HCM City plans many cultural events for New Year; HCMC hosts exhibition on Vietnamese heroic mothers; Culture house to hold traditional music program; Hue photographer awarded in Japan photo contest; Concert to feature Beethoven    

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese-American singer Elvis Phuong will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his singing career with a live concert in HCM City on Wednesday called Dong Doi (My Way).

Vietnam’s industrial competitiveness is improved but the country is still too reliant on labour intensive sectors.

The national television festival opened on December 18 in the central city of Da Nang, bringing together producers and other broadcast professionals to share experiences.

South Korea's financial market was rattled on Monday after Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) passed away last Saturday from a great mental and physical strain.

Le Khoi Nguyen, Mister Vietnam 2010, has won the 3rd runner-up title at this year’s Mister International in Thailand.

VietNamNet Bridge - A business dispute between local retailers and a foreign investor may be headed for court. Huyen Thanh reports.

The euro tumbled to an 11-month low against the dollar this week as concerns over the European debt crisis intensified and upbeat U.S. economic data helped to stimulate confidence in the American currency.

Seven of the eight workers who were swept into an underground water pipeline at the Suoi Sap 1 Hydropower Plant in Bac Yen District, Son La Province on Saturday have been confirmed dead after their bodies were found yesterday.

VietNamNet Bridge – The national anthem, Tien Quan Ca (The Song of Advancing Soldiers), has more than once proved a rallying song for Vietnamese living abroad.

Key stock indices have plunged by up to 45 per cent since earlier this year, so securities regulators have pledged to roll out this month an urgently awaited plan to restructure the market.

VietNamNet Bridge – Goalkeeper Nguyen Viet Nam saved Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) in their triumph over Navibank Sai Gon in a Super Cup match at Vinh Stadium on Saturday.

 President attends ceremony to honor heroic contributions; Thieves sell Mercedes for US$1,400; Deputy PM seeks efforts for sustainable poverty reduction; Underworld gang leader seized in Vinh

VietNamNet Bridge - Vu Ngoc Dang has made history after becoming the first director of a commercial film to win a Golden Lotus award for Best Director at the National Film Festival, held in the central city of Phu Yen.

VietNamNet Bridge - A giant picture of Khue Van Cac (Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature) made of thousands of dry flowers will be featured at the 2012 Flower Festival, which begins on the evening of December 30, to celebrate the New Year.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Transport has begun an inspection of taxi companies in HCM City, with a focus on taxis services at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

VietNamNet Bridge - The government will launch an evaluation of all petroleum and gas businesses throughout the country in January, said Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang.

VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi has asked the government’s permission to delay change of work hours for a month.

Senegalese forward Pape Omar Faye - whose suspension by FIFA since late 2009 is still taking effect - strangely has been allowed to play in Vietnam for nearly one year.

VietNamNet Bridge – Works from Beethoven will be featured at a concert staged by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) at the Opera House tonight, Dec 19.

International scientists from 19 countries said that they were enthusiastic to share knowledge and establish closer links through a five-day conference on gravitation, astrophysics and cosmology, which opened in Quy Nhon yesterday.

The tourism industry needs US$42.5 billion in investment for its development over the next 10 years, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung today, Dec 19, begins his three-day visit to Myanmar and will also attend the 4th Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit.

The merger of three HCM City-based commercial banks was officially approved by their shareholders late last week. This means that the banking sector will soon have a new bank with an old name – the Sai Gon Commercial Bank, or SCB.

All credit institutions and branches of foreign banks in Viet Nam will have to obey rules on independent audit beginning January 1, according to a new circular issued on December 15 by the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV).