Society

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended the fourth Japan-Mekong Summit, which took place in Tokyo on April 21, under the chair of Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda.

France is set to vote in a presidential election amid widespread disaffection caused by the eurozone crisis and high unemployment.

Two art lovers, a lecturer at Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts and a lawyer from Germany have opened a multi-national classroom for Vietnamese lacquer painting.

A pilot programme to teach natural science subjects in English at high schools for the gifted has proven ineffective because of a lack of qualified criteria.

Hanoi is seeking over VND161 trillion of investment to convert itself into a national and regional big trade centre.

Protesters clashed with riot police in Bahrain overnight, witnesses said on Saturday, raising security fears ahead of this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix race in the Gulf kingdom.

The Hanoi municipal government has decided to ban the use of pavements and roads for parking on several more streets.

Amendments will be made to Viet Nam's tax agent regulations to boost effectiveness, an official said.

From June, tourists will receive VAT refunds for the goods they have purchased in Vietnam when leaving the country via Hanoi's Noi Bai or Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat airports.

Four Vietnamese tennis players flew to Iran on April 20 to take part in the Davis Cup 2012 tournament.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon made a call to double global consumption of renewable energy over the next two decades in order to ensure sustainable economic development.

The retail price of petrol hiked up again in Vietnam when A92 fuel is sold at VND23,800 a liter, up 900 dong a liter, according to a decision approved by the Ministry of Finance.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan received visiting Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai in Hanoi.

A passenger airliner crashed near Islamabad, officials said, with all 127 people on board believed dead.

Over 40 kilometres of separation lanes are being installed on key roads, where traffic accidents usually occur, in HCM City, at the cost of over $2.2 million.

The deportation of Osama bin Laden's family from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia will take at least a few more days and is being discussed between the two countries, their lawyer said.

It could take authorities 18 months to complete a national study into the spate of unexplained vehicle fires, an official said.

The economic restructuring plan was put forward for discussion at the National Assembly Standing Committee’s session for the first time on April 19.

Disabled Chinese ballet dancers Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei will perform in Hanoi in a charity show this weekend.