Congolese striker joins Ninh Binh FC

 V-League's Ninh Binh has signed a contract with Patiyo Tambwe to strengthen its forward line for the coming football league.

78,000 ha of cashew cut down in last five years

VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 78,000 hectares of cashew have been cut down by farmers in the past five years to make room for cultivating other crops like rubber and pepper, which is ascribed to price instability, low yield and poor supporting policies

Social Headlines December 30

 Expanded Noi Bai-Terminal T1 inaugurated; Three die in boat accident; Construction inspectors punish violations; Hanoi workers receive free travel for Tet; Drug trafficker arrested in Son La

First kilo submarine heading to Cam Ranh seaport

 Heavy lift vessel Rolldock Sea, carrying 636 Hanoi kilo submarine, left the Port of Singapore in the early hours of December 29 to begin its journey to Cam Ranh, according to Marine Traffic.

In Vietnam: Twins created by sperm taken from the dead

 VietNamNet Bridge – This is the first time in Vietnam that twins were created from the sperms taken from their dead father, Mr. Do Sy N, a Hanoi man who died in a train accident in 2010.

Pictures: Flowers bloom at Da Lat Flower Festival 2013

 VietNamNet Bridge – During the flower festival this year, more than 300,000 pots of flowers are exhibited on the main roads.

Vietnamese lifter wins two Asian golds after rivals detected of using dope

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese female weightlifter Nguyen Thi Kim Luc Van became the first to win an Asian gold medal for the country after her Kazakhstan rival lost the gold medal for using dope.

Cong Vinh decides to play football at home, not going to Japan

 VietNamNet Bridge – The 28-year-old striker Le Cong Vinh has decided to stay with the Song Lam Nghe An FC instead of going to Japan after a meeting with SLNA’s officials last week.

Vietnamese tend to travel abroad on Tet

It is a growing tendency that Vietnamese like traveling during Tet holiday instead of staying at home for family reunion. Outbound tours have been chosen for 2014 Tet, despite the economic recession which has forced people to fasten their belt.

200kg shark appears on Nha Trang beach

 VietNamNet Bridge – A 2m long shark was washed onto the beach of Nha Trang by waves on December 26.

The coldest Saigon has been in 10 years

Due to the effects of cold air from the north, the temperature in HCM City from December 28 through the next few days will down to 19 degrees. This is the lowest temperature in the last 10 years.

Breast implants register aimed at cleaning up industry

 Every breast implant operation in England is to be recorded on a new register, ministers have announced.

Poor roads, red tape hinder tourism

VietNamNet Bridge – Poor infrastructure, human resources and cumbersome immigration procedures has limited tourism development in the Greater Mekong Subregion, which includes portions of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia.

Vietnam eyes improvements to labour force

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam is facing numerous challenges in its bid to improve human resources and take advantage of the current period of "golden demography," experts have said.

Dancing with the Stars returns on January 4

VietNamNet Bridge – The organizing committee of the Vietnamese version of Dancing with the Stars, Buoc nhay hoan vu, has announced that ten couples will join the fifth season which will be aired every Saturday on VTV3 starting from January 4

Vietnam's middle class set to double

VietNamNet Bridge – The middle and affluent class (MAC) in Viet Nam will double in size between now and 2020, from 12 million to 33 million consumers, a survey of the Boston Consulting Group has found.

Political Headlines December 30

 Party leader lauds army for fulfilling key peace-time duties; Enhancing people-to-people external relations in new period; Russia supports construction of nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan

University’s Vice President suspected of plagiarizing doctorate

 VietNamNet Bridge – Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Canh Luong, Vice President of the Hanoi University of Technology, has been denounced of plagiarizing a dissertation 20 years ago.

Volgograd blasts: New deadly explosion hits Russian city

 At least 10 people have been killed and 10 others hurt in a suspected terrorist attack on a trolleybus in the Russian city of Volgograd, officials say.

Protective forest destroyed to build … cemetery

About nine hectares of the forest protecting against sand encroachment and climate change have been cleared to give place to a cemetery project covering an area of 10 hectares in Loc Ha district of Ha Tinh province.

Smart phone market gets saturated, phablet on the rise

VietNamNet Bridge – Phablet, or the smart phone with large screens – 5 inches or bigger, which was an unfamiliar concept to Vietnamese in the first half of 2013, has become so popular.

HCMC teacher offers lesson in compassion

 VietNamNet Bridge – "Bang Tuyet" means ice and snow, but this teacher -- who decided overnight to devote her life to helping children with Down syndrome and autism -- has a warm heart that contradicts the coldness of her name.

Vietnamese get richer thanks to new calculation method

For the majority of Vietnamese, 2013 is a difficult year when they have to cut down expenses to exist. Meanwhile, the General Statistics Office (GSO) at the end of the year reported an impressive increase in the income per capita.

Seven students died in Can Gio Sea

At noon on December 29, while bathing at the 30/4 beach in Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City, seven boys of the Nguyen Binh Khiem secondary school, Binh Duong Street, were swept away.

“East European group” and the power in banking, real estate, instant noodle

VietNamNet Bridge – “East European group” refers to the group of Vietnamese businessmen starting up in East European countries and developing their business in Vietnam.