Boat race in Southeast Asian’s largest lagoon

VietNamNet Bridge – In rainy and cold weather, thousands of people through Thua Thien-Hue province went to Tam Giang lagoon to attend a boat race between nine teams on February 14.

Apple working on smaller, cheaper iPhones

Apple is reportedly designing a smaller iPhone in a bid to more directly challenge Google's Android-powered handsets.

Strange hairstyles at school after Tet

VietnamNet Bridge – Many strange hairstyles have appeared at school in Hanoi after Tet. Educators have expressed their worries about the school environment.

Rules needed on rural home construction

VietNamNet Bridge – Specific regulations on building housing in rural areas remain unavailable despite several policies on housing the State has adopted over the past years, industry insiders say.

Unknown man donates $53,000 to poetry-related activities

VietNamNet Bridge - An anonymous man has promised to donate US$53,000 to the Vietnamese Writers’ Association for poetry-related activities.

Bob Dylan rumored to perform in Vietnam in April

VietNamNet Bridge – According to website boblinks.com, the US music legend Bob Dylan will sing at an international university in HCM City on April 10.

The hill of odd animals

VietNamNet Bridge – A hill named Dreamlike in the resort city of Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is the home to odd animals like a buffalo with six horns, a pig with five legs, a duck with four wings.

US Ambassador to Vietnam returns home

VietNamNet Bridge – Mr. Michael Michalak finished his 3.5-year term in Vietnam and returned to the US on February 14.

Boeing unveils new passenger plane 747-8 Intercontinental

Boeing on Sunday unveiled 747-8 Intercontinental, a new wide-body jet airliner touted by the U.S. aviation giant as the only airplane in the 400-500 seat market.

Inviting Chinese manufacturers to Vietnam – Why not?

Vietnam is importing Chinese products in big quantity, which has raised worries about the trade deficit with China. However, if Vietnam can invite Chinese manufacturers to set up production bases in Vietnam, its imports would decrease.

Electricity rates to increase next month

VietNamNet Bridge - The Government has agreed to raise the cost of electricity from next month, the third March in a row the price has been adjusted in Viet Nam.

Lack of food hygiene causes food poisoning

Over 10,000 cases of food poisoning were reported during the Tet season (lunar New Year) in the country, according to statistics by relevant health agencies.

Thirsty drinkers make beer market sparkle

VietNamNet Bridge - Roughly 2.38 billion litres of beer was consumed in 2010, an increase of 19.8 per cent compared with 2009.

Yen Tu Buddhist Spring Festival kicks off

VietNamNet Bridge – Up to 90,000 people visited Yen Tu, the “kingdom of Buddhism” in Vietnam, on the first day of the Yen Tu Pagoda Spring Festival, February 12. 

US dollar in Vietnam: the currency with three “sides”

VietnamNet Bridge – The US dollar in Vietnam has a green side when it is transacted among banks, a red side when it is in hands of management agencies, and a black side when it is traded on the black market.

Petroleum importers blame exchange rate for double loss

VietNamNet Bridge – While the announcement that the petrol price will be kept unchanged in the immediate time has made people happy, petroleum companies complain.

PM wants safety check on students who row to school

VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has urged local authorities in northern Bac Giang Province to check on the safety of dozens of students who have to row across a huge reservoir to get to school.

100 couples kiss on airship

VietNamNet Bridge – 100 couples kissed each other on a balloon at a Valentine Festival held on Anh Sao bridge in HCM City on February 13 evening.

Unhygienic patient practices heighten hospital health risks

VietNamNet Bridge – Low awareness among patients and their carer relatives is a major impediment to preventing hospital infections, HCM City doctors say.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 14/2

Police charge 9 for deadly train crash; 21 passengers injured as bus overturns on Lo Xo Pass; Overseas Vietnamese celebrate New Year; High post-Tet school dropout rate in Lao Cai

Vehicle weights to be regulated

VietNamNet Bridge – A lack of facilities to weigh lorries is preventing management offices from being able to protect roads and bridges and ensure traffic safety, according to experts from the Ministry of Transport's Directorate for Roads.

Fatal accident prompts ministry to warn about unsafe bridges

VietNamNet Bridge – Motorists risk death when they traverse any of the 24 deteriorating road and rail bridges recently identified by the Ministry of Transport as extremely dangerous.

Strong earthquake hits off coast of central Chile

An earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude on the Richter scale hit off the coast of central-southern Chile Monday, causing no casualties or material damage.

A(H1N1) flu predominant in China

A 55-year-old man in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province died of the A(H1N1) influenza virus on Wednesday, the Guangdong Health Bureau announced Thursday.

Egypt's military council dissolves parliament, suspends constitution

The Supreme Council of Egypt's armed forces said in communique No. 5 on Sunday that they will suspend the constitution, dissolve the parliament, and form a committee to draft a new constitution for the country.