VN-USA online portal set to begin operations; HDBank, Microsoft Viet Nam sign agreement; FPT earns $176 million in January, February; Vinaphone opens SMS Online service; Vinasa to set up alliance with FPT, Viettel  

VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities are considering ways to preserve and promote the nation's cultural heritage by updating sites and practices consistent with the trend of modernisation and international integration,

To maintain GDP growth of 6 percent in 2012, Vietnam should smooth the way for business to boost industrial production, develop markets, facilitate product sales and reduce inventory.

VietNamNet Bridge –The Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Ha Noi is hosting an exhibition of 60 drawings by manga (Japanese comic) artists entitled Women and Manga: Connecting with Cultures beyond Japan.

Top Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh has moved down a notch to rank 12th in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. 

VietNamNet Bridge – The 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar next year is likely to have less events than in previous years.

Local authorities tend to say “no” not only to textile projects because of the fear for environmental pollution, but to garment projects as well, because garment factories do not help develop local economies.

VietNamNet Bridge – The lack of a meeting point between developers and buyers with real housing needs is one of the major problems facing the local real estate market, experts said at a meeting held last week.

U.S. President Barak Obama on Sunday pressed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to drop its plan to launch a rocket, saying the move could scuttle a food aid deal and dim prospects for resuming disarmament talks.

Bui Trung Dung, deputy director of the national department of construction appraisal under the Ministry of Construction, has said that Tranh River Hydropower Plant has mistakes in design, construction, supervision and operation.

VietNamNet Bridge – The increasing outlays on subsidies and declining service quality are the main hurdles to HCM City's plan to develop bus transport.

The publishing industry is expected to track last year's poor performance with the demand for books unlikely to increase due to tightening consumption policies, experts said at a recent meeting.

 Scores evacuate as fire erupts at Hanoi apartment building; Pipeline firm staff help kindergarten; Activists respond to Earth Hour campaign

Vietnam was estimated to face a trade deficit of US$150 million in March, lifting the total figure in the first quarter to $250.9 million, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported.

VietNamNet Bridge –Vietnamese futsal (indoor football) club Thai Son Nam qualified for the 2012 Asian Futsal Club Championship with a win over Pelindo FC.

VietNamNet Bridge – Smoke discharges from thousands of brick-kilns in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have polluted the environment and impacted human health and agricultural productivity.

VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has confirmed that the thousands of yearly deaths in Viet Nam caused by tuberculosis (TB) should be considered a national health problem.

VietNamNet Bridge – Hanoi has reported more than 750 cases of hand-foot-mouth (HFM) disease in the first three months of this year.

A lot of luxury hotels, tourist sites and resorts developed by foreign investors in Vietnam have fallen into the hands of domestic investors.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Empire Golf Challenge will kick off on Wednesday at Montgomerie Links Golf Course in the central province of Quang Nam.