Draft law tightens rules on abortions

 VietNamNet Bridge – Stricter regulations on abortion will be introduced to limit the number of procedures, protect women's health and maintain a balanced gender ratio at birth.

Cruising amidst Tri An Lake

 VietNamNet Bridge – Together with Dong Truong Island, O Island is considered a wild gem lying gently amidst Tri An Lake.

Seven banks yet to buy enough gold

 VietNamNet Bridge – The June 30 deadline for local banks to stop gold mobilization and lending is coming to a close but seven banks have still failed to secure enough gold to repay customers,

Antique appraisal service available in VN

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's ever first antique appraisal company is up and running after a green light from culture and heritage authorities.

18-year-old girl "hides" herself in the figure of five-year-old kid

 VietNamNet Bridge - At first glance, many people will mistakenly believe that Tran Thi Loan is a five-year-old girl. In fact, the 80cm tall “kid” is already 18 years old.

Vinh City: Four men trapping thousands of cats arrested

 VietNamNet Bridge - The leader declared that he used plastic tubes and bicycle brake wires to make traps, then put sea fish inside as bait to catch cats.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 23/6

 Inter-bank interest rates stay low; Customs formality highly lamentable; HPT, Microsoft clinch strategic deal; Falling demand forces Vinacomin to ease coal production

Artists gear up for Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards

 VietNamNet Bridge – Professional and amateur photographers alike aged from 18 upwards are invited to take part in the Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards.

Maybe a driving licence is worth the trouble after all

VietNamNet Bridge – Most foreigners in Viet Nam manage to avoid obtaining a Vietnamese driving licence. No one seems to worry, not even the authorities. The motorbike hiring companies willingly accept foreign licences - even if they are out of date.

HCM City to tighten control of bars on “Street of Foreigners”

The District 1 People's Committee has set up a joint inspection team to check the operation of bars in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, which is called the “Street of Foreigners,” and fine those that break the rules and make noise at 4-5am.

Fashion Star 2013 launched in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese version of the internationally popular reality TV fashion franchise “Fashion Star” has officially launched.

Resort lures travellers to a land of myths, mermaids and mountains

 VietNamNet Bridge – After travelling along a winding road that wraps its way around Mo Da Mountain in the central province of Nghe An, it feels amazing to feast our eyes on the clear sky, blue sea and green trees lining Bai Lu Beach.

VN may lose millions of USD owing to illegal export of ore

 VietNamNet Bridge - The authorities have admitted that they do not have accurate data on the volume of illegally-exported ore via the border.

Farmers struggle against “shocks”

The panorama of agriculture and the rural is grey and bleak. Farmers have to "tighten their belts" because their income is decreasing since they suffer more "shocks" from natural disasters, epidemics and market fluctuations.

Ca Mau sinking with water table

 VietNamNet Bridge – Southernmost Ca Mau Province is in danger of sinking below sea level in the next few decades due to over-exploitation of underground water if something isn't done urgently.

Photo story about twin brothers suffering from albinism

 VietNamNet Bridge - Photographer Do Manh Cuong captured the daily life of special twin brothers who are suffering from albinism in the central province of Ha Tinh.

Online forums become a threat to VN businesses

webtretho.com and lamchame.com, the forums of the parents and consumers, have become the big threat to Vietnamese producers, because the forums’ members there may kill them one day with just their comments.

Quang Liem – the “richest” athlete in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – In the past few years, the income of Vietnam’s top chess player Le Quang Liem has increased remarkably, thanks to funding from sponsors and bonus from international chess competitions.

Village's last potter keeps kiln burning

VietNamNet Bridge – Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, sweating like a farmer in the field, artisan Dang Van Trinh digs clay to make pottery at the only remaining ceramics workshop in My Thien Village, in the central province of Quang Ngai.

U.S. assists Vietnam in disease prevention

VietNamNet Bridge – The U.S. will continue to support Vietnam in training personnel for disease fighting and infectious diseases prevention, said Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services,

Income not the only measure of poverty

VietNamNet Bridge –Viet Nam's poverty rate is estimated at around 10 per cent but the number of people who do not achieve social well-being is believed to be much higher. It's necessary to go beyond income when defining people's experiences.

Shell paintings depict traditional town

 VietNamNet Bridge – Snail is a popular snack in Hoi An, sold by many street vendors. After consumption, the shells are discarded. People consider them worthless.

NA deputies raise concern over wastefulness

VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly deputies expressed concern over increasing wastefulness in almost all sectors during a discussion of the revised Law on Practicing Thrift and Fighting Wastefulness on Tuesday.

Delta drought, seawater ruin 6,000ha of rice

 VietNamNet Bridge – Drought and seawater intrusion have destroyed nearly 6,000ha of summer-autumn rice in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

Chinese businessmen and the “buy all” strategy

 VietNamNet Bridge – Chinese businessmen continue rousing the Vietnamese farm produce market, “deploying troops” at all market segments and applying the same attack methods.