African-American and white women who regularly chemically straightened their hair or dyed it dark brown or black had an elevated risk of breast cancer, 

 Heart Beat, a Saigon-based underground music community, will hold a music and light show with London-based techno producer and DJ Sigha at The Observatory on July 21.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s trip to Germany and the Netherlands, from July 5-11, was a success with numerous deals between Vietnam and the two countries signed, said a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry official. 

 Virginia treasures and wants to intensify cooperation with Vietnam, especially in economics, trade, and education and training, said the US State’s Governor Terry McAuliffe.

 Commercial banks which have cut interest rates for short-term lending following the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s cue might suffer a further decline in the net interest margin (NIM), experts said.

 Officials and experts have called on the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to adopt smart traffic systems to reduce the congestion around Cat Lai port in district 2.

VietNamNet Bridge - For those who prefer to travel solo, here are the top destinations in the country for this purpose.  

Wealthy clients of Swiss private bank Falcon will be able to store and trade bitcoins via their cash holdings with the bank from Wednesday, a move that signals the traction the virtual currency is gaining 

HCM City is adjusting its industrial development strategy until 2020, including removing zoning plans for delayed industrial parks and downsizing the scale of industrial complexes in a bid to speed up investment projects and lure more investment.

 The border force in the central province of Quang Tri in collaboration with police in the Lao province of Salavan captured two Lao nationals trafficking 40,000 synthetic pills on July 11.

 A ceremony was held in Hanoi on July 12 to launch the Vietnam trade information portal at http://www.vietnamtradeportal.gov.vn 

 A virtual tour of the Hanoi Opera House was launched in Hanoi on July 12, offering visitors a brand-new experience and an insight into different aspects of the renowned building.

 The southern province of Dong Nai on July 12 held a ceremony to commemorate soldiers who died in Bien Hoa airport battle in 1968 and re-bury the newly-found remains of the fallen soldiers.

 The “Returning to Truong Son” cycling race, the third of its kind launched by the Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper, will kick off in Hanoi on July 15, heard a press briefing in Hanoi on July 12.

 There is no “prohibited zone” in the inspection and execution of the Party’s disciplinary measures, stressed a conference in Hanoi on July 12.

 Hanoi authority has approved an architecture plan on Hoa Sen (Lotus) theatre floating on a lake between Yen Hoa (Cau Giay district) and My Dinh (Nam Tu Liem district), according to the city’s Department of Architecture and Planning. 

The Vietnam National Petroleum Group and Myanmar’s HTOO Group of Companies have recently signed a deal in Hanoi, under which they will explore the possibility of jointly doing business in Myanmar. 

 The first Vietnam-Laos border friendship exchange will take place in the northern mountainous province of Son La on July 22-24. 

 The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho will open more direct domestic and international routes, targeting promising markets in Southeast and Northeast Asia. 

 The Law on Amendments and Supplements to Several Articles of the Penal Code and five other laws were made public by the Presidential Office a at a press conference on July 12.

 Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong had a meeting with heads of Vietnam’s overseas representative offices during the 2017-2020 tenure in Hanoi on July 12. 

 Vietnam and Malaysia have agreed to increase visits at all levels and through all channels along with exchanges between their citizens in order to advance the bilateral strategic partnership. 

On an early day this summer, we headed to Duong Lam, a famous village only 40km west of Ha Noi. If you go by car, just head for the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park and get onto the Thang Long Highway.

The new tuition frame for state-owned schools has been approved by the Hanoi authorities, under which the ceiling tuition will be VND4.3 million per student per month for preschool and VND4.5 million for secondary and high school. 

The food court model, popular in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, is thriving in Vietnam. While many food service chains huddle together in central business districts and pay high retail rent, some new food service models are moving to the suburbs.