Hanoi sets up team to inspect apartmentsHanoi’s Construction Department has set up an inspection team to review apartment buildings and impose fines for violations in their use and management. The team will inspect apartment’s investors, owners, users, operators and management boards in following State regulations. The team will inspect commonly-owned areas of apartment buildings to identify spaces that can possibly be encroached or used for wrong purposes. According to local authorities, there are many models to manage apartment buildings in the capital city, but shortcomings remain, which lead to complaints and disputes. Recently, many residents of apartment buildings have protested against investors who failed to deliver the apartments as committed or due to other problems.

Shares rally on investor optimismVietnamese shares soared on February 21, the first trading day of the lunar year, thanks to positive sentiment among investors. The UPCOM Index on the Unlisted Public Company Market edged up 1.5 percent to stand at 59.37 points. Large-cap stocks also had a good trading day as 24 of the 30 largest shares by market capitalisation advanced in the VN30 Index. Foreign investors saw a net sale of 48.3 billion VND on HOSE, focusing on Hoa Phat Group Joint Stock Company (194.2 billion VND), Ho Chi Minh Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (25.2 billion VND) and Vincom Retail Joint Stock Company (21 billion VND). In addition, they sold a net 29.51 billion VND on the HNX.

Vietnam imports flowers worth $18 million for TetVietnam imported flowers and ornamental plants worth 18 million USD from December 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018 for the Lunar New Year. Of these, flowers and plants worth 3.3 million USD, including orchids reaching over 2 million USD, were imported from mainland China, while the imports from Taiwan and Japan were worth 2.7 million USD and 1 million USD, respectively. Vietnam imported flowers having tuberous plants worth 7.6 million USD, accounting for 42.1 percent of the total import value of flowers and ornamental plants. Lilies reached an import turnover of 4.4 million USD from the Netherlands, 1.1 million USD from New Zealand and 1 million USD from France. The General Department of Customs said flowers in the form of branches reached an import value of 2.4 million USD, down slightly from 2.5 million USD before Tet last year.

North Vietnam to welcome new cold spellVietNamNet Bridge – The north of Vietnam is preparing to welcome a cold spell, as temperatures are expected to decrease from 5-7 degrees Celsius today, according to the Central Hydrometeorological Forecast Centre. North of Vietnam to welcome a new cold spell on Thursday. On Thursday, a new cold spell is expected from the north, with the temperature dropping 5-7 degrees Celsius, and becoming cold at night. The lowest temperature was 19-21 degrees Celsius, while the highest temperature reached 24-26 degrees. The lowest temperature was 19 to 22 degrees, and highest temperature reached 24 to 27 degrees Celsius.

VN football sets ambitious goals in 2018Vietnamese footballers are working hard to realise new missions in 2018: attending the 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD), winning the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 and playing well in the final round of the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, according to the Vietnam Football Federation. Vietnamese footballers make history at the AFC U23 Championship 2018. The women’s national football squad will try their best to earn a berth at the World Cup 2019 by performing well at the finals of the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which is scheduled for April 6-20 in Jordan. The U23 team will play for the best result at the ASIAD taking place in Indonesia from August 15 to September 1. Vietnamese football is believed to continue thriving in 2018 thanks to resounding victory of the U23 squad at the AFC U23 Championship 2018.-VNA

Federal Reserve policymakers more confident about economyThe US Federal Reserve is preparing for stronger-than-expected economic growth this year, a view that boosts the case for higher interest rates. Those members urged their colleagues to be "patient" as they weigh future rate rises. The meeting, the final gathering led by former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen, concluded 31 January. A number of Federal Reserve members also "marked up" forecasts for 2018 growth to reflect stronger economic data since December, according to the minutes. Ken Matheny, executive director for US economics at Macroeconomic Advisers by IHS Markit, said the discussion was "consistent" with predictions of several rate rises in 2018.

PM urges prompt resumption of work following Tet holidayPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc required the prompt resumption of work immediately after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, ending the outdated thinking that the first lunar month is a time for festivals. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (middle) at the Cabinet meeting on Tet holidayChairing a meeting between the Government’s standing board and some ministries and sectors on February 21, the first working day after the week-long Tet holiday, the PM commended the good preparation for Tet, the largest festival in a year of Vietnamese. He said supply of goods was ensured, prices were kept stable, with due support given to disadvantaged groups. Average Tet bonus for workers increased by 13 percent, while farmers’ income also improved. Minister – Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung presented a report, affirming that the Tet holiday took place in a joyful and safe atmosphere across the country.

