VIETNAM TODAY

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh hosted a year-end get-together with the diplomatic corps in Hanoi on February 4, assuring them that Vietnam is determined to deepen ties with countries globally in 2015.

Some 100 couples will take part in a kissing competition on the Valentine's Day in Hanoi, with judges to choose the 10 best pairs of kissers.

The death toll from a TransAsia Airways plane that crashed into a Taipei river shortly after taking off has risen to 31, Taiwanese officials said.

Juvenile offenders at rehabilitation centres and children aged 18 and under at city shelters will receive gifts and scholarships during an entertainment programme in HCM City on February 18 (Lunar New Year Eve).

Two of Vietnam’s newly recognised professors are the youngest and oldest persons receiving this title in the country since 1974, at 37 and 81 years of age.

Police and airline investigations into the theft of tens of thousands of litres of aviation fuel are making little progress in working out how the theft was done.

The King of the Belgians, Philippe, applauded the sound relationship between his nation and Vietnam across a variety of fields at a February 3 reception for Vietnam Ambassador in Belgium Vuong Thua Phong who came to present his credentials.

The southernmost province of Ca Mau will temporarily close the U Minh Ha cajuput forest from February 4 till the end of April as the dry season poses a high risk of catching fires for the area.

A Taiwanese flight carrying 58 people banked sharply onto its side, clipped a highway bridge and careened into a shallow river Wednesday shortly after taking off from Taipei, killing at least 23 people and leaving 20 missing.

Dang Thi Minh Thu will represent Vietnam at the Innovation Camp on February 22 organised by the British Council and Yamaguchi City Foundation for Cultural Promotion.

The Hanoi Vertical Run, Vietnam's highest stair climbing race, will step off on April 18 at Landmark 72, Vietnam's tallest building.

The State Bank of Vietnam has announced that it will acquire all the equity of the Vietnam Construction Bank as part of banking reforms.

A tour boat on an overnight cruise of Ha Long Bay caught fire, but swift action by crew and the calm response by passengers resulted in the safe evacuation of all on board.

Jordan will execute Wednesday an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber on death row and other jihadists after having vowed to avenge the murder of a Jordanian pilot by Islamic State jihadists, an official said.

Vietnam has taken the maximum effort and collaborated with international and regional countries to fight avian influenza H5N1, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said.

Vaccination programme failures are posing a major risk of spreading potentially fatal contagious diseases among children as small outbreaks spread in the northern region of Vietnam, a health official has warned.

Professor Carl Thayer, a leading expert on Southeast Asia, talked about the maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

Vietnamese manufacturing continued to strengthen in January, supported by a further growth in new orders, according to HSBC's Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index monthly report released yesterday.

The capital city of Hanoi's People's Committee has decided to stage five high-range fireworks displays, alongside 25 smaller ones, across the city on the Lunar New Year's Eve.