VietNamNet Bridge - Many foreign-invested projects in textile, paper, dying, steel and other polluting industries have been licensed recently, raising concerns that Vietnam would become a ‘pollution paradise’.  

In addition to beautiful beaches, delicious food and charming scenery, Vietnam is one of the safest countries worldwide, where tourists can avoid the threat of terrorism, according to a list issued by the Daily Star newspaper.

 Hanoi is the least expensive destination for international travellers, according to the TripIndex Cities cost-comparison study released by travel booking site TripAdvisor.

 Vietnam is a potential market that provides a large number of tourists for Japan , a representative from the Japan Tourism Agency said at a workshop in the central city of Da Nang on July 28.

 The Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo, the 12th of its kind, will take place in the southern metropolis from September 8-10, with a view to attracting foreigners to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular.

The annual football Fair Play Awards to honour fair performances and rejection of violence and gambling were announced in HCM City on July 28.

 Vietnam achieved their first win at the AFC U14 Regional Festival of Football after beating Myanmar 3-1 in the second Group A match on July 27 in Brunei.

Vietnam entered the semi-final of the Southeast Asian Women’s Football Championship after beating the Philippines 4-0 on July 28 in the Group A second round match in Mandalay, Myanmar.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has called on Asian countries to close their tiger farms to boost efforts against the black-market trade in the cat’s parts.

 The Venice Film Festival revealed a star-filled line-up for its 73rd annual edition on Thursday, featuring top Hollywood names and auteur directors in a wide selection of U.S. and international movies.

VietNamNet Bridge - Confirming that its coffee products in the market contain soybeans, a representative of Nestle Vietnam said the proportion of ingredients was a "business secret’.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam led a Vietnamese delegation to the Southeast Asia and Pacific Regional Fisheries Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 28.

 The Argentina-Vietnam Cultural Institute (ICAV) on July 27 issued a statement in support of the recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands, related to territorial disputes in the East Sea.

World Bank (WB) Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific Victoria Kwakwa pledged to continue promoting the cooperation between the lender and Vietnam while meeting Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on July 28.

Legislators heard a report on the audit of the 2014 State budget during the seventh working day of their first National Assembly session in Hanoi on July 28.

 President Tran Dai Quang has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to the strategic partnership with Thailand and expressed his wish for the ties to have new progresses.

 President Tran Dai Quang hailed Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Hul Phany’s contributions to the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia while hosting the outgoing diplomat in Hanoi on July 28.

Visits by a number of Taiwanese officials to the Ba Binh (Itu Aba) feature area have seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, stated Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh on July 28.

 Honduras must develop a long term approach to combat the impact of drought exacerbated by climate change and put the poorest and most vulnerable at the center of government initiatives and funding,

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has submitted for Government approval a list of priority transportation and sanitation investment projects that will be developed in a Public Private Partnership format between 2016 and 2020.