High inventories hurt local companies

 VietNamNet Bridge – Businesses are struggling to sell products in the second-half of the year despite reports of decreasing inventories.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 24/7

 Workers hospitalised with food poisoning after company dinner; International scientists to gather in Binh Dinh; Dangerous toxin found in imported chickens

Vietnam wins gold at 45th Int’l Chemistry Olympiad

 VietNamNet Bridge – Phan Quang Dung from the High School for Gifted Students under Vietnam National University has won a gold medal at the 45th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 24/7

 Defence Minister bids farewell to outgoing Indian Ambassador; South Korean leader warms strategic ties; Deputy PM calls for stronger co-operation with Japan

Choir wins thanks to folk songs

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese children's choir Sol Art has won the Audience Prize at the 8th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival which took place in Wernigerode, Germany.

Vocational schools deserted, workers technically unskilled

 VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of vocational schools have been built just to be left… idle, because Vietnamese students don’t like going to vocational schools.

Two Australians race on mini-motorcycle in Saigon’s center

 Two Australians race on mini-motorcycle in Saigon’s center

Ba Ria: Woman cuts her husband’s penis and runs away

 VietNamNet Bridge – Suspecting her husband as an adulterer, Bien made her husband unconscious with a narcotic and chopped off his penis to revenge him.

Livestock firm accuses environmental policy of power abuse

The Ministry of Public Security has asked the police of Binh Phuoc province to urgently report about the case in which the Binh Phuoc Livestock Company accused the environmental crime prevention police agency of abusing power..       

Hau Giang: Deputy Chief of Anti-Corruption Steering Board disciplined

Several officials of the southern province of Hau Giang, including Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, former deputy chief of the Anti-Corruption Steering Board, have been disciplined by the provincial Party Committee.

The Vietnamese man with 6,000 sleepless nights

 VietNamNet Bridge – At the age of 44, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, 44, in Trung Ha village, Cam Kim commune of Hoi An city, Quang Nam province, has had up to 16 years of sleeplessness because of a bizarre disease.

Unlicensed chemical factories found polluting in Hai Duong

 VietNamNet Bridge – Two chemical producing factories in the northern province of Hai Duong have been operating without licenses, causing environmental damage to the farming district of Kinh Mon.

President Sang leaves for US

 VietNamNet Bridge – President Truong Tan Sang and his entourage left Ha Noi yesterday, July 23, for the US, aiming to reach agreement on a new framework for bilateral ties during their visit.

Student still missing after climbing Mount Fansipan

 VietNamNet Bridge – A 20-year-old student in Ha Noi who climbed Mt. Fansipan 12 days ago is still missing, according to police.

Yen Bai residents engulfed by waste dump stench

 VietNamNet Bridge – Hundreds of residents in Yen Binh Town, northern Yen Bai Province, have been forced to struggle with the stench from a nearby waste dumping station every day for the past ten years.

Vietnam battles hacking attacks

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's leading internet security firm, BKAV, is calling for concerted efforts to fight with online attacks to Vietnamese websites.

“The Running Man” to go to the UK in September

 VietNamNet Bridge - Vu Xuan Tien's target is to watch the match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur on September 1, but everything depends on the organizer.

VN must learn from Thailand to avoid perils of mass tourism

 VietNamNet Bridge – Have you ever seen the film The Beach? And, if you have, have you ever visited Phi Phi Island in Thailand where the film was shot?

Inspectors slam wasteful VNPT

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Government Inspectorate on Friday announced that the Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) had made significant investment mistakes that had wasted a lot of money.

Many businesses died, arrears of tax reach over $3 billion

According to a report from the General Department of Taxation, arrears of tax in the first half of 2013 reached VND64.632 trillion ($3.23 billion), up 32 percent compared to 2012 and 30 percent over the same period.

NASA releases images of Earth taken from Saturn, Mercury

U.S. space agency NASA released color and black-and-white images of Earth taken by two of its interplanetary spacecraft last week that show our planet and its moon as "bright beacons" from millions of kilometers away in space.

Some pocket billions dong, others lose millions of dollars on foreign celebrities

The presence of foreign celebrities in Vietnam brought big money to some businessmen and helped them polish their businesses’ images. However, cooperating with the “stars” is always a very costly, and sometimes costly, game.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 24/7

 Ways sought for homebuyers to access stimulus package; Saigon Newport expands wharfs, warehouses; M&A deal value surges five times

Painter has world at his fingertips

VietNamNet Bridge – A collection of works done with his hands and fingers by stalwart Bui Quang Anh is on show at a painting exhibition he has organised along with another veteran, Trinh Thanh Tung, at the HCM City-based Tu Do Gallery.

Rivals prep for McDonald’s arrival

 VietNamNet Bridge – The presence of McDonald’s, the world largest food service retailer, could force other key players in Vietnam’s fast-food market to restructure.