Vietnam to export 6.5-7 mln tonnes of rice next year; Vietnam enjoys US$1.8 billion trade surplus from Japan; Shrimp exports likely to hit US$3 bln for first time; German housing finance model adopted in VN

 VietNamNet Bridge – At night, hundreds of workers of a helmet factory in the southern province of Binh Duong were brought to hospitals for food poisoning.

VietNamNet Bridge - After signing a contract worth more than $9 billion with Airbus in late September, Vietjet Air signed a $800 contract to buy engines of the General Electric (GE) & Snecma yesterday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Exxon Mobil and Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group will build a gas and power plant in central Viet Nam to supply gas and power along the East Sea.

VietNamNet Bridge – After defeating three competitors at the stunning finale in HCM City, broadcast live Sunday night, 16-year-old Vu Thao My won the second season of The Voice Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge – Phan Thi Ha Thanh won a gold medal at the Toyota Cup international gymnastics tournament in Japan yesterday, Dec 16.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese star swimmers Nguyen Thi Anh Vien and Hoang Quy Phuoc set a new record for Vietnamese swimming at the Southeast Asian Games both earning gold medals to help Viet Nam clock five gold medals

 Chinese doctors have saved a man's severed hand by grafting it to his ankle, it is reported.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi’s streets and shops are well decorated in preparation for a Merry Christmas. Below are the best churches in Hanoi for Christmas.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The State Bank of Vietnam has stated that it won’t adjust the dong/dollar exchange rate in the time to come, affirming that it is the SBV which is the agency which sets up the exchange rate policy.

 VietNamNet Bridge - In recent days, people fished tons of dead fish of the Buoi River upstream in Thach Lam commune, Thach Thanh district, Thanh Hoa province.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Sword Lake, the Temple of Literature with primitive dirt roads or the girls in brassiere are very lively in the works by French photographer Leon Busy.

Results of a recent survey by the State Bank of Vietnamshow that domestic credit institutions expected that inflation in 2014 will be around 6.74 percent and in December CPI will increase about 0.62%.

 US veteran draws portraits of local artists; Musical dramas take to stage for holiday season; Cham towers receive due attention; Techno Japan 2013 kicks off in Hanoi; Ben Tre to host fourth coconut festival

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday that improved communication helps the public understand the Fed's policy intention and rationale, which is key to the legitimacy of the central bank.

 Police forces to launch crime crackdown before Tet; HCM City Police apprehend drug ring, seizing drugs; 40 market kiosks destroyed in huge fire; Sa Pa snowfall damages farms; Vietnam, US cooperate in landmine clearance

 Party chief highlights role of diplomacy in nation-building; Party Internal Affairs delegation pays official visit to China; Vietnam, Japan Communist Parties exchange theoretical issues

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Monday called for an early end to the Syrian crisis while expressing concern for the deterioration of the conflict in the passing year of 2013.

On December 13, the people in Lai Son hamlet of Bac Son commune in Soc Son district received the money from the Hanoi Urban Environment Company as the compensation for their two months of living with the polluted water.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Groupon market has been re-mapped after a lot of happenings in the last year which witnessed the shutdown of a series of websites and the big personnel changes.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has been consistent with its policy on teaching many different languages at general schools. However, it meets a lot of big difficulties that hinder the program implementation.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Information and Communication have proposed the government to allow raising the 3G service fees again, just two months after the first increase.

VietNamNet Bridge – While state-owned commercial banks--the big fish, have been taking slow footsteps, joint-stock banks with many disadvantages in comparison to state-owned banks, have made big leaps to scramble for good clients.

 PM Nguyen Tan Dung and US State Secretary John Kerry have expressed satisfaction with the positive development of Vietnam-US relations at a December 16 meeting in Hanoi.

 The Hanoi People’s Court on December 16 sentenced to death two former executives of the Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) who went on trial on December 12.