Birdwatching tour in Vam Sat

 VietNamNet Bridge – The period between late April and October is ideal to watch birds coming to make their nests at Vam Sat Tourist Site in HCMC’s outlying coastal district Can Gio.

Tra Vinh woman dies of silicone injection

 VietNamNet Bridge – A woman from the southern province of Tra Vinh died at HCM City’s Cho Ray Hospital on Sunday after being injected with silicone by a mobile beautifying service provider.

Prison in Thanh Hoa losses six pistols

VietNamNet Bridge – Six K54 pistols at Thanh Phong Prison in the central province of Thanh Hoa are missing, and believed to have been stolen.

Lacking funds, Vietnamese submarine never got off the ground

 VietNamNet Bridge – The debut of a new mini-submarine, developed by Nguyen Quoc Hoa with his own money, has breathed new life into the dream of a made-in-Vietnam submarine.

New Zealand scientists claim breakthrough find in fighting drug addiction

 New Zealand scientists claim a breakthrough discovery could spell the end of "epidemic levels" of cocaine addiction in North America and parts of Europe.

How caviar is produced in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - To get good quality caviar, sturgeons are raised in a warm and clean environment for about 10 years.

Jury out on VN's middle-income trap status

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam became a middle-income country (MIC) in 2008, and remains at the lower MI level. Recently, Japanese economist Kenichi Ohno stated that Viet Nam had fallen into the middle-income trap,

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 29/4

 Huge FDI capital flows into IZs, EZs; Lotte eyes US$2 bln high-end trading centre in HCMC; Donaco delight at new Lao Cai casino; Nation lags behind peers in entrepreneurial zeal; Banks expect higher profits from recovery

Social News Headlines 29/4

 Bridge wiped away, hamlet isolated; Nobel laureate Louis Ignarro comes to Vietnam; Three students drown in dam reservoir; Southern region faces power shortage; Vietnamese makes Forbes most powerful women list

National programme approved to protect tigers

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Prime Minister has passed a national programme on tiger protection for the 2014-2022 period, according to the Vietnam Government Portal.

Hesitancy may spoil McDonald’s future in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The US fast food giant McDonald’s may not gain market share as quickly as planned, due to its late arrival in Vietnam vis-à-vis its rivals, experts say.

Old hydrofoils may be scrapped

 VietNamNet Bridge –The Transport Ministry has asked Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to continue the suspension of hydrofoils between HCM City and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to ensure passenger safety.

Thai women win regional beach volleyball championship

 Thailand won the Asian Women's Beach Volleyball Championship, which wrapped up yesterday in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Art & Entertainment News Headlines 28/4

Tran Huu Trang Awards winners announced; Chinese crowned as best presenter on Ha Long Bay; Vietnamese food featured on boat trip on Seine River; Vietnamese culture in spotlight in Czech capital

Legal loopholes cause loss of revenue to state coffers

 VietNamNet Bridge – Given the legal loopholes that exist in current tax laws, many have found it easy to circumvent government regulations and decisions by  ministries and agencies.

Da Nang promises fun-filled beach festival

 VietNamNet Bridge – The central city of Da Nang will host a beach festival speckled with sports, art, flash mob bikini performances, and culinary events on My Khe and Pham Van Dong beaches during April 30-May 5.

Political News Headlines 28/4

 IPU organising board meets; Prime Minister pledges to help businesses; Vietnam, Laos review border marker planting; APF committee convenes in Ha Noi

Vietnamese gymnast wins gold medal in Croatian competition

 VietNamNet Bridge – Gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh won a gold medal at the Grand Prix Osijek on Saturday in Croatia.

Coastal regions ravaged by flood tides

 VietNamNet Bridge – Rising sea levels caused by climate change and offshore land exploitation for building hydroelectricity plants are threatening the safety of the locals and Ba Dong Beach.

Vietnam warned its “SEZ dream” may make it suffer

 VietNamNet Bridge – While international economists have pointed out that the special economic zone (SEZ) model has failed in many countries in the world, Vietnam still vows to develop SEZs to attract more investors.

University education renovation: old wine in new bottle

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has announced a series of changes in the university entrance mechanism to be applied to the 2014-2015 academic year. However, the ministry’s efforts have not been highly appreciated.

World Cup 1998 champion wants to lead Vietnam national team

 VietNamNet Bridge – Marcel Desailly is a finalist in the race for the post of chief coach of the Vietnam national football squad, says President of the National Coaching Council, Mr. Nguyen Sy Hien.

Banks’ bad debts estimated at $14.6 billion

At the April press conference of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) on Friday, the non-performing loans of the banking sector by the end of February were announced at VND122 trillion ($5.8 billion), accounting for 3.86 percent of the total debt balance.

Vietnamese tourists exempted from entrance fees to Hoi An

 VietNamNet Bridge – On Friday, officials of Hoi An met with tourism officials to discuss ways to deal with the ongoing public furor over its recent decision to enforce an entrance fee to the ancient town.

VinaPhone on hot seat for measles video

 VietNamNet Bridge - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked relevant bodies to clarify VinaPhone’s messages inviting its subscribers to watch a video clip about the death of an 8-year-old boy at the Hanoi-based Central Children's Hospital.