Beautiful old French buildings in Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge – The Presidential Palace, University of Hanoi, Hang Dau water tower, and Hospital K are fourof several French colonial buildings in Hanoi that have been proposed for preservation.

Stunted recognition: daring deeds, little reward

 VietNamNet Bridge – Its an ‘unwanted’ and thankless job, but without stuntmen and stuntwomen, no action movie can make the cut,

East Sea: Spitsbergen Treaty and the lesson for Vietnam

The lessons learned from the Spitsbergen treaty can transmit messages to the approaches to solve the East Sea dispute. Here is the perspective of Dr. Enrico Fels, University of Bonn, Germany.

Why do FIEs find it difficult to transfer technology to Vietnamese workers?

South Korean-invested enterprises have found it difficult to transfer technology to Vietnamese workers because the employees often leave for cities to look for jobs, according to Ruy Hang Ha, chair of KoCham.

Motherhood is biggest challenge for 'Woman of the Year' Madonna

Madonna was presented on Friday with Billboard magazine's Woman of the Year award, but the seven-time Grammy Award winner said one of her biggest challenges was being a good mother. 

Everything you need to know about Saigon travel

 VietNamNet Bridge – The following are facts you should know about touring this bustling city.

Swelling toys a health hazard, public warned

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality has warned consumers not to buy polymer “crystal balls”, saying it is a toy that could be harmful for children.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 12/12

 ICAEW: Bright growth prospect for Vietnam in next two years, Construction permit issuance time to fall to 42 days, HCM City seeks road investor, HD Bank inks loan deal for Da Nang condotel project

Int’l congress features latest achievements in plastic, aesthetic surgery

 VietNamNet Bridge – The latest advances in the field of aesthetic surgery and medicine were discussed at the 14th annual international scientific congress of the HCM City Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery,

Singer to celebrate birthday with debut concerts

 VietNamNet Bridge – A decade after rising to fame in the "Sao Mai – Rendezvous" national song contest, singer Ha Anh Tuan will celebrate his birthday with his first concert this month.

Vietnam – easy on your pocketbook

 Forbes listed Vietnam as one of the 30 most affordable destinations in 2017.

Samsung to disable Note 7 phones in the U.S. via software update

 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Friday that a software update for Galaxy Note 7 smartphones will be released mid-December in the United States preventing them from charging and functioning as mobile phones, rendering them useless.

Social News 12/12

Free treatment offered for poor patients with severe tumours, hematoma, 2017 UPU letter-writing contest launches in Hai Duong, Labour exports hurt by lack of foreign language skills, 130,000 overseas Vietnamese to return home for Tet holiday 

Oil surges as non-OPEC, OPEC producers agree on output cuts; dollar strong

 Oil prices jumped more than 5 percent on Monday after OPEC and non-OPEC producers agreed to curb oil output and ease a global glut, while the U.S. dollar extended gains ahead of an expected rate hike this week.

Foreign groups are major players in high-end property management market

VietNamNet Bridge - Luxury real estate projects can be developed by either Vietnamese or foreign investors, but most of them are managed by international management groups.

Italy hurries to form new government as banking crisis looms

Italian President Sergio Mattarella asked Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Sunday to try to form a new government, giving him a mandate to lead Italy out of a political crisis caused by the resignation of Matteo Renzi. 

More than 100 killed in church collapse in Nigeria -journalist, resident

 At least 100 people were killed by the collapse of a church in southeastern Nigeria, a resident and photojournalist who visited a morgue said on Sunday, but officials put the death toll at just 27.

Protect sea environment to protect sea tourism

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam’s sea tourism industry has immense potential for development, yet the sector faces a number of challenges due to increasing environmental pollution. 

Plain of Reeds during monsoon season

 The monsoon season is the busiest time in the Plain of Reeds of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. This is also the best time to explore the region’s beauty and the generosity of nature.

Children more dependent as parents become overly protective

VietNamNet Bridge - As there are many adverse factors in society, many Vietnamese parents tend to protect their children in unreasonable ways. 

Apps for domestic help services represent $1 million market

VietNamNet Bridge - A government report shows that Vietnam needed 250,000 domestic helpers in 2015, while HCMC alone needed 10,000 helpers. But only 30 percent of the demand could be met.

Foreign investors make more M&A deals in pharmaceutical industry

VietNamNet Bridge - Many merger & acquisition (M&A) deals in the pharmaceutical industry have been made this year, in which the buyers were foreign investors. 

Storing water is must for water resource management: experts

Vietnam, which has proposed a transboundary water resources management policy, will take the initiative in storing water to cover its needs instead of relying on other countries, experts have said.

Record high fruit and veggie exports in 2016

 Fruit and vegetable exports hit US$186 million in November, bringing the value in 11 months of this year to approximately US$2.2 billion, up from the 2015 record of $1.8 billion.

Hanoi's abandoned water park

 The large water park inside Tuoi Tre (Youth) Park, Hai Ba Trung District, has been abandoned for years despite supposedly being a key Hanoi leisure option.