Political News Headlines 16/4

 Deputy PM encourages Vietnam-US environment cooperation; Vietnam strengthens ties with Morocco; German Parliament Vice President visits Vietnam; Vietnam attends high-level global development meeting

Vietnam, Japan exchange note on double tax avoidance agreement

 Vietnam and Japan signed and exchanged a diplomatic note on the enactment of their agreement on double tax avoidance and tax evasion prevention, at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 15.

Policies for talented scientists need to be reviewed

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has abundant human resources in agriculture, but has not utilised them properly, Nguyen Van Bo, director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told Nong thon Ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

The village of 70 sets of twins

 VietNamNet Bridge – This small community in the southern province of Dong Nai has earned itself the moniker, “Twin village”. Located on National Highway 1A, Hung Hiep Village makes itself home to 40 sets of twins.

Two largest gold mines forced to pay taxes

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Tax Bureau of the central province of Quang Nam has decided to take coercive methods to collect taxes from the two biggest gold mining firms in Vietnam, Phuoc Son and Bong Mieu.

Seven students swept away, hydroelectric plant suspected

On Sunday, seven students in Lai Chau were swept away while crossing the Nam Mu River. Six were rescued and one remains missing. Local authorities claim that the incident was caused by an unscheduled water discharge from a nearby hydropower plant.

Burning rubbish, man dies of bomb explosion

 VietNamNet Bridge – A man in the central province of Binh Thuan was killed on Monday when a landmine in the field he was farming exploded.

Ninh Binh quits V-League 2014

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ninh Binh FC will quit the V-League but will continue its planned competition at the AFC Cup.

HCM City has new Deputy Party Secretary

Mr. Vo Van Thuong, former First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union and Party Secretary of Quang Ngai Province, received on Monday the Politburo’s blessing to hold the position of Deputy Party Secretary of HCM City to 2015.

Visit the largest pottery village of Cham people

 Bau Truc in central Vietnam is worth visiting as it offers travelers an opportunity to observe a unique way of making pottery items and purchase pottery household appliances of different shapes.

Chinese way won’t lead Vietnam to success: experts

 VietNamNet Bridge – Some Vietnamese economists are worried about the increasing influence of Chinese on Vietnam in trade, technology, and investment. They argue that, if Vietnam blindly follows the Chinese way, it will fail.

Bank restructuring path trends towards the merger

 VietNamNet Bridge – Small banks merging into bigger banks is becoming a growing trend in Vietnam. This is what the State Bank wants to see to implement its plan to halve the number of commercial banks after three years.

Traditional craft village offers scenic escape for travellers

 VietNamNet Bridge – The hot season is approaching, but instead of going to the beach to cool off, what about heading to the mountains? We've got just the place in mind: Pac Rang Hamlet in northern Cao Bang Province, about 320km from Ha Noi.

Educational reform could be too costly

 The National Assembly Standing Committee yesterday questioned the feasibility of a US$1.7 billion national draft project to reform school textbooks and curricula, saying that it was too costly and lacked clear direction.

Legal Advice: Rights of investors in Vietnam

 Investors in Vietnam are entitled to receive basic rights as decreed by the government, including:  Autonomy in investment/business:

HCM City’s dwellers look forward to clean water

 VietNamNet Bridge – Unable to access the city’s tap-water resources, Ho Chi Minh City’s suburbanites must use water from wells they dig themselves. But the underground water is getting seriously polluted.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 16/4

 Two Vietnamese trademarks enjoy US protection certificate; Ho Chi Minh City announces socio-economic overall plan; Real estate sector ranks second in FDI attraction; Rice exports earn high revenue; VND25 billion for promotion programme

Red sludge steel could solve VN's pollution problem

 VietNamNet Bridge – Scientists have reported that experiments in making steel from red sludge, a by-product of producing aluminium, offers a solution to environmental problems in the bauxite-alumina project in the Central Highlands.

Transport costs soar as truck drivers have to abide by laws

 VietNamNet Bridge – The ongoing campaign of examining the cargos of trucks rolling on the nation’s highways has forced drivers to reduce their volumes of goods for each trip, leading to a two-fold increase in transport costs.

Social News Headlines 15/4

 Rise in measles diagnoses not yet called epidemic; Student faces Facebook page probe; Unsealed container blamed for deadly kiln explosion; Plastic surgery death to be re-investigated; 14 year old girl infected with bizarre skin disease

EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 15-30 (daily updated)

 Updated information about cultural events in big cities of Vietnam.

Art & Entertainment News Headlines 15/4

Ha Noi hosts concert fusing Malian and Vietnamese music; Popular singers face in new show; Photo contest to debut on Facebook; US band brings music into Hue hospital; Vietnamese blockbusters to be shown in RoK

Nearly 15 pct of Vietnam’s population suffer mental disorders

 About 15 percent of Vietnam’s population have mental disorders, a forum in Hanoi heard on April 14.

Construction ministry stops licensing housing projects to ease overabundance

 VietNamNet Bridge – Believing that it is better to tighten supply to help reduce inventories, the Ministry of Construction (MIC) is planning to not grant more licenses to housing projects.

Online payment safe from bug: Bkav

 Users can make online transactions safely in Viet Nam without worrying about OpenSSL , said Viet Nam's leading security company Bkav.