Private equity investors downbeat about Vietnam’s outlook; Testing process overload hinders energy labeling; Ministry in talks for foreign loans; PetroVietnam seeks partners; Ministry defends VAT freeze

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam has outstripped India to become the world’s largest pepper exporter thanks to its fast growing cultivated area. 

Export processing enterprises would have to have no more than 10 percent of turnover from the sales of their products to the domestic market if the draft decree on industrial zone and export processing zone management is approved.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The public needs to be better informed about climate change and the effects it can have on their health, officials have urged.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Any hydropower project that fails to satisfy the requirements for safety, environment and resettlement will be removed from planning, stated Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) will scrutinise the quality of foreign language teachers at tertiary level starting in November and build a training plan for future teachers.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vinh Chau town in the southern province of Soc Trang has up to 828 people who are blind, including 267 people who are blind in both eyes and 561 in one eye.

  Firecrackers' inspections stepped up ahead of festivals; Enhance measures to access family planning; VN has 15,000 students in US; Ministry prepares for clean, strong public admin system

 VietNamNet Bridge – Despite taking a course on how to care for your baby, nothing could prepare Nguyen Phuong An (not her real name) for the nightmare of single-handedly raising an infant while still being a child herself.

VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City authorities chose 5 wards to carry out a pilot model on fighting crime. If it works, the model will be implemented in other places. VietNamNet returned to these "hot spot" to check it out.

Despite the reported high inventories, investors still pour money into cement projects.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam did not intend to encourage the application of 4G technology right now in order to ensure the investment efficiency of mobile network operators,

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Hue Centre for Monuments Conservation and the UNESCO World Heritage Institute under the Japanese-based Waseda University on Tuesday broke ground for restoration of Dien Phuoc Princess Temple i

 VietNamNet Bridge – The spontaneous migration of ethic groups indigenous to the mountainous area in the northern part of Viet Nam down to the Central Highlands was on the upward trend and induced a number of social issues.

VietNamNet Bridge – Representatives from authorised publishing houses have raised their concerns about the increase in illegally printed books in Viet Nam, which they say are seriously affecting their business and reputation.  

It is certain that the credit growth rate in 2012 would be very low, which means that the national economy would lack capital. However, bankers say it is impossible to push up credit until the “bad debt iceberg” is demolished.

VietNamNet Bridge - During our visit to the Trang An wetland area in Ninh Binh, we unexpectedly entered a primeval forest and saw a giant si tree, which covers an entire valley and a few mountains by its canopy.

Vietnamese hi-tech product distributors have been actively advertising for China-made tablets, because the products can bring super-profit to them.

Antique collectors of Da Nang City have introduced 150 rare artifacts from the Ly -Tran dynasties to the Nguyen dynasty, which give the viewers a multi-dimensional view of the cultural life of Vietnamese people over thousands of years.

The owners of well souvenir brands seem to “forget” to make the products for popular tourists. Small production workshops can make low cost products, but they do not fit travelers’ taste.