Team Binh Duong take control after third stage in women's tour

Woman cyclist Cao Thi Cam Le held the yellow jersey while her squad was elevated to top team after the third round of the Binh Duong International Women's Cycling Tournament yesterday, March 4.

SPORT IN BRIEF 5/3

 Ha Nam to host women's football championship; World Vovinam Championship set for July; Le keeps yellow in Round 2; National Kickboxing Championship opens

First Vietnamese billionaire on Forbes list

Pham Nhat Vuong has become the first Vietnamese billionaire to enter the list of world’s richest individuals, with total assets of US$1.5 billion  as estimated in March 2013.

Central bank calms foreign exchange market

 VietNamNet Bridge – During the last two weeks the domestic foreign exchange market saw continuous fluctuations in the forex rate between the dong and US dollar,

Chinese man sentenced to death for trafficking 11kg of narcotics

VietNamNet Bridge - To get $40,000 for a delivery fee, a Chinese man transported nearly 11kg of drug from Cambodia to Vietnam and then to China.

Thousands of people worship a snake

Since the lunar New Year, thousands of people have flocked to Tan Son village in Tan Dinh Commune, Lang Giang District, Bac Giang Province to see and worship a snake because they believe that it is the God of Snake.

Two Vietnamese honored as young global leaders

VietNamNet Bridge – Being honored in this year's list of the World Economic Forum as the Young Global Leader are Mr. Gian Tu Trung, Director of the Institute for Research of Educational Development and Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy, the Vingroup’s CEO.

Vietnamese short film to join film festival in the US

The 6th Vietnamese International Film Festival will be held in the U.S., with the participation of filmmakers from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, Vietnam and the United States.

35 Vietnamese boxers to compete in World Muay Championship

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Muay Federation opens the 2013 season by sending its best players to the World Muay Championship that will open on March 12, in preparation for the 27th SEA Games.

Concert of classical and contemporary music in HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – The concerts with the presence of French artist Maryvonne Le Dizes at the HCM City Theatre on March 9 will bring two different music genres to listeners.

Female workers rush to learn martial arts for self-defense

Instead of going to fitness centers, a lot of female workers in Ho Chi Minh City are now eager to learn martial arts. This is a new trend which is formed when robbery becomes a big problem in the city.

The big guy behind Air Mekong, who is he?

Indochina Airlines and Air Mekong have been called the “courageous heroes,” because they are the first private airlines that fly in the sky.

VND3,000 billion and redundancy of men

The General Department of Population and Family Planning has proposed a VND3,000 billion ($150 million) project to reduce gender imbalance at birth. Part of the funding is to support the families with two daughters.

Researchers identify 7 genetic risk factors associated with common eye disorder

 An international group of investigators has identified seven new genetic regions associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of blindness in older individuals.

Government official urges amending controversial exam regulation

 VietNamNet Bridge – Banning students from distributing recordings or images revealing exam cheating is contrary to regulations in the Law on Denouncement,

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 5/3

  Portuguese Communist Party chief visits Vietnam; PM holds talks with Hungarian minister to raise co-operation; Vietnam’s first green hydropower plant operational; Vietnam–Cambodia Friendship Year reviewed

Motorbike helmet crackdown flagged

 VietNamNet Bridge – Motorbike helmets that do not meet safety requirements will be withdrawn from shops, according to a new regulation in a draft joint circular signed by the ministries

US calls on UN to bar drunken diplomats

 The United States called for drunk diplomats to be barred from United Nations' budget negotiations.

Young poet's debut book becomes surprise bestseller

 VietNamNet Bridge – Young poet Nguyen Phong Viet never imagined that his debut poetry collection would cause much of a stir following its publication late last December.

Foreign visitors afraid of food safety in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge - “I have been living in Vietnam for three years but I can’t get used to the way Vietnamese people eating beside sewers,” says Alain, a Spanish who is working for a non-governmental organization in Hanoi.

Investors rush to put money on high grade hospitals

The list of the investors, foreign and domestic, who decide to inject money in the healthcare sector, has been prolonged.

Magical meteorite market bustling

The ad pieces about the sale of meteorites have appeared on some Russian websites. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, these “stones from the sky” have been traded for the last tens of years.

French Institute hosts show of folk paintings

 VietNamNet Bridge – A Vietnamese folk painting exhibition recently opened at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) in HCM City.

MOET vows to fight against exam cheating, but…

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has released a legal document, stipulating that those, who have evidence about exam cheating must not spread out the evidences under any form.

Vietnam spends too much money on imports

Vietnam has been not only importing the products it needs, but the products it can make as well.