No exceptions should be allowed in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình said yesterday.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved the opening of three routes for 12-seat electricity-powered buses for the next three years in HCM City.

High-rise construction increasingly threatens architecture and urban planning in the Old Quarter.

Hà Nội is planning a massive US$5.5 billion expansion project for Nội Bài Airport to brace against overloading that is expected in just a few years, said an official.

The area under safe vegetables in HCM City topped 15,800 hectares last year, 18.9 per cent up from 2011 when a programme to strengthen food security began, according to the city People’s Committee.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved updated plans for Hòa Lạc High-tech Park, to be completed by 2030 in Hà Nội’s outlying districts of Thạch Thất and Quốc Oai.

Drunk driving or refusal to comply with a police ordered alcohol and drug test will now attract penalties of up to VNĐ18 million (US$800).

Funds from the State budget and international sponsors for malaria elimination initiatives have declined in recent years, creating difficulties for meeting the 2030 target, a conference here heard today.

The closure of Lương Yên Bus Station on Hà Nội’s Nguyễn Khoái Street is expected to ease traffic congestion in nearby areas and offer chances for coach operators to use better facilities, transport experts said.