Minh advance to second round at Japan Super Series

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese No 1 badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh went through the second round at the Japanese Super Series after beating Zhengming Wang in the first round in three sets.

Ouch ... bee therapy causes a real buzz

 It may be among China's most controversial therapies, but Liu Yu insists she is able to walk again thanks to the power of bee stings.

Shops on Chinatown street prepares for Mid-Autumn Festival

 VietNamNet Bridge – While the downtown of HCM City will remain quiet during Mid-Autumn Festival, a street in the city's Chinatown in District 5 will be hub of activity tonight.

Nguyen Trong Thu wins Gold Whistle 2013

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Football Federation has announced the results of the best referee poll of the 2013 season, with the Gold Whistle title coming to Nguyen Trong Thu, 34-year-old referee from Da Nang.

Opportunities for catfish farmers dwindling away

 VietNamNet Bridge – Catfish farmers in the Mekong Delta still incur losses, even though they are supported by the market factors.

Davis Cup 2014 draw: Vietnam to face Pakistan in the first round

 The draw for the Davis Cup 2014 was held by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in London on September 18. Vietnam will face Pakistan at home, in the first round from January 31 to February 2.

Congressmen propose to add Truong Sa and Hoang Sa to the Constitution

 VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly (NA) deputy Nguyen Van Tien of Tien Giang Province has proposed to mention Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratlys) archipelagoes in the preamble of the Constitution.

Beautiful robot teaches Japanese in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge - Robot Geminoid F, which has the movements and expressions like real people, began teaching Japanese in Hanoi last week.

Vietnam prepares early for Davis Cup 2014

 VietNamNet Bridge – Having just got a promotion, Vietnamese tennis players immediately prepare for the 2014 Davis Cup in order to avoid relegation.

Vietnamese model Huyen Trang performs at London Fashion Week

 VietNamNet Bridge – The winner of the first season Vietnam’s Next Top Model performed in the last spring-summer show by designer Eugene Lin in the London Fashion Week.

Having idle money, people buy gold from SBV to defend themselves

 VietNamNet Bridge – The gold put by the State Bank into auctions has been sold out, which shows the high demand for gold. People tend to hoard more gold when other investment channels get stuck.

Kim Bong carpentry village to become a tourist attraction

 VietNamNet Bridge – Craftsman Huynh Ri, 74, from Kim Bong Village in ancient Hoi An Town, still makes wooden carvings, but his age limits his output.

Central region braces for tropical storm

 VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of fishing vessels have headed for safe harbour as storms continue to lash the central provinces, damaging homes, washing away bridges, closing schools and forcing large scale relocations

Vietnam remains puzzled about how to deal with exotic species

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam still doesn’t know what it should do to prevent harmful exotic species which have penetrated into the country through different channels, harming the biodiversity and threatening the national food security.

As easy as obtaining medical and pharmaceutical university degrees

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Health has given warnings about the bad training quality of medical and pharmaceutical schools, saying that Vietnam will bear consequences in 10 more years.

Will Samsung find its opportunities in power sector in Vietnam?

 VietNamNet Bridge – Samsung moves ahead with its plan to develop power projects in Vietnam. However, it’s still unclear if it can succeed in the energy sector, once the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) remains the only wholesale buyer.

Confidence drops in anti-corruption fight

 VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly (NA) deputies yesterday (Sept 18) raised concerns over fading confidence in the Government's measures to fight against corruption.

The invitation from the wild islet

 VietNamNet Bridge – After about 45 minutes on the boat to the Cau islet in Binh Thuan Province, we felt the flavors of the sea through salty wind. Occasionally we saw several fishermen bathing nude.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 19/9

 President begins Denmark visit; PM Dung to visit France, attend UN session in US; Leaders bid farewell to Japanese Ambassador; Vietnam contributes to use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes

U.S. Fed decides to keep bond purchases unchanged

 The U.S. Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that it would keep its monthly pace of bond purchases unchanged for now to stimulate the economy.

Iranian president pledges to never develop nuclear weapons: U.S. media

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told a major U.S. network on Wednesday that his administration will never develop nuclear weapons and that he has full authority to make a deal with Western powers on his country's atomic program.

Vietnam’s 2013 ICT White Book released

 VietNamNet Bridge – By the end of 2012, Vietnam had 9.5 million landline subscribers, 131.6 million mobile phone and almost 4.8 million broadband internet users.

Danang faces oversupply of low-end hotel rooms

 VietNamNet Bridge – Danang City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has shown concern over an oversupply of hotel rooms of one and two-star standards, citing an excessive development of the segment in recent years.

Live show mixes music and art

 VietNamNet Bridge – A live music show will feature original songs by Vietnamese composer Duong Thu and Vietnamese versions of contemporary operas, new age songs and neo-classical melodies by famed duo Secret Garden.

Ministry of Education and Training blamed for poor medical staff

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Deputy Minister of Health Le Quang Cuong says that their staff quality problems are the fault of lax management by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).