildlife skulls and horns in HanoiVietNamNet Bridge - A group of reporters from Tap chi Bao ve Rung va Moi Truong (Forest and Environment Journal) have been able to penetrate a large-scale wildlife trafficking ring which carries out both domestic and cross-border affairs. Thuy Ung Hamlet in Hoa Binh Commune in Thuong Tin District, and Du Du Hamlet in Thanh Thuy Commune in Thanh Oai District are well known as the ‘dens’ of wildlife skulls and horns. The products on display are advertised as fine arts made of horns of wild animals, mostly wild boars, chamois, antelope and hag-horn plates imported from Africa. In the 50 square meter living room, hundreds of wildlife heads and horns were hanging. Boar head is cheaper.”In Du Du Hamlet, S.H is a well-known name.

VN female scientist discovers way to help treat Alzheimer’sVietNamNet Bridge - After seven years of research, a female Vietnamese scientist has discovered a new transmitter to help prevent Alzheimer’s. Dr Tran Thi Phuong ThaoDr Tran Thi Phuong Thao, 33, a lecturer at Hanoi Pharmacy University, received the L’Oreal National Fellowship for Women in Science. “If the pre-clinical tests bring desired effects, the possibility of finding drugs to treat Alzheimer’s is very high,” she said. Every day, after teaching at the Pharmacy University, Thao goes to the laboratory. Thao’s research on developing the new transmitter that inhibits Glutaminyl cyclase enzyme aims to treat Alzheimer’s.

Woman who brings luxury fashion brands to VietnamTran Thi Hoai Anh is the founder of GlobalLink, a company that has brought dozens of famous fashion brands like Celine, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Chloé, Moncler and Loewe to its multi-brand chain of concept stores called Runway. She has been named among the 500 people shaping the global fashion industry by The Business of Fashion. Founder of GlobalLink, Tran Thi Hoai AnhYou are now one of the most powerful people in the Vietnamese fashion industry. Why did you decide to trade with giant fashion brands instead of doing business with brands in the lower segments? Lately we have expanded into affordable luxury brands that offer unique designs and high quality without the high-end price tags.

Social News 26/2Yên Bái Provincial leaders meet the victims. In Hậu Giang’s Châu Thành District, local authorities have been supporting farmers who used advanced techniques to grow rice on 400ha for exports during this winter-spring crop. The event is jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine, Ho Chi Minh City, Odessa city and the Vietnamese community in Odessa. A total of 17 Vietnamese medical workers and injured soldiers of the liberation forces were killed. They have been requested to launch policies and take measures to reduce production costs, increase income for farmers and attract investment in social and technical infrastructure.

Vietnam’s exports to Australia reached 3.23 billion USD, up 12.5 percent over 2016, while its import value from Australia stood at over 3.17 billion USD, up 29.7 percent against 2016. Vietnam’s exports reached 24.6 million USD, which sent its trade surplus soaring to 13.8 million USD. HENKEL Adhesive Technologies Co., Ltd. and Inzi Vina Co., Ltd registered to increase their capital by over 19 million USD and 18 million USD, respectively. Meanwhile, revenue from aquatic and forestry product shipments reached 1.2 billion USD and 1.43 billion USD, increases of 29.5 percent and 28.5 percent, respectively. At Doji, SJC gold was initially sold at 37.36 million VND per tael and increased to 37.6 million VND per tael later.

Designer Audrey Nguyen introduces 17 hand embroidered silk designs at the event. Her collection is themed “Dem Ngan Sao” (Night of the thousand stars) and is showcased by 17 international models. Miss Texas Global US 2018 Pamela Lee Urbina looks charming in an off-shoulder dress. Audrey Nguyen is one of Vietnam’s most gifted young designers. Her designs have been worn by beauties and models at renowned international pageants and modelling contests.

Vietnam Poetry Day experiments with new activities to attract audiencesA string of new activities are expected to take place within the framework of the 16th Vietnam Poetry Day, scheduled to start on February 27 (the 12th of the first lunar month), in the hope of attracting more audiences. The 16th Vietnam Poetry Day will officially kick off on March 2, the 15th day of the first lunar month, at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam. The organising board is also looking to gradually turning the Poetry Day into a festival for literature in general. Since its debut on Nguyen Tieu (the 15th day of the first lunar month) in 2003, the Vietnam Poetry Day, the biggest poetry festival in the country, has become a national tradition, taking place in the spring of each year. Starting out as an initiative of the Vietnam Writers' Association, the Poetry Day has been organised in many provinces and cities to honour poetry, which has been an integral part of Vietnamese culture for thousands of years.

A highlight of the festival is the King’s honour ceremony (le sac phong) to remind people of their five ancestors, Dang, Lam, Nguyen, Tran, and Le. Tuy Loan villagers perform the King’s honour ceremony (le sac phong). Numerous activities are organised for the festival such as music performances,and boat racing on Tuy Loan River. Old women take part in a Banh Trang (rice paper) making competition. Making the rice paper is a traditional career of Tuy Loan Village, it has become known as one of the special delicacies of the village.

Art exhibition on Sword Lake kicks offVietNamNet Bridge – An art exhibition entitled Ho Guom Mua Xuan (Sword Lake and Spring) kicked off last week at the Hoan Kiem Cultural House, 2 Le Thai To Street. Engrossed: A visitor studies Bui Huu Hung’s The Scene of Sword Lake. The exhibition was inspired by the exceptional idea of a group of Hanoi-based artists who wished to use art to bring out a new kind of spirit and change what people think about “the genre of Sword Lake painting”. However, while we are working with embassies of many countries, most of them said paintings of Sword Lake are needed. Therefore, Sword Lake paintings need to raise people’s awareness in keeping the beauty of the lake intact.