Vietnam targets eight gold medals for track-and-field

VietNamNet Bridge - The national track and field team expects to win at least eight gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games 2011 in Indonesia later this month.

Anti-smoking campaign launched in HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – A month-long anti-smoking campaign was launched in HCM City last week, aiming to raise awareness of the harmful effects of both active and passive smoking.

Week-long voting campaign launched for Ha Long Bay

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee will launch a week-long promotional campaign from November 7-11, to urge people to vote for Ha Long Bay as one of the seven new natural wonders of the world.

Sixteen laws suggested for amendments

VietNamNet Bridge - A petition to amend 16 laws relating to local business environment improvement is set to go before the National Assembly, the Government and central ministries and agencies at the year’s end.

Vietnam tops Asian Chess Championships

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam dominated the 15th Asian Xiangqi Chinese Chess Individual Championship that closed in Macau on November 4, after its players topped both the men's and women's categories.

Short story collection suspended for sexual content

VietNamNet Bridge - The HCM City Department of Information and Communications has suspended a short story collection by young writer Nguyen Vinh Nguyen for its obscene content.

Tradition may be wiped out in coastal commune

VietNamNet Bridge – A dozen traditional houses in Giao Hai Commune, Nam Dinh Province, currently stand in a ruined state, but the local administration has been struggling to find sufficient funds to restore them.

Ha Noi Telecom Corp bids to buy EVN

Ha Noi Telecom Corp, which owns Vietnammobile, has again submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister to purchase 3G broadband and network infrastructure from faltering EVN Telecom.

Investor jitters weigh on shares

Shares tumbled last week on both national stock exchanges, with negative news causing the situation to become worse towards the end of the week.

Residents flee landslide prone areas along Huong River

A huge landslide on Sunday along the Huong River forced several households to flee from the landslide prone area in Huong Ho Commune of Huong Tra District in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

10 dead in truck-bus crash fire

At least 10 people were killed and 25 injured when a container truck collided with a long-haul bus causing flames on the latter in the central province of Binh Thuan on Monday, according to initial reports.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 7/11

Hoang Su Phi terraced fields recognised as national heritage; 26 northern beauties Miss Ethnic Vietnam enter finale; Comic books on Hanoi’s youth to be published; Documentary recalls Vietnam War; Japanese film festival in Binh Thuan

Vietnam to sign FTA with Chile next week

The bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and Chile will be officially signed on November 11 after three years of negotiation, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

WB provides $3.5 billion for Vietnam

The World Bank has so far provided Vietnam with non-refundable aid, preferential credits and loans worth $13.5 billion to help the country in its national development.

Lawyers say Vietnam has big legal advantages in Buon Ma Thuot case

Citing the current laws of China and the World Trade Organization (WTO), lawyers believe that Vietnam can gain the upper hand over the Chinese defendant who has been accused of stealing Buon Ma Thuot geographical indication.

Protecting the park

VietNamNet Bridge – Following the killing of the last rare rhinoceros in Viet Nam by poachers, scientists are calling for better management at Cat Tien National Park to ensure that habitats for rare species remain protected.

Fest celebrates German culture

VietNamNet Bridge – Hundreds of local and foreign revellers attended the German Festival held at the Vietnamese-German Centre at the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology yesterday, Nov 6.

Workers’ income far below cost of living

Wages in Vietnam are on the rise, but most of the country’s workers  are just scraping by.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 7/11

Vietnamese sailors escape from Somali pirates; Largest home-made ship launched; Train fares to be raised during Tet; Floods hit central provinces

Google mulls offering paid TV services: report

Google is mulling a plan to offer paid cable-TV services to consumers, a move that could flare up a new wave of competition in the traditional TV business, U.S. media reported on Friday.

Highlands eyes better education standards

VietNamNet Bridge – Provinces in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) and 28 districts in six neighbouring provinces have outlined a plan that calls for changes to the educational system.

ACB surely wins the lawsuit, but it’s not sure it can recover debts

The HCM City People’s Court has made the verdict, forcing Indochina Airlines to pay the sum of 1.3 million dollars to the Asia Commercial Bank (ACB). However, the verdict does not mean that the case has been wrapped up.

Preserving old fairy tales

A Tay elder in Lao Cai is very active in preserving the ancient tales and legends of ethnic Tay people in the moutainous region.

Farmers go green with waste-fuelled cooking stoves

VietNamNet Bridge – Engineer Bui Trong Tuan, from Viet Tri City, first introduced his groundbreaking cooking stove, fuelled by agricultural waste, during the course of last year.

NA leader sends condolences to Japan

VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung yesterday, Nov 6, sent a letter of condolences to Japan's House of Councillors over the passing away of President Nishioka Takeo.