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).

Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), passed away last Saturday at the age of 69 "from a great mental and physical strain," the DPRK's official KCNA news agency reported on Monday.

A total of 103 security force members and three officers were injured when protesters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails in downtown Cairo on Sunday, the third consecutive day of violent clashes in the capital of Egypt.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese athletes set up three records at the sixth Para Games in Solo City, Central Java, in Indonesia yesterday, Dec 18.

VietNamNet Bridge – Famous artists from Viet Nam and South Korea joined in a chamber music performance at the capital's Opera House on Saturday.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese referees and assistants were struggling with the physical aspect of their jobs and English language qualifications required by FIFA to officiate in World Cup matches,

The White House Sunday threw its weight behind a bipartisan compromise achieved in the Senate to extend the U.S. payroll tax cuts for two months, after Republican leaders rejected the Senate proposal.

Israel freed 550 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday evening in the second phase of a prisoner swap deal, while Hamas movement announced the Palestinian-Israeli agreement reached in October had been finalized.

VietNamNet Bridge – French quartet Limousine will be performing at L'Espace on January 12.

A majority of shares saw gains on both national stock exchanges yesterday, once again halting the prolonged downward trend as investors began hunting for bargain shares.

VietNamNet Bridge – Many inner city maternity clinics are failing to attract business from expectant mothers, as concerns over the safety of these facilities see most women choosing to give birth at major hospitals.

VietNamNet Bridge - A Mercedes E300 car suddenly burst into flames at 2pm, December 18, while running on Nguyen Xien Road, Hanoi. When the fire was stamped out, the car consisted of ash and a carbonized frame.

Party leaders attending a two-day national meeting on reviewing the inspection and supervision tasks of Party members and organisations called for strict punishments to be meted out against those indulging in corrupt and wasteful acts.

The Government plans to tighten management and increase the economic effectiveness of economic zones, industrial zones and industrial clusters. Deputy head of the Central Institute for Economic Management Vo Tri Thanh talks about the issue.

VietNamNet Bridge – Two South Korean movie stars--Kim Tae Hee and Song Seung Hun will be in Vietnam next month, when their TV series entitled “My Princess” is to be aired on a local channel.