VietJet Air to add an extra daily round-trip to Bangkok-HCM City route

 VietNamNet Bridge - VietJet Air has announced to add an extra daily round trip to meet growing demand for low-cost air travel between HCM City and Bangkok (Thailand) from September 12.

Bo De Pagoda monks proven innocent in child trafficking case

 VietNamNet Bridge – The head monk of the Bo De Pagoda has announced that she wishes to continue sheltering children after she has been found not-guilty in the child trafficking case involving the pagoda.

Robin Williams 'had Parkinson's' when he died

 Robin Williams was suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's disease at the time of his death, his wife has said.

Men’s team drops 20 places at chess Olympiad

 Vietnamese men failed to defend their top 7th place finish at the Olympiad world chess team championships in Norway, sliding down 20 notches to 27th.

Three students from Ebola-hit areas under scrutiny

 Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation experts on August 14 supervised the examination of three university students entering Vietnam from Nigeria, one of the four African nations being affected by the Ebola virus epidemic.    

Meatless meals make converts

 VietNamNet Bridge – During the Vu Lan season this month, which takes place during the seventh lunar month, many Vietnamese visit vegetarian restaurants, not to purify their Buddhist souls but to escape urban pollution and noise.

Thailand reaffirms visa exemption for Vietnam citizens

 The Thai Embassy in Hanoi reaffirmed on August 14 that Vietnamese citizens holding an ordinary passport are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for various purposes.

Gen. Dempsey’s Vietnam visit hits the headlines

 Media agencies in the US and Europe have given wide coverage of Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey’s ongoing visit to Hanoi, noting the visit is one of the highlights of his career.

Metro Cash & Carry in VN faces lawsuit from printing company

Given that it suffered damages of over VND8 billion ($400,000) by Metro Cash&Carry’s unilateral termination of its contract, Nhat Thong, a printing company, has filed a lawsuit against the German group in a District 2 court in HCM City.

Interesting sites to explore in Quang Nam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The historic city of Hoi An, the romantic Thu Bon River and the My Son Sanctuary are destinations that tourists cannot miss when they visit the central province of Quang Nam.

Parents of 6- to 18-month-old children turn backs on state nursery schools

 VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City has a high demand for childcare for six- to 18-month-olds, but state-owned nursery schools are finding it difficult to attract enrollees.

Beautiful countryside seen in 'The Echo of Nature' exhibition

The exhibition of landscape paintings by The Mobile Artist Group entitled “The Echo of Nature” is held at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi until August 15. Most of the paintings show the beauty of Vietnamese villages and countryside.

Hanoi invests 20 trln VND in Nhat Tan-Noi Bai urban areas

Hanoi has sketched out a 20 trillion VND (940 million USD) project to develop urban areas along the Nhat Tan –Noi Bai axis, which is expected to become a driving force for the development of the city’s northern region.

Shipping industry out of its depth

 VietNamNet Bridge – Imbalance in the structure of ship categories was a major difficulty for Viet Nam's sea transport industry,

Pitaya prices fall as quality declines

 VietNamNet Bridge - Many exporters do not have enough dragonfruit (pitaya) to sell as the fruit grown in the central province of Binh Thuan is being sold for low prices because of its poor quality.

Ha Tinh people fear floods if hydropower dam breaks

VietNamNet Bridge – With an enormous 38 million cubic-meter “water-bag” hung at the height of 72 meters, Ho Ho hydropower plant is viewed by locals as a major threat to their livelihoods during flood season.

Thu Hoai declines Mrs Universe pageant invitation

The ravishingly beautiful Nguyen Thu Hoai, former Mrs Vietnam Continents for 2012, has refused the invitation to compete in the Mrs Universe pageant, citing health reasons.

Sports News 15/8

 Women's U19 touch down in Bangkok; Duan wins first stage of cycling tour; VN edge El Salvador at chess Olympiad; Tuan stays with Quang Ninh; Vietnam slide down FIFA rankings

More photos of Sao La made public

Several photos of the Sao La, one of the rarest and most threatened mammals on the planet, were made public in Quang Binh on August 13 by the Viet Nature Conservation Centre and the Quang Binh provincial Department of Forest Rangers.

All Vietnamese workers in Libya move out of danger

 The last Vietnamese guest workers at fighting zones in strife-torn Libya have moved out of dangerous areas, Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said on August 14.

Social media users summoned for spreading Ebola rumours

 Ha Noi police have summoned four people for spreading rumours about infections of the deadly Ebola virus in Viet Nam on social media that have sparked panic in the community during the past few days.

Deadly avian flu strain A/H5N6 detected in Vietnam

 For the first time veterinarians have found avian flu virus A/H5N6 at chicken breeding farms in Vietnam – a strain that claimed human lives in China’s Sichuan province.

Shipping firms cry foul as port developers attempt to raise fees

 VietNamNet Bridge – Shipping firms, which have been incurring losses in recent years, have said they oppose new port infrastructure fees that could be raised by 5-6 percent.

Airlines benefit from service fee cuts at Vietnam’s int’l airports

 Aiming to get more foreign tourists to Viet Nam, the Government is granting a 50 per cent discount to airlines with flights to and from five local airports by end-2015.

Thai billionaire seeks controlling interest in Vinamilk

 Fraser & Neave Dairy Investments Pte Ltd, owned by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, has tendered an offer to acquire an additional 15 million shares of Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).