Tuoi Tre News briefs you on some of the leading stories published today, December 26, in Vietnamese media:

Politics:

-- Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavad has received a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City led by Vo Van Thuong, Standing Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, in Vientiane. Thuong, a member of the Party Central Committee, affirmed that his city will spare no effort to realize its cooperative projects and programs with the capital Vientiane and other Lao localities to foster the two countries’ special relations.

-- Confidence vote results on 57 holders of leading positions of the Party Committee of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) have been announced. NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu earned the highest number of high-confidence votes with 93.16 percent, followed by Vice NA Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son with 92.31 percent, and Chairwoman of the Committee for Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai, with 89.74 percent.

Society:

-- The Da Nang Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital has welcomed the first three test-tube babies, which reflected great efforts by the city’s experts and doctors in the treatment for infertile couples, said Tran Dinh Vinh, director of the infirmary.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City government has proposed the municipal People’s Council pass a regulation to collect road-use fees from motorbike riders starting next year, which is expected to bring in VND300 billion for the city’s budget annually.

-- While local supermarkets have started to cut the prices of vegetables and fruit by 5-10 percent given the current fuel price reductions, the prices of the same commodities at traditional markets and food prices at food stores have remained unchanged. 

Business:

-- The Lao-Viet Bank has begun the construction of its new branch in the Lao province of Xiengkhouang in a move to expand its services to Laos' northern localities. The US$4.65 million five-storey building, covering 2,800 square meters, will be built by Chitchareune Co. in downtown Phonsavan.

-- The new personal income tax rates applied for all small-sized home-based businesses starting next year will rise by around 10 percent, which is said to be new burdens on them considering that the economy has not fully recovered.

-- The two largest payment card networks in Vietnam, Vietnam National Financial Switching Joint Stock Company (Banknetvn) and Smartlink Card Services Joint Stock Company (Smartlink), have officially merged after starting their work on the merger scheme in 2012 under the direction of the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam.

-- The Prime Minister has issued a decision listing 36 types of scrap to be imported into the country for production purposes including plaster, kraft paper and paperboard, and scrap bronze and aluminum. The decision, which will become effective on February 5, 2015, will be applied to imported goods for production purposes only, except for those temporarily imported for re-export or transit.