Participants at a seminar held yesterday in Ha Noi affirmed Viet Nam's sovereignty over its seas and islands.

 An Indonesia woman convicted of drug smuggling was sentenced to life imprisonment by the People's Court of Ha Noi this morning.

 Bus commuters in central Thua Thien - Hue Province had to find other means of transport today as bus drivers went on strike, shutting the system down.

 Many homes in the mountain city of Da Lat are built on precarious slopes. This has forced many owners to build retaining walls in front to stop soil being washed away during torrential rain.

VietNamNet Bridge - All the barricades that prevent foreign investors from buying bad debt from Vietnamese commercial banks have been removed, but everyone is still moving slowly and cautiously.

 VNPayTV wants floor charges for pay TV, New CEO appointed for BASF Asia Pacific, Shoppers prefer modern retail formats, ATM fees may rise after VAT refund denied, One-door customs mechanism launched

 The Director of Education for the Nature of Vietnam (ENV), Vu Thi Quyen, has said that people should be proud of the achievements made over the past decade in addressing bear farming, protecting biodiversity and aiding the wild bear population.

 An international exhibition on technological devices was held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City on May 7.

 Vietnam is one of nine countries in the West Pacific region with alarming rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with 10-20 percent of the population (10-16 million people) living with HBV, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 The Nutifood - Hoang Anh Gia Lai - Arsenal JMG Football Academy opened in HCM City on May 7 and will begin recruiting for its first class in July.

 “Nguyen Tuyet Dung take a bow” was a headline in many European newspapers and online sites after the Vietnamese footballer scored two goals directly from corner kicks against Malaysia in an AFF Women’s Football Championship Group match on May 4.

 Four U23 players join VN national football team; Jung-Han Heo wins Three-Cushion Carom Billiards Open; Racers to compete in Long An drag race at industrial zone

 The Prime Minister has approved a master plan for hi-tech agriculture zones through 2020, a move to put domestic farming on the sustainable development track and ensure national food security.

 The national one-stop-shop customs mechanism was officially launched at ports in five localities, namely Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, on May 6.

 Vietnam was the third largest export market of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the first quarter of this year after China and the US, according to the Institute for International Trade at the RoK International Trade Association.

 The Vietnam Air Service Company (VASCO) introduced a Can Tho-Da Lat air route at a ceremony held on May 7 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to improve connections between the Southwest and the Central Highlands.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Education Ministers from the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) member countries and representatives from regional organisations gathered in Pattaya, Thailand,

 VietNamNet Bridge – Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces are experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, forcing many enterprises to reduce their operations.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Local residents are to blame for the disappearance of hundreds of screws that link barriers along the Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway, the Viet Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) said on Wednesday.

 The State Bank of Vietnam raised the inter-bank average exchange rate between the VND and USD by 1 percent early on May 7, from 21,458VND to 21,673VND per one USD.