Ambassador seeks stronger relations between Hanoi and KievVietnamese Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Anh Tuan has had a meeting with Governor of Kiev Vitaliy Klitschko, during which both sides shared hope for closer partnership between Ukraine’s capital city and Vietnamese localities, especially Hanoi. Both Hanoi and Kiev are old cities with long history and plentiful landscapes. Ambassador Tuan thanked Kiev authorities for supporting and creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the city to settle down and make contributions to Kiev’s growth as well as the Vietnam-Ukraine relations. The diplomat took the occasion to invite the Kiev leader to attend a Vietnamese concert in Kiev in mid-June and the Vietnamese Culture Day in Lvov city in July. He also expressed his wish that the Kiev Governor will visit Vietnam and Hanoi soon.

Philippines opposes China’s naming of undersea featuresThe Philippine government objects China's naming of a number of undersea features in the Philippine Rise (Benham Rise), which the UN designated as within the Philippines’ jurisdiction, according to AFP. "We object and do not recognise the Chinese names given to some undersea features in the Philippine Rise," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a statement. China proposed names for five features in 2015 and 2017. The proposals was submitted to the International Hydrographic Organisation, of which the Philippines is not a member. Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said his country would assign its own names to the undersea features of Benham Rise.

Consumer credit booms in VietnamVietNamNet Bridge - The Vietnamese consumer finance market at VND646 trillion, or $28 billion in 2016, was equal to 10 percent of GDP. FE Credit has had high profits over the last five years since the consumer lending market began developing strongly. VP Bank’s CEO Nguyen Duc Vinh said consumer credit will develop well in the next 10 years, though VP Bank doesn’t think FE Credit will continue to make up 50 percent of profit forever. FE Credit has made big profits during the consumer credit explosion in Vietnam. The high growth rate of consumer credit will be associated with increased risk on bad debts.

Vietnam vows to attract 15 million foreign travelers in 2018VietNamNet Bridge - While large travel firms are optimistic about the government plan to attract 15 million foreign travelers in 2018 and obtain total revenue of VND620 trillion, some analysts doubt the feasibility. Vietnam hopes it can receive 15 million foreign travelers in 2018A representative of a HCMC-based travel firm said the number of foreign travelers to Vietnam may reach 16.5 million in 2018, or higher than the targeted figure. “The 30 percent growth rate in tourism revenue in 2017 is a dream of many countries,” he commented. While large travel firms are optimistic about the government plan to attract 15 million foreign travelers in 2018 and obtain total revenue of VND620 trillion, some analysts doubt the feasibility. Chair of the Vietnam Tourism Association Nguyen Huu Tho commented that Vietnam has great potential to develop tourism, while maritime tourism and ecotourism are the ‘gold mines’ of the industry.

Students would receive sex education from the first gradePsychologists have applauded the idea, calling it an important reform. Under the draft general education program, students would begin receiving sex education from the first grade. Thinh made many comments on the content of the program on sex education and gender equality to the new general education program compilation committee. Thinh believes it would be more feasible if sex education is integrated into other learning subjects. RELATED NEWSSchools neglect teaching students about sex educationEducators debate on when sex education should startTien Phong

Surgical robots are used in hospitals in VietnamA report found that 4,000 surgical machines were used in the world in 2016 which served 750,000 operations. Most of the surgical robots are made by one company – Intuitive Surgical, which received a license from the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000. However, surgical robots cannot ensure 100 percent success. Having been used in the US since 2000, robots were used in 1.7 million operations in the country, with 144 deaths reported, as of 2013. Doctors at Binh Dan Hospital in HCM City in August 2017 performed the country’s first robotic surgery on a liver cancer patient.

Mekong Delta kicks off efforts to save water sourcesVietNamNet Bridge - Clean fresh water sources in the Mekong River Delta have shown signs of becoming exhausted, and the situation could become even more tragic as underground water is being polluted. Later, it will also be set up at Bun Xang and Xang Thoi lakes, Rach Ngong and Can Tho rivers. Under the model, saline water will be treated by magnetic treatment equipment which refreshes the water, desalinates the soil and changes physical characteristics of water. The plants irrigated with this water grow better by 1.47 times than with untreated water and by 1.29 percent than with tap water. show that the water treatment took little time, but it could bring high efficiency.

Kindergarten children learn about TetMaking banh chung (square glucinous rice cake) or creating peach blossoms from paper are among the festivities that kids from many public and private kindergartens across the nation have experienced in preparation for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. Kids at Chip Chip kindergarten in Hai Ba Trung District are eager to learn how to make banh chung from teachers. Many schools have also organised cultural programmes such as Tet fairs, in which the children have the chance to learn about the cultural heritage, nature and traditional celebrations of Vietnamese people. The Louis Gifted Kindergarten has organised an exhibition of paintings to raise funds for poor kids on the occasion of Tet. These activities are believed to be a good way for Vietnamese children to learn to value and preserve the traditional culture.

