Medical clowns bring joy to young patients

 VietNamNet Bridge – Three-year-old Nguyen Thien Bao was being treated at the National Hospital of Pediatrics before being moved to an orphanage at Bo De pagoda in Ha Noi City's Gia Lam District.

Software firms to boost recruitment

 VietNamNet Bridge – Software outsourcing companies will have strong demand for manpower in 2014 as outsourcing orders are expected to pile up, industry players said.

The noisiest commercial affairs in 2013

 VietNamNet Bridge – The commercial affairs worth hundreds of millions or billions of dollars were contracted in 2013.

Vietnam whale temples: Sites of worship and research

 VietNamNet Bridge – The famous red sand hills of Mui Ne color the horizon. Blue and red fishing boats crowd the bay below.

Music lounges close as listeners tune out

VietNamNet Bridge – After years of struggling, many music lounges in Ha Noi have had to close due to the lack of clientele.

Human-resources paradox

Many central provinces complained that they could not recruit well-trained people to government agencies but many college graduates, even those who were trained abroad, bemoaned that they could not find a job at state agencies in their hometowns.

Hashing tours in Nha Trang

 VietNamNet Bridge - To participate in these unique tours, the simple criteria are you must love traveling, love nature and love ... jogging.

Two scenarios for Vietnam's 2014 economic growth

 VietNamNet Bridge – At a recent seminar entitled "Prospects for Vietnam's Economy in 2014: Resonance Policy Effect" organised by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, participants put forth several scenarios for Vietnam's economy.

Retirement brings bliss, but also hardships

 VietNamNet Bridge – Every day, Nguyen Van Chuc puts on his sports attire and leaves his house at 4pm. He walks for about 10 minutes to reach a park, where he and his friends play badminton until 6pm.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 22/12

 HCM City invests just VND4.5 tril. in science, technology, HCM City invests just VND4.5 tril. in science, technology, Kinh Do continues boosting M&A activity; VFA, provinces team up for rice production

Wanton competition drives electronics stores into bankruptcy

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many electronics stores in Vietnam are facing the risk of bankruptcy after a period of rapid expansion and competition.

The garden of five-fruit trees in Hanoi

 VietNamNet Bridge – Mr. Le Duc Giap earns tens of thousands of US dollars from his garden of unique trees that yield five species of fruit.

Central Saigon splendidly decorated for Christmas

 VietNamNet Bridge - The festivity atmosphere has covered streets of Saigon. Central roads, buildings and commercial centers are brilliantly decorated with lights, snowmen, Christmas trees....

Vietnamese cartoons need to grow up

VietNamNet Bridge – Director Nguyen Ha Bac has spent nearly 40 years making cartoons. The Meritorious and People's Artist talks to the Reporter about his hopes for Viet Nam's cartoon industry and the ups and downs of working in animation.

The reunion on Truong Sa

 For four years, the Vietnamese People’s Navy has organized several trips for relatives from the mainland to visit soldiers who are doing their duty on Truong Sa Archipelago.

The artist's sculpture garden in Bac Giang

 VietNamNet Bridge – Three out of eight statues in Bac Giang were made by Anh Vu. Visiting his home - and speaking in person - offers a few clues into what inspires the prolific sculptor.

New foreign portfolio investment cycle starts in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The foreign portfolio investment has got ready for the disbursement into Vietnamese businesses.

Saigon: 12 tons of two-year-outdated beef in seafood warehouse

 VietNamNet Bridge - If this volume of outdated beef was not detected, it would have been distributed to restaurants and factory kitchens.

TPP membership to make medicine more expensive in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – If the US proposal on the long drug protection duration is approved by TPP member countries, this would badly affect the Vietnamese drug manufacturing and trade.

Youth-drug can 'reverse' ageing in animal studies

 US scientists have performed a dramatic reversal of the ageing process in animal studies.

Hanoi’s "minuses" in the eyes of foreign visitors

Most foreign tourists say that they are very upset being disturbed by peddlers while walking on the street. "They are tenacious and do not give up following us and they sold things very expensive,” a French female tourist complained.

La Huy’s house of wax

 VietNamNet Bridge – Saigon-based contemporary artist La Huy believes his journey towards wax was fate as he enters a period in his art career with an urge to recall his nostalgia for past memories and notions on spiritual belief.

Enough buses, trains to meet Tet demand: officials

 VietNamNet Bridge – Managers of HCM City's Mien Dong East Bound Bus Station and Ha Noi Railway Station said there would be enough coaches and trains to transport workers during the Tet festival.

Christmas in Bui Chu parish

 VietNamNet Bridge - 120 km from Hanoi, the Bui Chu parish in Xuan Truong district of Nam Dinh province has more than 100 churches. The parish is busy preparing for Christmas.

2013 – A bad year for the health sector

In 2013, a series of "shocking" incidents and scandals occurred in the health sector. The worst case is the one that is widely known by Vietnamese as “Cat Tuong,” in which a plastic surgeon threw the body of a female customer into the Red River.