VietNamNet Bridge - Around 633,800 candidates are sitting for the second phase of the 2011 university entrance exams on July 9-10.

Since June 1, tourists have been able to embark on a 40-minute flight, in an ATR-72 aircraft, from Can Tho to Con Dao, where they can immerse themselves in the pristine beauty of Nature and seek solace in historical and spiritual reflections.

VietNamNet Bridge – In its master plan for socio-economic development from now till 2020 with vision till 2030, Ha Noi sets a target to become a driving force in national development.

Apple announced Thursday that over 15 billion applications have been downloaded from its App Store by more than 200 million Apple mobile devices users worldwide.

A public inquiry into the phone hacking scandal at the News of the World, a best selling Sunday newspaper to be closed after this Sunday, would be staged, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Friday.

Obesity rates in the United States climbed over the past year in 16 states, and not a single state reported a decline in the proportion of excessively overweight residents, according to a report released on Thursday.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Friday apologized for the disarray due to the delay of restarting nuclear power plants in Saga prefecture by the sudden issuance of additional stress tests.

Thailand's elected prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra rejected as groundless reports that she planned to go to Hong Kong to meet her elder brother, the fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, on Sunday to discuss the cabinet lineup.

U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Friday morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on the 135th and final flight in NASA's shuttle program.

Sua trees (Dalbergia cochinchinensis - Alstonia) on Hanoi’s Xuan Thuy Road have been put on with “armours” to be safe from loggers.

Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnam’s prime minister, warned recently that his country would “resolutely fight activities that infringe our sovereignty”.

VietNamNet Bridge – Chief of the Sea Police Agency of Vietnam, Lieutenant General Pham Duc Linh, said that in early 2012, the sea police force will be equipped with big vessels, which can make long voyages, and aircraft.

VietNamNet Bridge – Pristine beaches and fresh seafood have lured Russian tourists, part of the top-ten travellers to Viet Nam during the past five years, to the coastal cities of Nha Trang and Phan Thiet.

Cassava exports total $590 million; Digital signatures get go-ahead; Regulators draft new securities rules; Industrial output hits record high; HCM City declares victory on inflation; Online bids may help VN suppliers

Bankers say only a few of SOEs have sold foreign currencies to bankers over the last week, since the day the Circular No 13, which asks state owned economic groups and general corporations to sell foreign currencies to banks, took effect on July 1.

VietNamNet Bridge – On the night of July 3, 2011, nearly 200 websites with the domain names “.vn”, “.com” and “.net” on the same server were attacked. The websites included the one of the Binh Duong provincial Finance Department.

VietNamNet Bridge - Smog has filled the air in central Hanoi during the past three days, but experts cannot agree on its origin or cause.

Space shuttle Atlantis will soar into the sky Friday on NASA's 135th and final flight. Its scheduled return to Earth later this month will mark the end of NASA's 30-year space program.

The monetary market has cooled down when the deposit interest rates negotiated between banks and clients have decreased by 1-2 percent. Some banks now even quote the deposit interest rates lower than the ceiling level of 14 percent per annum.

Filipino President Benigno S.C. Aquino III said he had directed Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario to resolve disputes in the East Sea in his upcoming visit to China.