The panorama of agriculture and the rural is grey and bleak. Farmers have to "tighten their belts" because their income is decreasing since they suffer more "shocks" from natural disasters, epidemics and market fluctuations.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Southernmost Ca Mau Province is in danger of sinking below sea level in the next few decades due to over-exploitation of underground water if something isn't done urgently.

 VietNamNet Bridge - Photographer Do Manh Cuong captured the daily life of special twin brothers who are suffering from albinism in the central province of Ha Tinh.

webtretho.com and lamchame.com, the forums of the parents and consumers, have become the big threat to Vietnamese producers, because the forums’ members there may kill them one day with just their comments.

 VietNamNet Bridge – In the past few years, the income of Vietnam’s top chess player Le Quang Liem has increased remarkably, thanks to funding from sponsors and bonus from international chess competitions.

VietNamNet Bridge – Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, sweating like a farmer in the field, artisan Dang Van Trinh digs clay to make pottery at the only remaining ceramics workshop in My Thien Village, in the central province of Quang Ngai.

VietNamNet Bridge – The U.S. will continue to support Vietnam in training personnel for disease fighting and infectious diseases prevention, said Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services,

VietNamNet Bridge –Viet Nam's poverty rate is estimated at around 10 per cent but the number of people who do not achieve social well-being is believed to be much higher. It's necessary to go beyond income when defining people's experiences.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Snail is a popular snack in Hoi An, sold by many street vendors. After consumption, the shells are discarded. People consider them worthless.

VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly deputies expressed concern over increasing wastefulness in almost all sectors during a discussion of the revised Law on Practicing Thrift and Fighting Wastefulness on Tuesday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Drought and seawater intrusion have destroyed nearly 6,000ha of summer-autumn rice in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Chinese businessmen continue rousing the Vietnamese farm produce market, “deploying troops” at all market segments and applying the same attack methods.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s futsal club, Thai Son Nam, will encounter strong Japanese opponents Nagoya Oceans at the upcoming 2013 AFC Futsal Club Championship from August 27 to September 1.

VietNamNet Bridge – The French band, Lo’Jo, will perform at HCM City’s Institute for Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on June 25 and Hanoi’s French Cultural Centre L' Espace on June 27.

The voice of the farmers does not have a rightful place in policies. Inequality in giving the State's priority and support for the agricultural sector compared with other sectors still exists, commented VietNamNet’s readers.

A group of international researchers announced Thursday they have successfully created an ultra-high resolution three-dimensional human brain map by assembling images of thousands of brain sections from a deceased 65-year-old woman.

VietNamNet Bridge – Domestic and foreign visitors to HCMC can find it easier to obtain useful information, advice and support via the Internet, phone hotline or travel information centers as the city is working on a project

 ADB-funded project brings power to Lai Chau province; Strong growth forecast for high-tech export sector; Local products get thumbs up; Sai Gon Co.op opens supermarket

The State Bank of Viet Nam has said that it would closely monitor exchange rate movements and balance of payment figures to manage the rate in a manner that would encourage dong holdings and limit shifting to US dollar holdings.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam Deputy Defense Minister - Sen. Lieut. Gen. Do Ba Ty – paid a visit to the Pentagon on June 20, marking a milestone in the US-Vietnam relations nearly 40 years after the Vietnam War.