Government supports eight flood-hit localities

 The Prime Minister has agreed to allocate 165 billion VND (over 7.2 million USD) from the budget reserves fund to eight provinces to help them tackle the consequences of storms and floods from October 13-18. 

Social News 27/12

 Vietnamese doctors provides health checkup for Cambodians, Official: NGOs contribute to Vietnam’s development, Quang Tri: Last villages get access to national grid, Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa supports sailor

Amazon starts flexing muscle in new space: air cargo

 A cargo plane emblazoned with "Prime Air" descended from an empty sky at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Tuesday, ninety minutes from the bustle of New York City, loaded with crates of goods during the peak holiday shopping season.

Should online games be banned in school?

VietNamNet Bridge – The word ‘game’, a consistent point of contention among adults and children, has once again initiated a battle between parents and educators. However, ...

National TV Fest 2016 ends in Lao Cai

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam Television Film Centre (VFC)’s Zippo, Mu Tat Va Em (Zippo, Mustard and You) won gold prize in the category of Television Film of the National Television Festival 2016.

VN’s top badminton players get married

 VietNamNet Bridge – The country’s top badminton players Nguyen Tien Minh and Vu Thi Trang got married on December 26 in HCM City.

Long An FC add American midfielder Apollon to lineup

VietNamNet Bridge – V.League side Long An have signed a one-year contract with American Ashkanov Apollon for their upcoming tournament. 

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 27/12

 Economic growth and inflation targets proposed for 2017, Tech trader to open 350 food stores next year, VAMC to have new leaders, Vegetable, fruit exceeds rice export for first time, Hanoi’s GRDP increases by 8.5% in 2016

Temporary measures cannot solve traffic congestion in HCMC

 VietNamNet Bridge – A number of solutions proposed by the HCMC Department of Transport to cope with the worsening traffic situation in the city are considered ineffective in a long term, said traffic experts.

Oil steady in quiet holiday season trade; supply cut deal to kick in Jan 1

 Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday in light pre-New Year holiday trading with markets adopting a wait-and-see stance less than a week before the first output cut deal agreed between OPEC and non-OPEC members

Personal motive in triple shooting

 VietNamNet Bridge – The August shooting of two high-level officials in Yen Bai was motivated by personal cause, said the local police yesterday.

Service providers urged to combat spam texts

 VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 14 million spam messages are frustrating phone users across the country every day despite efforts by information and telecommunication authorities to combat them.

Ex-minister’s son resigns as Sabeco’s deputy general director

VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Industry and Trade on Sunday (Dec 25) said it has received a resignation letter from Vu Quang Hai, Deputy General Director of Sai Gon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Company (Sabeco).

The ‘dragon fish’ threat

VietNamNet Bridge - While Vietnam has seen a ‘whirlwind’ of goods from ASEAN countries and China, Vietnamese enterprises still have not found effective solutions to conquer the vast ASEAN market of 1.9 billion consumers.

13-year-old boy wins MasterChef Junior VN

 Thirteen-year-old Dinh Thanh Hai won MasterChef Junior Viet Nam Season 1 on December 25.

Greece reports H5N8 bird flu in wild swan: OIE

 Greece has reported a case of the highly contagious H5N8 bird flu virus in a wild bird, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday, citing official information from Greece.

HCM City eyes 9-storey parking lot

 A HCM City-based company has offered to build a nine-storey smart parking lot in the city’s downtown area, and the Department of Transport has sought approval from the administration.

VN top ten sporting events of 2016

 2016 was a jam-packed action year for sports fans. There was so much to cheer about despite some real heartbreakers. Here is the list of the 10 best sporting events of 2016, in no particular order.

17 must-see places in Ninh Binh

 Am Tien Cave, Trang An, Tam Coc, and Bich Dong to name a few are attractive destinations for visitors to Ninh Binh province.

Sony Music's Twitter hacked, fake Britney Spears death tweets sent

 Sony Music Entertainment's Twitter account was hacked on Monday, publishing fake statements that pop music icon Britney Spears had died.

Ancient spirit possession ritual debuts in Hanoi

On December 25, the ancient ritual Hau dong, a spirit possession ritual of the Mother Goddess religion, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage, debuted at West Lake in Hanoi.

Vietnamese brothers break Guinness record

 Vietnamese artist brothers Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep have smashed a Guinness World Record by climbing stairs with one sibling balanced atop the other using only head-to-head contact.

Vietnam attends fifth sea festival in Cambodia

 Vietnam along with Thailand, China, India and Indonesia, participated in the fifth sea festival 2016 in Cambodia from December 23-25.

University students win Asia Young Designer Awards

 Students from the University of Industrial Fine Arts in Hanoi and the University of Architecture in HCM City have received gold awards at the 2016 Asia Young Designer Award Competition.

Dak Lak to host coffee, gong festivals in 2017

 The sixth Buon Me Thuot coffee festival and the Central Highlands Gong Culture Festival 2017 will take place in Dak Lak province from March 8 – 13 next year.