Eternal spring from the late Nguyen Van Phuong; Biggest sapphire Buddha statue inaugurated in Vinh Phuc; Korean band greets fans via clip before Vietnam trip; Activities blossom at 2012 Hue Festival; Vietnamese stars indulge in flights of fancy

VietNamNet Bridge – A senior trade official from Thailand has called on Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand to resume joint efforts to produce and export rice.

Fourteen year-old Hoang Dinh Yen Chuong of HCM City won the title Apollo English Idol 2011 on Sunday night, earning a VND34-million trip to Singapore and a one-year scholarship for English study at the Apollo school in HCM City.

The Prime Minister has criticised 10 provinces and central cities for having reported an increase in fatalities in the first quarter from traffic accidents.

VietNamNet Bridge – The special solidarity and sincere comradeship between Vietnam and Cuba is a symbol of relations, which have been nurtured for half a century, says Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

VietNamNet Bridge – After Bianfishco reportedly defaulted on its bank debt payments, commercial banks have unanimously ceased the disbursement for seafood companies, putting a lot of companies at the point of the death.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Monday that his country will not accept any precondition to the nuclear talks between Iran and the UN Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany slated for April 14 in Turkey's Istanbul,

VietNamNet Bridge – The National Assembly Standing Committee will begin their nine-day meeting today, with a focus on the agenda for the upcoming legislative session.

The remains of US servicemen who died during the Vietnam War were repatriated to the US at a ceremony at the Danang International Airport on April 9.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam affirms its indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi on April 9.

Japan completed deployment of interceptor missiles Monday ahead of the planned satellite launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Defence Ministry said.

VietNamNet Bridge – The race among parents to scramble for the seats at star schools for their children this year proves to be less scorching than expected.

VietNamNet Bridge – According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), the number of Internet users in March decreased by 500,000 from the previous month. However, Internet service providers have denied this.

People convicted of crimes related to food safety in the capital will be banned from the food industry for life, under a draft amendment to the Beijing Food Safety Regulation.

Exposure of pregnant women to organophosphate (OP) pesticides, a widely used class of pesticides in North American agriculture, may be associated with decreased gestational age and lower birth weight,

VietNamNet Bridge – Many traditional markets in cities in the central region do not meet several fire prevention and control requirements and are thus at high risk of fires, officials warn.

The dong/dollar exchange rate stabilization for a long period has been hailed as the result of the great exertion by the State Bank to stabilize the foreign currency market. However, experts say they still can see latent problems.

VietNamNet Bridge – The fifth Hanoi Sound Stuff Festival will take place in Hanoi on April 13-14, with the participation of over ten Vietnamese and foreign DJs.

Malaysia will sign a draft protocol with China to resume bird's nest export to China which was halted last year over a safety concern.

VietNamNet Bridge – Top models of Vietnam performed in evening gowns of the “Lotus” collection by designer Quynh Paris, and the “National Flower” ao dai collection by Sy Hoang, at Hoa Binh Theatre in HCM City on April 7.