Hanoi is to let off fireworks in 30 venues on 2015 Lunar New Year’s Eve (February 18, 2015), announced the People’s Committee on December 18.

Paid Christmas escorts trending among young Vietnamese; Vietnam aims to modernise 20% of rural communes in 2015; Japan FM honours Vietnam’s Japan Alumni Chairman; Health care service charges to be reconsidered

Twelve sites recognised as national relics; Vietnam Television’s New Year Concert 2015 to be held in Hanoi; TV reps talk tailoring to internet; Photo exhibition features Hanoi beauty; Year-end book fair for children

 Trade surplus fetches nearly US$ 3 bln in Jan-Nov period; Gov’t purchasing rice price not benefit farmers; CBU car imports surge 30%; Son La calls for investment in Moc Chau tourism zone; CBRE: Office rents remain stable until Q1

 Christmas is coming and you’re staying in Hanoi for the festive season? Check out some Christmas events in our calendar to warm up the cold winter days.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has urged airlines to reconsider their airfare policies amid a sharp fall in crude oil prices.

 Twelve workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong for nearly 81 hours were successfully rescued on Friday.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Miss Universe 2014 competition will start in Florida, USA from January 1-25, 2015, and Vietnam has not named its representative.

Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh attended a meeting of the fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War in Geneva, Switzerland on December 17.

 Vietnam has climbed one place to 137th in the International Federation of Football Association's (FIFA) rankings for December, despite losing to Malaysia in the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup’s semi-final round.

 A Japanese contractor wants daily compensation of VND2.5bn (USD119,000) after Vietnam authorities failed to make available a contracted construction site in Binh Duong Province.

 Consul General of France in Ho Chi Minh City  Emmanuel Ly-Batallan granted the North Star Medal to Dr. Bui Tran Phuong – the rector of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Hoa Sen University at the French Consulate yesterday.

 Ministry of Education and Training held a ceremony to welcome Vietnamese student in Hanoi yesterday after they returned from the 11th International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) at Argentina.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Illegal herb exploitation has gradually eliminated forests in the central region, including national parks and sanctuaries.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Universities without specialisation in medical education are temporarily halted from opening new majors in the field next year, due to concerns about the quality of training offered.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam won a gold medal at the xiangqi (Chinese chess) event at the World Mind Games in Beijing, China.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Viet Nam Professional Football Company (VPF) has announced its official schedule for the national premier V-League.

VietNamNet Bridge – Recipients of overseas remittance are buying land and houses instead of depositing money in banks or keeping the cash, as they believe that real estate prices will climb due to new government policies.

Food safety inspections increase for Tet holiday; Green building gets EDGE certification; Informal workers lack protection; Quang Ngai destroys 12,000 A/H5N6 infected quails; HCM City takes lead in applying multi-dimensional poverty measures

 The US Federal Reserve has given Wall Street banks even more time to comply with parts of the Volcker Rule, a key provision of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.

 During these days, every corner of Hanoi is filled with the cozy atmosphere of Christmas, which is also known as Noel with joyous celebrations by both Catholics and followers of other religions.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Besides tours of popular tourist destinations, travelers can plan their own trips depending on flower seasons. A flower sightseeing tour is unlike a normal package tour.

 E-cigarettes can help smokers stop or reduce their habit, a respected international review has confirmed.

 Eight children have been found dead at a house in Cairns in northern Queensland, say Australian police.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has instructed the Transport Ministry to work with Ho Chi Minh City authorities to determine Uber's legal status in Vietnam.