Check out the news you should not miss today, December 29:
Politics
-- A ceremony to celebrate 56 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cuba (December 2) and the Republic of Cuba’s 58th Anniversary of Independence Day (January 1) was held in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday night. The event was attended by Ho Chi Minh City’s senior leaders and the Consul General of Cuba in Vietnam.
Society
-- Four fishermen from the south-central province of Phu Yen were captured by Papua New Guinea authorities as they were working on board a fishing boat from the central province of Quang Ngai last weekend.
-- Police in the southern province of An Giang on Wednesday caught 34 people red-handed getting involved in an illegal cockfight, seizing VND30 million (US$1,339) in cash.
-- Ho Chi Minh City will dredge 11 canals in District 9, Nha Be District and Can Gio District at a cost of over VND1,182 billion ($52.77 million) to facilitate water transport.
-- Officials in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on Wednesday inaugurated the first phase of a plant to treat industrial and hazardous wastes in Dong Phu District. The 36ha plant, costing VND320 billion ($14.29 million), is capable of processing around 73,000 tons of waste a year after its two phases are completed.
-- According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of National Recourses and Environment, the city collects and processes around 7,500 tons to 8,000 tons of garbage a day.
Business
-- Vietnam’s GDP growth in 2016 has reached 6.21 percent, failing to meet the target of 6.7 percent, the General Statistics Office of Vietnam has recently announced.
-- According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports are expected to reach $235 million this month, bringing the total turnover of this year to $2.4 billion.
Lifestyle
-- “Dia Nguc Mon,” a comic book by Vietnamese author Can Tieu Hi, whose real name is Phan Cao Ha My, has recently won a silver prize at the 10th International Manga Award in Japan.