ASEAN, Chinese foreign ministers gather in Kunming

VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign ministers from ASEAN member countries and China gathered in China's capital of Kunming yesterday, Jan 25, to discuss measures to expand relations in various fields.

Vedan begins to pay compensation

VietNamNet Bridge – As many as 100 of 197 local farmers in HCM City's Can Gio District received their first compensation payout from Vedan Viet Nam early this week for losses caused by the firm's polluting Thi Vai River.

Industrial parks fail to treat wastewater

VietNamNet Bridge – Inspectors from the Viet Nam Environment Administration have found that many industrial parks in southern Binh Duong Province have been discharging untreated waste water into the environment.

Poachers kill rare rhino in national park

VietNamNet Bridge – Vetinarians looking into the death of a rare Javan rhinoceros in Cat Tien National Park have said it died from gun shot wounds.

Foreign students exempt from university entrance exams

VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign students wishing to study at a Vietnamese university or college will be exempt from entrance examinations by a new regulation of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Spring festival set to brighten capital

VietNamNet Bridge – A bursting spring atmosphere will be brought to downtown Ha Noi by a festival gathering typical products such as bonsai trees from handicraft villages on the outskirts of the city between January 27 and February 1.

Exhibition focuses on ever-changing Indochina

VietNamNet Bridge – A photo exhibition by French photographer Sebastien Laval, entitled Communities Through Time, has opened at L'Espace, the French cultural centre in Ha Noi.

GOVERNMENT IN BRIEF 26/1

President sends condolences to Russian, Brazilian leaders; Book published on China, Viet Nam land border; Viet Nam, UAE ink visa waiver pact; Party, State leaders pay Tet visits to intellectuals

Festival to see selection of national flower

VietNamNet Bridge – A Spring Flower and Drinks Fair which has opened in Ha Noi will see some last-minute politicking for the selection of Viet Nam's national flower.

Tet gala cheers up stranded city workers

VietNamNet Bridge – More than 25,000 migrant workers at HCM City's Pou Yuen Company and Tan Tao Industrial Park attended a special performance on Monday featuring "a happy taste of Tet".

Two suicide bombers involved in Moscow airport attack: source

Two terrorists were involved in the suicide bomb attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Monday, a law enforcement source told local media Tuesday.

China, ASEAN foreign ministers meet to discuss strategic cooperation

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers, their representatives and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan met in Southwest China to discuss bilateral strategic cooperation

Protests spread across Lebanon over imminent premiership designation

Supporters of Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri took to the streets Monday to protest against the imminent nomination of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati for the new premiership.

Egyptians launch massive anti-regime demonstration, clash with police

Thousands of Egyptian protesters hit the streets Tuesday in an unprecedented demonstration against President Hosni Mubarak and the government, clashing with police and bringing downtown Cairo to standstill.

Three wild elephants drown in Dak Lak

VietNamNet Bridge – Three baby elephants were reported drown in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. This is the first case in Vietnam.

Cost for treating heart disease expected to soar in U.S.

There will be a dramatic increase in the cost for treating heart disease and stroke in the United States mainly due to the aging of population, according to a report released on Monday.

Burning hi-tech products for the dead

VietNamNet Bridge – “When my child was alive, he really liked playing online games so I have to buy a 3G USB stick to burn for him so he can have an internet and play online games in the underworld”.

Project to tap biomass potential

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese and Japanese researchers are working on a joint project to harness the potential of biomass, a new and clean renewable natural resource.

Kunming rocks

The capital city of Yunnan Province is among the most famous historical and cultural cities in China and lies in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in Southwest China.

The island of god

VietNamNet Bridge – The rivers and channels of the amazing Mekong Delta contain many islands that are interesting to visit. The richly fertile island of Cu Lao May, or May Islet in Vinh Long Province is also known as the land of God.

Moscow on alert after its second terrorist attack within a year

Moscow saw its second suicide attack within less than 12 months, as about 30 people were killed and some 170 injured in an explosion at the Domodedovo airport on Monday, according to the latest figures released by Russian authorities.

What rich people buy for Tet?

Wealthy Vietnamese are not eating to be full, but instead they eat for pleasure. Therefore, they do not think twice about spending money to purchase goods for Tet, and import products are always their first choice.

Tet homecomings tell different stories

VietNamNet Bridge – "There, now we are home." Tran Phuong Lan, in her mid-forties, had tears in her eyes as she held her daughter's hand tight at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport last Sunday, Jan 23.

What to expect in the telecom market in 2011?

Experts believe that 2011 will be the right time for telecom service providers to apply new policies that aim for sustainable development instead of network expansion.

Primary schools struggling to find English teachers

Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) pilot program to teach English to third graders has begun inthe 2010-2011 academic year. However, schools cannot recruit enough teachers.