Officials face fines for land violations

Sixteen Party members who are leaders of the People's Committee of the city of Long Xuyen and five other districts in Mekong Delta An Giang Province have undergone investigation and face penalties for their violation of land management regulations.

Magic of Handel to enchant Ha Noi

VietNamNet Bridge – Conductor Graham Sutcliffe will lead artists from the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra and Viet Nam National Opera and Ballet in two nights of concerts at Ha Noi Opera House this weekend,

Parking quota set for new buildings

VietNamNet Bridge – Investors in Ha Noi-based housing development projects and urban areas are required to set aside at least 20 per cent of land for parking.

Warehouse full of goods, coffer empty

VietNamNet Bridge – Goods pile in heaps at enterprises’ warehouses these days, because the sale has been going very slowly in the context of weak demand.

“Angle voice” enters Got Talent’s finale

VietNamNet Bridge – In the sixth semi-final show on April 8, Tri Giao, who is called the “angle voice,” did not perform as good as her previous shows but the little girl still won a card to the finale.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 12/4

Various events at 2012 Hue Festival; Electronic musician Tim Exile performs in Hue, Hanoi; Discover the city with Friends of Viet Nam; Le Duy Ung’s battlefield sketches on display; AmCham to host fundraising gala dinner   

Premarital intercourse rising, sex education, regulation questioned

Recent research has revealed that the number of people having premarital sex in China has increased significantly in the past two decades, triggering a new round of debate on the country's marriage regulation and sex education.

Thousands of people compete for changing helmets

VietNamNet Bridge – Hearing that the Da nang, authorities allowed local residents to exchange their old helmets to new ones, thousands of people flocked to the local fair center.

Five swimmers qualify for 2012 London Paralympics

VietNamNet Bridge – Five disabled Vietnamese swimmers will be heading to Paralympic London this summer after achieving A standard.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 12/4

  HCM City reports 40% fall in traffic accidents in first quarter; Vietnam to use nets to prevent sharks from entering beach; Ship's sinking costs millions

Stricter control over temporary imports for re-export worries businesses

State management agencies are considering ending the activities of importing goods temporarily for re-export later. The information has made businesses worried stiff.

A visitor's guide to Ha Noi

VietNamNet Bridge – Playing host to visitors in Ha Noi can be a challenging task as you guiding them through the cache of busy tourist attractions and attempt to share your own interpretations of what really makes the capital tick.

Quan capitulates to Thai opponent

VietNamNet Bridge –  Do Minh Quan squandered two match points in the second set against sixth-seeded Thai Kittiphong Wachiramanowong, and then lost the match after losing a 4-1 lead in the deciding third set.

Binh Dinh plans fresh tourism push

VietNamNet Bridge – Central Binh Dinh Province is planning to focus on promoting traditional cultural activities and its coastal area to make a major push for its tourism sector.

Vietnam’s largest Amitabha Buddha statue

VietNamNet Bridge – The Buddhist Shangha of Khanh Hoa province organized a solemn ceremony in early April to place a 44m high Amitabha Buddha statue, the largest of its kind in Vietnam, at Tong Lam Lo Son temple in Nha Trang City.

U.S. economy grows at steady clip, gas price stirs jitters: Fed

The U.S. Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that the nation's economic activity continued to grow at a steady pace since February, but the rising gas price has caused jitters among manufacturers.

ADB forecasts 5.7 pct GDP growth for Vietnam

Vietnam’s growth is forecast to slow to 5.7 percent this year before picking up to 6.2 percent in 2013, providing the current policies are adhered to.

Leakage at Song Tranh 2 dam five times over permitted threshold

In a meeting with scientists from the Institute of Science and Technology of Vietnam, the management board of Song Tranh 2 hydro-power plant admitted that leakage at the Song Tranh 2 dam is up to 75l per second, five times over the permitted level.

One dies while making white horse bone glue

VietNamNet Bridge – While cooking white horse bone glue in a cast-iron pot in Hanoi, one man died when the pot exploded.

Bulgarian NA Chairwoman to visit Vietnam

The Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, Tsetska Tsacheva, will pay an official visit to Vietnam from April 14-17. 

Health sector aims to curb hand-foot-mouth

VietNamNet Bridge – Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has required hospitals and clinics nationwide to take extra measures to curb outbreaks of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) as least as possible.

Farm produce exporters get puzzled with market information

VietNamNet Bridge – Though seafood, cashew nut and rice exports met difficulties in the first quarter of 2012, exporters’ associations still hope the situation would be better in the time to come.

Vietnamese parents now tend to award children with money

VietNamNet Bridge – A debate has been raised by VietNamNet’s readers about whether to give money to children to reward for children’s efforts.

Obama, Romney camps mark start of general election

The election campaigns of U.S. President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney shifted into general election gear on Wednesday, after Romney's main GOP rival Rick Santorum dropped out of the race

Economic sectors encouraged to prepare for emergencies

VietNamNet Bridge – Top lawmakers want the new draft Law on National Reserves to encourage enterprises and organisations to take part in the storage of crucial commodities for use in cases of national emergencies.