Petrolimex posted both profit and loss

Ministry of Finance released information on the financial state of the fuel trading sector, evening of November 25.

World No 4 badminton player to visit Vietnam

World No 4 badminton player Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark will visit Vietnam to compete with local top seed Nguyen Tien Minh in a friendly match in Ho Chi Minh City on November 30. 

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 26/11

Central region braces for widespread flooding; Traffic penalty applies in Thu Thiem tunnel today; Taiwanese fined for opening plane emergency door; Huge amount of leftover bombs, mines line VN; S Korea helps Vietnamese brides in Can Tho 

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 26/11

Guatemala President lauds Vietnam’s development; Nicaraguan minister welcomed in Ha Noi; VN, France enhance economic cooperation; Favourable conditions for Norwegian firms; Deputy PM to visit Austria soon

EU to help curb illegal logging

Viet Nam and the European Union have entered a second round of negotiations for a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement aimed at curbing illegal logging.

Human rights dialogue with US proves useful

Viet Nam and the United States have held open discussion on issues of mutual concern during the recent human rights dialogue in Washington DC, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi.

Painstaking labor at coal mines

VietNamNet Bridge – Miners work in three shifts a day in darkness, wetness and toxic gas in underground mines to explore coal.

Investment incentives fail to attract foreign capital

Changes in the world economy have positively impacted foreign investment in Viet Nam, but the country still needs to improve its investment climate to capitalise on this trend, experts said.

Local consumers shun environmentally friendly bio-fuel

Producers of bio-fuel E5 are concerned about sales as Vietnamese consumers have been ignoring the environmentally friendly fuel.

Property market gets frozen, trade floors shut down

The lackluster real estate market has not only made real estate developers suffer, but has also made trade floors redundant. A lot of real estate trade floors, which mushroomed several years ago when the market heated up, have shut down.

Christian Routin happy to be home

Armchair viewers will have no doubt spotted a French actor who can speak the local language like a Vietnamese native on TV in recent times.

New science textbook for primary students in Vietnam

The Department of Primary Education has now prepared a highly visual science text book for primary school children, covering various aspects of social and nature related subjects.

Singaporean art dealer brings Zen to HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – Bee Chua is a Singaporean woman who has been living in HCM City for more than 20 years.

University lecturers refuse to follow domestic postgraduate training courses

The government has decided that Vietnam will have 20,000 more PhDs by 2020, including 10,000 PhDs to be trained domestically. However, most of postgraduates do not want to attend domestic training courses because of the low training quality.

Minister orders extra buses for holidays

VietNamNet Bridge – Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has ordered all the ministry's units to ensure traffic safety during the upcoming New Year holidays, beginning in the last week of January.

Vietnam still facing too many difficulties with digital signature

Nearly two years after the Public Certificate Authority Services (CA) were put into use, the systems have shown the lack of connectivity. Meanwhile, Vietnamese digital certificates have not been recognized in the world.

VN, UK sign MoU on defence cooperation

Vietnam and the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in London on Thursday to promote bilateral defense cooperation, thus contributing to elevating their strategic partnership.

Study shows climate sensitivity to CO2 less than extreme projections

A new study suggests that the rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than the most dire estimates of some previous studies.

Work on border with Laos to speed up

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam and Laos have vowed to speed up border demarcation and landmark planting in an effort to complete border work by 2012.

Mobile operator earns huge sum with dubious game

More than half million subscribers of Vinaphone have participated in a quiz game during the company’s latest promotional campaign by sending five millions SMS messages without clear knowledge of how they will win the game.

Stubble burning a threat to human health

VietNamNet Bridge – The burning of rice stubble has been a regular occurrence throughout the capital's suburban areas despite warnings that its smoke could harm residents and the environment.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 26/11

Ancient wells in Quang Tri attract visitors; Vietnam’s Got Talent judges named; Vietnam inspires French artist Dominique de Miscault; Japanese cartoon characters make a mark in HCMC; Local researcher proposes National Language Day   

Beehive-shaped coal molding in Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge – On the bank of the Red River, in Long Bien district, Hanoi, there is a small hamlet where around ten families make beehive-shaped coal.

Martial artists eye Olympic Games glory

VietNamNet Bridge – The national taekwondo team left for Bangkok on Thursday for the Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Tra processing factories thirsty for materials, workers scramble for jobs

Seafood processing factories are seriously lacking materials, because of which they can only run at 70 percent of capacity.