Growth targets met in difficult year

VietNamNet Bridge - Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc believes that 2010’s impressive growth figures stem from Vietnam’s magnificent efforts in stepping up local investment and meeting socio-economic development targets.

Mekong Delta roads pave way to prosperity

VietNamNet Bridge - Le Hung Viet is confident that his factory can afford to make complete pairs of shoes, not just the uppers, adding a lot of value to his business.

Taste of home in a sausage

Home is where the stomach is, especially for those away abroad.

Over 40,000 cases of cancer among children in India each year

Over 40,000 cases of cancer among children are being reported in India every year, the Indo-Asian News Service Sunday said.

Dead duck tests H5N1 positive in Hong Kong

A duck carcass found in Tai O, Hong Kong, was tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza virus, a spokesman for the city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on Monday.

Working through banks' troubled CRE loans to take time: U.S. Fed official

Working through the large volume of troubled commercial real estate (CRE) loans will take several years, although the U.S. CRE market and credit conditions has leveled off and there are some early signs of price stabilization . . .

Japan's foreign exchange reserves fall for 3rd straight month in Jan

Japan's foreign exchange reserves declined 0.3 percent in January as rising interest rates in Europe and the U.S. reduced the value of bonds held by the Japanese government, the Finance Ministry said Monday.

Egypt checks diplomatic pouches as precautionary measures

Egyptian security and customs authorities began to scan all foreign diplomatic pouches that arrive in Egypt in precautionary measures to prevent the entry of any questionable objects, state news agency MENA reported on Monday.

Fire damages 1,000-year-old temple in east China, no casualties

A 1,000-year-old building is believed to have been destroyed in a fire at a Buddhist temple in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province, Monday.

Cure found for black streak dwarf disease by a Vietnamese scientist

A Vietnamese scientist has found a cure for the southern rice black streak dwarf virus (SRBSDV) transmitted by the white back plant hopper (WBPH) and causing havoc to rice crops in northern Vietnam.

Foreign entrepreneur farmers in Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge - There are people from foreign lands in the central highland province of Lam Dong who are seriously involved in farming as a profession.

No protection for businesses in WTO

The WTO membership brings big advantages to Vietnam, including the exports increases and higher foreign investment. However, for many industries it also means big difficulties.

“Don’t panic and cry out ‘inflation!’ whenever prices go up,” expert says

Every time when the consumer price index CPI increased, policy makers hastily concluded this was the high inflation and hurriedly tightened the monetary policies and raised interest rates.

Ca Tru folk music sees revival

VietNamNet Bridge - The millennium-old northern folk music genre of Ca tru is making a comeback after decades of neglect, with more and more young girls training to become dao nuong, or professional singers.

Foreign woman who heals injured hearts

Being obsessed by Vietnamese disadvantaged children, a professor of history from the US has devoted her assets and her life to provide vocational training to disabled childrenand to help heart patients in Vietnam.

Wooden furniture manufacturers don’t fear order shortage, fear higher costs

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam hopes to earn $4 billion this year from wooden furniture exports. However, producers are worried stiff because the input material prices keep increasing.

Vietnamese soccer players have facebook fever

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese soccer players have discovered facebook as an interesting means of keeping in touch with fans. 

Three provinces plan joint tourism rep office in Japan

VietNamNet Bridge – Three central provinces are planning to set up a joint representative office in Japan as part of a program to attract tourists from there.

Foreign invested real estate projects to face greater scrutiny

VietNamNet Bridge – Director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment Do Nhat Hoang spoke to Dau Tu (Investment) newspaper about disbursement of foreign direct investments.

HCM City teenagers pile on the pounds

VietNamNet Bridge – Overweight and obesity rates have increased steadily among adolescents in HCM City, and require swift intervention to change dietary intake, physical activities, sedentary behaviour, and lifestyle habits, a study has found.

Music stars reveal plans for 2011

VietNamNet Bridge - Though the Vietnamese music industry has not been very successful this last year it has still managed to stay in the news with public performances and competitions and plenty of celebrity scandals.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF 7/2

Government bonds to be allocated before mid February; Forestry programmes promote sustainability by market incentives; Year-end discounts spark fashion shopping frenzy; Dinh Vu IZ welcomes first 2011 investment

Dr. Nguyen Van Khai: “I’m rich”

Dr Nguyen Van Khai, known in Vietnam as the “Ozone man” lives in a 70 square meter house in a densely populated quarter of Hanoi, where he grows vegetables and raises fowl. He believes that he is one of the richest man on the planet.

Rules on rights to plant varieties

On December 30, the Government issued Decree No 119/2010/ND-CP amending Decree 105/2006/ND-CP of September 22, 2006, guiding implementation of a number of articles in the Law on Intellectual Property.

Water fee to include maintenance costs

VietNamNet Bridge – Construction Ministry technical infrastructure administration director Nguyen Hong Tien spoke with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper about a proposal to include installation and maintenance costs in clean water fees.