Walking on the Happy Route

 VietNamNet Bridge – Happy Route is the name of the area that connects the three communes of Ha Giang-Dong Van-Meo Vac in the northernmost province of Ha Giang.

Lack of eco-planning slammed

VietNamNet Bridge – The revision of the Environmental Protection Law should put more emphasis on environmental planning and monitoring, says Viet Nam Environment Agency deputy director Le Ke Son at a recent workshop in Ha Noi.

Loss making businesses still listed in A-class group

VietNamNet Bridge – No one knows exactly about the actual business performance of state owned enterprises (SOEs), and no one has sufficient information enough to give early warnings to businesses.

Snack food in Hanoi: less is more

 VietNamNet Bridge – With the fast approach of winter in town, most Hanoi lovers are seeking new places for snack food and their most iconic wintry dishes are nem chua ran, banh mi thit xien, or banh chuoi.

Old teak forests poisoned, dying day by day

Tens of hectares of teak forests which are tens of years old in Dong Nai province have been killed. Meanwhile, the local authorities still turn a deaf ear to the problem.

Diem Huong heads to Vegas for Miss Universe

 VietNamNet Bridge – City stunner Luu Thi Diem Huong will represent the nation at Miss Universe 2012 beauty pageant at Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas next month.

In the land of long-lived people

VietNamNet Bridge - Lung Van is also known as the "land of longevity," which has many people of over one hundred years old.

Free applications’ expansion threatens phone network operators

If Vietnamese mobile network operators still keep following the old way, they would lose the market shares into the hands of free phone call apps.

HIV prevention targets pregnant women

 VietNamNet Bridge – Sitting alone on a bench outside the Obstetrics Department of Thot Not District General Hospital in southern Can Tho City, the round and sun-bronzed face of a young woman betrays a gnawing anxiety.

Vietnam eliminated from AFF Cup

The Vietnamese national football team lost 1-3 to archrival Thailand in its final match of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup qualifying round on November 31.

Freight & forwarding market opens to 100 percent foreign owned company

Vietnam has kept the door of its freight & forwarding service market opened to foreigners since January 11, 2012, and FedEx has become the first foreign company going through the door.

No entry stamp on passports with the U-shaped line, says Minister

VietNamNet Bridge – Minister, Chairman of the Government Office, Mr. Vu Duc Dam, told an online newspaper that the government had instructed to not affix any seal of Vietnam on the passports that have the "U-shaped line."

Vietnamese parents don’t know what school to send children to

A lot of parents complain that the education market is now like a “bear garden,” where it is so difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Part 2: The tourism paradise lacks… chairs

Cu Lao Xanh, which deserves to be a tourism paradise, seems to be indifferent to tourists. No one intends to develop the local infrastructure to attract travelers.

Flourishing market for art reproduction in Vietnam

Art lovers who wish to see masterpieces of famous artists in the Louvre Museum in France or museums across the world don’t have to go far, as abundant reproductions of their artworks are part of a flourishing market

U.S. FDA approves new medication to treat rare type of thyroid cancer

 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved Cometriq to treat medullary thyroid cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

Thanh Hoa: Young woman eats only fruit for five years

VietNamNet Bridge - After a few days off to eat, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, 23, could not eat any kind of food, except for fruits and vegetable. Because of this strange disease, the healthy girl has become a skeleton.

Super petrochemical project raises worries about capital source, feasibility

Vietnamese have not leaped for joy on the mammoth 28.7 billion dollar oil refinery project, because they still keep doubts about the feasibility of the project.

Workers in industrial parks need further help and consultation

Many companies in HCM City’s industrial parks and export processing zones have organized activities to help improve male workers’ knowledge on reproductive health, marriage and to improve their cultural and spiritual life.

“Natural treasure” of Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge - With 64 vivid pictures by various photographers featuring the nature, animals and humans in the Cat Tien National Park, the photo exhibition "Cat Tien Impressionism" that opened in HCM City on December 16 has fascinated visitors.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 1/12

Road planning revised down due to capital shortage; Tough to convert commercial condos into low-cost homes; Increased credit targets not easy to obtain; Technology transaction floors quiet; New challenges for Long Xuyen Quadrangle

Ancient trees cut down in national park

Forest managers of the Ba Be National Park in the northern province of Bac Kan have discovered 15 nghien trees, which are hundreds of years old, have been cut down in Cho Don District's Nam Cuong Commune. 

Ministry issues draconian warning on ‘scandalous’ behaviour

 VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoian model Hong Que, 18, may be fined from VND50-70 million (USD2,396-3,355) for wearing a scanty dress at a film festival, one official has said.

Deposit interest rates likely to decline further

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deposit interest rates offered by commercial banks are expected to fall by 1 per cent, according to senior economists.

EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR DEC. 1-15 (daily updated)

Updated information about cultural events in big cities of Vietnam.