ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 16/8

 HCMC Circus heads North next week; Sponsors sign up for first Vietnam Int’l balloon festival; The higher the heels, the higher the discounts; “Europe meets Vietnam” in contemporary dance

Vinaconex owes over $55 million

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Construction Import Export JS Corporation (Vinaconex) currently owes more than VND1.112 trillion (around $55.6 million).

Hoang My’s horn sold for $15,000

 VietNamNet Bridge – Gifts of contestants of the 2012 Miss World pageant were auctioned for charity on August 14. Hoang My’s horn was sold for 100,000 yuan, around $15,000.

Leading U.S. retailers team up to push mobile wallet

 Over a dozen leading U.S. merchants, including Wal-Mart Stores and Best Buy, on Wednesday jointly launched a new company to push for the offering of mobile wallet, or the use of smartphone to make payment.

Vietnam to check foreign workers

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has instructed cities and provinces to re-examine and monitor foreigners working in Viet Nam.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 16/8

 Housing for workers on low incomes; Four arrested for trafficking 21 women to China; Students receive scholarships; HCM City to host Secutech Vietnam 2012

Council set up to select Vietnam’s film for the Oscar Award

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has decided to establish a council to choose Vietnam’s best film for the Oscar Award in the periods of 2012-2014.

Hanoi: Numerous street-facing houses offered for sale

 VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of houses facing the street in Hanoi’s hub, which are priced for millions of USD are offered for sale.

Three Vietnamese billiard players to compete at World Three-cushion Champs

 VietNamNet Bridge – The World Union of Billiards (UBM) has invited three Vietnamese players to participate in the World Three-cushion Championship in Portugal.

Vietnam through international accredited pictures

 VietNamNet Bridge – Let’s see Vietnam through different angles from the photos that international prizes.

NA says illegal mining out of control

Top lawmakers have agreed that stronger and more realistic measures are necessary to complete the legal framework required to shore up activities related to natural resources exploitation in accordance with environment protection.

Powerful punch comes from brain : study

 Karate experts' ability to punch powerfully is associated with distinctive features in their brain structure, according a latest British study published here on Wednesday.

Well-known French piano soloist to perform in Vietnam

 French piano soloist Guigla Katsarava will perform at the Hanoi Opera House on August 17-18.

3D recreations of old Hanoi displayed

Fifteen computer generated images featuring 3D modelling of Hanoi in the past will be displayed at 42 Trang Tien Street from August 30.

German artist brings woodcuts to Hanoi

Woodcuts in Digital Age, which features 50 woodblock prints, series and large format pieces, by Christiane Baumgartner, as well as artists’ books and a video will open at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi from September 8 to 30.

The war of fresh milk brands triggered

Big fresh milk brands have declared war by launching noisy marketing campaigns in an effort to obtain more market shares in the lucrative market.

HCM City plans sites for 18 parking lot projects

 In an effort to ease the severe shortage of parking areas in HCMC, local authorities have recommended 18 locations for developing underground and high-rise parking lots, said an official of the city’s Department of Transport.

Foreign holdings of U.S. debt hit record high in June

 Total foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose to a new high in June, indicating strong international demand for U.S. government debt amid the simmering eurozone debt crisis, the U.S. Treasury Department reported Wednesday.

Hydropower dams a curse on Mekong River: Seminar

 Nearly 30 hydropower plants are scheduled to be built along the Mekong River within the next few years, which will upturn the lives of tens of millions of local residents.

Events mark August Revolution and National Day

 VietNamNet Bridge – A wide range of cultural and sporting events will be held across the country to mark the 67th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

World No 1 tennis player Azarenka to perform in HCM City

 Current World No 1 tennis player Victoria Azarenka will join the Heineken Star tennis tournament due to open in Ho Chi Minh City on September 20, according to a domestic source of information.     

Vietnam to join submarine internet system

  The country’s two leading telecommunications companies VNPT and Viettel will team up with Facebook and 10 other Asian telcos to invest in a 10,000km undersea cable project.

HCM City to host semi-professional Muay Thai Tournament

 VietNamNet Bridge – A semi-professional Muay Thai Tournament will be held in HCM City's Nguyen Du Gymnasium on September 16.

Duan rides to third stage of cycling tour

 VietNamNet Bridge – Le Van Duan of Eximbank HCM City 1 won the third stage of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Cycling Tournament yesterday, while his teammate Dinh Quoc Viet retained the yellow jersey.

Science fiction by 11-year-old schoolboy debuts

 VietNamNet Bridge – The third volume of ‘Cuoc Chien Voi Hanh Tinh Fantom’ (Fight against Fantom Planet) a science fiction novel written by 11-year-old schoolboy Nguyen Binh has recently been published by the Tre (Youth) Publishing House.