VietNamNet Bridge – Refresher courses cannot help English teachers improve their listening and speaking skills. The lack of qualified teachers may lead to the failure of the national English teaching program.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Hung on December 19 set a new men’s triple jump record (16.67 metres) and brought home a gold at the on-going 27th SEA Games. The previous record was 16.51 metres.

Banks now queue up for their turns to sell bad debts to the Vietnam Asset Management Company. They need to “clean up the balance sheet” by the time when the circular on classifying bad debts according to international standards takes effects.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Six corpses, dating to 6,000 years ago, have been unearthed in a cave in Ngan Son District of northern Bac Kan Province, according to scientists from the Viet Nam Archaeology Institute.

 VietNamNet Bridge – When British artist Lee Kirby uploaded a Youtube clip featuring himself singing the Vietnamese ballad Diem Xua in 2009, he didn't expect to create a "phenomenon" in Viet Nam.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The lives of residents in northern mountainous provinces have been disrupted due to the continuous heavy snowfall.

 VietNamNet Bridge – 60kg Vovinam representative Nguyen Duy Khanh defeated Myanmar’s challenger to win the Vietnamese squad’s third SEA Games gold medal on December 19.

VietNamNet Bridge – According to a source from the US General Consul in Ho Chi Minh City, US-based sandwich chain Quiznos will come to the city on December 18 to start sourcing local partners for franchising, the Vietnam Investment Review heard.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Staff of the General Hospital of Phu Yen Province are very upset that a doctor and a nurse were forced to be involved in lethal injection.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Samsung’s Empire, which has been built up on the profuse and low labor cost in China, tends to move to Vietnam, where it can find better conditions.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam is expected to have one smart phone user in every four citizens, increasing the number of smartphones in use in the local market to 20 million units next year, according to market research and consulting company Spire.

VietNamNet Bridge – Considered the Dalat of the country’s southeastern region, Ma Thien Lanh Valley located in Thanh Tan Commune in Tay Ninh Province is formed by three mountains, Ba Den, Heo and Phung.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Japanese investors have poured more money into the service, retail finance and banking sectors, but they will continue focusing on industrial projects in Vietnam, experts say.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi Submarine – the first attack submarine of Vietnam will anchor at the Port of Cam Ranh, which is considered as one of the world's best military ports.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Not having money to buy alcohol, two young men became robbers. They robbed VND12,000 ($0.7) from a couple and were sentenced 6-7 years in jail.

 Fishing boat with 11 fishermen rescued off Nha Trang; HCM City student wins Canada contest; Poor ethnic people supported during Tet holidays; Japan funds 8 development projects

 Trade deficit with China up 76 times in 10 years; PM: banking sector must act strongly on restructuring; Ministry looks to improve OTT management; New law brings in caretaker for bankruptcy assets

The old English proverb "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is still a useful public health advice, according to Oxford University researchers.

Nguyen Quoc Oai, 60, former director of the Hanoi-based Post Office Hospital, has been arrested for making false documents to appropriate over VND66 billion ($3.3 million) of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group.

 December 18 continued to be a successful competition day of the Vietnam sports delegation at the 27th SEA Games as their athletes fought to bring home six additional gold medals, maintaining the country's second spot on the medal count.  

 Vietnam, Japan cooperate in protecting Thang Long Citadel; Cambodian Cultural Week in Vietnam; Prehistoric traces found in Bac Kan; Traditional theatre hits Saigon's stage; Contemporary circus show returns to capital

The government may allow state owned economic groups and general corporations to sell stakes at the prices below the book value as a solution to accelerate the state owned enterprise restructuring process.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Defending champions Viet Nam have taken a step closer to defending their women's SEA Games football title after defeating Malaysia 4-0 in their semi-final match.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Yesterday, December 18, Kien Giang province’s police agency arrested a local woman named Thach Thi Kim Suong, 33, for the act of murder.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Mr. Ngo Huu Dang, Director of the Project Management Unit of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ngai province, has been sacked for building school toilets at high prices.