More than 3,600 people took part in a national-scale exercise to deal with fires at high-end building in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on August 14.

 Famous French ventriloquist Christian Gabriel and his friend, monkey puppet Fredy, will entertain the city's residents from September 3 to 10.

 Several prize-winning artworks and others recognised for their unique forms of expression are on display at HCM City's Fine Arts Museum.

 The Appeal Court of the Supreme People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City on August 14 commuted the prison sentence for a defendant convicted of “conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”

 As of August 16, heavy rains and thunderstorms will hit northern mountainous provinces while Hanoi is expected to suffer rains of 50-100 mm.

 President Truong Tan Sang on August 14 received the newly-appointed Ambassadors of the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Argentina who came to present their credentials.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Unlicensed and other fraudulent taxis that fleece customers continue to be a major headache for Ho Chi Minh City authorities.

The two big guys in the food processing industry, specializing in making products from starch and wheat flour, have become the defendants in the lawsuits in which they have been accused of using others’ brand when exporting products to the US.

Vietnam plans to spend trillions of dong to run a computer subsidization project, a part of the “computers network knowledge” program. However, arguments have been raised about the way of implementing the program.

ASEAN Junior College has taken legal proceedings against the Ministry of Education and Training MOET and the ministry’s inspectors after it was imposed the fine of hundreds of millions of dong and forced to stop enrolling students in 2013.

 VietNamNet Bridge - The number of foreign-invested (FDI) companies which no longer work at their registered offices, their investors left Vietnam, or communication with the investors have been lost has increased.

Chemicals production units have been compared with the “silent killer.” However, relevant units still have not paid appropriate attention to control the production and protect the environment from the killer.

 VietNamNet Bridge – National Heritage houses are vital for attracting tourists and preserving traditional culture for future generations, but their inhabitants are bound by red tape and often forced to live in squalid conditions.

 Lives are still being lost as overloaded and old high-speed cargo and passenger boats sink while they travel along rivers and up and down the coastline throughout Viet Nam.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam will launch a new attack on white-collar crime under a new joint circular on securities markets, effective from August 15.

 Regular exercise can give a significant mental boost to people living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, a disease of the human immune system by infection with no effective cure for the moment, a U.S. study said Tuesday.

 American pianist Anne Chamberlain will give a free concert in Hanoi on August 21.

 Renewing procedures for FDI attraction; US imposes import duty on Vietnamese shrimp; Deals worth 17 bln VND inked at EWEC fair; Money supply rises 5.3% in H1

 VietNamNet Bridge – Incurring big losses and heavy debts, securities companies still have to spend money to maintain their operation until the day they are allowed to “die.”

A major change happened to Mr. Luu Van Du, 64, in 1970 when he watched a clip featuring Jimmi Hendrix, an American artist who could play guitar with his teeth. Since then he has practiced this "unique ability."

 VietNamNet Bridge – In the afternoon of August 13, a limestone barge sank after a crash with a cargo ship in Nha Be River, HCM City. Four people on the barge were quickly rescued.

 A giant panda born in captivity gave birth to a cub in a semi-wild environment without human interference in a panda base in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Sunday.

The Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources and the specialized agencies of Quang Ninh province have stated that a rock island numbered 649 in the Ha Long Bay had eroded after storm Jebi, owing to entirely natural reasons.

 VietNamNet Bridge - On August 12, the border guard forces of the southern-most province of Ca Mau called for local fishermen to trace a strange ship which attacked and shot a fisherman dead on August 11.

Before going to India to play for Pune Vijetas - a local badminton club, Vietnam’s top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh who just won the world bronze medal received an additional VND200 million ($10,000) of bonus from Becamex IDC Corporation.