South Korea boosts education cooperation with Ha Nam

 The Ha Nam Vocational College in the northern province of Ha Nam and the Yeungnam University in the Republic of Korea sealed an agreement on education cooperation in the Vietnamese province on September 18.

Over 40 percent of HCM City youths show alcohol abuse signs

A survey conducted by psychologists in Ho Chi Minh City has indicated that over 40 percent of the city’s youngsters questioned show signs of alcohol addiction.

Vietnam, Spain ink legal assistance treaty in criminal matters

 A treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between Vietnam and Spain was signed in the latter’s capital city of Madrid on September 18.

Leader’s visit to Japan helps raise Vietnam’s global stature

The fruitful official visit to Japan by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, along with his successful tours to China and the US earlier this year, has contributed to improving the stature of Vietnam and its Party in the world.

Vietnamese President to attend UN Summit in US, visit Cuba

 President Truong Tan Sang will attend the United Nations Summit from September 24-28 for the adoption of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and related events in New York, United States.

Clear rules for foreign property ownership to come out soon

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Government is expected to issue a decree guiding the implementation of the 2014 Housing Law soon to make it easy for foreigners, particularly overseas Vietnamese, to own houses in Vietnam.

Pha Luong – a highlight of tourism in Son La

 VietNamNet Bridge – Dubbed as the rooftop of Moc Chau District in the northern mountainous province of Son La, foggy Pha Luong Mountain is an attractive tourist destination, especially for those eager for adventurous tourism.

Vietnam faces rapid aging problem

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has one of the fastest population aging rates in the world, which is a major challenge when it comes to dealing with pension and social welfare issues for the elderly,

Vietnam rice loses to Thailand and Cambodia

Vietnamese rice has lower quality compared to rice of Thailand and Cambodia because Vietnamese farmers are using short day varieties, while these countries mainly plant only one rice crop/year, with higher quality, safety and more competitive prices.

Retail & Franchise Show 2015 for November

The Vietnam International Retail & Franchise Show 2015 (VIETRF) will be held from November 5 to 7 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City.

Young PhD gets go-ahead for his project from the Prime Minister

VietNamNet Bridge - The Prime Minister listened to the young PhD’s attentively, raised some questions and decided to fund a project on making guiding glasses for the blind after a three-minute dialogue.

Plan to replace A92 with E5 could fail

VietNamNet Bridge - Doubts have been raised about the feasibility of a plan to replace A92 petrol with E5 biofuel, even though distributors have been told to stop selling A92 to focus on E5.

Making clay horses for worshiping

Every year, when rain and flooding are over, Huynh Tram and his family in Cau Ha Village, Dien Ngoc Commune, Dien Ban District in Quang Nam Province will start making clay horses to serve the demand of people in the central region.

High-quality pre-schools in demand in large cities

VietNamNet Bridge - State-owned preschools have too many applicants for the number of seats available, at a time when the demand for high-quality education for very young children is on the rise. 

Unofficial workers lack social insurance

 VietNamNet Bridge – Just five per cent of informal labourers across Viet Nam are covered by social insurance, posing a potential risk that millions of workers will be without any pension to support their later years.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 21/9

 Villas stand out in Da Nang residential market, Wyndham invests in Ha Long Bay hotel, Foreign house buyer number far behind expectations, Mango gets access to Japanese market, Vietnamese, foreign travel businesses find fresh opportunities

Backstage workers struggle to make reasonable living

 Facing challenges to draw audiences back to the theatre, some private theatres and drama troupes in HCM City will close temporarily to upgrade their facilities.

Foreign banks lack competitive pressure

  SBV report states foreign banks unlikely to dominate local banking sector any time soon.

The village gates in Vietnam culture

 Since ancient times, the village gate has served as more than just an entrance or exit. Many villages have more than one gate, each facing different directions.

Historic buildings around Ba Dinh Square

VietNamNet Bridge - In addition to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square is home to many historic buildings and tourist sites as the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh house-on-stilts, One Pillar Pagoda ...

Race begins for faster internet

 Local network providers are racing to develop 4G service as they await the green light from the Ministry of Information and Communications, which has not yet put out bids to choose providers.

Banks yet to implement capital withdrawal plans, as required by SBV

VietNamNet Bridge - The State Bank has not taken any drastic measures to force commercial banks to withdraw capital from other credit institutions, as requested. The aim was to reduce their ownership ratios to below 5 percent by the end of 2015.

Vietnam suffering burden of gynecological cancer

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has around 150,000 new cases of cancer every year with 75,000 people succumbing to the disease. It means 208 people in the country die everyday or each hour 9 people succumb to chronic diseases.

Image: Stunning giant wall in Son Doong Cave

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ryan Deboodt, who published photos of Son Doong, the world’s largest cave, to the world returned here to shoot beautiful pictures of the giant stone wall.

Last quarter rush for VN real estate

 The final quarter of this year should be the beginning of the next “heyday” of Vietnam’s real estate market as changes to the Law on Real Estate Business and the Law on Housing start to be felt.