Vietnam faces huge annual losses from Climate Change

 VietNamNet Bridge – DARA International, an organization specializing in research on environment monitoring, announced in a report that Vietnam had become even more vulnerable to climate change in 2012.

What Vietinbank seeks when selling stakes to Japanese bank?

VietNamNet Bridge – Commenting about the deal of Vietinbank, one of the Vietnamese biggest commercial bank, sells stakes to The Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU), the Vietnamese bank has obtained big gains.

National heritage: now and then

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has added then singing and the long tong festival – two typical cultural features of the Tay ethnic minority groups in the north – to the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

Strawberries, blueberries may cut heart attack risk in women: study

 Eating three or more servings of blueberries and strawberries per week may help women reduce their risk of a heart attack by as much as one-third, researchers reported Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Revival of mangrove forests

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has had a rich and diverse ecosystem of mangrove forests, which were mostly destroyed in the past. In recent years, thanks to a national strategy these mangrove forests have been restored.

The first female policewomen of the task force

VietNamNet Bridge – They are only 20-23 years old, beautiful, good at martial arts, proficiency in using a variety of guns. That is the portrait of the first 32 female policewomen of the task force of Vietnam.

Phone, Internet growth statistics doubted

VietNamNet Bridge – The number of telephone and Internet subscribers has posted slow growth last year as shown by a recent report of the General Statistics Office (GSO) but the information is doubted. 

Standing Committee talks gets underway

 VietNamNet Bridge – A resolution on "vote of confidence" procedures relating to officials elected or approved by the National Assembly or People's Councils is expected to be adopted at the 14th meeting of the NA Standing Committee,

Life in the 'papaya kingdom' in the sea

VietNamNet Bridge - Located to the north of the Truong Sa (Spratly) island district (Khanh Hoa province), Nam Yet Island is the home to papaya and coconut, which are planted by soldiers.

One dead, 900 hurt in heavy Japan snowfall

 Heavy snow that blanketed eastern Japan over the holiday weekend left one man dead and injured 900 others, as Tokyo commuters on Tuesday took to the slippery streets.

Road-use fees skid to a halt

 VietNamNet Bridge – Both vehicle owners and fee collectors are encountering difficulties in the past nearly two weeks since road-use fees were imposed on all motor vehicles.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 15/1

  Dr Kim Hong awarded First Mrs. World; Vietnamese Week promises exhibitions and excitement; Hoi An Lantern Festival to light up Lunar New Year nights; Vietnam Week in Italy

US$50,000 music award confirmed transparent

VietNamNet Bridge – The Performing Arts Agency has stated that the victory of “Chiec Khan Pieu” (Pieu Scarf) at the 2012 Favorite Song competition is completely fair and clear.

Oracle patches dangerous Java holes

 Oracle on Monday was distributing a patch for Java software flaws deemed so dangerous that the US Department of Homeland Security said that people should stop using it.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 15/1

 Decree aims to help human trafficking victims; Prospects for labour export; Girl wins wildlife protection award; Hospital offers free cancer treatment

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 15/1

  Defence delegation meets US counterparts; Opportunities for Vietnam-Italy cooperation; Party head to visit European partners; Meeting marks Vietnam-UK diplomatic ties anniversary

Prime Minister visits air defence missile battalion

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on January 13 visited missile battalion 64 of the Air and Air Defence Force’s Division 361 calling on officers and soldiers to stay prepared for combat in any situation.

Global economy still cools, but multi-billion dollar projects re-ignited in VN

A lot of huge projects which were halted due to the foreign investors’ financial problems, have been restarted, which is believed to help warm up the national economy.

Vietnam demands China to cancel wrongful activities in East Sea

Recent activities by the Chinese side have seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction in the East Sea and Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos,

The first province recruits senior officials through examinations

After two days of examination, Quang Ninh has become the first province in Vietnam sucessufully choosing the Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communication and the Head of the Management Board of Ha Long Bay from 11 candidates.

EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR JAN. 15-31 (daily updated)

Updated information about cultural events in big cities of Vietnam.

Tien Lang district’s Party Secretary gets a transfer

The Standing Committee of Hai Phong City Party Committee has decided to transfer Mr. Bui The Nghia--Party Secretary of Tien Lang District, to the post of Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Hai Phong.

V-League ranks 87th in the world

The International Federation of Football History & Statisticshas announced the ranking the world's top leagues in 2012. Accordingly, La Liga took the lead, while Vietnam's V-League ranked 87th in the world and third in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam’s sea and islands on Saigon’s roads this lunar New Year

VietNamNet Bridge – With the theme “Vietnam’s Heart,” the Nguyen Hue flower road in HCM City will highlight the idea of popularity and the country’s position.

Obama warns Republicans against debt showdown

 President Barack Obama warned Republicans against using the debt ceiling as a "bargaining chip," saying a failure to raise it would sow financial chaos and send markets into a tailspin.