Coach Mai Duc Chung unexpectedly leaves U22 team

VietNamNet Bridge – Being busy with a training course, coach Mai Duc Chung will not lead the Vietnamese U22 football team at the Asian qualifiers in Myanmar this June.

‘Supernatural’ girl causes another fire

The 11-year old girl from Ho Chi Minh City who paranormal investigators think has a strange ability to burn things around her continued to cause another mysterious fire – after a major incident last week that caught media attention.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 21/5

Largest plywood mill begins operations; Brokerages set for tighter debt ratios; Vietnam commits to public private partnership; VND3 trillion to help troubled firms in HCM City; Leading gas firm set to debut on bourse next week

5.9-magnitude quake hits northern Italy, death toll rises to 7

The death toll of a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that hit northern Italy in the early hours of Sunday morning has risen to seven, local media said.

Traditional crafts drive progress

Nguyen Quang Dung from the National Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection spoke about the development of traditional craft villages

Dau pagoda's mummies - Invaluable treasures

VietNamNet Bridge – The bodies of Buddhist monks in Dau temple have existed for over three centuries, witnessing a lot of ups and downs. They are invaluable treasures and spiritual and cultural stamps of Vietnamese people.

Banking restructuring is nothing to be feared

Credit institutions that do not thoroughly restructure will miss a precious opportunity to improve their competitiveness.

Kofi Annan to visit Syria by end of May: official

The UN-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan will visit Syria by the end of May to discuss the implementation of his six-point peace plan, Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said on his Facebook page on Sunday.

Hanoi’s “lemon tea” streets

Lemon tea shops on Hanoi’s streets like Nho Tho, Ly Quoc Su, Dao Duy Tu, etc. are over crowded on summer evenings. Pavements, roads and small parks become lemon tea shops, where thousands of the youngsters group up to chat.

The Japanese direct investment wave in Vietnam

While local authorities have been trying to call for Japanese investment into supporting industries, many Japanese investors in Vietnam are operating in the fields of trade, real estate, information technology, service and consumer goods production.

HCM City firms continue to bleed red ink

The trend of companies in HCM City making losses continues, with three-quarters losing in the first quarter, and government policies to support them are not proving very effective.

Assembly committee backs tax cuts

The National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee concurred with the Government's latest tax cut proposal but said no to a tax exemption plan.

Unable to push up lending, banks inject money in government bonds

Instead of pushing up lending, commercial banks have spent money to buy government bonds, accepting the low government bond interest rates.

Saigonese collectors’ unique antiques on display

Nearly 200 antiques selected from collections by members of the HCM City Antique Association are exhibited at the HCM City Museum, 65 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, HCM City. The exhibition will last until December 27, 2012.

Hanoi’s lotus in May

VietNamNet Bridge – The scorching heat of mid-May in Hanoi cannot stop the vitality of lotus in the West Lake and Dinh Gian Lake.

Comic rendition of boring history textbooks

Among proposals to make tedious and boring history more enjoyable and appealing to the young, is the idea to turn it into pictorial books, which so far has been successful in that it has brought history closer to the public.

Job insurance under control

Le Quang Trung, deputy director of the Employment Department, under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, talks about unemployment insurance policy.

Artiste's passion never dimmed

After more than 40 years in theatre, People's Artist Kim Cuong has performed in several hundreds of plays and recorded albums praising Vietnamese culture and lifestyle in both traditional and modern styles.

President Ho’s birthday celebrated abroad

A series of activities have been held in many countries throughout the world to mark the 122nd birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh.

Travelling by hydrofoil boat wrought with dangers

Travelling by hydrofoil boat between HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau is wrought with many dangers, as most of the boats are almost 20-years-old and badly in need of repairs and with several   serious accidents having occurred in the past.

Hi-tech projects dormant in hi-tech parks

A lot of investors have registered the investments at the Hoa Lac hi-tech park and got investment licenses, but have not taken any move to implement the projects.

A lot of rare fish species in danger

A lot of rare and precious fishes have been named in the Vietnam’s Red Book, because their existence has been threatened.

Odd fact in Hanoi

Parents who are always eager to seek useful addresses to enrich their children’s knowledge never think of taking their kids to museums, though nearly 20 museums of Hanoi are situated at the best locations.

Next iPhone may get larger screen: report

Apple's sixth generation of iPhone may have a larger screen than its previous models, U.S. media reported on Wednesday.

Exhibits of President Ho’s simple life

VietNamNet Bridge – Objects preserved at museums and the Presidential Palace partly shows President Ho Chi Minh’s simple life.