Politics

-- Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday on the occasion of the fourth Mekong – Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Luang Prabang, northern Laos.

Society

-- Vietnam has set eyes on becoming the world’s factory, offering highly skilled labor and modern technology for global businesses looking for a place to base their manufacturing activities.

-- Vietnam’s finance ministry wants to collect environmental protection fee based on the amount of exhaust fumes emitted by different vehicles, according to a letter sent to government agencies requesting support in rolling out the new regulation.

Business

-- Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, President and CEO of Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet, has become the first Vietnamese representative to be named in the annual Bloomberg 50 (B50) list of noteworthy global leaders selected by Bloomberg Businessweek, the world’s leading business and financial publication.

-- Since the launch of Vietnam’s first filling station operated by a wholly foreign-invested company in Hanoi in October 2017, local petrol retailers have ramped up expanding their network of gas stations in the hope of safeguarding their market share in the face of fresh competition.

-- Ho Chi Minh City has entered the year-end shopping season, which lasts from before Christmas until the Lunar New Year in February, with brands rolling out big promotions and goods becoming abundant on supermarket shelves.

-- The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment is studying a possible scheme to administer the country’s growing sharing economy with the recent emergence of sharing services such as Airbnb and ride-hailing apps like Grab and Go-Viet.

-- Vietnamese commercial banks are racing to mobilize long-term capital by issuing bonds, as the State Bank of Vietnam will starting next year set a new limit on the percentage of short-term capital that local lenders can use for mid-term and long-term loans to 40 percent, from the current 45 percent.

Lifestyle

-- H’Hen Nie, Vietnam’s representative at this year’s Miss Universe beauty pageant, has advanced into the top five beauties on the final day of the competition, which is being held in Thailand.

Sports

-- A local businessman has proposed making association football the national sport of Vietnam in the hope of mobilizing society resources to turn the country into a global football powerhouse, following the national team’s remarkable performance at the 2018 AFF Championship where they won the second regional title after ten years.

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