Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday hosted a reception for Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou in Hanoi, during which he lauded the visit of the Lao top legislator, which contributes to fostering cooperation between the two countries’ parties, governments and legislatures.

Society

-- Animal health authorities in southern Vietnamese provinces and cities are stepping up measures including installing CCTV cameras at slaughterhouses to prevent pigs infected with African swine fever from northern areas from being transported to the south for butchering and sale.

-- The environment department of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province in southern Vietnam has granted permission for a company to ‘sink’ 14.3 million cubic meters of mud from its dredging activities onto the ocean bed ten kilometers off the resort city of Vung Tau.

-- There are currently only three leaders in charge of running the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, including chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong and two deputies, after deputy chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thu passed away in February and deputy chairman Huynh Cach Mang is hospitalized for treatment of a serious illness.

-- Vietnamese tour travelers are once again eligible to apply for Taiwanese visas under a special program that grants privileges to applicants from some Asian countries, after the program was temporarily halted following an incident when nearly 150 Vietnamese tourists went unaccounted for after arriving in Kaohsiung City in December 2018.

Business

-- Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced it plans to raise electricity prices by 8.36 percent in late March in a move expected to help tackle hiking power generation costs but will likely place more pressure on residents and businesses.

-- The administration of Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam has proposed the closure of a local gold mine that has been extracted illegally for two years since a mining permit granted to a private company expired in March 5, 2016.

-- Two residential real estate projects in Nha Be District and District 9, Ho Chi Minh City will be up for inspection after apartment buyers at the two projects accused its developers of multiple violations.

-- Traditional fish sauce producers in Vietnam are decrying a recent draft of a “national standard” for fish sauce production proposed by an agriculture ministry department in which the condiment, which is made by fermenting ocean-dwelling fish in salt, is required to conform to standards on veterinary medicine and pesticide levels.

-- Roses grown by farmers in Da Lat City in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam are experiencing a price hike of 12-16 times as the International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, draws nearer, raising demands for the flowers.

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