Numerous festivals kick off amid Tet atmosphereThe Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival officially opened in Gia Vien district in the northern province of Ninh Binh on February 21 (the sixth day of the first lunar month), with the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. The original 1,000 year-old Bai Dinh Pagoda (Bai Dinh Co Tu) is part of the Trang An Landscape Complex which was recognised as a world Cultural and Natural Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).​The pagoda is composed of temples worshipping Buddha, the Mountain God, and the Mother Goddess of the Forest. It lies about 800 metres from the Tam The Temple of the new Bai Dinh Pagoda area. The pagoda festival will last until the end of March. The same day, a ceremony was held at Huong Pagoda in Hanoi’s My Duc district to kick off the pagoda festival and receive a certificate recognising the Huong Son (Huong Pagoda) landscape and historical site complex as a special national relic site.

170 Vietnamese websites attacked during Lunar New YearUp to 170 Vietnamese websites were attacked during the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the Authority of Information Security under the Ministry of Information and Communications reported on February 21. They include 55 websites with domains of .vn; 10 of governmental agencies and organisations (.gov.vn); and 98 with domains of .com. Hackers mostly changed the interfaces and planted malicious codes in the source codes of the websites. Besides, 116,000 Vietnamese IP addresses remain in the fake network created by malicious codes. According to the Authority of Information Security, the number of fake IP addresses reduced remarkably from 234,838 during the week before Tet.

ASOSAI chairmanship to give opportunities, challenges to State AuditWith the hosting of the 14th Assembly of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) this September, the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV) will become Chairman of ASOSAI for 2018-2021, which is set to bring both opportunities and challenges to a young agency like the SAV. He said becoming ASOSAI Chairman will be a chance for the SAV to lead the development of this organisation. Phoc added the State Audit of Vietnam can also improve itself by making use of existing and potential resources of ASOSAI to access specialised knowledge and experience. He noted ASOSAI gathers 46 member organisations with diverse legal status, culture, politics and development level, leading to varying viewpoints on public auditing and interest among the members. How to harmonise viewpoints of the member organisations in developed and developing countries to reach consensus and common goals is truly not a small challenge.

A digital future for Vietnam’s medium-sized enterprisesWith the Fourth Industrial Revolution surging globally and impacting Vietnam, enterprises in Vietnam will have to change themselves to adapt. In your opinion, what does digitalisation offer medium-sized enterprises? Digital business models and the digital design of value chains in particular offer new opportunities for medium-sized enterprises. What can medium-sized enterprises expect to gain from digitalisation in collaborating with Siemens? Together, we will support Vietnamese enterprises, especially medium-sized enterprises, on their way to Industry 4.0.

Huong Pagoda festival officially opened on the morning of February 21 and runs until the end of the third lunar month. They visit a photo exhibition on Huong pagoda in the past and at present. Hundreds of boats taking visitors along Yen Stream to reach Huong Pagoda. Children are accompanied by their parents to Huong Pagoda. Huong Pagoda festival received around 1.3 million visitors, including 7,800 foreigners last year and is expected to welcome about 1.5 million visitors this year.

11.1 percent of flights delayed, cancelled in JanuaryAs many as 2,665 flights, or 11.1 percent, were delayed or cancelled in January, a positive sign reflecting recent efforts of the aviation industry to improve the flight punctuality, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). Four domestic airlines – Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar Pacific and Vasco – operated a total of 24,094 flights during January, including 21,429 on-time ones, or 88.9 percent. Vietnam Airlines came right after with 9,657 on-time flights, or 90.4 percent of the total 10,681 flights. It was followed by Vietjet Air, who delayed and cancelled 12.7 percent of flights. It caused 1,683 delayed flights, or 63.2 percent of the delayed and cancelled flights.

Permanent office of UXO steering committee set upPrime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, head of the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences, has signed a decision to establish the committee’s permanent office. Soldiers discover post-war bombUnder the decision, Director of the office is the Deputy Minister of National Defence who is also permanent member of the steering committee. The office is located in the Defence Ministry’s Department of Military Science. It is responsible for proposing orientations and solutions to important issues, and measures to mobilise domestic and foreign resources to quickly tackle post-war bomb and mine and toxic chemical consequences in Vietnam. Its duties are also to make long-term, medium-term and yearly plans to implement national action plans and programmes on the settlement of consequences; coordinate the work between ministries, ministry-level and offices, and local People’s Committees; and make regular and unscheduled reports on the work.

Vietnam eyes $21 billion in cultivation exports in 2018The cultivation sector aims to gross over 21 billion USD in export turnover in 2018, representing a year-on-year rise of 2.2-2.3 percent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. This year, the country aims to increase the fruit plant area to about 930,000 hectares and create high added value products. Industrial crop growing areas such as coffee, rubber, tea and cashew nut will be gradually reduced to 645,000 hectares, 950,000 hectares, 132,000 hectare and 300,000 hectares, respectively. Vietnam earned a record of some 3.45 billion USD from fruit and vegetable exports in 2017, rising by 40.5 percent from last year. China, Japan, the US and the Republic of Korea were among the biggest importers of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables.