Building a ‘brand' for beaches

VietNamNet Bridge – Co-ordinated efforts by the Government, local and tourism authorities, and the travel industry are needed to develop a strong brand for Vietnamese coastal tourism, experts have said.

Prank calls continue, MobiFone helpless

A mobile phone subscriber has suffered from disturbing calls from anonymous numbers for the past 6 months but telecom service provider MobiFone has yet to find a way to stop the phone tortures.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 21/3

11th Party Congress documents declared; Hanoi sees 30 self-nominated candidates for 13th NA; 12th National Assembly convenes final session; Vietnamese embassy in Libya remains safe

ENVIRONMENT IN BRIEF 21/3

Illegal loggers devastate Lam Dong forest; Mineral exploitation harms environment; Energy saving projects win ‘Green' competition; Ninh Thuan to build waste incinerators

Vietnamese students hit right notes at choir festival

VietNamNet Bridge - The first Vietnam International Choir Festival ended in the ancient town of Hoi An on March 19. Top prize went to the choir from the Diponenegoro University of Indonesia.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 21/3

600 Vietnamese to fly back home from Japan; Creative youths praised for ideas; Woman killed by low-voltage power line; Swine flu strikes Lao Cai Province

Fire-fighters take part in mock fire at Dung Quat Port

Some 220 firemen from Quang Ngai Police Department and the Fire Prevention and Combating Department under the Ministry of Public Security took part in a fire-fighting drill conducted on Wharf No 1 at Dung Quat Port.

Interest rates still too high for businesses

VietNamNet Bridge - Many businesses still find borrowing at commercial banks too costly even though the State Bank of Vietnam is encouraging banks to lend.

Clear response to climate change needed

VietNamNet Bridge – The negative impacts of climate change on Viet Nam are obvious but the country remains confused about an effective, comprehensive response strategy, experts said at a meeting held last Friday

12th National Assembly convenes final session

A national assembly meeting (for illustration purposes only)The final session of the 12th National Assembly opens in Ha Noi today with a report assessing implementation of the country's socio-economic plan for 2010-11.

Theatre to feature regular ethnic music performances

VietNamNet Bridge – The first ever series featuring the musical heritage of Viet Nam's ethnic groups will kick off tonight, according to Hoang Xuan Binh, head of the Ethnic Music and Dance Troupe of the Viet Nam Music and Dance Theatre.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 21/3

Vietnam attends 2011 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta; Int’l musical evening “Say Hello to Vietnam’s Sea”; Festival marks Int’l Francophone Day in Hanoi; Show helps tourists learn Vietnamese people’s life

Binh sets sights on new goal after marathon win

VietNamNet Bridge – Pham Thi Binh of Quang Ngai surpassed defending champion Pham Thi Hien of Thai Binh to win the Tien Phong newspaper's annual half-marathon in Dac Nong Province yesterday, March 20.

Seats redundant, air tickets deficient for flights from Japan to Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – Many Vietnamese passengers complained that despite having to struggle to get air tickets for flights from Japan to Hanoi, the flights turned out to have idle seats.

Long An lose 0-3 on new manager's debut

VietNamNet Bridge – Simon McMenemy had a poor debut in his role as manager of Dong Tam Long An when his team suffered a humiliating 0-3 loss against Hoang Anh Gia Lai yesterday, March 20.

Western air strikes kill 64 in Libya -- health official

Sixty-four people have been killed and 150 others wounded in the air strikes launched by western forces since Saturday, Libya's health officials said on Sunday.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 21/3

Hong Kong television captures aromas of Vietnamese coffee; Countdown to Earth Hour; Hue fashion show; Earth ambassador

Traces of radioactive iodine detected in Tokyo, not affecting human health: gov't

Traces of radioactive iodine had been detected in Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region, according to the results of an investigation of radioactivity in precipitation and dust conducted by the government, local media reported on Sunday.

Hanoi’s CPI increases by 2.41 percent in March

VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi’s March consumer price index (CPI) increased by 2.41 percent over last month and 13.56 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the Hanoi Statistics Office.

Illegal mining at Vietnam’s largest gold mine

VietNamNet Bridge – Hundreds of people have come to the Bong Mieu gold mine in the central province of Quang Nam to illegally seek gold. On March 14, one died and one was seriously wounded owing to the collapse of a trench.

Obama seeks to open more markets for American growth

U.S. President Barack Obama, currently on a Latin America tour, said Saturday that he wants to open more markets around the world to promote business and create jobs for Americans.

Big guns launch new mobile services, small operators speed up investments

Lowering charges to attract more clients is not the way telecom service providers are operating this year. Instead, mobile network operators have launched a lot of new service packages that target specific groups of clients.

Death toll rises to 8,133 in quake-hit Japan: police

The National Police Agency said Sunday that the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami have left 8,133 people dead in Japan by 12:00 local time (0300 GMT).

U.S. launches missile attack against Libya

The United States Saturday launched the first Tomahawk missile attacks against the Libyan air defense from warships deployed in the Mediterranean, the Pentagon said.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 21/3

Banknetvn, KFTC to boost cross-border transactions; Kohler opens biggest showroom in Vietnam; Ministry: CPI to increase two per cent in March; Cashew sector aims to earn $1.4b in exports