Long-running PepsiCo tax dispute set to fizzle out

 Soft drink giant Suntory PepsiCo has been mired deeply in a dispute with tax authorities over the preferential treatment for its allegedly expanded project in Can Tho city.

Schools still confused about enrolment scheme

VietNamNet Bridge - The Hanoi Education and Training Department at the May 7 meeting officially instructed secondary schools to enroll students based on their records shown on school reports.


Photos: Thousand-year-old jewelry unearthed in central Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Jewellery items made of stone and animal bones have been unveiled in ancient tombs thousands of years old in the central province of Quang Nam.

Social News 13/5

HCMC opens first drug treatment center with Suboxone,  Health Ministry bans more substances in cosmetics products, Noi Bai Airport security receives EU RA3 accreditation, Site clearance destroys hundreds of graves in Danang

World’s biggest brewer commits to Vietnamese market

 Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the largest brewer in the world, is strengthening its commitment to the Vietnamese beer industry through launching a new brewery in Binh Duong province.

Largest terra-cotta park inaugurated in Quang Nam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Thanh Ha Park, the country’s largest terra cotta park in the ancient town of Hoi An in Quang Nam Province, has been put into operation.

Sri Lanka first nation to protect all mangrove forests

 Sri Lanka has become the first nation in the world to comprehensively protect all of its mangrove forests.

Lost New Zealand woman drinks breast milk 'to keep going'

 A New Zealand woman who was lost in a forest east of Wellington for 24 hours said she drank her own breast milk and covered herself in dirt to survive.

Nepal earthquake, magnitude 7.3, strikes near Everest

 A major earthquake has struck eastern Nepal, two weeks after more than 8,000 people were killed in a devastating quake.

Photos: Demi Lovato entertains 50,000 Vietnamese audiences

  U.S. pop star Demi Lovato on Saturday staged a performance at the second Yan Beatfest 2015, one of the country’s largest outdoor music events, which was held on May 10 at Phu Tho Stadium in HCMC’s District 11.

Tien Minh’s performance gives Vietnam good start at Sudirman Cup

 Vietnam's top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh performed exceptionally well helping his team beat Switzerland 4-1 during their first clash on May 11 at the biennial world mixed team badminton championship, the Sudirman Cup 2015, in Guangdong, China.

Vocational centres asked to find jobs for graduates

 Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked vocational training centres nationwide to find jobs for rural labourers and improve their income, before organising vocational classes for them.

Gazprom, PetroVietnam to drill deep-water well offshore

 Gazprom and Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) will jointly drill block numbers 129 to 132 in the continental shelf of Viet Nam this year, said a press statement issued by Gazprom on May 6.

Increasing infertile couples in Vietnam, doctors say

 General secretary of the HCMC Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Association Ho Manh Tuong said that the rate of couple in child-bearing age who are infertile was 7.7 percent as per the Ministry of Health's statistics.

Two VN teachers honored at Microsoft Global Education Forum

 Two among three Vietnamese teachers, who participated in the 2015 Microsoft Global Education Forum were excellently selected as  the first Pitch winner and the second Overall Challenge winner.

Trade deficit-exchange rate formidable problem for VN

 According to the Vietnam General Statistics Office (GSO), trade deficit escalated to US$3 billion in the first four months this year, a three year record high. Especially, the trade gap from China approximated US$10.7 billion.

Vietnam jumps five grades in tourism competitive edge

 Vietnam ranked the 75th out of 141 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), five grades higher than 2013.

Cultural tourism of Cham ethnic minority

 Inra Jaya is a Cham ethnic minority who has travelled extensively to many countries around the globe and strongly believes that tourism is the catalyst that will preserve the group’s way of life.

First wedding fashion show for LGBT community

 A wedding fashion show for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people will be held for the first time in Vietnam in Hanoi on May 16, Tuoi Tre newspaper reports.

Nam seeded 7 for Milan event

 VietNamNet Bridge – World junior No 14 Ly Hoang Nam has been seeded No 7 at the 56o Trofeo Bonfiglio's boys' singles, which will be played May 18-24 in Milan, Italy.

Exhibition “New Painting from Germany”

 VietNamNet Bridge - On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of German-Vietnamese diplomatic relations, the Goethe-Institute is introducing a new generation of German artists at the “New Painting from Germany” exhibition.

Hollywood flick to feature Vovinam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vovinam, a unique Vietnamese martial arts form, is going to be featured in a Hollywood action film that will be shot by the end of this year.

MOF concerned as bond sales remain stagnant

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Finance (MOF) fulfilled only one-fourth of the yearly government bond issuance plan by the end of April, raising concerns that the state budget would not have money to spend this year.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 12/5

 Concerns raised over airport rights, SBV seeks fresh impetus for green credit growth, Gov't approves hi-tech agricultural zones plan, Japanese insurer signs deal with HDBank, Vietnam, India boost cooperation in automobile industry

Surveys show foreign firms’ satisfaction with Vietnam

 Foreign enterprises remain upbeat over Vietnam’s business climate, according to high-profile surveys.