Real estate market likely to recover later this year; Vietnam announces extractive industry study; Expert calls attention to liquidity shortage; Steel firms face dumping threat; Concerns remain among business leaders for 2012

Thousands of Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns, followers and tourists participated in the Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) festival in the central city of Da Nang from March 9-11 to offer prayers of peace for the nation.

Symantec announces new approach; Cloud computing to be utilised; FPT Uni promotes investment in VN; VTC switches to Vinasat 1 satellite; Apopota.com debuts in Asia; VNPT unveils high-quality service; Local PC market has a good run  

Struggling seafood firm Bianfishco are confident it can clear debts and get back to business as usual.

A French painter based in Hoi An - Jean Cabane - now introduces his 31 paintings on Vietnamese themes made on Vietnamese traditional ‘giay do” (rhamnoneuron paper) at the French Cultural Center at 1 Le Hong Phong, Hue city.

VietNamNet Bridge – At 11pm of March 8, the Xa Tac worshiping ceremony was organized in the ancient capital city of Hue, Thua Thien-Hue province, to pray for good weather, peace and prosperity for Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge – Shark hunting boats in the central province of Quang Ngai have caught tens of sharks in recent days, earning hundreds of thousands of US dollars.

State-run Petrovietnam oil and gas group (PVN) plans to sell a 49 percent stake in its Dung Quat oil refinery to three foreign partners.

VietNamNet Bridge – In a crowded quarter of Hoi An market, Dinh Thong has taken the concept of art to a new level by sticking cock feathers into portraits, landscapes and abstracts.

Toyota art contest attracts kids; Local movie to be released in France; Nail job inspired film to be screened in Vietnam; Semi-finalists go for Vietnamese songs in Got Talent; Hanoi restaurant goes high-brow with opera    

The firefighting forces found bodies of a Vietnamese woman and her two children at a fire in Seri Kembangan, Salangor, Malaysia, the Malaysian newspaper Bernama reported on March 3.

The stock market entered a downward correction last week that ended a two-month winning streak, as the Ministry of Finance announced a 10-per-cent increase in petrol prices on Wednesday that sparked new fears about inflation.

Vietnam welcomed about 681,850 foreign visitors in February, up 8.2 per cent compared to January, bringing the total number of international tourists in the first two months to more than 1.31 million, a year-on-year increase of 27.1 per cent.

Ministers, high-ranking officials and representatives from civil society organizations from 40 countries and territories gathered in Hanoi on March 12 for the 31st UN Food and Agriculture Organization regional conference for Asia and the Pacific.

Most of the farmers do not want to make capital contributions by agricultural land as suggested, because they fear that they would lose the land forever.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to express his "shock and sadness" at the reported killing and wounding of Afghan civilians.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese embassy in Canada and Ha Noi-based Ky Nguyen Tourism and Trading Company are participating in the 18th Canada Tourism Expo, which opened at the Ottawa Conference Centre on Saturday.

VietNamNet Bridge – Enterprises' reluctance to invest in green technology and poor enforcement of environmental laws are hampering Viet Nam's sustainable development, experts said.

French incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday defended his economic and social policies over the past five years in yet another fresh attempt to overturn weak poll scores.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Thang Long Water Puppetry troupe will perform at the Havana puppet festival from March 23-25, at the invitation of the Cuban Ministry of Culture.

2012 will be a strong year for the robotic sector, the Robotic Industries Association says.

VietNamNet Bridge – Singer Duc Tuan won the “Outstanding Performer” and “The Most Favourite” prizes at the ASEAN Golden Voice Festival, which closed in HCM City on March 9.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s representative Hoang Thuy entered the top 15 of the Top Model of the World 2012. She also took the Best Catwalk title in the final night on March 10 in Dortmund, Germany.

Thousands of runners Saturday participated in the annual Terry Fox marathon throughout Cuba to commemorate the death of the Canadian young man and raise money for cancer research.

VietNamNet Bridge – Schoolgirl Tran Minh Anh began practicing Aikido at the age of 10. After four years, she is now an assistant for Aikido instructors at the Hanoi Aikido Club.