The failed satellite launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea early Friday has prompted international concerns, with Washington and Seoul condemning the act as a violation of UN resolutions and a threat to regional stability.

Switzerland casts plaques of Ha Long Bay in bronze; Applicants invited to take part in Miss Sport Viet Nam; By smoking on catwalk, model raises debate; France remains important partner of Hue Festival; The Cold Room at  Zero Station

VietNamNet Bridge – The Government has issued a decree to raise the common minimum wage rate from the current VND830,000 to VND1.05 million (US$50.45) per month, an increase of 25 percent, from May 1, 2012.

VietNamNet Bridge – Science and technology have significantly contributed to promoting the restructuring and growth of the national economy and the rising value of high-tech products will account for 45 percent of GDP by 2020.

 French cruise ship visits Viet Nam; Cheap holiday tours snapped up; Country seeks to attract Russians; Tourism Day fest promotes local trips

VietNamNet Bridge – With only a few weeks remaining before the London Olympic organisers announce the final list of participants, Vietnamese athletes are hastening to pick up the last tickets.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) said it has not received any applications for making outward investments from the Vietnamese businessman Pham Dinh Nguyen, who won the bid to buy the US smallest town Bufford.

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's ministries and sectors simplified more than 2,800 administrative procedures in the first quarter,

VietNamNet Bridge - Tuyet Loan, 62, who is called "Vietnam's Jazz Queen," had an impromptus show with American band--Mary McBride, in HCM City on April 11.

VietNamNet Bridge – A drum festival titled “Sound of Vietnamese Spirit” took place at Nghinh Luong Dinh, on the bank of Huong River, Hue City on the evening of April 10.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam national men’s football team leaps up three grades to claim the 97th position in the latest FIFA rankings for April, released on April 10.

VietNamNet Bridge – A fisherman in Nghe An province, central Vietnam, has caught an ocean sunfish, which rarely appears in the sea of Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge – As his wife practiced usury--Mr. Nguyen Van Quoc, Deputy Party Secretary of the island district of Phu Quoc, in Kien Giang province, has been dismissed.

Aussie Embassy reveals new aid; Drowsy driver gets 12 years for deadly accident; Vietnamese entrepreneurs receive Lao Friendship Medal

The petition by the farmers, who are the creditors of Bianfishco, to the Can Tho City People’s Court, for conducting bankruptcy proceedings for Bianfishco, has been refused by the court.

Policymakers in different countries should seize the moment to strengthen cooperation, bolster global financial firewall and address key economic challenges, Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF),

VietNamNet Bridge – The increasing number of enterprises filing for bankruptcy in HCM City in the first quarter of the year has resulted in a surge in unemployment insurance claims.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) called for an immediate observer mission to Syria, the group said in a statement on Thursday.

Lawmakers agreed that the revised law on publications should target issues relating to publishing, printing, distribution management and curbing illegal printing at a National Assembly Standing Committee meeting yesterday.

VietNamNet Bridge – On the evening of April 9-10 at the ongoing Hue Festival, musical instruments made from waste by Max Vandervorst from Blegium attracted thousands of Hue residents and visitors.