The Japanese government is considering an initiative to grant visa exemption for citizens from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, in an effort to turn Japan into an attractive tourist destination.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam needs to support efforts to protect the environment with forceful laws, Colonel Doan Huu Chau, head of Ha Noi's environment police, told newspaper Kinh te & Do thi (Economic and Urban Affairs).

 Deputy PM encourages Vietnam-US environment cooperation; Vietnam strengthens ties with Morocco; German Parliament Vice President visits Vietnam; Vietnam attends high-level global development meeting

 Vietnam and Japan signed and exchanged a diplomatic note on the enactment of their agreement on double tax avoidance and tax evasion prevention, at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 15.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has abundant human resources in agriculture, but has not utilised them properly, Nguyen Van Bo, director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told Nong thon Ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper.

 VietNamNet Bridge – This small community in the southern province of Dong Nai has earned itself the moniker, “Twin village”. Located on National Highway 1A, Hung Hiep Village makes itself home to 40 sets of twins.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Tax Bureau of the central province of Quang Nam has decided to take coercive methods to collect taxes from the two biggest gold mining firms in Vietnam, Phuoc Son and Bong Mieu.

On Sunday, seven students in Lai Chau were swept away while crossing the Nam Mu River. Six were rescued and one remains missing. Local authorities claim that the incident was caused by an unscheduled water discharge from a nearby hydropower plant.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A man in the central province of Binh Thuan was killed on Monday when a landmine in the field he was farming exploded.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ninh Binh FC will quit the V-League but will continue its planned competition at the AFC Cup.

Mr. Vo Van Thuong, former First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union and Party Secretary of Quang Ngai Province, received on Monday the Politburo’s blessing to hold the position of Deputy Party Secretary of HCM City to 2015.

 Bau Truc in central Vietnam is worth visiting as it offers travelers an opportunity to observe a unique way of making pottery items and purchase pottery household appliances of different shapes.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Some Vietnamese economists are worried about the increasing influence of Chinese on Vietnam in trade, technology, and investment. They argue that, if Vietnam blindly follows the Chinese way, it will fail.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Small banks merging into bigger banks is becoming a growing trend in Vietnam. This is what the State Bank wants to see to implement its plan to halve the number of commercial banks after three years.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The hot season is approaching, but instead of going to the beach to cool off, what about heading to the mountains? We've got just the place in mind: Pac Rang Hamlet in northern Cao Bang Province, about 320km from Ha Noi.

 The National Assembly Standing Committee yesterday questioned the feasibility of a US$1.7 billion national draft project to reform school textbooks and curricula, saying that it was too costly and lacked clear direction.

 Investors in Vietnam are entitled to receive basic rights as decreed by the government, including:  Autonomy in investment/business:

 VietNamNet Bridge – Unable to access the city’s tap-water resources, Ho Chi Minh City’s suburbanites must use water from wells they dig themselves. But the underground water is getting seriously polluted.

 Two Vietnamese trademarks enjoy US protection certificate; Ho Chi Minh City announces socio-economic overall plan; Real estate sector ranks second in FDI attraction; Rice exports earn high revenue; VND25 billion for promotion programme

 VietNamNet Bridge – Scientists have reported that experiments in making steel from red sludge, a by-product of producing aluminium, offers a solution to environmental problems in the bauxite-alumina project in the Central Highlands.