Railway unit’s chief suspended again

 VietNamNet Bridge - Serving investigation of bribery allegations related to a Japanese contractor, the Vietnam Railway Administration has suspended Tran Van Luc, Director of the Railway Project Management Unit.

Will heavy punishment, ceiling price mechanism help control formula prices?

 VietNamNet Bridge – The government has agreed to set up ceiling prices on formula products in an effort to control the formula market, in which prices have been uncontrollably escalating. But analysts don’t think this will help.

Vietnam demands China withdraw from territorial waters

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh spoke on the phone with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi on the afternoon of May 6 on China’s drilling rig HYSY-981 and its ships operating in Vietnam’s waters.

SEA Games lineup unveiled

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Federation Council has finalised the coming SEA Games' programme with 36 sports, six more than what were announced months earlier.

Bears kept in residential quarters, striking residents with consternation

 VietNamNet Bridge – A number of frightful bear maulings have occurred in recent years.But for some, they have not been enough to give up keeping the powerful beasts in their homes.

Vietnamese big bosses struggle to revive their one-time strong brands

After a long period of absence, once strong brands like Da Lan (toothpaste), Hynos, Co Ba (soap) or Truc Bach (beer) have reappeared before the public. However, it is not easy to regain the heydays.

Climate change threatens to worsen U.S. ozone pollution: study

 The United States may face a 70 percent increase in unhealthy summertime ozone levels by 2050 as the climate warms, according to a government-funded study released on Monday.

Regulations address mining issues

 VietNamNet Bridge – General Director of the Viet Nam General Department of Geology and Minerals Nguyen Van Thuan talked to Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) about new mineral exploitation regulations.

A stern warning and a message of peace

 VietNamNet Bridge – Dien Bien Phu's importance transcends national borders, delivering a warning against undue interference in other nations' affairs as well as a universal message of peace, says French historian Alain Ruscio

Social News Headlines 7/5

 Killer skin disease blamed on bad rice; Ha Noi encourages firms to sign up for insurance plans; Doctors warn of infectious diseases this summer; Dengue fever threat in Ha Noi; Search begins for man missing at sea

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 7/5

Trade surplus $683m despite April deficit; Capital raising measures $4b in Q1; Securities firms report bumper earnings despite challenges; Indonesia probes into steel imports from Vietnam

Where a nation kept its tryst with destiny

 VietNamNet Bridge – What began as a rather dispiriting journey turns into an awe-inspiring voyage into one of the most glorious chapters in the nation's history for Bui Quynh Hoa as she visits the mountainous Dien Bien Province.

Takeshia Okada likely to coach Vietnam team

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is appraising the profile of Takeshia Okada, who coached Japan at World Cup 1998 and 2000.

Power struggle over catfish

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's intention to give more power to the VN Pangasius Association has been strongly protested by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

World Economic Forum to seek solutions to African integration challenges

 The 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa opening in Abuja on Wednesday will seek to find solutions to challenges of Africa's economic integration agenda.

“The World is Flat” author visits Vietnam

American journalist Thomas L.Friedman, author of an international bestselling book “The world is Flat” analyzing globalisation in the 21st century, will pay his second visit to Vietnam from May 6-11.

The black canals of Saigon

 VietNamNet Bridge – The lives of the people of HCMC have gradually improved, but environmental pollution is still very serious, as shown through the following pictures of black canals in the center of the city.

Civilian diver dies in South Korea ferry search

 A civilian diver searching for bodies in the South Korean ferry that sank last month has died, authorities say.

Close-up to the first sturgeon farm in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - The sturgeon farm of Vietnam Sturgeon Group was established in Dalat in 2007 at an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level. This is the first company in Vietnam to produce and distribute caviar from sturgeon varieties bred in Dalat.

Japan finds an illegal Vietnamese money transferring ring

The Japanese police have announced that they have caught a criminal ring which has been remitting money illegally to Vietnam. However, this is just one of a number of rings existing in the country, in which there are many Vietnamese workers.

Retirement age to rise, pension levels to fall

 VietNamNet Bridge – According to the draft bill on social security being submitted to the National Assembly in May, pensions will be reduced while the retirement age will be raised.

Political News Headlines 6/5

PM welcomes new Kazakh ambassador; Party chief meets left-wing Mexican politician; PM to attend 24th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar; Japanese-Vietnamese Special Ambassador welcomed

Corruption still rampant: forum

 VietNamNet Bridge – Corruption was still an acute problem throughout Viet Nam, Nguyen Phu Trong, Party General Secretary and Head of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, told the first national conference on controlling the evil

State to claim its share of artifacts from 700-year-old wreck

 VietNamNet Bridge – Of the thousands of antiques excavated from the ancient shipwreck in the waters of Binh Chau commune in the central province of Quang Ngai, there are 42 rare artifacts that are owned by the state.

Europe Days in Vietnam 2014

VietNamNet Bridge - The 10th “Europe Days 2014” program will take place in Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang and Quang Ninh from May 9 through 28.