Steering board talks preparations for IPU-132; Vietnam attends Venezuelan United Socialist Party’s congress; Entering ASEAN - a decision of historical significance; President calls for Mekong Delta to expand production

 Newly accredited Ambassador Hong Xiaoyong has vowed to do his utmost to strengthen the strategic comprehensive cooperation partnership between China and Vietnam during his term in Hanoi.

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said that infrastructure connectivity and human resources were crucial for the Mekong sub-region's development.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Officials in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue say the biennial Hue Festival is too expensive to hold every two years.

Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) in Nam Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai, is the second Ramsar site in Vietnam. Coming to this place, tourists can explore the pristine forest, organize picnics, go camping or admire the majestic beauty of ancient cedars.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Poor industrial relations may have contributed to the riots in Binh Duong in May, according to research conducted by the Project for Promoting Sustainable Compliance in Viet Nam.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Mega-cities and big cities have endured dangerous impact from climate change, but small- and medium-sized towns will suffer the most, according to experts.

A fall in people buying books as gifts has contributed to an overall 4% fall in UK book sales over the past year.

As a freelance journalist and photographer, Yasufumi Murayama has visited Vietnam 37 times in the last 16 years. He borrowed $10,000 to hold the photo exhibition "Hoang Sa Feelings" in HCM City from July 24-31.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Work on Viet Nam's longest sea bridge, the Tan Vu–Lach Huyen Sea Bridge in Hai Phong, was at danger of being delayed due to slow land clearance, according to the project's investors.

 VietNamNet Bridge – After seeing photographs of dollhouses, Vu Mai Linh became infatuated with the miniature homes. Today, in addition to her day job, she runs a growing dollhouse-building business.

 VietNamNet Bridge – By the end of June, 84 per cent of the rural population was using water from water plants, but only half of them had access to clean water that satisfied Ministry of Health criteria.

Exploitation of seabed oil and gas resources is one of several major contentious issues complicating the tense East Sea situation, a retired US diplomat said at an international conference held at Ton Duc Thang University in HCMC over the weekend.

Out of every 100,000 Vietnamese people, 11 are infected with viral hepatitis, according to the Preventive Medicine Department.

 Ministry requires petrol prices cut on world downward trend; Vietnam enjoys US$1.26 bln Jan-Jul trade surplus; RoK – a leading foreign investor in Vietnam; Samsung Thai Nguyen rakes in US$2 billion from exports

 VietNamNet Bridge – Education for Nature-Vietnam (EVN) has launched a new smartphone application called "EVN-Report Wildlife Crime", which will easily help people to report violations of wildlife laws.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's stock market has attracted US$13 billion from foreign investors, both individual and institutional, according to an official.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Should poor students be encouraged to follow university education? This question has recently become a matter of controversy on education forums.

VietNamNet Bridge – Chinese contractors at the Thuong Kon Tum hydropower plant have threatened to stop the project, citing problems in worker recruitment.

 VietNamNet Bridge – An independent film Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung (Flapping in The Middle of Nowhere) will be screened at the 71st Venice Film International Festival from August 27 to September 6.

The private air carrier VietJet has received a certificate of merit from the HCM City Youth Union for its active contribution to the union’s program to assist candidates of the 2014 university entrance exams in HCM City.

 Most border crossings in Liberia have been closed and communities hit by an Ebola outbreak face quarantine to try to halt the spread of the virus.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Police are investigating rumors that a pagoda in Long Bien District is selling children for adoption.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The winner of the third edition of Vietnam’s Got Talent 2014 will pocket VND500 million. The contest will mark its return with auditions nationwide next month. Participants in the program will be challenged in five rounds

Young pianists Dang Thai Vu and Nguyen Ba Duy Anh won two prizes at the 4th Mozart International Piano Competition held in Bangkok, Thailand from July 21-24.