Emperor's chickens attract foreign interest

 Asiaplus Tours, an in-bound tour operator in Pham Ngu Lao Street, Hanoi, is designing a tour to enable visitors to taste Dong Tao chicken, which is well-known for its weird look and delicious meat.

AEC opens the door for skilled migrant workers

 Demand for Vietnamese migrant workers will most likely expand to over 90,000 in 2015 on the back of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) integration, according to the Department of Overseas Labour Management (DOLM). 

Writers sue Education Publishing House for using their work in textbooks

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Literary Copyright Center (VLCC) plans to file a lawsuit against the Education Publishing House for unlicensed use of writers’ and poets’ works in textbooks.

How to effectively utilize national talents

 There is no denying the fact that a nation needs high quality human resources to develop its economy. However, it is no easy task to discover, cultivate and tap talents effectivelly, said former Deputy PM Vu Khoan.

Ice-cream market heats up as more foreign brands enter the fray

VietNamNet Bridge – Though their growth rates have been lower than food and dairy producers, ice cream producers are still pocketing high profits.

Young artist revives traditional pottery craft

VietNamNet Bridge – Young artisan Nguyen Hong Quang is hoping to revive the once famous traditional craft of Huong Canh Pottery Village in Vinh Phuc Province, which has fallen on hard times as modern manufacturing methods erode its market.

Rethinking the ‘disabled' label in VN

 VietNamNet Bridge – Huynh Ba Long, who currently works at the Tre Publishing House, has appeared in a number of reality television programmes.

Plastics recycling site in the north

Eighty percent of 900 households in Khoai village earn their living recycling plastics. In the village, there are 100 companies and 400 small establishments specializing in recycling waste. Locals have been recycling for 20 years.

Young composers aim for awards in new year

 Young talented composers like Do Hieu and Pham Toan Thang are introducing quality songs that are expected to win them new achievements in the new year.

Incentive policies necessary to develop support industry

 VietNamNet Bridge – More support should be given to several key industries to help add value and increase the localisation ratio of exports, the Industry and Trade Department of HCM City has said in a new report.

Climbing up Ba Ra Mountain

 VietNamNet Bridge – If you want a new destination for your weekend getaway, you are advised to give Ba Ra Mountain in Binh Phuoc Province a try.

2014 deemed successful year of Vietnam-Japan relations

 Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung has described 2014 as a successful year for the relationship between Vietnam and Japan since the two countries elevated their ties to an extensive strategic partnership.

Positive signals for V-League 2015

 Pham Ngoc Vien,general director of the Vietnam Professional Football Company (VPF) hopes this year's season, which kicked off on January 4,will be one for the record books for both the team and fans.

Photos: The 1,300 year-old ancient tower of the Funan Empire

 VietNamNet Bridge - In its glory days, Funan controlled the land stretching from the southern part of central Vietnam to the Me Nam river valley of Thailand.

Quang Ninh to start work on airport, casino projects in April

Quang Ninh Province is stepping up procedures and site clearance so that work on an airport and a recreational complex including a casino can start in April.

Cultural beauty of Hai Hau’s traditional longan cake

 VietNamNet Bridge – As the Lunar New Year (Tet) nears, residents in Ward 6 of Yen Dinh town, Hai Hau district in the northern province of Nam Dinh are hurrying to complete hundreds of longan cake batches from morning till midnight.

Buddhist weddings gaining popularity

 VietNamNet Bridge – An increasing number of young Vietnamese couples are opting for Buddhist wedding ceremonies.

Social News in Brief

 Three boys drown in Phu Yen pond; 10,000 Mekong Delta households get electricity before Tet; Boat rescues fisherman from sea; Relocated families get drinking water supply; Nghe An opens tourist info centre

First-footing on Lunar New Year’s Day in Vietnam

 Amongst many taboos and rituals connected with the Lunar New Year in Vietnam is xong dat , or “first-footing” as the Scots call it.

Vietnam boosts labour exports

 Vietnam aims to send 90,000 guest workers abroad in 2015, deputy director of the Overseas Labour Management Department Tong Hai Nam told Thoi Bao Kinh Te Vietnam (Vietnam Economic Times).

Over 75,000 tourists registered to visit Hue during Tet

 More than 75,000 tourists including 40,000 foreign arrivals have registered to visit the old imperial city of Hue during the Lunar New Year festival (Tet), according to the Thua Thien Hue province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Mai pockets a bronze in Thailand

 Nguyen Thi Thu Mai of Viet Nam won a bronze medal at the 22nd Asian Track and Road Junior Cycling Championships, which ended last weekend in Thailand.

T&T crash out of Champions League

 Coach Phan Thanh Hung has admitted that FC Seoul were too strong for Ha Noi T&T during the Asian Football Confederation Champions League play-off match yesterday in Seoul.

Farmers using river water polluted by cassava factories

 VietNamNet Bridge – Farmers in Dak To District's Tan Canh Commune claim they are forced to use polluted water pumped from the Poko River to water their coffee bushes.

Wild peach branches disappear as demand rises

 It's hard to find ancient wild peach branches on sale in the northern mountainous province of Son La, due to their overexploitation by the local people.