Though local fishermen have gained first achievements in retaining Ran Trao coral reefs, they understand that they would continue making every effort to protect the sea from people’s daily activities.

High lending rates have dampened business performances in 2011. National Financial Supervisory Committee chairman Vu Viet Ngoan said lending rates could plunge by four percentage points to 15-16% in 2012 if inflation is at single digit growth.

Among a variety of traditional weapons, the scimitar is considered “the general of all weapons” because its power is stronger than any other.

The enterprises in garment and footwear industries – the two biggest exporters of Vietnam – are expecting the opportunities to penetrate more deeply into the US market, when the Trans-Pacific Partnership TPP is signed.

In Vietnam, crocodiles were once familiar in the watery areas and lagoons in the south. However, in recent years crocodiles have been raised in some localities in the north, particularly in Tho Xuan Commune, Dan Phuong District, Hanoi.

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam hopes to send 90,000 labourers abroad this year, nearly 2,000 more than last year's figure, according to the Overseas Labour Management Department.

VietNamNet Bridge – A visit to Hue would not be complete without a boat excursion on the gentle Huong (Perfume) River, exploring life beside its banks amidst the romance of the ancient royal capital city.

A popular saying goes: "Even after living 100 years of a virtuous religious life, you cannot be called a true religious person until you go to Yen Tu ".

Most of big telcos are state owned ones. More than 95 percent of the assets of the telecom networks belong to the state. This shows that the Vietnamese telecom market remains uncompetitive.

Tra Vinh has attracted tourists from other regions thanks to the ancient beauty of its Khmer pagodas, special festivals and charming scenery.

VietNamNet Bridge – Gold, dollars and dong kept at the coffers of every Vietnamese family are the valuable resource which has not been effectively exploited.

Foreign language lecturers now still talk too much in teaching hours, while this should be the thing students need to do to ensure the effective teaching of foreign languages.

VietNamNet Bridge – Ha Noi authorities have asked the Department of Construction to check on the availability of land and capital for resettlement projects this month to see if projects can be sped up.

An international team of researchers from the Boston University and other institutions has uncovered 13 genetic loci, linked to immune function and DNA repair, that are factors in the age of onset of menopause.

VietNamNet Bridge – Thirty-year-old Vang Thi My remembers clearly how she was abducted by four men three years ago while she was collecting wood not far from her home in the village of Ma Le.

VietNamNet’s Huynh Phan talked with former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan about Vietnam’s foreign affairs in 2011, the year with remarkable events in foreign relations.

Around 90 percent of schoolchildren in Australia are risking severe spinal damage because of incorrectly carrying their school bags, a study released on Monday by the Chiropractors' Association of Australia (CAA) found.

Viet Nam spent nearly US$16 billion on imports of seafood, agro-forestry products and raw materials in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 31.1 per cent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The prospect of the domestic property market is forecast to remain glum in the new year. So local developers are finding ways to adjust their business strategies for survival.

VietNamNet Bridge – Improper water traffic management in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, home to a wide interlacing waterway network, is blamed for several serious accidents in recent years.

During rush hour at a five-way intersection in Go Vap District, HCMC, the sounds of jazz saxophone could be heard over the traffic noise. It came from a saxophone played by Jeremy Danneman from New York.

2011 was really a difficult year for businesses. VietNamNet reviews the most noteworthy business deals of the year.

Though still accounting for 20 percent of the number of the members in the top 500 stock millionaires, most of the representatives from the real estate sector saw the big steps back in their fortunes.

Management authorities are crafting ways to help firms survive high inflation.

US President Barack Obama demanded large tax hikes on millionaires to finance a fair economy for all, sketching a populist vision to persuade crisis-weary voters he merits a second White House term.