According to the latest International Chess Federation rankings, top Vietnamese chess player Le Quang Liem has climbed up to No. 29 with an Elo of 2,718.

 Thai actress, model and former Miss Thailand Universe Farung Yuthithum has been picked to strut the catwalk at an Autumn/ Winter 2016 collection fashion launch in Ho Chi Minh City.

 The second runner-up of Miss Universe 2015 Dang Thi Le Hang will represent Vietnam at the Miss Universe 2016 beauty pageant scheduled for January 13-30, 2017 in the Philippines.

 Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it has opened a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Seattle without lines or checkout counters, kicking off new competition with supermarket chains.

A timeless and entertaining performance of the Christmas classical ballet – The Nutcracker – featuring Russian acclaimed dancers and 20 city school children has charmed Hanoian audiences.

 Fifteen Vietnamese youth will participate in next year’s annual ASEAN-INDIA Student Exchange Program, January 15-18, in New Delhi, reports the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

 The northwestern province of Dien Bien is gearing up for the Ban (Bauhinia variegate) Flower Festival, which is scheduled to take place from March 11-14, 2017.

 The Prime Minister has approved a master plan on preserving and promoting values of the Oc Eo – Ba The special national relic site in the southern province of An Giang.

 Vietnam’s medium-term outlook remains favourable with GDP expected to expand by 6 percent this year, according to the World Bank (WB)’s Taking Stock report.

 The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi is scheduled to be reopened for the public on December 6 after three months of repair.

 President Tran Dai Quang pledged that Vietnam will encourage its business community to invest in Myanmar, especially in agriculture, fish farming, mining and tourism.

 Minister of Public Security To Lam and Myanmar’s Minister of Home Affairs Kyaw Swe have agreed to strengthen the exchange of law enforcement experience and information of crimes to better prevent and combat trans-national and emerging crimes.

  Senator John McCain, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, has said he will continue working to enhance US-Vietnam ties during a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assured Chinese investors that the Vietnamese Government will provide the best possible conditions for them to do business in the Southeast Asian country.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Travel firms are waiting for e-visa issuance guidelines for international tourists to Vietnam but immigration authorities remain tight-lipped.

Hoa Sen Group’s steel project in Ca Na, Thuan Nam District, Ninh Thuan Province has been put in a draft zoning plan for Vietnam’s steel sector until 2025 with a vision towards 2035 even though it has sparked strong public criticisms.

VietNamNet Bridge - Big money has been poured into amusement parks in famous tourism sites, with many  projects capitalized at trillions of dong already completed or under construction.

VietNamNet Bridge - With the Information Security Index at 59.9 percent, up by 13.5 percent in comparison with last year, the index has exceeded the average level for the first time.

VietNamNet Bridge – A jazz concert featuring famous Japanese pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto will be held at Hanoi Opera House on December 10. 

 Ho Chi Minh City is planning to withdraw the land of 880 projects in 2017.

 VietNamNet Bridge – With its long history of rice cultivation, Viet Nam cuisine features an endless variety of rice-noodle dishes. Apart from pho, which is made with flat rice noodles, there is the bun which are fresh thin and round.

The story about a third-year university student who asked company executives what she needed to do to earn a salary of $2,000 after she graduates has stirred controversy among the public.

VietNamNet Bridge - Several African countries, which have been loyal partners with Vietnamese cashew exporters, are becoming competitors.

VietNamNet Bridge - While a project to conserve wild elephants is being drafted by the Dong Nai provincial authorities, the animals continue to damage farmers’ houses and crops fields every day.

 Authorities will likely change the current equitization method toward more transparency and clearer information for foreign investors, a move that has long been waited for.