Nhan wins yellow jersey at Mekong Delta Cycling Tournament

 VietNamNet Bridge – Truong Nguyen Thanh Nhan won the overall yellow jersey of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Cycling Tournament which ended in the southern province of Ben Tre yesterday, August 20.

Le Trong Hinh sets new 400m record

 VietNamNet Bridge – Two national records were broken at the National Youth Athletics Championship in Ha Noi on August 19.

World's 2nd largest zoo to be built in Phu Quoc

World's 2nd largest zoo to be built in Phu Quoc, Artist's drawings in HCM City combine art and architecture, Quang Binh approves tours to legendary cave, Quang Ninh town listed as ‘insanely beautiful', Five best markets in Ha Noi for snacking

Material importers feel pinch of dong devaluation

 The central bank’s devaluation of the Vietnam dong currency by another 1% against the U.S. dollar and its widening of the dong/dollar trading band to 3% on August 19 will deliver a blow to material importers.

MTV Vietnam selecting artist for EMA 2015

  MTV Vietnam is holding a vote to choose an artist as a representative of Vietnam in the Best Worldwide Act category at MTV European Music Awards (MTV EMA) 2015 which is scheduled late October in Milan, Italy.

Dai Nam resort owner fined but vows to protest

Authorities in the southern province of Binh Duong have fined the Dai Nam JSC nearly VND100 billion (USD4.46 million) for land use violations at its resort in the province.

ASEAN economic ministers to meet on August 22-25

  The 47th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM 47) will be held in Kuala Lumpur from August 22-25 to put the finishing touches on the formal establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of this year.

SBV sacks Dong A Bank General Director

 The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has dismissed the General Director of Dong A Bank, Mr. Tran Phuong Binh, and Deputy General Director Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van.

Circular released on lifting foreign ownership limit

 The State Securities Commission (SSC) has released details regarding the new Circular on lifting the foreign ownership cap in Vietnam’s stock market.

Local stock pullback hits VN's wealthiest

 The two-month rally in the Vietnamese stock market from mid-May to mid-July made a fortune for many of the country's wealthiest, but the recent steep falls in the market has taken much of it away.

US keeps tariff on Vietnam's plastic bags

 The US continues to impose countervailing duty (CVD) as well as old duty rates on polyethylene retail carrier bags (plastic bags) from Viet Nam after the first sunset review on the duty in May, reported Viet Nam Competition Authority.

Eximbank denies supervision rumours

 The Vietnam Export Import Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Eximbank) has dismissed rumours of being placed under special supervision by the central bank or that its chairman had been arrested.

Competitive electricity market? It’s still far away

If Electricity of Vietnam’s (EVN) exclusive role cannot be removed, private businesses will not be able to join the electricity market.

Du Gia National Park to be established in Ha Giang

 The Prime Minister has decided to establish Du Gia National Park on the Dong Van karst plateau in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.

Vietnam's short-distance runner gets set for Beijing test

 Short-distance runner Nguyen Thi Huyen will leave for Beijing, China, on August 21 to compete in the Women's 400m hurdles at the 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships.

Nam enters second round at Men’s Futures F27 in Egypt

 Vietnamese tennis ace Ly Hoang Nam has entered the second round of the Men’s Futures F27, which is taking place in Egypt.

20-millennium-old prehistoric sites found in Lao Cai

 Archaeologists have discovered prehistoric sites dating back 20,000 years in Bao Thang district of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, said Associate Professor Dr. Trinh Nang Chung from the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology on August 20.

Vietnamese weightlifters gunning for champs

 Vietnamese weightlifters are readying for the 2015 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Phuket, Thailand, from September 3-12.

Dung Quat oil refinery expansion to cost nearly $1.83 billion

 Upgrades to and expansion of the Dung Quat oil refinery in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai will cost roughly 1.83 billion USD, according to Dinh Van Ngoc, General Director of the Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Ltd (BSR).

Vietnam concerned about Indonesia’s sinking of fishing boats

 Vietnam is seriously concerned about Indonesian authorised forces’ sinking of several Vietnamese vessels fishing illegally in Indonesian waters, Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Hai Binh said on August 20.

Harvard works with Feds to establish university in Vietnam

 The U.S. State Department has granted Harvard $2.5 million to transition a University-run public policy program in Vietnam into the country’s first independent, non-profit, U.S.-affiliated university in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam, RoK supreme courts promote cooperation

 A delegation from the Vietnam People’s Supreme Court (VPSC) is paying an official visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) from August 16-23 to promote the cooperative ties between the two countries’ supreme courts

Vietnam to deepen relations with foreign partners

Vietnam will make greater efforts to deepen its external relations, primarily with key partners and traditional friends, in the new stage of development, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said.

Aromatic noodles fill bellies in Old Quarter

 VietNamNet Bridge – Banh da noodle dishes full to bursting with fish, pork, beef, herbs and bean sprouts please patrons who sit on small stools and happily eat a bowl – or two.

Vietnamese firms find it hard to break into European market with new FTA

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Viet Nam-EAEU (the Eurasian Economic Union) free trade agreement was signed in May, but penetrating this large market is not an easy task, experts said yesterday, August 19.