“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.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 15/6

Viral song clip links Vietnam, Euro 2012 histories; Aurora trio to perform free in Ha Noi; Domestic violence victims take to the theater; Brazilian guitar master to perform in Ha Noi

Bears face uncertain fate

VietNamNet Bridge – More than 100 bears at the Bear Rescue Centre were condemned to almost certain death until Animals Asia Foundation established a Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao national park, the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

Tra fish exporters warned against concentrating upon the US market

Meeting with the big barriers in the EU market, Vietnamese tra export companies tend to head for the US market. However, analysts have warned that this may lead to the overly hot development in the exports to the market.

Suicide car bomb hits bus station near Damascus, 14 injured

A suicide car bomb tore through a bus station early Thursday in a suburban area of the Syrian capital Damascus, leaving 14 people injured and a nearby security complex damaged, witnesses and the state-run SANA news agency said.

Publications promote Vietnamese folk culture

VietNamNet Bridge – A thousand research works have been published on Vietnamese folk arts and culture by 446 artists, during the first phase of the ‘Publication and Promotion of Vietnamese Ethnic Group Folk Culture and Arts’ project (2008-2012).

Religious diversity advanced in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has made great progress in endorsing rights to freedom of belief and religion, according to the political advisor to the European Union Mission to Vietnam, Juan-Jose Almagro Herrador.

Falsified websites, blogs spread far and wide

VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of forged websites and blogs have appeared on Internet with fraudulence purposes, which have discredit many institutions and individuals, thus making the environment become unsafe.

Tourism industry thirsty for Russian-speaking guides

The tourism industry is in dire need of tour guides fluent in Russian to cater to the rising number of Russian tourists to visit Vietnam in the coming time.

English teachers fall over because of European standards

VietNamNet Bridge – The surveys on the English teaching ability conducted in some big cities and provinces showed that the number of teachers meeting the required standards is incredibly low.

Bricks receded, coal swarm in the city

HCM City’s dwellers sighed with relief when hundreds of brick kilns were relocated out of the residential quarters. However, a new worry has arisen when a series of coal production and trade establishments have mushroomed.

Ad firms trample upon each other to scramble for small pieces of cake

VietNamNet Bridge – The ad market is being dominated by foreigners. Vietnamese firms have been earning their living by acting as the second class agents and collecting “small change” every day.

Brazil holds successful trials of snail fever vaccine

Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) announced Tuesday successful results from its initial clinical trials of a vaccine against schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever because snails can serve as carriers.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/6

Interest cap prompts rate war; Diesel-electric buses to be emission free; Vietnamese brands being bought by foreign companies; Vietnam halts export of five vegetables to EU market; Input shrimp cost exceeds export price

Chinese unskilled laborers flooding Hai Phong City

VietNamNet Bridge – Chinese contractors have been trying every possible way to refuse Vietnamese laborers, while bringing Chinese unskilled workers to Vietnam to undertake simple jobs.

Hanoi to have two bus rapid transit routes

VietNamNet Bridge – The construction of specialized road for the first BRT (bus rapid transit) routes in Hanoi will be kicked off this July.

Vietnamese singers and plagiary

VietNamNet Bridge – Over one time Korean newspapers have accused Vietnamese singers of copying concepts of Korean singers.

Simple intervention can save kids' lives

The child survival gap within and between countries can be narrowed if proven and cost-effective interventions for pneumonia and diarrhoea are scaled up to reach the most disadvantaged children, according to a new report from UNICEF.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 14/6

Exhibition highlights broadcasting technology achievements; Gallery featuring Ho Citadel’s objects opened; 10th National Radio Festival opens in Hanoi; Dating for dummies; Seminar on preserving cultural heritages

Woman and son rescued from jungle

VietNamNet Bridge – Some people in the central province of Phu Yen have rescued a young woman and her 2-year-old child, who was forced to live in the forest for eight years by her father.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 14/6

Japan gives $365,000 to upgrade schools; Man, ravaged by tumors, longs to read; Viet Nam spends US$13 million on fire fighting and rescue centres; IFAD supports poor farmers in Tuyen Quang

Moody's downgrades Spain's government bond ratings

Rating agency Moody's cut on Wednesday Spain's government bond rating to Baa3 from A3 and placed it on review for possible further downgrade.