Thousands of Vietnamese businesses are eagerly expecting the interest rate reductions. However, they have been warned that the national economy would face bigger difficulties this year, and that banks themselves would also face big challenges.

VietNamNet Bridge - Grand Master Le Quang Liem will play chess with 20 fans on February 20th. All players from the age of 10 are able to join.

U.S stocks edged higher on Tuesday as investors were expecting a deal for Greece to secure a new bailout.

China will raise the retail prices for gasoline and diesel by 300 yuan (47.53 U.S. dollars) per tonne starting Feb. 8, in a swift response to international trends as easing domestic inflation gives way for adjustment.

 Nation to boost audit ties with Myanmar; China attaches importance to relations with Vietnam; President fetes provincial anniversary; Ha Nam urged to tap potential

VietNamNet Bridge – Duong Anh Vu and Ma Xuan Cuong will represent Viet Nam at the World Championships 3-Cushion tournament in Germany.

Long An hosts 18th southern amateur music festival; Japanese venture fund invests in Vietnamese Nhaccuatui.com; Concert marks Vietnam-RoK diplomatic relations; Bac Ninh hosts Kinh Duong Vuong Festival; Harry Potter returns to the big screen

Ramón Fernández, a Spanish photographer, has expressed his love for Vietnam through nearly 40 black and white photos which are on display at an exhibition in Navia city in the Asturias Autonomous Region of Spain.

VietNamNet Bridge – The price of more than 400 medical services will rise by up to five times later this year. For instance, the cost of a hospital sick bed will rise from US$95 cents to $7.60.

As anticipated, enterprises are seriously lacking workers after Tet, because laborers do not return after the Tet holiday. Production enterprises have been taking special measures to attract laborers.

US tycoon Sheldon Adelson said that his Las Vegas Sands is willing to build luxurious integrated resorts (IR) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at a combined investment capital of US$5-6 billion.

VietNamNet Bridge - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat on February 6 sent an urgent telegraph to provinces and cities across the country, asking them to take drastic measures against the recurrence of bird flu.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and permanent member of the Secretariat of the Vietnamese Communist Party Le Hong Anh held a working session on February 7 with key cadres from the Central Commission for Communication and Education.

Vietnam’s retail market is becoming less attractive, with its global ranking downgrade to 23rd place in the 2011 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) released by A.T. Kearney.

The Tien River, which runs through several provinces in the Mekong Delta, has been severely contaminated, with some pollutants exceeding the limits by up to 1,000 times, seriously affecting the life and health of local people, authorities reported.

The non-performing loans (NPL) and bad debt ratio have been increasing, which experts believe would badly affect the business results of banks in 2012.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese artists joined their counterparts from the Republic of Korea in a concert in Ha Noi on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

VietNamNet Bridge – Stories about the daily lives and unique cultures of seven ethnic groups are being recorded through thousands of images as part of the PhotoVoice project.

VietNamNet Bridge – Police of the northern port city of Hai Phong have determined those who were involved in demolishing the house and assets of Doan Van Vuon and Doan Van Quy in the land revocation in Tien Lang district, Hai Phong.

The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that shaked central Philippine province of Negros Oriental on Monday rose to 52, local officials said Tuesday.