Severe power shortage to hit next dry season

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) have warned of severe shortage of power during the next dry season as existing hydropower plants are now old and new ones have still not been constructed.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 18/9

 Tax incentives likely for tech-savvy enterprises; Vinh Long courts investors to back $1.1b project plan; Auto sales August surge bodes well for yearly target; Healthy appetite for animal feed raw material imports

Delayed tourism project leaves families jobless

 VietNamNet Bridge – Eight years after it was licensed, the project to develop Binh Tien Tourist Park in Cong Hai Commune in Ninh Thuan Province's Thuan Bac District has made no progress. No facility has been built on the land where 72 families live.

MobiFone may be separated from VNPT

 VietNamNet Bridge – The restructure plan of the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) is expected to launch in September, in which MobiFone will likely be separated from the group.

New Zealand commits ODA to Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Bill English has said the New Zealand government will continue providing official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam at a steady level.

Two American dancers visit Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Two American dancers from the “So you think you can dance” programme are due to be in Vietnam on September 17.

Vietnam considers setting up a ministry to manage SOEs

State owned enterprises (SOEs) which have been heavily criticized for the ineffective operation, would be put under the management of a committee or a specific ministry instead of the governing ministries as currently.

Historic victory for Vietnam at Davis Cup

 Vietnam beat Hong Kong at the Davis Cup‘s BNP Paribas Asia/Oceania Zone Group III on September 15, qualifying for Group II of next year’s event.

Ceremony to honor Hoang Sa Fleet to be reinstated

 A troop banquet ceremony honoring the Hoang Sa Fleet which patrols Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagoes on Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai will be revived in Hanoi this November.

Another storm heads for central Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – A tropical depression on September 17 strengthened into a storm which is moving towards the central coast of Vietnam, according to national weather experts.

Musical drama enraptures kids

 VietNamNet Bridge – Entertainers of HCM City's leading drama troupe, IDECAF, believe that both young and old alike can enjoy musical dramas created for children.

Biopic sheds light on Vietnamese revolutionary

 VietNamNet Bridge – A collaborative film between Viet Nam and Japan about famous 20th-century Vietnamese nationalist Phan Boi Chau, will be broadcast in both countries on September 29.

HCM City swimmers rule pool at nationals

 VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City's swimmers had struck gold many times over at the national swimming championships by the time the five-day competition came to a close yesterday (Sept 16) in Ha Noi.

New battery uses microbes to turn sewage into energy

 US scientists may have found a new way to produce clean energy by way of dirty water, according to a new study out Monday.

The paradox in the 3G market

 VietNamNet Bridge – In general, service providers will ease the service fees step by step to attract more users. However, this is not the thing happening in the Vietnamese 3G market.

Price and the human rights war

Asian countries are widely known as the largest workshops of the world, especially of the famous Western fashion brands.

SBV allows importing material gold to make jewelries

 VietNamNet Bridge – The State Bank of Vietnam has decided to allow enterprises to import gold to make jewelries domestically, a long awaiting decision to help ease the thirst for materials.

Wild elephants destroy crops in central highlands

 VietNamNet Bridge – Farmers in the central highland province of Dak Lak are losing their crops as wild elephants from local forests continue to feed on their crops.  

Forests destroyed to grow rubber

Investors always reason the local economic development when registering rubber growing projects. However, they just try to make profit for themselves by exploiting rich forests and selling precious wood.

Customs agencies remain distrustful, banks’ guarantee becomes useless

 VieNamNet Bridge – Customs agencies refuse commercial banks’ guarantees for enterprises’ tax payment, requesting enterprises to pay tax before getting customs clearance.

The destiny of the education technology program

 The education technology is the research work at the national level by Professor Ho Ngoc Dai. The program was put into application in 1978 at the Hanoi Experiment Secondary School.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 17/9

 President on landmark Hungary trip; VN wishes to broaden NZ links across wide range of sectors; Deputy PM Nhan travels to Russia for special working visit

Hue provides free wifi services

VietNamNet Bridge – People in the former imperial city of Hue will be provided with free wifi in the administrative area of the city and tourism spots as part of a six month pilot programme, starting from September 22.

ASEAN, China senior officials talk East Sea code of conduct

 VietNamNet Bridge – A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh, attended the sixth ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Meeting, held in Suzhou city, Jiangsu province.

Shooting spree at Washington naval base leaves 13 dead

 A former US naval reservist killed 12 people in a shooting rampage at a military base in the heart of Washington, exchanging fire with police before losing his own life.