250 Kon Tum teachers trained to work with disabled

More than 250 teachers in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum have completed an intensive training programme focused on the special needs of disabled and ethnic students as part of a three-year,

PM urges ministries to quickly investigate petrol impacts in vehicle fires

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has told the Ministry of Science and Technology to speed up the investigation of the impacts of petrol on vehicle fires.

Viet Nam to get tough on English

Education and training departments in many provinces and cities have drawn up plans to improve the quality of local English teachers through further training after discovering that most achieved very low scores in international English tests.

SPORTS IN BRIEF 15/6

Liem does French team proud; VN volleyballers enjoy first wins; Phung leads U-20s at chess tourney

TRAVEL IN BRIEF 15/6

Resort earns second Agoda award; Da Nang holds tour promotion; Phu Quoc named eco-tourism centre; Chinese tour firms spur price war

Multi-million dollar resorts in central region in doldrums

The central region does not receive many travelers, even though it is now the high season of the year. The multi-million dollar resorts in the region have been left idle.

Hanoi becomes a river after downpours

VietNamNet Bridge – A two-hour downpour has turned many streets in Hanoi into small rivers on the afternoon of June 14.

Where is cash for purchasing bad debts?

Although the Minister of Planning and Investment affirmed to “not use budget capital to buy bad debts of banks,” many deputies wondered where does VND100 trillion ($5 billion) come from to buy bad debts, at the proposal of the central bank.

First Vietnamese movie to be screened in four countries at once

VietNamNet Bridge – “Ranh Gioi Trang Den” (White-Black Boundary) will be released in four Southeast Asian countries on July 6 to become the first Vietnamese movie that reaches out the regional market.

Fossil tooth of elephant discovered in Tuyen Quang

Experts from the Vietnam Archaeology Institute and the Museum of Tuyen Quang Province collected a fossil tooth of an elephant in May 2012, during an archaeological survey in Son Duong district in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.

Hanoi: Blue-ear pigs processed into delicious food

VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi police on June 13 announced to discover a private establishment that sold food processed from dead pork.

G20 urged to revitalize global economic growth

The Group of 20 should take coordinated actions to revive economic growth prospects worldwide on a sustainable basis as European debt crisis is deteriorating, the Institute of international Finance (IIF) urged here Thursday.

Phuoc wins silver at regional tourney

VietNamNet Bridge – Da Nang's Hoang Quy Phuoc won a silver medal at the ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Swimming Championships in Singapore yesterday, June 14.

National Assembly grills Public Security Minister

VietNamNet Bridge – The Minister of Public Security, Tran Dai Quang, was challenged, for the first time, on an increase in foreign-related crime, at a hearing at the National Assembly on June 14.

Nokia to cut 3,700 jobs in Finland, 10,000 worldwide

The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia announced Thursday that it plans to cut 3,700 jobs in Finland and up to 10,000 positions worldwide by the end of 2013 to save costs.

Artists wearing scanty clothes to be banned from appearing on TV

VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) has asked radio and television broadcasters to not allow artists who have been fined for wearing scanty clothes to appear on their shows.

Electricity and petroleum monopolies spark lively NA debates

In the morning of June 14, Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang faced a Q&A session with NA deputies which mainly focused on the monopolies in the electricity and petroleum sectors.

Minister bombarded with questions on land withdrawal

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang was bombarded with questions about forced land withdrawal, compensation and land use waste raised by the National Assembly (NA) deputies on Wednesday.

Sacombank’s big shareholders found buying shares underhand

The appearance of three big shareholders at Sacombank exceedingly astonished the bank’s shareholders and the public, who were not informed about the share purchases of the “big guys.”

Vietnam finish twelfth at Asian Junior Athletic Championships

Vietnam finished in twelfth place with one gold and one bronze medal at the 15th Asian Junior Athletic Championships, which concluded on June 12 after four days of competition in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Economic growth targets in reach

VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc today, June 15, affirmed that the economy has overcome difficulties and has started to recover.

“Intouchables” to be premiered in Vietnam

The French film, which won eight nominations and The Best Actor award in Cesar Awards 2012, will be screened in Vietnam for the first time in mid June.

‘Zeng’ weaving craft thrives in Thua Thien-Hue

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue is trying to restore the ‘Zeng’ weaving craft of minority groups in its A Luoi mountain district to preserve the traditional craft and generate jobs for locals.

Vietnam de-listed from most attractive retail markets

Vietnam has not been named in the latest list of most attractive retail markets according to a recent report from A. T. Kearney, a US-based global management consulting firm.

Rare snub-nosed monkey population grows well

The number of snub-nosed monkeys, an endangered species, in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang has grown to over 100, said Hoang Van Tue, head of the management board of the Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Centre.