The draft political report, which will be submitted to the upcoming 12th National Party Congress, was the focus of the third working day of the 10th plenum of the Party Central Committee on January 7.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked the US to adopt a more flexible approach to the negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) for the agreement’s early signing while receiving new US Ambassador Theodore Osius in Hanoi on January 7.

VietNamNet Bridge – Laos should be warned that the economic benefits it can expect from the Don Sahong hydropower plant are very modest compared with the damages it may cause, scientists say.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The health of the business community is expected to show progress this year along with institutional reforms that should improve the business climate and competitiveness.

 VietNamNet Bridge – UNESCO's recognition of vi and giam folk songs as intangible cultural heritages of humanity is a top 10 culture event of the year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced.

 VietNamNet Bridge - After 10 years of implementation, the Urban Upgrading Project has brought a new face to Ho Chi Minh City, benefiting millions of people, especially the poor.

VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will focus on dealing with land-related violations and speeding up administrative reforms in the sector this year.

VietNamNet Bridge - Begging in Hanoi has been restricted thanks to the local government’s efforts, but the number of homeless foreigners has doubled after three years.

VietNamNet Bridge – The total stock assets of the 50 richest Vietnamese women in 2014 increased by VND5 trillion from the year before.

An actor who appeared in James Bond films and as a Jedi master in the Star Wars franchise has collapsed and died during a theatre rehearsal.

A trial of a potential drug to treat Ebola has started at a Medecins Sans Frontieres centre in Liberia.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Chinese Business Association in Vietnam and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China have proposed to expand the scope of payments in yuan.

VietNamNet Bridge – Officials who passed the entry test to work in the Competition Administration Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in 2013 may be fired for cheating on the test.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese-American singer and composer Trinh Nam Son will stage a solo performance in HCM City this Saturday at a special show for fans celebrating his 30-year career.  

VietNamNet Bridge – A proposal by the Chinese Business Association and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for making payments in renminbi, or the Chinese yuan, in Viet Nam has met with opposition.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam has moved up 28 ranks in the International Tennis Federation's latest junior ranking to be placed at the 42nd spot.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Of over 1,000 species of orchids found in Vietnam, there are species with special colors - black or dark purple – which are rare in the wild.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Along with late composer Trinh Cong Son, the names of seven famous artists will be given to roads in District 9 in Ho Chi Minh City.

 The tail of crashed AirAsia flight QZ8501 has been found in the Java Sea, Indonesian searchers say.

VietNamNet Bridge – Seven construction incidents executed by Chinese contractors within a short period of time have raised major concerns.