Hanoi police confiscate smuggled animal organs; Man accused of stealing from poor; Operations of leather tannery suspended for environment pollution; Excessive pressure on children to study

A contest looking for architectural ideas for the Old Quarter in Hanoi concluded on November 4 with the first prize going to Italian architect Masimo Alvisi and his Vietnamese colleague Nguyen Dinh Thanh.

 Bailout disbursed in dribs and drabs into real estate; SBV puts forward plan to increase lending given low credit growth; Vietnam Airlines to sell 2.7pct stake in Techcombank; Gov’t asked to contain inflation to attract more investors

 VietNamNet Bridge – The southern province of Dong Nai has approved a 74 billion VND (3.52 million USD) for emergency conservation of wild elephant project in the period of 2014-2020.

VietNamNet Bridge – According to the National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Center, many new storms are starting to brew in the East Sea even while Storm ‘Krosa’ continues to move rapidly towards the waters of Paracel Islands in the East Sea.

 A giant extinct species of the platypus with powerful teeth has been discovered in Australia, with a scientist on Tuesday describing the duck-billed water animal as a "Godzilla" like monster.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam have won three gold, three silver and five bronze medals at the eighth World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Bali, Indonesia, ranking second behind South Korea, the sport's creators.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Of the VND6.5 trillion worth of debts the Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) has bought so far, 67 percent is in the real estate sector.

 VietNamNet Bridge - “Thor: The Dark World”, “Ender's Game”, “Las Vegas” or “Snowpiercer” are the most significant movies on the big screen this month.

 VietNamNet Bridge - To welcome the return of Vietnamese striker Le Cong Vinh after his recovery from a knee injury, the fans in Japan "dyed" the Sapporo Dome Stadium in red with the Vietnamese flags.

 VietNamNet Bridge - On a flight of an international airline to Tan Son Nhat airport on November 3, a drunk male passenger "passed water" on a female passenger because he thought she was ... the toilet.

By October 31, the deadline for registration for the Vietnam Tourism Ambassador selection, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism did not receive any new profile, except for the five candidates who registered from early this year.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday stressed the importance of the German-U.S. alliance, adding that an ongoing debate on whether to grant Edward Snowden asylum must not hamper bilateral ties.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese scientists have discovered a new species of Phallus mushrooms in the Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park in the central highland province of Lam Dong.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Visiting Tram Chim bird sanctuary, you will see lush mangrove forests and hear songs performed by thousands of birds.

Vietnam is willing to listen to foreign investors and facilitate their investments in the country, President Truong Tan Sang has said.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam vows to reduce the foreign currency deposit ratio to 15 percent by 2015 and stop the dollarization by 2020

 VietNamNet Bridge - The national dress of the Vietnamese representative at the 2013 Miss Universe ranked fourth in the top ten best national dresses on Missosology, a world-prestigious website on international beauty contests.

VietNamNet Bridge – Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat has asked municipal and provincial People's Committees to strengthen inspections and punish violations relating to breeding, transporting and distributing golden snails.

Experts have warned that the transitional period from an aging population to an aged population in Vietnam will be about 18-20 years, much shorter than in other countries such as France, Sweden, the US and Japan.