VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi-based Central Pediatrics Hospital is going to perform a separation operation on the conjoined twin girls which were born in Ha Giang last week this afternoon, May 10.

Search and rescue was underway after a Russian-made commercial plane with at least 46 people on board went missing on Wednesday in West Java, Indonesia, spokesman of Transport Ministry Bambang Ervan said.

The parents in Hanoi have been told that they would not have to stay all night queuing up for registering to study for their children any more. State owned nursery schools in Hanoi have decided to organize lucky draws to choose pupils.

VietNamNet Bridge – Social networks have become a good business tool that helps improve businesses’ efficiency. It has also been compared with a new, cheap capital source for enterprises.

The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched on Tuesday a new campaign, "Believe it. Do it.", aimed at ending new HIV infections among children by 2015 and ensuring mothers living with HIV remain healthy.

VietNamNet Bridge – The President has ordered the publication of two decrees approved by the meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly last month.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) under the Ministry of Transport (MoT), in coordination with the US Embassy in Vietnam, held a conference in Hanoi on May 9 to establish a working group for bilateral aviation cooperation.

Japanese automaker Toyota's group net profit contracted 30.5 percent to hit 283.5 billion yen (about 3. 56 billion U.S. dollars) in the fiscal year ending in March, the company said Wednesday.

A roadside bomb exploded Wednesday in the vicinity of the UN observers' convoy heading to the southern Syrian province of Daraa, the UN-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan's spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

More Vietnamese people tended to opt for outbound tours during recent holidays, while domestic travel fared poorer, according to HCMC’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Vietnamese food now can see favorable conditions to reach out to the world market. The thing that Vietnam needs to do now is to take actions to grab the opportunity.

New research of British scientists indicates that domestic horses originated in the steppes of modern-day Ukraine, southwest Russia and west Kazakhstan, which is supported by gene study and reconciles previous conflicting theories.

VietNamNet Bridge – In the last couple of days, tens of thousands of butterflies have appeared in several mountain districts of Thanh Hoa province, in central Vietnam. Visitors have flocked to the area to see the butterflies.

VietNamNet Bridge introduces some paintings by Hanoian boy Vu Tuan Kiet, 9, who is well-known for many talents and for not going to school like other children.

All farm product exports to EU to undergo safety check; HSBC announces new manufacturing index in Vietnam; State budget loses VND4.36 tril. on car import; Garment exports rise 14% in first four months; Falling export activity hits logistics firms

VietNamNet Bridge – A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Luong Minh is attending the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which is being held in Sharm El Sheikh City, Egypt from May 7-10.

VietNamNet Bridge – In the parching heat, three students of Quang Chinh Primary School in Quang Ninh province bathed in the river on the morning of May 7. Two of them who could not swim were immediately swept away.

“Chau chao me” - As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew I had bungled my greeting to my new mother-in-law. 

Steve Jackson is a 38 year old communications consultant living in Hanoi.

In the first in a weekly series we ask expats to describe their Vietnam. This week Michael Brosowski tells of a “complex country where hope and sorrow can co-exist”.