Life in the poorest “oasis” in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - About 100 households in a commune of Luc Ngan district in Bac Giang province have lived without electricity, travel by boat and had no means of communication for many years.

Bank M&A deal nears

 VietNamNet Bridge – Many market observers believe that Sacombank will benefit less from its merger with Southern Bank.

Art & Entertainment News Headlines 22/3

 VN women feature in film festival; Author reprints inspiring book; Coin honours Dien Bien Phu win; Capital awaits colourful street festival; Celebrating harmony, happiness;

Social News Headlines 22/3

 Hi-tech criminals jailed for 72 months; Vietnam among countries most burdened with TB; International Day of Happiness observed in Vietnam; Essential preparations for 2014 Vesak finalised; Southern heat wave drives more patients to hospitals

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 22/3

 PM approves plan for central EZ; Dense fog causes collisions in Hai Phong waterways; Low-income buyers can mortgage new homes; Norwegian ship equipment plant opens in Haiphong; Vietnam expected to post two-digit export growth

Foreigners unhappy with meager FOL rise

VietNamNet Bridge – Strategic foreign investors on March 18 showed disapproval of a scant increase of the foreign ownership limit (FOL) in local banks.

VN high on instant noodles list

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam is the world's fourth-largest consumer of instant noodles, purchasing roughly 5.4 billion packets yearly, according to the latest report of the World Instant Noodles Association.

Lung cancer rates in British women climb rapidly

 Lung cancer rates among British women have risen by 73 percent over the last 40 years, while the figures in men have fallen by nearly half, cancer research authorities said.

Ministry takes action against overseas employment firms

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has suspended the activities of 14 Vietnamese and 11 Taiwanese employment companies involved in sending Vietnamese workers to Taiwan for regulation violations.

SOEs seek strategic investors

 VietNamNet Bridge – State-owned corporations and groups preparing to launch Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) as part of their equitisation process are finding it difficult to find strategic investors, industry insiders say.

Lives Worth Living: The struggle for equal rights for disabled people

 VietNamNet Bridge – American filmmaking couple Eric Neudel and Alison Gilkey are in Viet Nam from March 11 to 20 to present their TV documentary Lives Worth Living about the struggle for equal rights for people with disabilities,

Ukraine crisis: EU signs association deal

EU leaders have signed an agreement on closer relations with Ukraine, in a show of support following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

PM to attend Hague nuclear summit, visit Cuba, Haiti

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend the third Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague, the Netherlands, from March 24-25 at the invitation of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Business gets stagnant because of policy makers’ delays

 VietNamNet Bridge – Enterprises have voiced their complaints that their business has come to a standstill because of the new policies which have not been legalized.

36 sports to be contested at 28th SEA Games

VietNamNet Bridge – Singapore National Olympic Council Secretary-General Chris Chan has said the local organising committee and SEA Games Federation council members have agreed to cap the number of sports to be contested next year at 36.  

Troupe works to keep traditional music alive

 VietNamNet Bridge – Artists from HCM City's Bong Sen Music and Dance troupe will bring traditional music to the city's schools in an attempt to arrest the music's declining popularity among young people.

Presidential visit to Japan - a milestone in bilateral ties

 VietNamNet Bridge – The recent visit to Japan by State President Truong Tan Sang is an important landmark signifying a new chapter in bilateral relations, says Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Beautiful moments of spring

 VietNamNet Bridge - The beautiful scenery, the people of Vietnam recorded by photographers during the Lunar New Year 2014 are on display in HCM City.

China asked to probe damages to Vietnamese vessels

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has asked China to seriously investigate the recent acts of chasing and damaging two Vietnamese fishing vessels in Vietnam’s waters by several Chinese ships.

US$500 million for atomic energy research centre

 VietNamNet Bridge – Russia and Vietnam will jointly build an atomic energy research centre under a US$500 million project funded by the Russian government.

Tours to Bangkok resume despite sporadic protests

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese travel firms have resumed tours to Thailand and provided many special offers to tourists though scattered protests are still seen in Bangkok.

Photos: Eating soil in Vinh Phuc

 VietNamNet Bridge – Soil can be eaten raw but to make it tasty, Vinh Phuc’s people have to process it in quite a meticulous process.

Ministries urged to take actions to prevent Chinese businessmen-cheaters

 VietNamNet Bridge - The local authorities and competent agencies stay irresponsible, while farmers are too greedy for gains. This explains why Chinese still can collect farm produce in Vietnam and trick Vietnamese.

Danang in top ten of must-see destinations in Asia

 Danang City has been listed among the top ten most outstanding new emerging destinations in Asia in 2014, according to Agoda.com, the renowned hotel booking website of Asia.

Sports News Headlines 21/3

 Ly Hoang Nam beats Chinese No1 player; Thanh Hoa release striker Quan; Ha Long tournament gets recognition; Teen sets new swimming record; European tour: U19 Vietnam 2 – 4 U19 Birmingham