The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has admitted that big problems exist in the textbooks for the national education system. It has also been aware of the necessity for a “revolution” in the way of compiling textbooks.

  VietNamNet Bridge – 21-year-old Le Viet Ha (an alias) is folded in her mother's arms in a small house in the outskirts of Ha Noi. Her body shudders as she wails, her tears soaking her mother's clothes.

VietNamNet Bridge - The year 2012 nearly ends with many achievements and scandals. Below are some outstanding events of the year.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam, for the second time in history, witnessed a trade surplus of $284 million in 2012, or 20 years after the first time. However, the achievement has not been applauded by economists.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Just three hours drive from Hanoi, Giao Xuan Village is a familiar stop for foreigners who enjoy the countryside and prefer to stay with people in the local community rather than hang out in a luxury hotel.

Govt leaders outline FDI roadmap to boost growth; SBV submits asset management plan; Thai company acquires majority stake in tile firm; State-owned food processor to divest from affiliates; Monetary policies stabilise economy

 VietNamNet Bridge – The equitization plan, the pillar of the State-owned enterprise (SOE) restructuring program, has gone out of attention this year as a result of the poor performance of the stock market and the economy as a whole.

Commercial banks have launched a series of promotion campaigns, inviting people to loans at preferential interest rates. However, their invitation has not been replied to.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of people aged 30-39 catching HIV strongly tended upwards over the past five years, said the HIV/AIDS prevention department under the Health Ministry at a seminar on Dec. 24.

Apart from the increase of international visitors, the release of new slogan and emblem of the tourism sector, 50 percent of tourist sites having standardized toilets for tourists is one of the boasts of the tourism sector in 2012.

 VietNamNet Bridge – State Bank governor Nguyen Van Binh said the government and the entire financial and banking system have taken drastic measures to reduce bad debts while assisting businesses in overcoming difficulties.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A full VND8.8 trillion (US$419 million) was spent this year on social welfare, hunger elimination and poverty reduction, according to a report from the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A collection of more than 3,000 antiques belonging to Professor Duong Minh Thoi and his wife Ha Thi Ngoc was presented to the public at the HCM City History Museum on Thursday.

VietNamNet Bridge – They are members of the national football squad but they also suffer from the risk of unemployment like hundreds of other players.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s state-owned university system is embarking on a plan to attract private enterprise investments through the development of a joint stock university model.

VietNamNet Bridge – German writer Nora Luttmer’s novel entitled “Schwarze Schiffe” (Black Boats) is being released in Germany on January 21, 2013, by the Aufbau Verlag publishing house in Berlin.

VietNamNet Bridge - With a history of over 100 years, the Muslim community in Hanoi is still very small and not well known.

Instead of seeking long term personnel, businesses nowadays tend to hire short term workers for seasonal production in an effort to cut down expenses.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The capital city's Old Quarter will be cut down to 82 hectares from the current 100, with a focus on preserving and restoring historic buildings.

The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) is considering applying necessary management measures to prevent the unhealthy competition in the telecom market raised with the appearance of messaging, calling software via wifi and 3G.

Excavating Con Moong Cave, archaeologists found tons of shells and a lot of working tools. The most valuable discovery is the remains of prehistoric people in tombs dating back tens of thousands of years ago.

Urbanites now compete with farmers to grow vegetables for sale. Vegetables have been grown on any possible space, from terrace, balcony to ground floor or the space underneath the table.

 Greece's banking sector's capital needs stand at 40.5 billion euros (53.5 billion U.S. dollars), within earlier estimates for recapitalization funds, the Central Bank of Greece (BoG) announced on Thursday.

VietNamNet Bridge – Travel firms complain that the current laws do not protect them from the rivals who illegally use their brands.

The best thing of the 2012 is the stabilization of the dong/dollar exchange rate. The worst is the bad business performance of commercial banks.