Vietnam has submitted its first Biennial Update Reports (BUR) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 20) held recently in Lima, Peru.

 Vietnamese students earned four gold, three silver and two bronze medals on December 17 at the ongoing 17th ASEAN University Games (AUG 17) in Palembang, Indonesia.

 Two Long nao trees, scientifically known as Cinnamomum Camphora, at Bao Dai Palace in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak officially received the Vietnam Heritage Tree title at a ceremony on December 17.

VietNamNet Bridge – Ben Thanh Tourist Service Company sold 5.93 million shares to investors at its initial public offering last week at the lowest winning bid of VND21,000 each, double the starting price of VND10,500.

 Vietnam plans to cease the import of 38 kinds of fruits from Australia from 2015, the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on December 17.

 Rescuers are working hard to drain water from the collapsed tunnel section where 12 workers were trapped at the construction site of Da Dang-Da Chomo hydropower plant in Central Highlands Lam Dong province.

 Sierra Leone has begun house-to-house searches in the capital Freetown to find hidden cases of Ebola.

US Pacific Fleet Commander visits Da Nang; Angola’s capital eyes twinning relations with Hanoi; Vietnam wishes to promote all-round cooperation with Pakistan; Vietnamese, Lao border guard units set up twinning ties

The Economy Minister of the United Arab Emirates has called on both UAE and Vietnamese businesses to seize the opportunities offered by the great potential in economic and trade ties between the two countries.

 Vietnam condemns terrorist acts in any form, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Le Hai Binh has said in response to a school attack in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar that left hundreds of people dead and injured on December 16.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Music and Press Club, under the Vietnam Musicians’ Association (VMA), and the Vietnam Journalists’ Association on December 16 announced the top ten Vietnamese musical events and activities of 2014.

 Cuban President Raul Castro has urged the US to end its trade embargo after the two countries opened formal talks on restoring diplomatic relations.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The National Cemetery will be located in Thach That District while the National Funeral Home will be built in Hoai Duc District, according to Hanoi’s announcement of its cemetery development plan to 2030.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The finale of the second Miss Southeast Asia pageant took place last weekend in the city of Yasothon, Thailand with the victory of Vu Tran Trieu Thu from Vietnam.

HCM City People's Committee has approved the conservation plan of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports and the Department of Planning and Architecture for portions of the Saigon Tax Trade Center, which was built more than 100 years ago.  

VietNamNet Bridge – Businesses are “reading between the lines” and assuming that they will not be able to borrow money in foreign currencies from early 2015.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Wooden houses and a villa were built on an area of 3,000 square meters in the Nam Hai Van special-use forest.

VietNamNet Bridge – Days after noted Vietnamese artist Le Pho's View from the Hilltop set a new auction record, art collector Nguyen Minh still has a lingering feeling of regret.

VietNamNet Bridge – The implementation of the national TV digitalization program has encountered a problem as the TV antennas available on the market do not meet technical standards, making it impossible to receive terrestrial digital broadcasting.

VietNamNet Bridge – The final answer by the provincial government of Thua Thien-Hue gives a huge sigh of relief when authorities there, succumbing to grave concerns among the public, decide to cancel a tourism project