VietNamNet introduces an interview with an American expert of politics and security in Southeast Asia on the defense capacity of Southeast Asian countries, the attitude of the international community and the wisest steps for Vietnam.

 Close co-ordination between agencies is needed to safely manage PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) in Viet Nam, according to officials yesterday at a meeting in Ha Noi.

 Nguyen Thi Huyen of Viet Nam won gold at the Asian Grand Prix Athletics at Thammasat University Sports Complex near Bangkok, Thailand.

 Ha Noi-based musician Tri Minh, one of Viet Nam's leading electronic music producers, is developing a chillout music album reflecting the lifestyle of HCM City.

 Gold prices fell to their lowest level in the last five years in Viet Nam yesterday.

 The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) has asked for blood donations, saying the blood bank had only a week's supply of blood left.

 Thua Thien-Hue Province has proposed the Prime Minister add Chan May-Lang Co Economic Zone to the list of areas allowed to have casinos in the country, the local news site VnExpress reports.

 The sperm of all 18-year-olds should be frozen for use in later life because of the risks attached with being an older father, a UK bioethicist has argued.

 The 2013 law on science and technology regulates spending on science and technology projects will be no more than 2% of the year’s total budget spending of a locality, but HCMC has beat the upper limit, the city’s Department of Finance said.

 Local travel companies have launched a range of tours this summer with big price discounts for many products compared to the same period last year, Vietnam News Agency reports.

 The government of Binh Dinh Province has given the nod to Kim Cuc Investment and Construction Co. Ltd. to develop the first five-star hotel in the central province.

  UP Station, a newly-established bar-café on level 2 of Apocalypse in HCMC’s District 1, is where locals and expats can come to enjoy live music performances and learn how to dance in its diversified weekly programs.

 It may take two or three years to conduct feasibility study report and preparations for the construction of the Long Thanh International Airport, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang to reporters after the National Assembly approved project.

Following the success of a teaching literacy project on Vietnamese values, the teachers at Giong Ong To High School in HCM City are moving ahead with a project on “learning literacy to grow up”. 

Vietnam have qualified for the semi-finals of the Asian Football Confederation's U14 Girls' Regional Championship for the ASEAN zone.

 The bilateral trade between Viet Nam and Russia is expected to reach US$10 billion by 2020, following a Free Trade Agreement between Viet Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union.

 Many residents in Ha Noi have complained about unusually high electricity bills for May and June.

 From next August, foreign tourists will be allowed to take their caravans to Vietnam, according to the Government’s new regulation governing foreign-registered vehicles in the country.

 A drill was organised at Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City to build the capacity of health workers to cope with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

 The country's waterway productivity is expected to increase by 72 per cent, thanks to the construction of ports and harbours and the dredging work in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.