DPM Minh to visit Philippines; No Vietnamese casualties in eastern Ukraine; Deputy Prime Minister welcomes Lao Justice Minister; People’s diplomacy to be emphasised in 2015; Defence ministry pledges active external work in 2015

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh offered Vietnam’s opinions on directions and measures to achieve the formation of the ASEAN Community and the bloc’s post-2015 vision at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat.

 Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh received Japanese Vice Defence Minister Tokuchi Hideshi during the latter’s working visit in Hanoi on January 28.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Recently, I took a field trip to Hanoi where I had an opportunity to explore many interesting things. In my experience, the most amazing way to discover Hanoi’s unique culture is not to visit its museums

 VietNamNet Bridge – In a field filled with smoke, two women burned scrap metal. They had brought the metal here to burn so the smoke would not pollute the village, a job that brought them a daily wage of VND100,000.

VietNamNet Bridge – Traffic police in several northern localities say they are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to enforce a new law that imposes administrative penalties on people failing to register their ownership of used vehicles.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Along with Viettel, the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and MobiFone plan to reach out to foreign markets.

VietNamNet Bridge – Infrastructure Development Investment Joint Stock Company under the Ministry of Construction is working on plans to transfer Dak Mi 4 and 4C hydropower plants to Dak Mi Hydropower Plant Joint Stock Company

Saltwater intrusion threatens southern region; Four seals forgers nabbed in Binh Duong; Pertussis outbreak detected in Ha Noi; Binh Duong faces Rubella outbreak; Flower sellers expecting Tet sales growth; Tet coach fares to go up 20-60%

Former Ocean Bank chief arrested for economic fraud; Agro, forestry, seafood exports down; Collect $2.4b in arrears, Gov't told; FPT Software targets $1b in 2015 revenue; HCM City targets surge in retail sales; Second-home segment bouncing back

 As many as 41 local enterprises joined the “billion US dollar Club” for recording annual revenues of over 1 billion USD. They were listed among the country’s 500 largest enterprises (VNR500) in 2014.

 A ceremony was held in Berlin, Germany, on January 27 as a start of a series of events to be held throughout 2015 marking the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic relations (1975-2015).

 The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) said it will strictly check and supervise enterprises and organisations recruiting foreigners to better the management of the employees.

 The cooperation between Vietnamese and US nationals plays a crucial component in the normalisation of relations between the two countries, according to outcomes from a forum held in Hanoi on January 27.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries (Vinacomin) Group plans to sell 35 million tons of coal domestically, but its most loyal customers are hesitant to sign contracts.

VietNamNet Bridge – This morning a military helicopter lost communication during a training flight, and nearly two hours later, the wreck was detected on a farm in Binh Chanh District in HCM City.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Let’s review the 10 beauty queens who brought fame to Vietnam at international beauty contests.

Mekong Delta Green Tourism Week 2015; Strong inbound tourism arrivals for January; Quang Binh supports tourist accommodation construction

Reforming training curricula with a focus on applied sciences and producing graduates who can satisfy employers’ requirements are two solutions that universities plan to apply to current tertiary-level programs.

 US technology giant Apple has reported the biggest quarterly profit ever made by a public company.