School admissions closed for upcoming year as students flood classrooms

 VietNamNet Bridge – Although the new academic year doesn’t begin until September, most of the schools in HCM City have stopped enrolling students.

Airlines to establish emergency back-ups

VietNamNet Bridge – The nation's airlines have been ordered to identify at least one reserve airport for landings, in case of bad weather.

Prohibition of used equipment imports worries foreign enterprises

VietNamNet Bridge – Many foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) said they were concerned that the new regulations on prohibiting old imported equipment would cause major difficulties for their businesses.

Pictures: Hanoi’s Guinness Book-listed ceramic road in bad condition

 VietNamNet Bridge - A ceramic painting that extends 3.8 kilometers along the dike of the Red River in Hanoi, and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, is peeling off and has many long cracks.

Locals did not rob Canadian gold factory, say authorities

 VietNamNet Bridge - The Besra Vietnam Group accused over 100 local people of breaking in its gold factory to rob assets, but the local government and residents have strongly opposed the accusation.

The first working day at Da Nang’s 36-storey administrative center

 VietNamNet Bridge - After more than two years of construction, the administrative center of Da Nang opened to serve local residents on July 28.

Electronic giants invest billions into Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - Thanks to its low labor costs, favorable geographic location and its market of nearly 90 million people, Vietnam has received billions of US dollars of investment from giants like Samsung, Intel and LG.

Political News 30/7

 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

China ambassador pledges to cement ties with Vietnam

 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.

VN delegation discusses green growth with RoK

 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.

Critics take aim at Hue Festival

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

Crocodile Lake - the second Ramsar site in Vietnam

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.

Worker dissatisfaction blamed for riots

 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.

Climate infrastructure needed

 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.

Book gift buying fall 'concerns' industry

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

Japanese journalist falls in love with Vietnam

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.

Delayed land clearance holds up work on longest sea bridge

 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.

Entrepreneur creates homes of her dreams

 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.

Half of rural population lacks access to clean water

 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.

Int'l experts urge ASEAN unity to settle sea disputes

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.

Hepatitis B accounts for 80% of cases of viral hepatitis

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

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 30/7

 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

New app enables people to report wildlife law violations

 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.

Foreign investors pour $13 billion into VN markets

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

Poverty-stricken students to be encouraged to follow higher education

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