Central region to experience downpour, colder weather; Bank official arrested for wrongdoings; Norway funds bio-security project in Vietnam; Initiative aims to reduce blindness; Cancer-causing agent found in Hanoi chili sauce

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam is striving to reduce the trade deficit to 14 percent by 2015 and to obtain the payment balance in a few years. However, this proves to be a very difficult task, for many reasons.

VietNamNet Bridge - In light of Vinacomin’s plan for coal price hikes from early 2011, VIR spoke with deputy minister of Industry and Trade and Vinacomin’s board chairman Le Duong Quang.

VietNamNet Bridge - The tourism authorities of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces plan to launch a tour combining islands and inland destinations to further build on their reputation as the land of heritage sites.

Prehistoric artefacts found in Ha Giang; Fabric patterns on display in Hanoi; Artificial snow, the latest Christmas attraction; US poet returns to Vietnam; National library presented with German books

VietNamNet Bridge – Experts believe that sooner or later a land fever will occurr , , and this should not be seen as a spontaneous phenomenon, but as the result of the lack of appropriate economic regulations.

VietNamNet Bridge – Though the rate of poor households in Vietnam (by Vietnam’s standards) continues to decrease, the rate of poor people in cities, particularly in Hanoi and HCM City, increases, according to a report by Oxfam and ActionAid.

VietNamNet Bridge - Non-performing loans (NPL) at foreign credit institutions had by end-October jumped 60% year-on-year to VND2.75 trillion despite their prudence, according to a central bank report.

Overseas remittances see impressive rise; Luxury apartment sales in Hanoi to remain in red until first half of 2011; 96 enterprises receive national quality awards; Gold advances on rising demand for wealth protector 

VietNamNet Bridge - Quang Nam Province is set to license a US$4 billion complex to the south of UNESCO heritage city Hoi An after scrapping a similar massive tourism project nearby.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Golden Bee Awards, the Students’ Short Film Festival, organised from December 13 to 15, attracts short films from over 100 young film makers throughout Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge – There is a fierce competition in Vietnam’s e-commerce market, and experts believe that those enterprises which have long term and profuse capital will be the winners.

VietNamNet Bridge – 2010 was an unlucky year for businessmen as heaped up debts, unprofitable business and legal incidents made many of them bankrupt.

Dien Bien completes 20 of 50 planned border markers; Hanoi hosts workshop on blind prevention; $700,000 fine arts teaching agreement signed; President hails role of nation's historians

VietNamNet Bridge – Price of keo (mud skipper) fish, a popular Mekong Delta treat, have risen again following a recent rumour that the fish could be harmful to people was confirmed to be baseless.

VietNamNet Bridge – Cancer-causing Rhodamine B has been found in chilli sauce samples taken from Ha Noi-based Tuan Thanh Investment and Trade Joint Stock Company, the city's Environment Police Department reported on Monday.

VietNamNet Bridge – The number of children with respiratory illnesses, acute diarrhoea and dengue fever has increased sharply in recent days, according to hospitals in HCM City.

VietNamNet Bridge – Craft villages are vital to the country's sustainable development in rural areas, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Manh Thao of northern Hoa Binh City is happy that he has two daughters.

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's status as Southeast Asia's fastest growing tourism destination is reflected in new statistics that show Australian visitors are flocking to the country like never before.

VietNamNet Bridge – Schneider Electric Viet Nam has completed its renewable energy pilot project in the central province of Quang Binh.

Uncle Ho's palm leaf testimony recognised; German textbooks gifted to National Library; Embroidery depicts famous poem of Zen master; TV personalities set for Miss Charming Television

Cuba Tuesday launched the ECURED, its own Wikipedia-style open online encyclopedia with 19,345 items of reference articles, biographies and academic works.