Vietnam goes ahead with GMO development plan

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese agronomists believe that staying against the genetically modified plants (GMP) is a blunder and that Vietnam should not waste more time to argue about this.

Party leader welcomes Lao military delegation

 VietNamNet Bridge – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met with Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolution Party Central Committee and Deputy Minister of Defence Sengnouane Sayalat in Hanoi on August 6.

Policy urged to expose food safety violators

 VietNamNet Bridge – Experts have urged policymakers to create a dedicated website that would include information about businesses that sell unsafe food.

Paradise isle reeks of garbage

VietNamNet Bridge – Garbage dumped along dykes protecting once-beautiful Ly Son Island in central Quang Ngai Province is polluting the water, killing coral, prawns and sea vegetation.

Inflation falls from 23% to 5% in one year

 Policymakers have signalled that they are willing to take necessary actions to move the economy forward,the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) has said in its monthly research report.

Vietnam, RoK aim to boost mutually beneficial cooperation

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) share many similarities and advantages for promoting mutually beneficial cooperation and development, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Insurance services attack schools, turbulently

VietNamNet Bridge – The school opening month is the high business season for insurers. Insurance agents have been present at local education sub-departments, schools and universities to persuade students to take insurance policies.

Quang Nam celebrates former President’s centennial birthday

The 100th birth anniversary of former State Council President Vo Chi Cong was celebrated at the cultural centre in the central province of Quang Nam with the attendance of Party and State leaders, heroic mothers and revolutionary veterans.

Drivers resisting police may face higher fines

 VietNamNet Bridge – Traffic violators who physically oppose traffic police should be punished with higher fines and even charged with attempted murder, said Major General Tran Thuy, deputy head of the Ha Noi Police Department.

Twenty southern girls short listed for Miss Vietnam 2012

 VietNamNet Bridge – On August 3, 20 contestants of the southern region were chosen for the final round of the 2012 Miss Vietnam pageant.

U.S. police identify lone suspect in Wisconsin temple shooting

 U.S. police identified on Monday Wade Michael Page, 40, as the lone suspect who killed six people and critically wounded three others at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin on Sunday.

HCM City to have 1.2 million more people by 2015

 The population of HCMC is forecast to rise to around 8.6 million by 2015 with an average life expectancy of 75.9 years.

East Sea: Luck and unluck

 VietNamNet Bridge – China’s recent acts in the East Sea have created three unexpected outcomes for Beijing: its playing card was unmasked, other countries have been awakened and the international community has heightened vigilance.

New life in Truong Sa

 VietNamNet Bridge – The life of soldiers and residents in Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago is changing day by day, with phone service, modern clinics and pagodas.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 7/8

US levies anti-dumping tax on VN wind towers;  PVN introduces oil, gas projects to Japanese investors; Fishermen celebrate bigger catches this year; Cash-strapped firms get tax relief

Vo Viet Chung combines ao dai with lace trousers

 VietNamNet Bridge – The well-known fashion designer has introduced his latest collection, using lace and cotton as main materials, with tropical colors.

U.S. Mars rover Curiosity touches down on Red Planet

 NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, loaded with the most-sophisticated instruments ever used to explore another world, touched down on the Red Planet early Monday morning, on a quest for signs of whether the Red Planet has evidence of past

Part 2: Phu Quoc fish sauce brand disappearing

Real Phu Quoc fish sauce products have gradually disappeared from the market, and even from its homeland. They have been retailed only to travelers, who still love the traditional product.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 6/8

 Art performance highlights Vietnam-Cambodia friendship; Vietnam promotes culture at Berlin Beer Festival; Exhibit spotlights Malay weddings;  Thousand-year-old tower discovered

Illegal miners fined $35,000 for pollution

 VietNamNet Bridge – Inspectors in the southern province of Dong Nai have fined 70 companies a total of VND700 million (US$35,000) for illegal mineral and sand exploitation that has contributed to pollution in the area.

Best Vietnamese chess players to compete at Chess Olympiad

 VietNamNet Bridge – The top chess players of Vietnam will be sent to the Istanbul 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Turkey from August 27 to September 10.

Over 1,400 old songs permitted for circulation in Vietnam

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Performing Art Agency has made public the list of songs written before 1975 that are allowed for circulation in Vietnam on its website.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 6/8

 Blaze destroys shoe company in Ninh Binh; HCM City marks 51st anniversary of AO/Dioxin Disaster; Medical team to treat poor in Laos; Tiny tots learn about school sanitation

Casual management at Hue car parks

 VietNamNet Bridge – The management of car parks at tourist attractions in the ancient city of Hue has seemed rather casual, as busses are charged different fee rates at different car parks, without receipts issued in the right manner.

Ten Vietnamese dishes win Asian records

VietNamNet Bridge - The Asia Record Organization (ARO) on August 1 recognized 10 Vietnamese dishes for their gastronomic importance to the region at Faridabad, India.