Funeral customs of Thai ethnic minority

 VietNamNet Bridge – The northwest mountainous areas are not only famous for its beautiful scenery but also for the unique customs of various ethnic groups living there.

Conical hat market at night in Qui Nhon

 VietNamNet Bridge – The market is about 30 km north of Qui Nhon city, Binh Dinh province and it opens from 3-4am.

Peach farmers branch out with photo gardens

 VietNamNet Bridge – "Have you ever visited the 'royal gardens' in Quang Ba near the West Lake?" Truong Kim Trang, a young student in Ha Noi, asked her classmates.

Vietnam’s first hiking train gets running

 Vietnam’s first hiking train was put into operation at the Ba Na Hills resort in the central city of Da Nang on April 26.

Original sub designer has high hopes for Truong Sa submarine

 VietNamNet Bridge – The first Vietnam-made mini-submarines have recently presented themselves before the public. However, this is not a complete first for the nation. Vietnam did set out to build a submarine half a century ago.

Cemetery for aircraft, military vehicles in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - Aircraft, tank chains, specialized military vehicles and other iron equipment are piled around the village of Quan Do, in Van Mon Commune, Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province.

Eating less beef could dramatically cut farming emissions: report

 Global carbon emissions from agriculture can be reduced by 50 to 90 percent by 2030 using strategies including eating less beef, reducing food waste and managing soil nutrients better,

Agriculture sector needs guidance

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese farmers have largely failed to benefit from their bumper crops for a long time, leading agriculture expert and South Viet Nam University rector Vo Tong Xuan told Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper.

Art & Entertainment News Headlines 27/4

 Excavation begins at ancient tomb in Ben Tre; Japanese wisteria tunnel to bring flowery display to Ha Noi; Int'l short film festival calls for submissions; Holland Artisan attends Flower Arrangement in Da Lat

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 27/4

 Vietnam, Laos oil pipeline gets the green light; Vietnam seeks Japanese investment in stock market; US – major importer of Vietnamese Tra fish; FDI reaches nearly US$5 bln in four months

Social News Headlines 27/4

Hydrogen balloon explosion injures 13; Whirlwind injures 4 in An Giang province; Ha Noi authorities seize 1 tonne of pork; Vietnamese American gets death sentence for drug trafficking

Microsoft and Nokia complete mobile phone unit deal

 Microsoft has completed its purchase of Nokia's mobile phone business for 5.44bn euros ($7.5bn; £4.5bn).

South Korea ferry disaster: All navigation crew 'held'

 All 15 crew members involved in the navigation of the ill-fated South Korean passenger ferry Sewol are now reportedly in custody, facing criminal negligence charges.

Vietnam joins UN discussion on women, peace and security

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations has delivered a key-note speech on April 25 at a UN Security Council (UNSC) open discussion on women, peace and security.

FDI attraction to be under strict scrutiny

 VietNamNet Bridge – Although Vietnam has attracted large amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI) for more than 20 years, it has yet to master managerial skills and optimally absorb technology transfer from FDI projects.

The race for state-owned high schools kicks off

The number of secondary school graduates has been increasing steadily year after year, while the number of state-owned high schools has failed to rise accordingly. That explains why the race to state-owned high schools is heating up.

Which city is the most expensive in Vietnam?

 VietNamNet Bridge – The most expensive city in Vietnam is not Hanoi, as far from thinking of many people. That distinction belongs to the central city of Hue.

Appealing for funds through bond issue intended only for “the rich”

 VietNamNet Bridge – Encouraged by the successful bond issuance campaigns of many big corporations, small enterprises are also considering this method of raising capital. However, there are not many opportunities for them.

Home teams face risk of losing points

 VietNamNet Bridge – Home teams face a high risk of losing points when they enter the 14th round matches as underdogs in the Eximbank V-League 2014 this weekend.

Minister slams ‘wasteful' bridge repair plan

 VietNamNet Bridge – Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has rejected as "improper and wasteful" a proposal by the Viet Nam Road Administration to spend more than US$14 million for repairing the surface of Thang Long Bridge.

Inbound tours increase sharply on holiday

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of visitors booking tours for the upcoming five-day holiday is on the rise, despite a hefty increase of 20-30% in prices.

Political News Headlines 26/4

 Deputy PM welcomes Chinese guest; German delegates visit GIZ development projects; Vietnamese Finance Minister visits Japan; Vietnam chairs workshop on South Africa’s election

Boy's stem cell transplant marks 100th for institute

VietNamNet Bridge – The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion has announced a significant clinical milestone with its 100th successful stem cell transplant, since its first victorious attempt on June 2006.

Ten famous octagonal buildings in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number eight, and the eight-sided octagon, remind people of the "bagua", a sacred symbol in feng shui art.

Vietnam discovers new floral genus

 VietNamNet Bridge – Researchers from the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE) have discovered a new floral species in the Bidoup–Nui Ba National Park in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.