Some 460,000 foreign tourists visited Viet Nam in July, bringing the total number of visitors to the country in the first seven months to 3.43 million, up 17.3 per cent over the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office.

The U.S. Senate voted Friday to kill a debt ceiling plan put forth by House Speaker John Boehner to avoid a looming debt default crisis less than two hours after the House passed the bill.

The Ministry of Finance and State Bank’s proposal requiring the government to impose a 10% tariff on export jewellery with gold content of over 80% instead of 99% has triggered great public debate. Here are the opinions of some leading experts.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam will need to invest $42.5 billion in the next 10 years to develop its tourism infrastructure and services, said the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Transport has decided to tighten the management of long-distance buses after finding that drivers were to blame for a series of serious road accidents over the past two months.

VietNamNet Bridge – The International Forum on Green Technology and Management 2011 took place in the central city of Da Nang on July 28 and 29.

Turkey appointed a new commander-in- chief of land forces after several top army leaders resigned on Friday, local media reported.

VietNamNet Bridge - The bauxite saga seemed to come to an end when all concerns about the environmental impacts of bauxite mining in the ecologically sensitive Central Highlands cooled down last year.

VietNamNet Bridge - The Vietnam national men's football squad slipped four places from 140 to 144 in the latest FIFA rankings for July.

Ex-South Vietnam leader mourned in Malaysia; HCMC increases classrooms for next academic year; WHO vows to reduce hepatitis infection rates in Vietnam; Vn Airlines offers discount to overseas students; Cop flirting with suspect’s wife to be fired  

VietNamNet Bridge - Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan presented the German Ambassador to Vietnam, Rolf Schulze, with a Friendship Order in Hanoi on July 29.

Lady Gaga is about to release a book of photographs on Nov. 22, according to AP’s report.

Vietnam, Laos seek further cooperation in tourism; Vietnam supports nuclear non-proliferation; Newly elected leaders get more congratulations; Ly’s return to prison totally abides by Vietnam law; New border gates to Cambodia opened    

Apple has ousted Nokia as the world's largest smartphone maker as global mobile phone market grew more than 11.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011, according to two separate market research studies.

Any debt ceiling compromise plan to avert an unprecedented debt default crisis should be bipartisan in order to win support from both Democrats and Republicans, U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday.

VietNamNet Bridge - Minister of Transport Nguyen Nghia Dung has awarded a friendship medal to Greig Craft, President of the ASIA Injury Prevention Fund for his contributions to traffic safety in Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge – Educators have alerted that Vietnamese students’ achievements at international Olympiads have been decreasing, while calling for urgent actions to improve the downgrading.

After making a trip to Ca Mau Province on the southern tip of Vietnam, tourists will never forget trekking to the Lower U Minh National Park, which is located 40 kilometers southwest of Ca Mau City and 400 kilometers from HCM City.

An editorial headlined “American shadow over East Sea” in the Global Times, a newspaper viewed as a mouthpiece of China’s Communist Party, stated that “China will never waive its right to protect its core interest with military means.”

Under the current regulations, expanded investment projects are not subject to corporate income tax incentives. However, the regulations may be adjusted since ministries and experts have pointed out that this is an unreasonable policy.