Bodybuilders win seven golds in Macau

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese athletes brought home seven gold medals from the Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships which wrapped up in Macau on Sunday.

Candidate for Miss World selected through reality TV show

 VietNamNet Bridge – The winner of the “Road to the Crown” reality television show will receive a VND100 million prize and the opportunity to represent Vietnam at the Miss World pageant.

Tour bus plunges down ravine in Lao Cai killing 12

 VietNamNet Bridge – A bus accident in Lao Cai late on the evening of September 1 sent a bus veering off the road and plummeting down a ravine, leaving at least 12 people dead and 41 others injured.

Hue kicks off Gold Tourism Month”

A special tourism promotion program “Gold Tourism Month” has been kicked off in Hue city on National Day, September 2 by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center.

Local bike racers train in RoK prior to ASIAD 17

Local bike racers train in RoK prior to ASIAD 17; Hercules Mach fails to defend Asian title; VN runners triumph at marathon; Vietnam second in world Xiangqi champs; Karate team earn medals in Japan

Southeast Asia's largest bronze Buddha statue unveiled

 The northern province of Nam Dinh on August 31 inaugurated a bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, the largest of its kind in South East Asia.

Social News 3/9

Coach, motorbike collision kills 3; Government funds local flood shelters; Police keep holiday traffic under control; Floods leave 2 girls dead, 1 missing; 1.6m children to get free measles vaccine

VN's second highest tower opens

 Lotte Center Hanoi had its grand opening on September 2 after five years of construction, making it the second highest skyscraper in the country to come into full operation.

John Kerry congratulates Vietnam on National Day

 US Secretary of State John Kerry has sent a message of congratulation to the Vietnamese people on Vietnam's National Day, expressing his pleasure at the fruitful development of bilateral relations.

Malaysian tycoons bent on cornering Vietnam market

 Many Malaysian giants are pouring billions of US dollars into Vietnam’s profitable investment areas such as banking, retail and securities, hoping to take the lion’s share of the market.

Game, app firms take on outside projects as profits in local market low

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese companies that make games and apps have to export their games or take non-game projects in order to survive, as the local market is not profitable.

Southern provinces say no to projects that harm the environment

VietNamNet Bridge – The local authorities of southern provinces are increasingly rejecting investment projects that are labor-intensive, or that use low technologies and threaten the environment.

Go to hell, reflect on heaven at Cam Ranh's Shell Pagoda

 VietNamNet Bridge – Tien Thanh breathed a huge sigh of relief as he came out of the tunnel."I feel as if I have come back to life," he said.

Suffering losses, investors hurry to sell schools

 VietNamNet Bridge – More and more schools that have incurred losses are being sold by their owners this year.

Fire ice - China’s new energy ambition

 VietNamNet Bridge - Dr. Tran Cong Truc talks about China’s new moves and its conspiracy in the East East as well as Vietnam’s ability to sue China.

SBV battles to control bad debts

 VietNamNet Bridge – Total funds provided to cover any risk reached VND77.3 trillion (US$3.6 billion) by the end of June, up 10.9 per cent over the 2013-end figure.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 3/9

Vietnam fails at Philippine rice tender despite low bid; Ministries yet to decide sugar import quota; VRG halts rubber latex exploitation to avoid further losses; Axe to fall on ineffective public projects; BR-VT says no to new steel projects

Scholarships give poor students chance to learn

 VietNamNet Bridge – A 10-year-old scheme to reduce the number of poor students dropping out before graduation has worked so effectively in the central region and it is likely to be expanded to other provinces.

Aid pledged for shift of Nokia smartphone production to Vietnam

 The Ministry of Science and Technology has pledged favorable conditions for relocation of Nokia smartphone production lines from China, Hungary and Mexico to Vietnam.

Oktoberfest expected to draw 18,000 in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The 22nd Oktoberfest in HCMC and the 5th Oktoberfest in Ha Noi will be organized in mid-October with expectations to lure about 18,000 attendees.

Vietnamese acupuncture in Mexico

Since Vietnamese acupuncture was introduced to Mexico, it has quickly proved to be an effective method in curing a series of life-threatening diseases of the residents and has affirmed its position in the North America country.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang offers zipline service

 Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province has added a zipline service, according to an announcement of the management board of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park on August 29.

Tuna industry tackles quality issues

 VietNamNet Bridge – Exports of tuna, one of Viet Nam's major seafood products, grew by 51.2 per cent over the past five years. However, many Vietnamese fishermen still lack the catching and processing skills

Farmers brew sweet success from rare tea

 VietNamNet Bridge – Sweetness supersedes and quickly removes any bitterness from the tea, a specialty from the mountainous province of Yen Bai in northern Viet Nam, that Nguyen Thanh Hai sips.

“Longevity Commune" with nearly 600 elderly over 80 years old

 VietNamNet Bridge – Chuyen Ngoai commune in Duy Tien district in Ha Nam province is called the "longevity commune" in northern Vietnam. The commune has more than 600 people over 80 years old.