MIC plans new solution for clean ads on YouTubeIn 2017, MIC discovered that ads of many Vietnamese brands were associated with video clips with bad content (pornography, pedophilia and slanderous comments towards the Vietnamese state and Communist Party leaders). In the UK, media campaigns about children and immigrant protection have been found attached with the video clips of the self-proclaimed IS. However, if posting ad clips on Google and Facebook, their brands would be affected by video clips with bad content. Do said MIC is thinking of drawing up the lists of ‘clean accounts’ – a White List, and ‘dirty accounts’ – a Black List for YouTube. The producers of video clips to be posted on YouTube to make money from ads would be encouraged to register with MIC.

Student wins full scholarship to prestigious MIT in the USVietNamNet Bridge - Dinh Quang Hieu, the student who won two gold medals at the 2016 and 2017 International Chemistry Olympiads (ICO), has won a VND6.4 billion ($279,600) scholarship from the world’s most prestigious technology institute, MIT, for the 2018-2022 period. However, because of his dream of studying abroad, after returning from the international competition, Hieu hurriedly applied for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was admitted to the prestigious school with a full scholarship. Only after the 2016 ICO could I prepare for SAT, TOEFL and SAT2, and I had to continue preparing for the 2017 ICO,” Hieu said. Winning the precious ‘admission ticket’ to MIT, Hieu wants to follow material science which has close relations with physics and chemistry, his two favorite subjects. RELATED NEWSAward-winning physics student wins full scholarship from MITVietnamese teenager wins MIT scholarshipMai Chi

Workers receive free tickets to return to hometown for TetFor the last 14 years, Le Thi Quyen from Ha Tinh Province did not return to her hometown for Tet holiday because she did not have enough money to travel. “But this year, we’re so happy to receive free tickets donated by the province’s labour union and Binh Duong authorities,” she added. Quyen is among thousands of migrant workers who have received free tickets and Tet gifts from the trade unions in three southern provinces and HCM City. The government of HCM City and the management board of industrial parks and export processing zones have given 37,000 workers travel tickets and Tet gifts. Aside from 20,000 free tickets given to migrants to return to their hometowns, the province’s worker support programmes have donated 500,000 gifts to another 140,000 workers who have decided to stay near their workplace during Tet.

Vietnam’s improved investment climate attracts Japanese firmsVietnam becomes an attractive destination for Japanese investors as the country’s investment climate has been improved in recent years, said an economist from Waseda University, Japan. Japan’s increasing investment in Vietnam is a good signal for Vietnam’s economy in the context that investments from developed countries in Vietnam remain low, Tho noted. According to the expert, the country also needs to make adjustments to policies related to foreign investment attraction and bidding. Apart from Japan, China has been also one of Asian countries increasing its investment in Vietnam. China’s strong development and increasing investment abroad will also impact greatly on Vietnam’s economy in 2018, Tho said.

Vietnam’s Friendship Order presented to Chinese AmbassadorDeputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung presented Friendship Order, a noble distinction of the Vietnamese State, to Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong in Hanoi on February 12. Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung (R) presents Friendship Order to Chinese Ambassador Hong Xiaoyong. The decoration was made in recognition of the Ambassador’s contributions to the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China during his term of office in Vietnam. Earlier, Hong was awarded the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations”, the most notable reward of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), for his contributions to the two countries’ relations.

Tet calligraphy street opens in Ho Chi Minh CityAs a rule, pho Ong do (or street of calligraphers) opens in Ho Chi Minh City just a couple of weeks before the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival. The street of calligraphers appears around the HCMC Youth Cultural House on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Pham Ngoc Thach streets. Calligraphers are on hands to write words or phrases carrying the meaning of luck, peace, good health or prosperity upon request. The calligraphy street has become one of the annual traditional events in the lead up to Tet in the city as the Vietnamese often seek luck, peace, good health or prosperity through calligraphy. Ngoc Tho​, a resident in Ho Chi Minh City’s district 10 told reporters that she ask​ed for the word “prosperity”​ as she wished for a successful and luckier year for herself and family members".

Credit growth expected at 18 percent in 2018The National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) forecast Vietnam’s credit to grow 17- 18 percent in 2018, similar to the growth last year. The National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) forecast Vietnam’s credit to grow 17- 18 percent in 2018. The commission said credit growth slowed down in January due to seasonal factors such as Tet holiday being around the corner. Deposit growth slid in the first month of 2018; however, it picked up from February. Credit institutions have aimed for 17.71 percent in the credit growth of Vietnamese Dong and 7.39 percent of foreign currencies.-VNA