Fitch withdraws Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s ratings

VietNamNet Bridge – Fitch Ratings has withdrawn Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC's (HAGL) long-term foreign and local currency issuer default ratings of 'B' respectively. The 'B-' rating on its US$75 million notes due 2016 has also been withdrawn.

Artist finds beauty within

 VietNamNet Bridge – The artist Nguyen Van Cuong looks to reveal the nuances behind painted faces in his exhibition The Make-up Faces which opened in Ha Noi on Monday.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 24/10

 UN provides US$2.38 million for gender equality; MAEP honours Major-General Trinh Quoc Khanh; International seminar offers lesson on Viet Nam; Siemens helps optimise healthcare services in Vietnam

Long Dinh mat

 

Long Dinh Village is located in Long Dinh Commune, Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province. The village is famous for the craft of weaving sedge mats in southwestern Vietnam.

Typhoon Son Tinh coming to the East Sea

  VietNamNet Bridge – A storm named Son Tinh is forecast to enter the East Sea in two days. This is the 8th typhoon in the region this year.

Collector donates priceless antiques to museum

 VietNamNet Bridge – An 84-year-old collector has donated more than 3,000 valuable antiques to the National Museum of History in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam Marine Police receive first large patrol vessel

VietNamNet Bridge – Factory Z189, under the General Department of Defence Industry, held a ceremony to launch and hand over the vessel “DN 2000 (OPV-9014)”, with its number sign “CSB 8001”,  

European stocks dive on Spanish, US gloom

 European equities sank on Tuesday on fears over debt-riddled Spain after its central bank predicted a worsening recession, and on continued US corporate earnings disappointment.

Grandmaster Liem earns four-year scholarship in US

 VietNamNet Bridge – Grandmaster Le Quang Liem has been awarded a four-year scholarship at Webster University in the US, a worldwide institution.

Cutting spending, weeding out the inefficiencies to increase salary

 VietNamNet Bridge – On the sidelines of the National Assembly session, deputies shared their opinions about salary increase with VietNamNet on October 22.

New car taxable prices make used imports more expensive

The decision by GDC to apply new taxable prices since October 18 would lead to the increases of used imports’ prices. Meanwhile, the prices of the products to be distributed by authorized importers would be unchanged.

Women still face gender gap in jobs, wages

 Women are closing the gender gap with men in health and education but struggle to get top jobs and salaries, data from a study of 135 countries showed on Wednesday.

Mysterious Cham towers in Binh Dinh

 Binh Dinh province was the center of the ancient Champa kingdom where 14 ancient towers built between the 11th and 15th centuries still stand today.

International seminar discusses East Sea sovereignty

VietNamNet Bridge – An International seminar on the real situation and solutions for the issue of sovereignty in the East Sea was held at Chosun University in Gwangju, the Republic of Korea (RoK) on October 23. 

Gold falls to almost seven-week low with higher U.S. dollar

 Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange sharply fell Tuesday, as disappointing corporate earnings drew traders to the safe haven of the dollar, heaping pressure on the precious metal.

NA focuses on procedures of vote of confidence

National Assembly deputies on October 23 heard a report on the NA’s draft resolution on procedures for the votes of confidence for positions elected or approved by the National Assembly and local People’s Councils.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 24/10

  Promoting Vietnam-Panama cooperation; VN, Thailand to hold joint cabinet meeting; Honduras keen to cement ties with Vietnam; VN, EU open new era

The process of screening economic groups kicks off

The dissolution of the two economic groups VNIC and HUD is believed to mark the anticipated failure of the model of state owned economic groups.

PM lauds public security cooperation with China

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung lauded cooperation between the Ministries of Public Security of Vietnam and China over the past time, especially their close coordination in fighting border crimes, 

Ha Tinh province to get Navibank Saigon FC for free

 VietNamNet Bridge – Xuan Thuy Company is about to give Navibank Saigon football team and its card at the V-League 2013 to the central province of Ha Tinh, free of charge.

Authorities also responsible for dam safety

Project owners must be responsible for the insecurity of hydropower dams but local authorities are also to blame in case of safety incidents, experts said in the aftermath of the Dakrong 3 hydropower dam crumpling.

The students, who respond to teachers with deaths

The public has been stunned by the news that a student ripped her hand with a razor blade to express her disagreement against the teacher, and another student committed suicide just because she accidentally lost money.

Vietnam to welcome first open-end fund in 2012

Watchdog agencies have every reason to believe that the first open-end investment fund would make debut on the stock market this year.

Nghe An: Tigers raised as pigs

VietNamNet Bridge – Four tigers are bred in a room of less than 15m2. It is unbelievable but it is the truth in the central province of Nghe An.

In search of the real Gangnam style

 Hundreds of millions have watched the dance and listened to the song -- most without understanding a word -- but very few have any idea what "Gangnam" is and what, if any, particular "style" it might have.