On May 17, a Vietnamese Ao Dai fashion event was held at the main square of the Ly Thai To monument to commemorate what would have been President Ho Chi Minh’s 125th birthday (May 19).

 Some of the world's best spices are coming from Vietnam these days and the country’s peppers with their pleasant lemony/citrus aroma and taste are one of the country’s more famed and recognizable products.

 President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and ethics stay forever in Vietnamese people’s hearts, leading the Vietnam revolution to all victories, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment together with relevant ministries and sectors have quickly completed Vietnam’s draft report on intended nationally-determined contributions (INDC) to coping with climate change.

 The US State Department has pledged 10 million USD in aid for the central province of Quang Tri to disarm unexploded ordnances (UXOs) left over from the war in Vietnam.

 Vietnam-US relations development lauded, President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday marked in Cambodia, UK, PetroVietnam urged to expand overseas operations, President Ho Chi Minh’s 125th birthday anniversary marked

 Regular exercise in old age has as powerful an effect on life expectancy as giving up smoking, researchers say.

 The Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) has strongly condemned China’s recent fishing ban in the East Sea, deeming the unilateral action irrational and void.

VietNamNet Bridge – A cock crows from the garden in the remote Ba Danh Pagoda near Ha Nam City, breaking the silence beside the romantic Day River. The breeze blows from nearby Ngoc Mountain, driving away the heat of early summer. 

 VietNamNet Bridge - China is accelerating consolidation of reefs in Truong Sa (Spratlys Islands) and quibbling absurdly, while the US, Japan and their allies are holding exercises and patrols.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese students rank high at international competitions, but in the eyes of parents, the Vietnamese educational system has problems.

VietNamNet Bridge - Research has shown how to use coal residue to make building materials, but thermal power plants have not applied the findings on a large scale.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A middle-aged man in Bac Kan City, northern province of Bac Kan, has immersed himself in a unique interest for 30 years: collecting photos of President Ho taken throughout his life.

VietNamNet Bridge - Importers have to make a deposit for scrap materials imported from June 15, 2015 as per government decree No 38. This will place a heavy financial burden on enterprises.

 A recent downturn in the number of international tourists has prompted Hanoi’s hoteliers to come up with new strategies to regain stable occupancy rates.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is calling for overseas capital in the agriculture sector through the public private partnership (PPP) model.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training last weekend granted awards to 70 excellent mathematical works and gave scholarships to Math students

HCM City's Tran Duy Khoi won three gold medals in the first day of competition at the ongoing National Junior Age-Groups Swimming Championships in Ha Noi on May 17.

 The 500-permit limit for entrance to Son Doong Cave this year has been fully booked, said Nguyen Chau A, General Director of Oxalis Adventure Tours.

 Seventeen miles off Cua Tung beach, Quang Tri, lies Con Co Island, which is set to become a national tourist hotspot and a driving force of economic growth in the province.

VietNamNet Bridge - To make up the budget deficit, the government needs to issue bonds to raise funds from the public rather than borrow money directly from the central bank, economists say.

 VietNamNet Bridge - At night, many poor people appear on the streets to make their living. For others, sundown is when they can have a nap on the pavement.

An inter-agency delegation from Vietnam last week paid a visit to a site where the Kenyan government destroyed stockpiles of elephant ivory as Vietnam is preparing a proposal on the future of their own stockpiles of seized wildlife products.     

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam understands the potential risks behind Chinese ODA (official development assistance) and Chinese technologies, but it still needs Chinese capital.

Lang Son starts building Tan Thanh pagoda, Festival launched to mark 125th birthday of late President Ho, Vietnam-Russia cultural exchange programme held in Da Nang, HCMC museum shows off never-before-seen artifacts