UN chief "greeted" by shoes in Gaza

Families of several Palestinian prisoners threw shoes at the convoy of UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon as they entered the Gaza Strip from Israel Thursday morning, witnesses said.

Commercial banks rush to “change their dress”

Commercial banks have been hurriedly restructuring themselves by changing the brand identification system, improving the service quality and seeking new way of development.

Largest Vietnamese ceramics exhibition in US museum

The biggest exhibition on Vietnamese ceramic products entitled “Dragon and lotus” is taking place at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama, USA, from January 22 to April 8.

More evidence on Hoang Sa fleet collected

A decree to assign a chief of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) fleet was found in Tam Thanh commune, Tam Ky city, the central province of Quang Nam.

TRAVEL IN BRIEF 3/2

Italian cruise ship brings thousands; Ha Long Bay offers free admission; Passes enough for Chinese visitors; More locals travel abroad; Tour operators profit during Tet

High-level talks focus on ending human trade

VietNamNet Bridge – Delegates from the Mekong sub-regional countries will gather in Ha Noi later this month to participate in two high-level meetings focused on fighting human trafficking.

President Sang to visit Laos

VietNamNet Bridge – President Truong Tan Sang and his wife will begin an official visit to Laos next Thursday, announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, Feb 2.

Liem wins penultimate chess match

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's top chess player Le Quang Liem defeated 22-year-old Anna Muzychuk in the penultimate match of the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in the UK on Wednesday.

Leaders visit former Party chief to mark his 95th birthday

VietNamNet Bridge – High-ranking Party, State and National Assembly officials joined representatives from ministries, agencies and localities to visit former Party General Secretary Do Muoi on his 95th birthday yesterday, Feb 2.

US Assistant Secretary of State visits Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – The US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, had a meeting with a number of Vietnamese officials in Hanoi on Feb. 2 as part of his visit to Vietnam.

Many things need to be done to develop tourism

Directors of travel firms have pointed out the biggest problems of Vietnam’s tourism and discussed what Vietnam should do to improve the situation.

Fuel saving devices hunted by car drivers

A lot of fuel saving devices have been launched into the market, especially after the petrol price began increasing continuously. Especially, fuel-saving tablets have also been marketed.

70 percent of lakes in Hanoi get polluted, need urgent solutions

71 percent of lakes have incurred organic pollution, of which 14 percent have got very seriously polluted, 25 percent seriously and 32 percent have shown signs of getting polluted.

Rice importers returning to explore the prices

After the Tet holiday, foreign rice importers have returned to Vietnam, but not to sign contracts. They just try to explore the situation.

New Ha Noi cinema holds Korean movie week

VietNamNet Bridge – South Korean artists have gathered for the grand opening of Lotte Cinema Landmark Ha Noi, which will kick off Korean Movie Week starting today, Feb 3.

Thien goes down fighting in NZ

VietNamNet Bridge – Young Vietnamese tennis player Nguyen Hoang Thien lost to Kang Ku-keon of South Korea 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the New Zealand 18 &Under Summer Championships in Auckland yesterday, Feb 2.

American Airlines could cut 13,000 jobs to reduce labor costs

U.S. carrier American Airlines said Wednesday that it wants to eliminate 13,000 jobs as it seeks to cut labor costs by 20 percent.

Arrestee in Tien Lang case refuses attorney service

Doan Van Vuon, who was arrested after a violent stand-off on January 5 against local authorities trying to repossess 40 hectares of public land rented to them, says he doesn’t want an attorney defense.

250 mobile police officers for a football game

VietNamNet Bridge – To ensure security at the football game between Saigon FC and Hai Phong FC at HCM City’s Thong Nhat Stadium this Saturday, February 4, up to 250 police officers will be mobilized.

MOET kicks start self-modified teaching aid development program

By the end of 2012, about 130 billion dong would be funneled to the pilot program on making teaching aids for nursery and general schools nationwide.

Housing prices increased more than 100 times over the last 20 years

It is now considered the worst time for the housing market as the prices have been falling down dramatically. However, if reviewing the market over the last 20 years, one can see that the land and houses have become 100 times more expensive.

HK's retail sales value up 23.4 pct

Hong Kong's total retail sales value in December 2011, provisionally estimated at 43 billion HK dollars, increased 23.4 percent over a year earlier, the city's Census and Statistics Department announced here Thursday.

How to draw foreign tourists back to Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – “Vietnam has many fascinating things to discover but it’s the best if you discover them yourself.”

Vietnam’s top teen model

VietNamNet Bridge introduces latest pictures of Bao Tran, the most famous teen model in Vietnam. In these photos, Bao Tran posed in Vietnamese ao dai at a park in central HCM City.

Canadian study shows massage reduces inflammation following strenuous exercise

Massage helps relieve pain in damaged muscles by sending anti-inflammation messages to muscle cells, according to a Canadian study published Wednesday in the online edition of Science Translational Medicine.