U.S., Japan, S. Korea to hold dialogue on situation in DPRK

The United States, Japan and South Korea will hold a trilateral dialogue in Washington next Tuesday on the recent developments in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the U.S. State Department announced on Thursday.

What’s behind the title of national excellent student?

National excellent students are the best students of the nations who deserve to be gloried. However, in many cases, students have to pay a too “heavy price” for their achievements.

Vietnam is determined to develop nuclear power, PM says

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung confirmed that Vietnam is determined to build nuclear power plants, otherwise the country will be in serious shortage of power.

Hydropower plants rescued EVN?

In 2011, the Electricity of Vietnam EVN incurred the loss of 3500 billion dong instead of 11 trillion dong as previously forecast. Analysts said that the low cost electricity from hydropower plants really have “rescued EVN.”

175,000 computers get infected with viruses a day

The virus surveillance system of BKAV, a well known network security solution provider in Vietnam, said that about 64.2 million computers in Vietnam were infected with viruses in 2011, which meant that 175,000 computers got viruses every day.

Israeli firm develops scanning system to tackle into brain diseases

An Israeli company has developed a system that scans the brain and provides a three dimensional image of the nerve cell connectivity to treat brain diseases like Alzheimer's or HDHD.

Veteran author wins Book of the Year prize

Veteran writer Nguyen Xuan Khanh won the Viet Nam Writers Association Book of the Year prize for his novel Doi Gao Len Chua (Bring Rice to the Pagoda).

Biodiversity corridor to benefit central provinces

The Vietnam Environment Administration officially launched the largest ever biodiversity conservation project on January 12, aiming to establish a biodiversity corridor in three central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

Fewer companies pay wastewater charge

The number of enterprises which pay industrial wastewater charge for environmental protection has been shrinking, a recent survey has found.

Tour survey praises Vietnam

With its distinctive culture, beautiful natural landscapes and affordability, Vietnam has emerged as one of the top destinations for travellers from Singapore, Thailand, Australia and South Korea.

Tranh Khuc banh chung village busy before Tet

VietNamNet Bridge – Tranh Khuc village in Thanh Tri district, Hanoi, is specialized in making banh chung (square glutinous rice cake). Villagers are hastily producing banh chung for the lunar New Year, which is coming in two weeks.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 14/1

Timber goods' market on target; Small banks breach interest-rate cap; Garuda Indonesia opens branch in Viet Nam; Contract for new VN thermo-power plant signed; Animal-feed firms face pressure 

Microsoft reaches Android-related patent deal with LG

Microsoft on Thursday announced a patent licensing agreement with LG Electronics covering the South Korean manufacturer's tablets, smartphones and other consumer devices running Google's Android or Chrome operating system.

Banking interest rate to remain unchanged

The country has not yet had enough conditions to lower the interest rate in the banking sector, said Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam at an online discussion held by the Government Web Portal chinhphu.vn in Ha Noi yesterday.

Despite end-of-year decline, 2011 food prices highest on record: UN

The United Nations agricultural agency on Thursday reported that although global food prices declined in December, the overall annual average was the highest ever on record.

Hillary Clinton denounces abuse of bodies of Taliban fighters

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday denounced the videoed abuse of the bodies of Taliban fighters by U.S. Marines, saying the perpetrators must be held "fully accountable."

Exhibition about dragon opens

The dragon has been a long time symbol of loyalty and power in Vietnamese culture and spiritual life. The sacred creature deeply influences people's activities, particularly royalty of the past.

Vietnamese comedic show goes overseas

VietNamNet Bridge – A special comedic show by leading comedians of Vietnam was recently filmed at a convention center in Prague, the Czech Republic.

Small change conversion service heating up day to day

The demand for small change has become increasingly high. The State Bank has said that the supply of small change would not be big, while the suppliers on the black market charge exorbitant high fees.

Tien Minh ousted from Malaysia Open

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh was defeated 0-2 by Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat (world 9th player) on the afternoon of January 12.

Vietnamese-French artist shares love for lacquer

Artist Michelle Pontie is using her latest exhibition at Tu Do Gallery in HCM City to encourage people to discover a love for lacquer art, a famous ancient trade of Viet Nam.

U.S. federal budget deficit at $86 bln in December

The U.S. federal government reported a budget deficit of nearly 86 billion U.S. dollars in December, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 13/1

Gong culture exhibition opens in Gia Lai; Restoration lacks professionalism; Party on HCMC’s tallest skyscraper to welcome Tet; HCMC to open theater on traditional music; Vietnamese-American actress who sued Amazon reveals identity  

Transport minister holds talks with the public

Measures to curb traffic accidents, road congestion in big cities and transport infrastructure projects were highlighted during yesterday's online dialogue between Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang and citizens at home and abroad.

Phuoc Hung finally gets ticket to Olympic

VietNamNet Bridge – The World Gymnastics Federation on January 12, announced that Vietnamese gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung won a ticket to the Olympic London 2012 for men’s all-round event.