VietNamNet Bridge – A.P. Moller-Maersk foresees a bright future for Vietnam and says the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will usher in great new economic opportunities. Report by Vietnam Investment Review.

 Cold spell continues to chill northern region; Illegal fireworks seized in Ha Noi; Firm fined for storing smuggled sugar; Construction of new Tropical Disease Hospital begins; HCM City opens career counselling service for students

 LG Electronics to build $1.5b factory; Exports to Italy estimated at $2.2b; Paper expo to boost quality; New steel plant opens in HCM City; HCM City allows internet registration; Bank loans $152m for power cables

 Banks are being questioned over the quality of the credit checks after it was revealed that the Truong Ngan Company owed debts to seven different banks while using the same collateral.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s Ocean Health Index ranks lower than that of other countries, reflecting that the state of the marine ecosystem is declining and continues to decline in the next five years,

 A former Microsoft manager Brian Jorgenson, and his friend Sean Stokke, have been charged for insider trading by the US securities regulator.

 Gunmen have shot dead four people, including a mayor, at Manila airport in the Philippines, officials have said.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Early morning of December 20, an ambulance carrying a patient from the southern province of An Giang to HCM City crashed into the bottom of a truck on the Trung Luong expressway, killing three and injuring two.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A girl was working at a barber’s shop when a young man suddenly burst in to stab her and then poured gasoline on her to burn her.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Foreign tourists could hardly imagine the scene of snow-covered forest before they come to a tropical country like Vietnam.

On December 18, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund issued a joint statement confirming that there was no evidence of danger of the 5 in 1 Quinvaxem vaccine in Vietnam and in other countries.

 Model show jury touch down in VN; Nominations open for architecture prize; Canadian singer to soothe Park Hyatt Saigon; US helps Hue heritage preservation; Film industry needs copyright watchdog

 More than 20 coaches from five coastal provinces across Viet Nam have recently participated in the first technical sailing course for coaches in the central of province of Binh Thuan.

 Visitors buying river tours to Binh Quoi, East-West Highway and District 9 Ornamental Garden of Binh Quoi Tourism Area will not be able to depart as such boats have yet to find out a mooring area on Bach Dang Wharf.

President names 22 new ambassadors; RoK President reiterates strong ties with Vietnam; President hails diplomatic sector’s role in national defence; Vietnam, Chinese Parties target further cooperation

 Vietnamese athletes enjoyed a bumper harvest on the final day of track and field competition, demonstrating power, speed and grit to win five gold medals in Myanmar.

 The Rong (Dragon) Bridge, reaching over the Han River in the central city, has claimed the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Diamond Award in the category of structural systems.

 Credit institutions gained an accumulated profit of VND29.5 trillion (US$1.34 billion) during the first 11 months of this year, up 3.2 per cent from the same period last year.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Mekong Artists Corp has announced the launch of a weekly cai luong (reformed opera) show starting next month at Ho Chi Minh City's Institute for Cultural Exchange with France, or IDECAF.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Information Centre for Military Science under the Ministry of National Defence unveiled its English version of its web portal, found at www.bqp.vn and www.mod.gov.vn,

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Phu Tho provincial People’s Court on December 19 gave life sentence to seven defendants involved in a ring trafficking 200 heroin cakes (approximately 67kg).

 A total of 88 people were injured after the ceiling of a packed theater in downtown London collapsed Thursday, according to local authorities.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Local experts have urged HCM City authorities to better coordinate activities on climate-change adaptation as the city is one of 10 in the world that is most vulnerable to such changes.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Government Committee for Religious Affairs yesterday (Dec 19) held a seminar to review its performance in 2013 and discuss plans for 2014.

A series of inspection tours have been made recently to find out the businesses and individuals using pirated software. Meanwhile, a software piracy lawsuit has been raised, for the first time in Vietnam.