VIETNAM TODAY

European pork, beef and other meat imported into Vietnam skyrocketed more than 70 fold from 2012 to 2014, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Singaporeans vote in snap elections Friday that the opposition hopes will dramatically boost its presence in parliament and challenge half a century of ruling party domination, after huge crowds attended its campaign rallies.

With less than four months before the ASEAN Economic Community comes into force, most all of the nation’s small businesses still lack an in-depth understanding of the importance of the single regional market.

At its September regular resolution, the Government tasks ministries, agencies and localities to ensure macro-economic stability and fulfill socio-economic goals set for 2015.

Illegal Vietnamese workers abroad and particularly in the Republic of Korea who voluntarily return home from September 1 to December 31 this year will not be imposed with any administrative penalties, an official said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will lead a high-ranking delegation to Laos for a working visit on September 13-14.

National men’s football team of Vietnam secured their first win at the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying round after overcoming Taipei 2-1 at the Taipei Municipal Stadium in Chinese Taiwan on September 8.

The 36th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly convened in Malaysia on September 8 under the theme “Engaging a People-Oriented, People-Centred ASEAN Community Towards Inclusiveness”.

Deputy PM Vu Van Ninh, Head the Inter-sector Steering Committee for Economic International Integration, left Hanoi for a working visit to the UK, Switzerland and the European Union from September 8-18.

Credit growth rate in the eight months to August reached 9.54 percent and is expected to top the forecast 17 percent for the whole year, the SBV said.

Cooperation measures to tackle soil contaminated with Agent Orange/ dioxin sprayed by the US army during the war in Vietnam were discussed by experts from Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.

Ha Long city will host the Miss Tourism International 2015 beauty pageant from November 10 to 30.

Beneath Stone and Water is a short novel worth reading and reflected upon - A Thoughtful Reflection on Human-to-Human Relationships. Written by the young author Tien Vo who is a senior at a boarding Phillips Academy Andover.

Son Doong Cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in central Quang Binh Province has topped Smithsonian magazine's list of 25 Great New Places to see in the 21 Century.

A police major in Kien Giang province shot and killed a man who attacked a local woman and then tried to drown her newborn baby in a water tank.

Vietjet has announced the launch of its latest domestic routes connecting the Central Highlands city of Pleiku with Hanoi and HCM City.

The fifth annual “Europe meets Asia in contemporary dance” festival is set to get underway in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from September 30 to October 4.

Vietnamese universities will be classified into three groups based on the training they offer under a decree issued by the government, which will assess them on research, application and practice.

A company in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has been fined VND8m (USD381) for provocative advertising.