VietNamNet Bridge – Penalties that were too lenient together with ambiguous laws were to blame for the numerous breaches of Viet Nam's environmental protection regulations

Portuguese authorities have put in place heavy security ahead of the NATO summit to prevent any outbreak of violence.

VietNamNet Bridge – After earlier disagreement, law-makers yesterday, Nov 18, decided that whistleblowers should be protected in the new draft Law on Denunciation.

VietNamNet Bridge – A Dak Lak Province decision to let a private enterprise use 357ha of forest while local farmers are badly in need of land has ignited tensions in the area.

VietNamNet Bridge – Ha Noi is to speed up the process of tapping its rivers as a safe water supply for its residents and thus reduce the overuse of underground water which is a threat to the capital's geological stability.

VietNamNet Bridge – At the Gala Diner on November 18 in Nha Trang, many people paid VND1 million ($50) fee to take a picture with 79 contestants. The money will go to a charity fund for poor students.

VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City People's Committee is planning to build 10 playgrounds next year to cater for its 1.7 million children, the Committee's Office said yesterday, Nov 18.

VietNamNet Bridge – Up to four out of five European bands that will take part in the European Music Festival 2010 are Jazz bands.

VietNamNet Bridge – A workforce of highly qualified and committed teachers was indispensable for building quality kindergartens in HCM City, speakers said at a workshop held here on Wednesday.

VietNamNet Bridge – Dan Viet newspaper recently reported that former Party Secretary of Ninh Binh province paid $1.24 million to buy a pair of old vases and a 2000-year-old bronze drum.

An explosion occurred at the Pike River Coal mine on New Zealand South Island's West Coast on Friday afternoon, with up to 27 miners remaining inside unaccounted for, police and media reports said.

Contemporary Japanese music hits Ha Noi; Plan to preserve heritage artform; Museum receives more war relics; Schools hold traffic safety contest

HCMC tour operators say flights to popular destinations sold out; Tourism authority to organise major events to attract visitors; LOT Polish Airlines launches Ha Noi to Warsaw direct flights

VietNamNet Bridge – Beijing Olympian Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu failed to win the first gold medal for Viet Nam at the Asian Games yesterday, losing to Thailand's Phongsri Sarita 4-3 in the women's Taekwondo under-53kg weight category final.

Vietnam has become a hub and transfer zone for trafficking rare, exotic and endangered animals to other countries according to Deputy Minister of Public Security, Pham Quy Ngo.

France-Vietnam workshop on construction held in Paris; Market slump hits securities share offer; First turbine starts idle run at Son La power plant

After watching South Korean films, Vietnamese consumers became familiar with South Korean products. This is a typical example of the close connection between business and art, said Phan Cam Thuong, an art critic.

Experts have pointed out that in short term, the temporary dollar shortages should be seen as the result of monetary policies.

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam has officially denied the opinion that cement plants, which, using backward technologies, gobble up too much electricity and cause electricity shortages.

Until now China has not become a member of the Mekong River Commission. However, the world and the region’s attention on the Mekong River creates pressure on China to cooperate with countries in the River downstream.