VIETNAM TODAY

There have been continual promises to trim the government payroll for years as part of efforts to curb the bureaucracy. But in reality, the central agencies continue to waste funds on wages for excessive vice heads.

A suicide car bomber killed at least 14 people including women and children packed into a minibus at a checkpoint outside a central Iraqi town on Monday morning, police and hospital sources said.

Tran Dai Quang was re-elected as President of Vietnam for the 2016 – 2021 tenure during a plenum of the 14th National Assembly’s first session on July 25.

The seventh Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) issued a joint statement and a MGC Action Plan for 2016-2018 in Vientiane, Laos on July 24.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has set up a special taskforce to supervise Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co.'s operations for three years.

Top Vietnamese and foreign singers will spark the central city of Đà Nẵng during Cocofest on August 26-27.

Travel products including hotel bookings, tour and packages will be auctioned for the first time in Vietnam with the aim to bring more benefits for customers and boost the local travel market.

The 14th National Assembly Standing Committee submitted Tran Dai Quang as a candidate for the position of State President for the 2016-2020 term to the NA during the first session of the 14th NA on July 25.

Tigers have killed one woman and injured another at a wildlife park in Beijing, after the pair left their car inside a safari-style attraction.

International experts encouraged Vietnam to keep close watch on the upcoming developments of the Philippines’ lawsuit against China in order to choose for itself a suitable solution to the East Sea issue.

Nepalese Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli has resigned from the post at a Parliament session on July 24.

A Vietnamese-Australian woman has been arrested at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City while found to attempt to transport five kilos of heroin to Australia.

The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place in Laos’s capital city of Vientiane on July 24 with the participation of 10 Foreign Ministers from ASEAN member countries and the ASEAN Secretary General.

A lawyer for a foreign auto maker in Vietnam has called for the repeal of the current Law on Investment due to its complexity hindering business activities.

Hanoi is the least expensive international destination to travel to according to the TripIndex Cities cost-comparison study released on July 19 by TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site.

Vu Thi Chinh from the High School for Gifted Students under the VNU University of Sciences won the only gold medal for the Vietnamese team at the 27th International Biology Olympiad held in Hanoi.

Vietnam’s consumer prices in July rose slightly, up by 0.13% against the previous month, according to the General Statistics Office.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented certificates of merit and gifts to outstanding individuals who rendered their service to the country’s revolution during a ceremony in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on July 23.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh will attend the 49th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and related meetings in Vientiane, Laos from July 23-26.