The security environment around Japan has become "increasingly severe" amid tensions with China and concern over North Korea, the Japanese defence ministry's annual white paper says.

VietNamNet Bridge – Saigon, Mui Ne beach, and Ha Long Bay are among three most attractive destinations for many world stars, including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Mark Zuckerberg, So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Big sale programs are being run at all the stalls of Trang Tien Plaza prior to its renovation, just 16 months after it resumed operation in April 2013.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Numerous ancient trees of over 2m in diameter will be chopped down for the construction of an urban railway from Nhon to the Hanoi Railway Station, said an official of the Hanoi urban rail project management unit.

 A 14 member Bulgarian delegation led by former minister of tourism, Anelia Krushkova, arrived in HCM City on August 4 to conduct a tourism survey in Vietnam and the Southeast Asian region.

 Vietnamese chess players on August 3 scored second round wins over Monaco and Canada, at the 2014 Chess Olympiad ongoing in the Norwegian city of Tromso.

 Hanoi police arrested two women on August 3 for allegedly selling a nine-month-old baby from Bo De Pagoda, a home for orphaned and abandoned children in Long Bien District, according to Phu Nu (Women) Newspaper.

None of the three solutions suggested by the Ministry of Education and Training relating to the national high school exam organization has achieved a broad consensus among the public. Some educators have pointed out that all three are problematic.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Shisha appeared for the first time in a bar in downtown Saigon more than four years ago. Since then, smoking shisha has become trendy among young people in big cities like Hanoi and HCM City.

 VietNamNet Bridge - A salamander with nodules and an orange tail has been discovered in the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve in Nghe An province, at an altitude of 500m.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Binh Dinh martial art as a national intangible heritage on August 1, at the opening ceremony of the 5th International Vietnamese Traditional Martial Art Festival.

 VietNamNet Bridge - After Bersa Vietnam suspended operations on July 23 at the Phuoc Son and Bong Mieu mine sites in the central province of Quang Nam, illegal gold mining has increased at the sites.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The competition among businesses for senior personnel has become fierce.

 DPRK Foreign Minister to visit Vietnam; Vietnam wishes for German support in search, rescue; First victory of Vietnam People’s Navy celebrated; Leaders extend sympathy to China over deadly quake

 Vietnam and the US are seeking wider cooperation in various fields after the US ban on lethal weapon sales to Vietnam is removed.

VietNamNet Bridge – Services at Ha Noi-based Noi Bai International Airport have significantly improved, deputy director of the Northern Airports Authority Nguyen Ngoc Son said

 VietNamNet Bridge – Tourists may have been once suggested to visit Hoang Su Phi in the harvest season in autumn to admire the endless glistening yellowish color of terraced rice fields.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many private health clinics escape scrutiny because there are not enough inspectors - and their abilities are so varied, said Dang Van Chinh, chief inspector of the Ministry of Health.

VietNamNet Bridge – The water quality in the Thi Vai River in Dong Nai Province near HCM City has improved, allowing fishermen to now catch and farm fish and other species in it.

Newly established enterprises and branches should give heed to matters concerning value added tax (VAT) calculation methods, when to apply the deduction method, and registration for voluntary application of tax deduction methods, etc.  

 VietNamNet Bridge – A Vietnamese-American doctor of traditional medicine has never forgotten what he missed most after his family left Viet Nam to move to the US 22 years ago.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ho Dai Phuoc has been taking photos of markets for the last 20 years.He has travelled throughout Viet Nam to record images of traditional markets.

 Vietnam steps up Aussie beef imports; Online bill payment garners popularity; PM proposes reviewing Vinalines’ case;

VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong are close to completing their report on the Lang Biang biosphere reserve to be submitted to UNESCO for recognition

VietNamNet Bridge – Erosion is affecting many areas in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, causing property damage and interruption of business production.