VietNamNet Bridge – As the Christmas party goes on, sight-impaired youngsters surround Joe Edwards, holding his hands. Unable to see their ‘Santa Claus', they still look into his eyes, showing their admiration.

 VietNamNet Bridge – About 70 per cent of primary school teachers in HCM City find it impossible to make ends meet on their current incomes, according to a survey conducted in nine districts.

People are seeking special and rare things for the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet holiday). Among them are peacocks, odd-shaped fruits, and Dong Tao chickens. Below are expensive and unusual Tet gifts this year:

 Businesses in the agriculture sector, especially breeding, would be most vulnerable to the effects of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with bigger partners.

After nearly 30 years of Vietnam's reform process (from January 1, 1987 to December 30, 2013), the NA and the NA Standing Committee adopted 483 laws and ordinances, eight times higher than the figure of 41 years ago.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Covering complex topics like love and treason, the epic poem The Tale of Kieu still resonates more than two centuries later.

Thach Xa commune in Hanoi’s suburban Thach That district has been well-known for many years for its unique traditional craft product – the bamboo dragonfly. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Huy Quang, director of the Legal Department under the Ministry of Health, spoke to the newspaper Suc Khoe & Doi Song (Health and Life) on Viet Nam's gender reassignment surgery policy.

E-retailing or e-commerce has become popular in Vietnam since 2004 with the number of online customers having been on the rise. Many foreign giants have entered the Vietnamese market recently creating a race forcing local firms

 Apple Inc said it will launch its payment service in China as soon as 2016, pitting it against entrenched Chinese rivals Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings.

 Indonesia will deploy more than 150,000 security personnel and several religious organizations to safeguard churches and public places around the country during Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, the military chief said late on Friday.

A string of investment preference policies on corporate income tax, land lease, finance, export, as well as loss carryforward have been introduced with a view to luring investors to encouraging investment areas and fields.

 Fifteen leading Vietnamese Xiangqi (Chinese chess) masters and five invitees from China, Malaysia and Singapore are challenging themselves in the unprecedented 2015 International Stars Tournament.

 Hanoi People's Committee launched a Facebook page at the beginning of December and said it would establish a presence on other social networks to better promote its policies and connect with the public.

 Le Thi Ha Thu, a Vietnamese beauty, who listed in the top-17 most-beautiful beauties around the world in the final round of Miss Intercontinental 2015 and received the title of ‘Most Favorite Contestant’.

 The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines is launching promotional program on local routes from now until December 30.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Situated at an altitude of nearly 1,400 meters above sea level, Suoi Giang in Van Chan district, Yen Bai province is the home to the oldest tea trees in Vietnam.

 HSBC consolidated all of its business in Vietnam into HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd. (HSBC Vietnam) and liquidated the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Hanoi Branch (HBAP Hanoi) on December 16.

VietNamNet Bridge - Foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) account for less than 25 percent of total number of footwear enterprises, but make up 77 percent of total export value. 

 VietNamNet Bridge – Art calendars showcasing personal photos and memorable moments have recently become popular among Vietnamese.