Na Hang special-use forest unavoidable of illegal lumberjacks?

The Na Hang primeval forest in Tuyen Quang province has been seriously destroyed by illegal lumberjacks.

Outstanding loans to FIEs not big, not worrying

The outstanding loans given to foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) just account for a small proportion in the total outstanding loans of the whole banking system, while the bad debt ratio is much lower than the average level.

HCM City: attending “training course” is compulsory to enroll in primary school

The children in Binh Hung Hoa Ward in Binh Tan district of HCM City must attend a two month training course at state owned kindergartens before entering primary schools.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 20/6

$11.5-mln floating dock left rusted in Cam Ranh; Vietnam’s superfluous cement plants; Domestic tours offered at 30 percent off; Biggest Vietnamese listed firms: more cash, bigger debt; VNPT to end dial-up Internet service in VN

Mobile operators face falling revenues

Mobile operators are bemoaning poor revenues drawn from value added services (VAS) promoted at the EURO 2012 due to small subscriber numbers.

Free wireless Internet for Hue city

VietNamNet Bridge – The authorities of the central province of Thua Thien – Hue has approved the plan to supply free wireless Internet service in the entire Hue city.

Spain top Group C, struggle to beat Croatia 1-0

Reigning champions Spain struggled to beat Croatia 1-0 here on Monday in the Euro 2012, topping Group C and sending Croatia packing.

Women to have six-month maternity leave

VietNamNet Bridge – The National Assembly (NA) on June 8 ratified five laws. The approval of the amended Labor Code is highly appreciated for its progressive regulations on retirement age, minimum salary and maternity leave.

Man commits suicide for football betting failure

VietNamNet Bridge – A 34-year-old man in the central highland province of Kon Tum committed suicide on June 17 after losing on football betting.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 19/6

Vietnam’s amazing beauty in photos; Charity to celebrate VN Family Day with music; Music night commemorates Michael Jackson; “Prison Diary” published in Bangladesh

Vietnam reaches record number of athletes winning cards to Olympics

VietNamNet Bridge – Eighteen Vietnamese athletes have got tickets to the London 2012 Olympics, the highest number since Vietnam joined the games.

Delivering wrong information on VNPT restructuring to be punished

VietNamNet Bridge – On June 12, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son had an online dialogue with readers on the government website on some issues of the public concerns.

Vietnamese food suppliers eyeing Horeca market

VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of Vietnamese enterprises now dream of becoming the suppliers of high grade foods to hotels, restaurants and cafes (Horeca). However, it’s not easy to set foot on the lucrative market.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 19/6

Project helps HIV kids integrate into society; Foreign relations at local level reviewed; Da Nang plant converts garbage into fuel; Can Tho gets $90mil for urban upgrade

Handicraft villages hit by economic slump

VietNamNet Bridge – A downturn in traditional handicrafts has driven tens of thousands of people with skilled rural trades into the ranks of the unemployed.

City’s tourism dept says hotels are struggling

The number of inbound tourist arrivals in HCM City picked up slightly in the early months but hotels are struggling with lower occupancy rates, said a report of the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

River of concern against hydropower projects

Substandard hydropower plant projects will continue facing Days of Judgment.

Man holds dead baby to claim damages from hospital

VietNamNet Bridge – A man in the southern province of Ca Mau held the dead body of his newborn baby and walked around the local pediatrics hospital to ask for the doctors’ explanation for the unusual death of his baby.

Parks leave rivers of shame

Vietnam’s industrial parks and major river basins will continue to be soiled by grave industrial environmental pollution.

Australian dance troupe to tour Hanoi

The Australian dance company ‘Remnant Dance’ will present to Vietnamese viewers contemporary dance moves in a series of performances in Hanoi from Friday until June 30.

No dioxin, toxic chemicals in soil or water in Ba Dien Commune

Army scientists have ruled out the presence of dioxin or any other toxic chemical substances in the soil or water in Reu Village of Ba Dien Commune, Quang Ngai, where the bizarre and unidentified skin disease is plaguing local residents.

Farmers shift to higher-quality rice to meet demand

Many agricultural enterprises and farmers are shifting from growing low-grade rice to high-quality rice to meet the rising demand of both domestic and overseas markets, according to the Viet Nam Food Association (VFA).

Minimum wage insufficent: survey

A survey conducted by the Institute of Workers and Trade Unions concluded that the average salaries of workers in 90 private companies in 10 cities and provinces, including Ha Noi and HCM City, are not enough for them to make ends meet.

NA deputies discuss better publishing standards

Lawmakers yesterday agreed that the revised Law on Publishing should allow for renewed operational management, administrative decentralisation and State supervision instead of control over publishing houses and printing units.

Vietnamese student wins Gates Millennium Scholars Program

David Nguyen, a Vietnamese student in Vancouver city in the US State of Washington DC has been granted a scholarship from Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program founded by billionaire Bill Gates.