Foreigners celebrate Xmas in Vietnam for first time

VietNamNet Bridge - Many western families have chosen Vietnam to celebrate a memorable Christmas.

Toyota to pay 10 million dollars to settle lawsuit over San Diego crash

VietNamNet Bridge - Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay 10 million dollars to settle a lawsuit over a fiery crash last year in San Diego, Southern California, it was reported on Thursday.

Italian embassy bombs linked to anarchists, Rome on high alert

An Italian anarchist group with ties to the country's famed Red Brigade extremist organization claimed responsibility for two embassy bombings that left two people seriously injured and put the Italian capital on high alert.

Capital shortages stalls roadbuilding projects

VietNamNet Bridge - Road building would face a severe lack of capital next year, even though this year, around VND40 trillion (US$2 billion) was disbursed, the Ministry of Construction has said.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 25/12

Call to upgrade trade agencies; Real estate prices too high for most; India makes it easier for Vietnamese exporters; New prices set for early rice exports; Electronics market hit by price rises, poor publicity

24,000 Vietnam workers strike at two S. Korean plants

Around 24,000 workers at two South Korean plants in Vietnam have gone on strike over pay, bonuses and lunar new year holidays, company staff and news reports said Friday.

Hot-pot spices may contain carcinogens

The Viet Nam Food Administration is testing locally available Chinese hot pot spices to confirm whether they contain a cancer-causing substance, said director Nguyen Cong Khan.

Helicopters for hire: from $3,800/h

VietNamNet Bridge - An aerial view of Da NangA first-ever helicopter charter service in Vietnam is now available in Da Nang city in central Vietnam where a helicopter can be hired at US$3,800 and $7,500 per hour.

Officials pay Christmas visits to Catholic community

VietNamNet Bridge - Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon vowed to continue encouraging Catholic dignitaries and believers to follow the Party and State’s guidelines, policies and the law.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 25/12

New Chief of Staff for Army; Inter-organisational Party branches meet; Officials pay Christmas visits to Catholic community; Party delegation visits Hue Archbishop Office; Laos grants Freedom Order to Vietnamese Party’s departments

Largest Buddhist lantern festival in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge – A lantern festival was organized on December 22 at Hoang Phap pagoda in Hoc Mon district, HCM City. The event is recognized as the largest lantern festival in Vietnam so far.

Archaeology has community benefit

VietNamNet Bridge - Local people, authorities and archaeologists will both spiritually and materially benefit from a "community archaeology" model, according to participants at a recent conference in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Seeking profit from traditional rituals is offensive to culture

The controversy over the “Le Hoi Dam Trau” or buffalo slaughtering festival in Vietnam’s Central Highlands became very hot on the local media recently.

Sinkhole appears in Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge – A sinkholesuddenly appeared in a village in Hanoi on December 21, swallowing the kitchen of a local family.

Vietnam's shrimp exports hit record high

VietNamNet Bridge - Shrimp exports reached record levels this year with overseas sales bringing in more than $2 billion.

Vietnam sailors in Antarctica sunken ship coming home

VietNamNet Bridge - The seven Vietnamese sailors who were rescued after the Korean ship No. 1 In Sung sank off Antarctica on December 13 are expected to fly to Korea in the next several days before coming home.

Markets react with indifference to news of double-digit inflation

VietNamNet Bridge - Stock indices barely registered a reaction yesterday to the announcement from the General Statistics Office that Viet Nam saw double-digit inflation of 11.75 per cent this year, with inflation in December alone of 1.98 per cent.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 25/12

Food poisoning hits factory workers; Flood claims lives of three children; Two arrested for firecrackers; VN Airlines puts on extra 600 flights; Trawlers get new tracking devices; Flood of ‘genuine' fakes cream high profits from festive season 

IT training lags behind

VietNamNet Bridge - The nation's universities and colleges have stepped up IT departments over the past decade, but the quality of training is still limited due to educators' inadequate foreign language abilities and professional knowledge.

Roche yet to prove Vietnamese firm’s violations

VietNamNet Bridge – Roche has not yet proved that Nanogen violated intellectual property laws, said Deputy Minister of Health Cao Minh Quang on an interview with VNExpress on December 22.

Local tour guides provide an insight into the real Sa Pa

VietNamNet Bridge – It's a strange land that leaves me with different feelings whenever I come to rediscover it.

HCM City teams vow to stop the rot

HCM City football has shown intentions of putting a stop to its shameful results over the last two years at local football competitions as HCM City and Navibank Sai Gon football clubs have revamped their teams for the new season.

Two biggest cities keep one-digit CPI in 2010

VietNamNet Bridge - Consumer price index (CPI) of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi is 9.58 per cent and 9.56 per cent respectively this year, according to their statistics office bureaus.

Vietnam warmly greets the fifth million international visitor

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on December 24 held a ceremony to welcome the fifth million foreign visitor to Vietnam in 2010, at Noi Bai International Airport.

Businesses fret over slow e-customs procedures

VietNamNet Bridge - Electronic customs has been officially introduced at some ports since mid-December to quicken goods clearance but frustration has grown among enterprises as they are struggling with the slower procedures.