Soldiers who face death

VietNamNet Bridge – Strenuousness work and danger are what army engineers have to face when they detect and remove mines left from the war. Thanks to their devotion, many "dead areas" have been resurrected.

China's Huang En wins Tour of Viet Nam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Huang En of China's Max Success team won the first International Cycling Union tournament in the country, the ADC Tour of Viet Nam.

Third World Vovinam Championships to be held in France

 VietNamNet Bridge – The World Vovinam Federation (WVVF) has announced the third World Vovinam Championships will be held in Paris, France from July 3–7, 2013.

Mayan temple damaged in tourist 'apocalypse' frenzy

 Tourists flocking to Guatemala for "end of the world" parties have damaged an ancient stone temple at Tikal, the largest archeological site and urban center of the Mayan civilization.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 24/12

 Hanoi’s Party leader cheers Christians on Xmas; Son La hydro-power plant begins operation 3 years ahead of target; PM Dung meets with Indian counterpart; Indochinese countries promote cooperation

My Tam named Artist of Year

 VietNamNet Bridge – Pop star My Tam scooped the prestigious Artist of the Year gong at the Lan Song Xanh (Blue Wave) Awards 2012 on Thursday.

Road use fee collection begins despite protests

 VietNamNet Bridge – Despite strong opposition of vehicle owners and potential bottlenecks in fee collection, the Ministry of Transport is still going ahead with its road use fee collection scheme, saying that these problems will fixed later.

The businessmen who become millionaires before age 30

The number of businessmen in the list of top 500 stock millionaires aged below 30 is so small that they can be counted on one’s fingers. Most of them are hereditary businessmen, born into the rich families.

200 “Santa Clauses” laugh on Hoan Kiem lakeside

VietNamNet Bridge – On the morning of December 23, more than 200 members of the Laughter Yoga Club wore the Santa outfit to participate in the Christmas Smile festival on the Hoan Kiem lakeside, Hanoi.

Top Australian cleric apologises for abuse

 Australia's most senior Catholic cleric on Monday apologised to those who "suffered at the hands" of priests and religious teachers after a turbulent year for the Church.

Universities keep the doors open to welcome postgraduates

A lot of people, who have just graduated universities, or finished schools many years ago, now rush to attend training courses to obtain higher degrees before the State tightens the postgraduate education management.

Party leader asks central bank to ease business difficulties

 VietNamNet Bridge – The central bank must apply an appropriate interest rate policy and control bad debts to ensure the banking system’s liquidity while taking appropriate measures to help businesses access loans,

Mobile network operators deny involvement in eavesdropping

Mobile network operators have affirmed that they have no involvement in the wiretapping operation or call and message copying, and that all the personal information of subscribers have been kept confidential.

Ministry mulls new rules for foreign visitors’ vehicles

 VietNamNet Bridge – It will be easier for foreign people to travel to Vietnam by up-to-nine-seat cars and motorbikes if a draft decree on managing foreign visitors’ vehicles of the Ministry of Transport is approved by the Government.

Beer market effervescing

Carlsberg, the Danish brewery, shows its determination to buy another 13 percent of stakes of Vietnamese Habeco. Sabeco has been looking for someone to become its strategic shareholder.

People flock to Khanh Hoa to hunt for panacea

After the Central Herbal Medicine Institute stated that the sample of xao tam phan (Paramignya trimera) found in Hon Heo mountain can inhibit the development of five types of cancer cells, people have been rushing there to look for panacea.

Biggest hydro-power plant in Southeast Asia inaugurated

The Son La hydro-electric power plant, the largest of its kind in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, was inaugurated three years ahead of schedule in Son La province on December 23.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 24/12

 Car registration fees to fall to 10 per cent next year; Semen Gresik acquires 70 per cent stake in Thang Long; Tough times hit city firms in IZs; Thousands of social enterprises in need of legal recognition

Coastal province sets sights on tourism

 VietNamNet Bridge – The southern coastal Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province could become a major centre of tourism, industry and seafood processing.

Soc Trang: Thousands of rare bats flock to ancient temple

VietNamNet Bridge - When the landscape is embellished, an ancient pagoda in the southern province of Soc Trang has attracted thousands of bats, including endangered bats.

Number of casino operators should be limited

The Government should grant an exclusive license for casino operation to a big investor, or issue licenses to a limited number of foreign investors in order to successfully attract foreign direct investment into this sensitive field.

New regulation set to unbutton wind energy

 VietNamNet Bridge – Renewable energy developers will be offered a clearer and specific mechanism for setting up electricity purchasing prices of their projects in Vietnam.

MoIT to conduct hydro-power inspections

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Industry and Trade has been ordered to conduct more inspections on hydro-power dams and reservoirs nation-wide with a view to ensuring the safety of residents downstream.

Foreign capital flows out ‘cause investors’ hope exhausts

VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign businesses have withdrawn investment capital and stopped pouring money into the real estate market without any statements about the plans to come back to the market.

Cancer patients increase quickly in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge - Patients with cancer are increasing rapidly in Vietnam. The sad thing is that most patients are in the later stage when they see doctors, so the cancer cure rate in Vietnam is not as high as desired.