Society

-- Measures will be taken by transport authorities in southern Vietnam to make sure roads remain clear during the upcoming Lunar New Year travel rush, when millions of people working in Ho Chi Minh City are expected to return to their hometowns in neighboring provinces to enjoy a nine-day holiday.

-- Residents of the Loc Hung Garden neighborhood in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, which is being cleared for the development of a public school complex, will receive compensation equivalent to over VND7 million (US$300) per square meter of land on which their house was built and be assisted in finding a new home and job.

-- Doctors at the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City announced this week they had successfully cured a girl of two rare genetic skin conditions that cause her skin to change color and blister.

 -- The Vietnamese health ministry has said the rate of reactions to the ComBE Five vaccine in Vietnam remains within an acceptable range, after three children reportedly died after being administered with the India-made vaccine that provides protection against five diseases of diphtheria, hepatitis B, tetanus, pertussis, and hib.

-- The Intra Asia (IA) cable system connecting Vietnam to Hong Kong and other parts of Asia has encountered a power failure, affecting the speed of Internet connection in the Southeast Asian country, local Internet service providers said this week without confirming when the cable line will resume full operation.

Business

-- Enterprises in Vietnam are getting creative in designing special Tet gift bags that are inspired by Vietnamese traditions and folklore, which sell like hot cakes during the month leading up to the Lunar New Year (February 5).

-- Souvenir banknotes that are designed with images of the pig, the zodiac animal of the next lunar year, are being offered by gift shops in Vietnam for a price of up to VND350,000 ($15) each.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City branch of the State Bank of Vietnam has said it will start supplying local commercial banks with new bills from Wednesday, as Vietnamese families seek brand new banknotes to give children as ‘lucky money’ in a Lunar New Year tradition.

-- Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched an anti-dumping investigation into aluminum products imported from China over allegations that these products have caused damage to domestic production.

Lifestyle

-- A ceremony was held at Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of ‘cai luong,’ a form of modern folk opera popular in southern Vietnam that blends folk songs, classical music, classical theater, and modern spoken drama.

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