More than 160 players representing 18 delegations nationwide will be contending for top honours at the National Table Tennis Championships 2016, taking place at Ho Xuan Huong Gymnasium in HCM City from May 8 to 15. 

  The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan will be holding a series of Japanese cooking seminars in HCMC on May 4-5.

 Vietnamese enterprises were fined a total of VND8.6 billion (US$385,600) by competent agencies for using pirated software since the Intellectual Property Law came into force in 2006.

 On April 26, Canal+ Group’s Vietnamese subsidiary, Vietnam Satellite Digital Television (VSTV), announced the completion of the purchase of the broadcasting rights of the English Premier League (EPL) for the 2016-2019 period.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Watching children grow up and learn new things in life brings great happiness to every parent.

 A month after being elected as the prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said he is saddened by the fact that the public and business community continue to be the victims of corruption.

VietNamNet Bridge - “Vietnam has 64 independent economies, including 63 local economies and one central economy,” commented Tran Dinh Thien, head of the Vietnam Economics Institute.

 Several photographers have voiced their opposition to a new Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism circular that bans artists and models from nude photography, saying that they would ignore the circular.

 Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) with distribution rights will be able to open retail outlets of up to 500 sq m under a draft decree clarifying the trading of goods by FIEs under the Commercial Law.

 Thanh Ha pottery village in the central province of Quang Nam was recently selected as one of the three favourite craft villages under “Vietnam’s most attractive destinations in 2015” Awards.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Suffering from Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) since her birth has not stopped Nguyen Thi Thu Thuong, 33, from becoming a director of a vocational training centre for the handicapped.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A 70-year-old man from the UK has a private collection of 2,500 guns, swords and other weapons of many countries in the southern city of Vung Tau.

 Ten auto importers have complained that rapid changes in the calculation method for special consumption tax on completely-built-up (CBU) autos have made it hard for them to build viable business plans.

The European Literature Days will come to Hanoi for the sixth time and HCMC for the first time next month, featuring new books from eight European countries and activities for book lovers, Goethe-Institut Vietnam said in a statement.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Subdividing land into housing-sized pieces to sell off is rampant in HCM City, especially in suburban areas, but according to analysts and officials, it is a violation of the law and undermines urban planning.

VietNamNet Bridge – The newly-appointed Minister of Industry and Trade talks with Vietnam News Agency about his actions to improve efficiency of the ministry’s activities from 2016 to 2021, and create favourable conditions for enterprises

 VietNamNet Bridge – The normal working day starts at 8am, but for teacher Hoang Thi Huong in Rao Tre Village in the central province of Ha Tinh, the day begins three hours earlier. Not only does she reach school early to prepare her lessons,

 Scientists and experts have called for Vietnam to assess negative impacts of coal-fired power projects on the environment and society amid increasing concern over the efficiency of this source of energy.

In recent years, making short films has become a hot trend of young Vietnamese cinema enthusiasts. Although the young film makers still show some shortcomings, they have also gained significant recognition at regional and international film fests,

 The Hanoi Department of Information and Communications has proposed the city government approve a plan to develop a software and digital content park worth VND24 trillion (US$1.08 billion).