$239,000 collected in fines for eco violations

VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 500 inspections for environment violations have been conducted at 2,500 organisations over the first half of the year, resulting in more than VND5 billion (nearly US$239,000) in fines being collected.

Hillary Clinton to visit Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will pay an official visit to Vietnam on July 10 and 11, aiming to boost US-Vietnam multifaceted cooperation, says the Foreign Ministry.

Students win prize at Asian ‘eco-marathon'

VietNamNet Bridge – The Bio-Energy Team from the Ha Noi University of Technology has won the second prize in the ethanol category at the 2012 Asian Shell Eco-Marathon in Kuala Lumpur,

Japan's current account surplus falls 62.6 pct in May

Japan's current account surplus fell 62.6 percent in May from a year earlier to 215.1 billion yen, according to a report released by the government on Monday.

PM promotes role of co-operatives in industrialisation

VietNamNet Bridge – Co-operatives should be a part of the national process of industrialisation and modernisation as well as the development of new rural areas, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said

Hanoi urged to look for suitable models for traditional markets

VietNamNet Bridge – Upgrading the operational traditional markets into modern ones is a must. However, it is necessary to find out a suitable model for the new markets.

HCM City infrastructure overloaded

VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City needs to address infrastructure shortcomings and the quality of human resources in order to boost growth and competitiveness, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong told a Politburo meeting in Ha Noi on Friday.

V-League resumes after break with delayed match

The national football championships, Eximbank V-League 2012, will resume today after a month-long break with a match between Song Lam Nghe An and SHB Da Nang.

Vietnam, Cuba look towards stronger ties

VietNamNet Bridge – The two Party leaders have agreed to promote high-level exchanges, share experiences in socio-economic management and Party building, and expand economic, trade and investment cooperation.

Badminton's Minh ranks world 11th

Viet Nam's top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh has maintained his world standing of 11th place, according to the lastest announcement by the International Badminton Federation.

Local boy bands copy Koreans

With a style a far cry from South Korean pop bands like Big Bang, Vietnamese pop bands are becoming increasingly popular, taking the country's music market by storm.

Police clamp down on drug traffickers

As many as 18 people involved in a major heroin trafficking ring suspected of smuggling over 600 packages from Laos to Viet Nam were arrested by the Ministry of Public Security's Drug Crime Investigation Police Department.

Song of the Earth to be staged in Hanoi

 “The Song of the Earth” by Austrian composer Gustav Mahler will be performed for the first time at the Hanoi Opera House on July 12-13.

Death toll from southern Russian floods rises to 144

The death toll from recent downpours and floods in southern Russia reached 144 by Sunday morning, as the country was grappling with one of its worst floodings in decades.

National gymnastics team to train in UK

Three gymnasts from the Vietnamese national team, Ha Thanh, Phuoc Hung, and Ngan Thuong, will travel to the UK on July 10 to begin training for the 2012 London Olympics. 

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 9/7

Grand meeting marks former Party leader's centennial birthday; Party delegation attends Sao Paulo forum; Conference honours people who served the nation; Mexico appreciates VN-Latin America forum

Annan arrives in Syria to discuss faltering peace efforts with Assad

UN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Syrian capital Damascus Sunday to hold talks with President Bashar al-Assad apparently regarding his faltering peace plan.

Nearly 500,000 students sit tertiary entrance exams

Nearly 500,000 students from across the country are taking part in the second phase of tertiary entrance examination on July 9 - 10.

Vietnamese digital content firms vow to defy every rival

Vietnamese digital content firms, which have been warned about the future foreign redoubtable rivals, say they have prepared well enough to defy any attacks.

Part 1: Lacking orders became an obsession for garment companies

After the prosperous year 2011, when garment companies were all very busy with big orders, they are now experiencing dark days with the serious thirst for jobs.

East Asia agrees on education action plan

VietNamNet Bridge – East Asian countries have agreed to adopt an action plan to improve the quality of education in the region at a recent regional education ministers’ meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Troubles occurred with math university entrance exam questions

The math exam questions appeared on the Internet and then spread out rapidly via Facebook at 9 am on July 4, one hour before the exam hour finished.

Death toll in Nigeria village massacre hits 90

At least 90 people had been killed during attacks on villages in Gashik District of Barkinladi Local government area of central north Nigeria's Plateau State by Sunday afternoon, security sources and Xinhua reporters on ground said.

Exuberant orchards in Mekong Delta

VietNamNet Bridge – This is the harvest time of orchards in the Mekong Delta. Visiting the region at this time, tourists will be enchanted by these luxuriant orchards. Let’s visit them with us!

Animals that can make themselves invisible in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – Making themselves invisible is the special ability of leaf insects in Vietnam. Below are pictures of leaf insects.