Restricting overseas trips, Hanoi saves $4 million

After the Hanoi Party Committee asked government agencies to cut programs unnecessary overseas business trips, the city has saved VND81 billion ($4 million) to invest into the new rural construction program, said Chairman Nguyen The Thao.

Ministry pulls plug on mobile firm

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Information and Communications on Dec 10 revoked Dong Duong Telecom's licence to provide mobile virtual network service due to its sluggish implementation of services.

Airways compete fairly, says Minister of Transport

VietNamNet Bridge - Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang talked with VietNamNet about the concerns related to the two airlines Air Mekong and VietJet Air.

104 music scores eligible for Oscar race

 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen a total of 104 scores from feature-length motion pictures to vie for nominations in the Original Score category of the 85th Academy Awards, it was announced on Monday.

Nobel laureates receive prizes at Stockholm ceremony

 The 2012 Nobel laureates in medicine, literature, economics, physics and chemistry received their prizes from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf at a gala ceremony in Stockholm on Monday.

Donors pledge $6.5 billion to Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – International donors have pledged to provide close to 6.5 billion USD in official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam in 2013, a decline of 1 billion USD from last year.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 11/12

  Vietnam keen to receive donor support; Uncle Ho monument inaugurated in Gia Lai; High-ranking Hanoi officials visit Laos; PM praises progress on VN, Laos border  

FABC delegates praise spiritual life in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – Senior delegates at the 10th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) have made positive remarks about the spiritual life in Vietnam.

HSBC to pay $1.9 bn to settle US claims: report

 US authorities plan to announce a record $1.9 billion settlement with British bank HSBC to end allegations of money laundering, The Wall Street Journal reported on its website.

Inspectors to ensure food safety for Tet

 VietNamNet Bridge – Teams of inspectors will begin checking retail and wholesale goods in major cities to ensure food safety for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Vietnam upholds UNCLOS significance

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son has stressed the significance of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in an article on the occasion of the convention’s 30 th anniversary, which falls on Dec. 10.

Banks wish to have the right for gold bullion trade, but it’ll not be an easy job

More than 10 commercial banks have submitted applications to the State Bank of Vietnam, seeking the permission to trade bullion gold. This is really a lucrative business field, in their eyes.

E-commerce: skipping Beta, marching towards 2.0 (Part 3)

The words “taking off” or “in full swing” have not been used any more when talking about the prospect of e-commerce in Vietnam, because they were used many years ago and the predictions did not come true.

Vietnamese students afraid of physical exercise lessons

The goal of physical education at general schools is to help students improve their health. However, this remains unattainable. The majority of Vietnamese students dislike the learning subject.

Investors run away from “golden land,” BOT projects suspended

Big real estate firms have tried to escape from the projects invested under the mode of “exchanging infrastructure items for land,” and from the golden land areas they once had to struggle hard to obtain.

Customs men suspended for fashion-import fraud

Three officers of the Sai Gon Port Customs Division have been suspended following clearance given to a container of fashion clothing and accessories imported from China that were found to carry made-in-Italy labels.

The stamp of Vietnam’s foreign policy 2012

One of the highlights of Vietnam's foreign policy in 2012 is promoting and deepening relationships with key strategic partners, upgrading relations with important partners, promoting substantive economic relations with other countries and regions.

Powerful PC advertisers will have greater advantages in mobile ads

The mobile ad market remains a fledgling, but it is the aiming point of a lot of advertisement and IT firms, simply because it is very promising.

Red-haired Xuan becomes television star

 VietNamNet Bridge – Late writer Vu Trong Phung's works have been made into a television series expected to be aired in Viet Nam next year.

Getting lost in Ngu Hanh Son

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) is a famous destination in Danang City that tourists should put it their itinerary.

Police official charged for helping criminal escape country

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Public Security's Police Investigation Agency last Thursday announced its decision to prosecute Vu Tien Son on a charge of "organising for people to flee the country."

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 11/12

Bad debts stunting Vietnam’s economic growth; Enterprises start to stop depending on banks;  Hanoi, HCM City to announce property price index; Mongolia, VN recognizes market economy

Shares gain on better outlook

 VietNamNet Bridge – Shares saw modest gains on the HCM City Stock Exchange last week, with the VN-Index ending Friday's session at 383.80 points, an increase of 1.58 per cent over the previous week's close.

Famous fashion designer releases photo book

VietNamNet Bridge – Top models and celebrities appear in a photo book by well-known fashion designer Do Manh Cuong.

Vietnam's movie industry needs more time to develop

 VietNamNet Bridge – Almost one week after the second Ha Noi international film festival, movie lovers in Ha Noi have already stopped talking about it.