SEA Games 2013: Wrestlers hit target

 Vietnamese wrestlers have earned a total of 9 gold medals from competitions in Myanmar over the past few days, one more gold medal than the set target.

Death penalty proposed for Vinalines former bosses

 The Hanoi People’s Procuracy has demanded death penalty for two former executives of the Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) who went on trial on December 12.

Keeping the “Then” flames eternal

VietNamNet Bridge – Chiem Hoa District of northern Tuyen Quang Province is home to 18 ethnic groups, each with their own special cultures. Among these, arguably the most memorable is Hat then singing – a traditional oratorio of the Tay people.  

Site clearance remains big problem in Vietnam: Deputy PM

VietNamNet Bridge – “Site clearance is a continuing problem which discourages foreign investors in Vietnam,” said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

ADSL had its day, cable TV-based Internet on the rise

 VietNamNet Bridge – ADSL has become too old after 10 years of existing. Experts believe that it would be replaced by the latest technologies such as cable-TV Internet, 3G mobile broadband of FTTH (fiber to the home).

Tribal Disneyland prepares to show-off nation of 54 cultures

VietNamNet Bridge – A vast complex of houses and spiritual structures from the 54 ethnic groups from all over Viet Nam is still a work-in-progress by the State. The tribal Disneyland, known as the Viet Nam National Village

Lost in transportation: A guide to catching buses in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The first time I rode a bus in Ha Noi was one afternoon in early March this year, two weeks after I arrived in the country.

Canadian artist inspired by Vietnamese water puppetry

Robert Legage, a theatre artist from Canada recently introduced in Hanoi a video of the opera The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, which was inspired from Vietnamese water puppetry.

Local public debts huge, but national public debt still safe

 VietNamNet Bridge – Local authorities all reportedly have big public debts due to the overly high spending. However, the figures about the debts are not counted on when calculating the national public debt.

Pu Mat National Park holds romantic adventure

 VietNamNet Bridge – Breathing the absolute purity of fresh air beneath thick canopies of flora, along paths winding through hills and mountains sounds nice. Those interested in romantic adventure should read on.

Vietnam 20 years ago in photos

 VietNamNet Bridge – During his trans-Vietnam journey in 1992, French journalist Raymond Depardon recorded many true images of the country and people of Vietnam.

Vietnamese enterprises anticipate market recovery

 VietNamNet Bridge – Advance estimates indicate that the financial climate next year will bring in winds of change. Viet Nam's gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate is forecast to reach 5.67 per cent next year,

Five famous places on Vietnam’s banknotes

 VietNamNet Bridge – Have you ever noticed the back of the Vietnamese banknotes and learned about the special places printed on them?

Sea-level rise fast by natural standards: study

 Sea-level rise since the Industrial Revolution has been fast by natural standards and may reach 80 cm above today's sea-level by the year 2100 and 2.5 m by 2200 even without development of unexpected processes,

Hard pressure burdens universities of excellence

 VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of questions about what the “universities of excellence” will do to list themselves among the world’s 200 leading universities by 2020 remain unanswered.

Social Headlines December 14

 New influenza vaccine factory put into operation; Hanoi students bag medals at int’l science Olympiad; Training courses help ethnic girls; Japan helps VN develop biofuels

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 14/12

 US$2 billion to build Vinh Tan thermal power plant; Economic experts expect a modestly positive 2014; Steel exports look beyond US$2 billion in 2013; Auto sales to pick up at year-end; FDI to Vietnam sharply increases

Rubber poses risk to forest areas

VietNamNet Bridge – The use of rubber plantations as an engine of growth and poverty alleviation in the nation's northern region needs to be weighed against the environmental and economic risks involved,

Local bike racer clinches silver medal at SEA Games

 VietNamNet Bridge – Dinh Thi Nhu Quynh bagged the first silver medal for Vietnam on December 13 in the women's cross-country event of the ongoing SEA Games in Myanmar.

Urban residents boycott private school fees

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many city dwellers in new urban areas are sending their children to public schools in central Ha Noi, despite crowded classes of up to 50 students.

Vietnamese drink too much beer

 VietNamNet Bridge – Despite the economic recession and the GDP growth slowdown, Vietnam’s brewery industry has still been growing steadily by 10 percent per annum, because it has a vast domestic market.

Art & Entertainment Highlights December 13

 Thang Long citadel needs excavations; French biography of medical hero Yersin introduced in Vietnam; New season of Vietnam Idol kicks off Sunday; DJ Jazzy Jeff comes to downtown club Lush

Hue Festival to feature music of the royal court

 VietNamNet Bridge – Art troupes from five continents will participate in the eighth biennial Hue Festival next year, organisers have announced.

Trial opens for former Vinalines boss

VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi People’s Court on Dec. 12 began the first-instance trial of Duong Chi Dung, former chairman of the Vietnam National Shipping Lines and his accomplices on charges of intentionally violating State regulations

Vietnamese PM seeks more Japanese business support

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sought for the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren)'s support for Vietnam in human resources training and investment attraction while receiving its Chairman Yonekura Hiromasa in Tokyo