The German parliament has approved the country's first minimum wage, in a vote in the Bundestag on Thursday.

 NA committee discusses 2012 budget, casino business; Vietnam, Germany promote legislation relations; Vietnam-India strategic partnership develops well; Vietnam, Russia discuss extending partnership areas

 VietNamNet Bridge – Le Ngoc Anh Kiet, the only Vietnamese violinist of the Berliner Symphoniker Orchestra, is committed to bringing traditional Vietnamese folk songs to German audiences in a unique manner.

 450 bridges to be built in rural areas nationwide; Germany funds UXO clearance in Thua Thien-Hue; Drug smugglers receive death sentences; Five hospitalised for mushroom poisoning; RoK helps Vietnam in marine research

 VietNamNet Bridge – Over the last 10 years, Tran Phuong Hoa, a Vietnamese teacher, has instilled a lasting love of traditional music in generations of Vietnamese origin in Germany.

 Business growth in the eurozone eased this month but the bloc's economy continued to expand at a "robust pace", a closely watched survey suggests.

World Bank in Vietnam keen on climate change response; Vietnam to create jobs for 1.6 million labourers; Individuals honoured for donating special documents; Broken water pipes affect 70,000 households

Vietnam is among the ten countries with the highest ageing rate from now to 2050, a recent report by the United Nations has shown.

The Vietnam National University (VNU) has been, for the second time, listed in Asia’s top 250 best universities.

 The St Jude storm in Britain has left a trail of death and damage in its wake on Monday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Businessman Nguyen Van Thanh is excited to attend Oktoberfest - not in Munich, but in Ha Noi.

 German engineering giant Siemens said Sunday it plans to slash 15,000 positions worldwide by late next year as part of a cost-cutting programme, including 5,000 in its home country.

VietNamNet Bridge – The ancient Hoi An City in central Quang Nam Province has become the first Vietnamese city to twin with a German counterpart under an agreement signed recently in the sister city - Wernigerode.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese children's choir Sol Art has won the Audience Prize at the 8th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival which took place in Wernigerode, Germany.

 Congratulatory messages sent to Australia, Quatar; Ties with RoK sea police bolstered; Seminar on Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts; Government offices to share with Laos

 Vietnam, Germany reinforce solidarity; Official detained for destroying forest land; Seminar highlights civil society’s input into ADB policies; Diverse activities mark Children’s Day

 Germany's finance minister warned that only EU treaty change would create the legal framework needed to allow the formation of a single bailout agency for its ailing banks, in an article for Monday's Financial Times.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese hearing-impaired dancers will present Sigh Memory choreographed by Le Vu Long to audiences at the Pfalzbau Theatre in Ludwigshafen, Germany on May 17.

 CPV senior official hails ties with Germany; AIPA Caucus looks to development goals; PM Dung meets with Haiphong voters

 335 Russian scholarships for Vietnamese students; Ministry recognises outstanding students; Viet Nam hopes to expand educational ties with Germany