Vietnamese fashion designer introduces his haute couture collection in Italy

 VietNamNet Bridge - Nguyen Cong Tri is one of 100 well-known contemporary designers who have been invited to Italy to attend a large fashion exhibition.

Hanoi’s major urban centers viewed from above

 VietNamNet Bridge – Below are pictures of Hanoi’s most modern residential centers as Ciputra, Times City, Royal City and Ecopark from a height of 200m.

Five highlights of V-League Round 14

 The second leg of the 2014 V-League started last weekend with six 14th-round matches; one of which witnessed Hung Vuong An Giang’s first victory of the season. Let us review the five main highlights in this round of play.

Alstom to consider $17bn General Electric offer

 French engineering company Alstom is considering a $16.9bn (£10bn) offer from US firm General Electric (GE) for its energy business.

Domestic vegetable oil dislodged from home market

 VietNamNet Bridge – Competition in the vegetable oil market has gotten stiffer, hurting many domestic manufacturers.

Hanoi to have 700 more hotel rooms this year

 VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi currently has 8,150 hotel rooms and there will be an additional 700 available on the market this year, according to Savills Vietnam’s quarter-one report.

Everyone has a story worth telling

 VietNamNet Bridge – The message that Humans of Hanoi seek to convey is straightforward: Every individual has a story worth telling.

How expensive are made-in-Vietnam luxurious foods?

 VietNamNet Bridge – A 100 gram box of sturgeon caviar is priced at $100 (more than VND2 million), while 100 grams of high-grade weasel coffee are sold for VND6.4 million.

The epic saga of soldiers' lives

 VietNamNet Bridge – On March 13, 1954, 60 years ago, Vietnamese soldiers began a campaign against the French heavily entrenched at Dien Bien Phu. After weeks of arduous battles, the Vietnamese soldiers planted their victory flag . . .

Vietnam wins bid to supply 800,000 tonnes of rice to Philippines

 The Philippines' National Food Authority (NFA) has awarded the supply contract for 800,000 tonnes of rice this year to two Vietnamese state firms, local media reported.

Vietnam ranks 81st on global travel freedom index

 Vietnam ranked 81 out of the 219 countries and territories surveyed in a recent global visa restriction index, prepared by the residence and citizenship planning adviser Henley & Partners.

Star Wars: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill reunite for latest film

 Original Star Wars actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will feature in Star Wars: Episode VII, the latest film in the franchise.

Vietnam urged to get tough on movie piracy

 South Korean media group CJ E&M has called for Vietnamese authorities to take stronger actions to crack down on widespread movie piracy in the country.

Ten “cool” destinations in the summer

 VietNamNet Bridge - Situated on the mountain ranges and romantic plateaus, these are the ideal places for tourists to enjoy the balmy weather during the hot summer in Vietnam.

Price falls hit rice farmers despite stockpiling scheme

 VietNamNet Bridge – Farmers bemoan they have not benefited from the nation’s one-million-ton rice stockpiling scheme for the winter-spring crop in 2013-2014 as prices are still edging down even though the scheme still has more than one week to go.

Health Minister "not thinking of resigning now"

 After facing pressure from the handling of the measles outbreak, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, the Minister of Health, said she is now not thinking of resigning, but will focus on getting the disease under control.

Will Btalk replace Viber as most popular OTT app for Vietnamese?

BKAV, a “rookie” in the OTT (over-the-top) app market, has made an eloquent statement that Btalk, its newly launched OTT app, will overthrow Viber, a very favorite app for Vietnamese at this moment, to become the most popular OTT app in Vietnam.

Russian needlefish-attack patient discharged

 A Russian woman who was left paralysed after being attacked by a needlefish while she was swimming off Nha Trang beach in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa was discharged from hospital on April 29.

Vietnamese weep for water shortage, fear for water overabundance

 VietNamNet Bridge – While the people of Quang Ngai Province have been struggling to survive the water shortage in the summer heat, the locals in Kon Tum Province have been living in the fear that the water overabundance will immerge them one day.

Art & Entertainment News Headlines 1/5

 Local fashion designer heads for Audi Star Creation final; Global kites to adorn Vietnam’s southern sky; VN Embassy in the UK receives public screening films; Hanoi heritage club honours youth cultural values

Social News Headlines 1/5

 Russia to begin construction on 6th submarine for Vietnam; Hanoi paroles prisoners on National Liberation Day; Vietnam attends Going Global 2014; Japan awards Sunrise Order to VJFA President; Brunei navy patrol ship visits Vietnam

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 1/5

 Vietnam, RoK to boost agricultural cooperation; Economic forum develops practical solutions for 2014; Japan pulls out of Vietnamese shrimp market; Vietnam’s oldest casino in the red

Vietnam's foreign exchange reserves hit record $35 billion

 VietNamNet Bridge - According to the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Van Binh, this is the highest level ever. Binh also pledged that interest rates will not exceed 1% from now until year’s end.

Afghanistan floods claim at least 102 lives, dozens more missing

 Flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least 102 people in three provinces of northern Afghanistan, disaster officials said Friday.

Searchers dispute company's claim that it may have found aircraft wreckage

 A private company declared that it has found what it believes is wreckage of a plane in the ocean, but leaders of the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are dismissing the claim.