Besra's gold export licence renewed

 VietNamNet Bridge – Besra has been granted a renewal of its licence to export gold from Viet Nam, a source from the company confirmed to Viet Nam News.

Home-made plough for terraced fields turns popular

 VietNamNet Bridge – A farmer in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai has successfully produced a type of machine dedicated to ploughing terraced fields, reducing the burden of farm work on these inaccessible spots.

MOET’s policies as changeable as the weather

 VietNamNet Bridge – A series of new policies have been laid down by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), while the high school finals come in just three months.

Ca Mau has more than just a cape

 VietNamNet Bridge – People are often eager to rush to Ca Mau Cape just to have a chance to touch the southernmost point of Vietnam. However, the Mekong Delta of Ca Mau has more to offer such as its evergreen cajuput forest for tourists

Forest protectors not paid to protect forests

 VietNamNet Bridge – About VND1 trillion was raised for the environment service fund in 2013. However, the money has not been paid to the forest owners because of the problems in the disbursement formalities.

Research shows midlife healthy diet reduces risks of late-life memory disorders

 A doctoral research carried out in the University of Eastern Finland shows that Healthy diet in midlife decreases risks of memory disorder in old age,

Sacombank to allow foreign investors higher stakes

 VietNamNet Bridge – The total foreign investor stakes in Sacombank (STB)'s equity could be increased to 30 per cent, the maximum level stipulated by the current regulations for lending institutions.

Art & Entertainment News Headlines 5/3

 Book delves into Nguyen apparel; General Giap literature gets addition; Top hairstylist contest launches; Thua Thien-Hue moves to protect specialties; Festival to highlight Bac Ninh province’s culture

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 5/3

Vietnam targets US$2 bil bilateral trade with Laos; Hi-tech glass outsourcing factory inaugurated; Increased input imports stoke industry recovery; Garment exports up 44.9% in February; Vinatex in search of investment

Social News Headlines 5/3

 Singaporean naval ship visits Danang city; Vietnam honours UNICEF Chief Representative; Hanoi busy with 2014 Earth Hour campaign; Vietnam's support for wildlife protection; Hanoi to clear all traffic accident black spots

26 percent of Vietnamese children are stunted

 VietNamNet Bridge - While the proportion of underweight malnutrition decreased steadily over the years, the number of children who do not reach the standard height is still high, the National Institute of Nutrition has announced.

Video: The basement houses in Saigon

 VietNamNet Bridge - Dozens of homes along Highway 50 are nearly two meters below the road surface. In some places, the road surface is equal to the roof.

Thanh Hoa maintains top spot

VietNamNet Bridge – Thanh Hoa continued unbeaten, maintaining their position atop the 2014 V-League Eximbank football championships after beating Dong Tam Long An 2-1 in the seventh round at Thanh Hoa’s stadium

Trio Samir Barris to perform in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The string trio Samir Barris from Belgium will hold three concerts in Ha Noi, Hue and HCM City in March to celebrate the International Francophonie Day on March 20.

Sports News Headlines 4/3

 Cuong ranks fifth in world junior list; Anh Vien gets another gold at US competition; Binh Duong hosts international women’s cycling tourney;

Japan airlines launches direct Hanoi-Tokyo route

 The first direct flight between Hanoi and Tokyo is scheduled to lift off on March 30, via All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan.

Cambodia-made car causes shocks to Vietnam’s auto industry

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese policy makers and automobile manufacturers these days incur the heavy criticism from the public which is disbelief about the news that Cambodia has successfully made electric cars.

Political News Headlines 4/3

 Viet Nam hopes to build on relations with Indonesia; UNICEF representative recognised for her work; President offers support to Mekong sea defences; Singaporean naval ship anchors at Da Nang port

Vietnam attends UN Human Rights Council's summit

VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh led a Vietnamese delegation to the 25th annual summit of the UN Human Rights Council, which opened in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 3.

44 workers hospitalized due to hunger

 VietNamNet Bridge – The authorities have identified that 44 workers in Hau Giang province, were hospitalized on March 1 not because of food poisoning but hunger, leading to hypoglycemia and calcium reduction.

Critical mass not needed for supernova explosions: ANU study

Astronomers searching for clues about dark energy, the mysterious force that is speeding up the expansion of the Universe, have uncovered new evidence about the nature of supernovae, finding many are lighter than scientists had expected,

Quang Liem drops to the world’s 43rd

 VietNamNet Bridge - In the rankings released by FIDE on March 1, Vietnam’s top chessman Le Quang Liem maintained Elo 2709 but he slipped by five spots from the previous month.

The first pancreas - kidney transplant in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - More than 150 doctors and nurses of the Military Medical Academy and Military Hospital 103 joined a multiple organ transplant operation (kidney - pancreas), the first in Vietnam.

14 movies at Vietnamese cinemas in March

 VietNamNet Bridge - "Pompeii", "Need for Speed 3D", "Divergent" and "Noah" are the most notable films in local theaters this month.

EU FMs mull "targeted measures" against Russia due to Ukraine crisis

 The European Union (EU) mulled "targeted measures" against Russia due to the situation in Ukraine, said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Monday.