BUSINESS IN BRIEF 11/8

 Five Vietnamese enterprises roll out co-branding card; Large investors favored on Phu Quoc; Footwear export orders up 10-15%; Vietnam, Japan cooperate in six key industries

Mong village becomes latest tourist destination in Sa Pa

VietNamNet Bridge – Travellers who love to discover the beauty of the northwestern mountains now have a new must-see destination when coming to the mountain resort town of Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province,

There must be a clear road map

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Asian Development Bank’s country director for Vietnam, Tomoyuki Kimura, talked over macroeconomic issues in Vietnam, especially the settlement of bad debts.

National U16 football team set for regional contest

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's U16 football team have returned to Ha Noi to begin their final preparations for the Southeast Asian Championships in Myanmar.

Poor returns drive rice farmers from land

 VietNamNet Bridge – One of the seven farming households in their district to walk off their rice paddies, Bui Thi Dung explains how her family's decided to give up on farming.

Master Chef Ngo hopes to elevate Vietnamese food

Returning to the country in order to reunite with his family and realise his dreams after years living with a good job in Australia, Ngo Thanh Hoa, the champion of the ‘Vietnam Master Chef’ reality TV show’s first season,

Vietnam’s NPL attractive to foreign investors

 VietNamNet Bridge - While Vietnamese banks are not much interested in selling bad debt for debt settlement companies, many foreign investors are very excited.

VN plans to tighten control over use of digital signatures

 VietNamNet Bridge – The organizations and individuals using the digital signature services provided by foreign firms such as VeriSign or Global Sign have been told that they are breaking the Vietnamese laws.

Dak Lak plagued by wild elephants

 VietNamNet Bridge – Farmer Nguyen Van Hai in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak does not dare to stay alone overnight in his small thatched-leaf shelter to protect his 1-ha corn field.

Paint market changes colors

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of paint manufacturers in Vietnam has increased to approximately 600, thus making the competition in the market become stiffer than ever.

Old Quarter residents to be relocated in new urban area

 VietNamNet Bridge – A resettlement plan that will relocate more than 1,500 households in Hoan Kiem's Old Quarter to the Viet Hung Urban Area is expected to kick off this month.

Paradise for birds in Tra Su forest

 VietNamNet Bridge - To go to Tra Su cajuput forest, you will have to drive nearly 200 km from Ho Chi Minh to Tinh Bien, An Giang provnce. The forest is the most vivid in the afternoon with thousands of birds flying overhead.

War-shattered Cham tower rebuilt from ruins

 VietNamNet Bridge – After more than 10 years of work, restoration workers at My Son Sanctuary in central Quang Nam Province's Duy Xuyen District recently opened a war-shattered Cham tower to the public.

Vietnam to invest VND16 trillion for ASIAD 18

VietNamNet Bridge – The 18th Asian Games will cost Vietnam an estimated VND15-16tril to hold, which will be paid by both the state and private capital, said Head of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training Vuong Bich Thang.

Auto industry faces crossroads ahead of ASEAN trade pact

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's automotive industry could face major collapse under commitments to the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) which will abolish auto import taxes in 2018.

Japanese professor laid to rest in Viet Nam

 VietNamNet Bridge – In his will, late Japanese professor Yumio Sakurai wrote "If I leave this world, please cremate and send my ashes to Viet Nam.

Investigational vaccine proves protective against malaria

 An investigational vaccine has been found to offer "complete protection" against malaria infection in healthy adults in an early-stage clinical trial, U.S. researchers reported Thursday.

Critic finds young Vietnamese writers found wanting

VietNamNet Bridge – A small group of young Vietnamese writers have dominated the market in recent years, churning out artistically empty works which, nonetheless, find their way to the nightstands of young and avid readers.  

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 10/11

 State bank auctions more gold, demand stays high; $35 million factory to make automobile parts; Vinacomin coal exports decline after tax hike; Pepper Association urges caution before signing export contracts

Doctors, patients cope with floods in hospital

 VietNamNet Bridge - Located on Tran Cung Road, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, Hospital E was deeply flooded after heavy rains in the past two days.

Hanoi discharges water from Nhue River to reduce flooding

VietNamNet Bridge – This afternoon, August 9, the Hanoi authorities decided to discharge water from the Nhue River to the To Lich River, in the city’s center, in order to reduce flooding in the city.

Charity SMS campaign to support AO victims

 VietNamNet Bridge – A charity text-message campaign was launched yesterday, Aug 8, to raise funds in support of Agent Orange (AO) victims.

Vietnam drops 11 places in FIFA rankings

 VietNamNet Bridge – The national men’s football squad’s 139 points have dropped it 11 places to 156th in the International Federation of Football Association’s (FIFA) August rankings.

Vietnam Airlines announces IPO plan

 VietNamNet Bridge – National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) plans to launch its long-delayed initial public offering by the end of the second quarter of 2014.

Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh’s memoirs published in Japan

VietNamNet Bridge – The Japanese edition of the memoirs “Family, friends and country” written by former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh was made public in Tokyo on August 6 by a group of Japanese translators