Spring in Vietnam begins with the traditional Tet which has been for thousands of years now celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Lunar Year, the ancient agricultural calendar observed by most Asian countries.

The Nung Phan Slinh is one of three main subgroups of the Nung, an ethnic minority group of the Tay-Thai language living mostly in the northern mountainous provinces of Lang Son, Bac Giang and Cao Bang. The group’s customs of celebrating birthdays for elderly people not only show their filial piety but also reflect their spiritual life and more or less reveal information about their history and culture.

The National Assembly Standing Committee has issued Resolution 684 to add the draft law revising the insurance and intellectual property laws into the 2019 law- and ordinance-making program.

Thua Thien Hue is renowned for beautiful pristine beaches and five UNESCO-recognized heritages. They are the Complex of Hue Monuments - a complex of palaces, ancient tombs, temples and shrines - recognized as a world heritage site in 1993; nha nhac (Hue royal court music), recognized as an oral and intangible heritage in 2003; moc ban (wood blocks) and chau ban (royal records) of the Nguyen dynasty, recognized as the world documentary heritage in the Memory of the World Program; the imperial archives of the Nguyen dynasty, recognized as a UNESCO Memory of the World Program in 2017.

Bac Lieu province is well-known as the cradle of “don ca tai tu” (southern folk music and songs), the musical art of southern Vietnam recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, and for the song “Da co hoai lang” (Night drumbeats for the absent husband) that was composed in 1919 by Cao Van Lau, a native of the province, and tells of the love, anguish and pride of a young woman who awaits her husband’s return from the battlefield as she listens to the sounds of war drums.

Vietnam’s laws on waste disposal at sea put the marine ecosystem, aquatic resources and people’s livelihoods under severe threat, according to experts.

The pilot program on issuance of electronic visas to foreigners will be extended for two more years, starting from February 1, 2019.

With beautiful mountain landscapes, sparkling terraced rice fields and ethnic villages, Cao Bang has been named among top five unique treks in Southeast Asia by Singapore’s Skyscanner website. The province is well-known for the UNESCO-recognized Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark with a number of famous cultural and historical relics, including the Ban Gioc waterfalls - one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country, the special national historical site of Pac Bo cave where late President Ho Chi Minh used to live and work during the resistance war against the French colonialists, Lenin stream, Thang Hen lake, Ky Rang cave and Phja Oac-Phja Den national park.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is still working on draft amendments to the 2012 Labor Code, focusing on such issues as the Code’s governing scope, wage and overtime working hours, special labor, establishment of industrial relations, and unscheduled inspection.

The National Assembly Standing Committee has decided to extend the pilot e-visa program for foreign visitors to Vietnam by another two years during its 28th session on October 15-17 in Hanoi.