A book festival will officially kick off tomorrow to commemorate Viet Nam's first ever Book Day on April 21, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications.

 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has assigned several ministries and Hanoi capital to work with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and relevant agencies to pull the plug on the hosting of the 2019 Asian Games (ASIAD 18).

HCM City rescues 21 endangered animals; Two students drown in Quang Nam lake; Ha Noi preps for rainy season; HCM City kindergartens need funding aid; Failure to address water pollution has consequences

 VietNamNet Bridge – The number of graduates produced by Vietnam universities every year is 10 times demand.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Two big laptop recalls have been reported just within the first four months of 2014. The previous years also witnessed similar cases.

After a family in Quoc Oai District, Hanoi, drilled a well, subsidence occurred in the neighborhood, unnerving locals. Geological experts say the phenomenon may have been caused by underground caverns and the weak soil or sand layers above them.

 NA committee discusses 2012 budget, casino business; Vietnam, Germany promote legislation relations; Vietnam-India strategic partnership develops well; Vietnam, Russia discuss extending partnership areas

 UK Minister without Portfolio and Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party Grant Shapps has voiced his support for ongoing negotiations of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Union to be signed in 2014.

 VietNamNet Bridge – As credit gets stuck, banks have had to inject their money into government bonds.

 Vietnam considers the US one of the leading partners in its foreign policy, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong told Patrick Leahy, President pro tempore of the US Senate, in Hanoi on April 17.

 VietNamNet Bridge – VND34 trillion:  a 34 followed by 12 zeroes. That’s the price tag ($1.6 billion in US dollars) that the Ministry of Education and Training puts on its program to renovate the school system’s textbooks.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The 2014 Asian Games (17th ASIAD) promises to be memorable for Vietnamese swimming as top Vietnamese swimmers Nguyen Thi Anh Vien and Hoang Quy Phuoc are prepared to compete for top honours,

 Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung has confirmed that her shooting team are confident of winning their first ever gold medal at the upcoming Asian Games (ASIAD) in South Korea.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen My Ha reports from the scene of the Dien Bien Phu battle, 60 years later. Filled with scenic landscapes and country-style food, her road trip also offered insight into the momentous historic occasion.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Hanoi Party Secretary Pham Quang Nghi has maintained that changes to the design of Truong Chinh Road were not implemented for personal interests.

 VietNamNet Bridge – An extreme weather pattern is striking the south-central, Central Highlands and southern regions due to the transition from the dry season to the rainy one, The Saigon Times Daily has reported.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam now has an estimated 200,000 children who suffer from autism and the number is increasing.

 VietNamNet Bridge – While Da Nang City persists with its struggle to demand hydropower plants return water to the Vu Gia River, the Quang Nam provincial authorities insist on it being routed to the Thu Bon River.

 The banking sector is likely to see a series of merger and acquisition deals in the next few months after a series of banks announced their plans to merge with other credit institutions.

SOEs stakes may be sold at discount rates; Trade surplus hits over US$1.08 billion in Q1; Local company imports a batch of Japan’s Koi fish; Banking, insurance firms draw complaints; Tobacco lobby pushes for tax increase delay