VIETNAM TODAY

Imported fruit from Thailand are expanding their presence in the Vietnamese marketplace thanks to their good quality and price, much to the chagrin of Chinese fruit growers.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced the recognition of the Ok-Om-Bok festival as the 4th national intangible cultural heritage of southern Tra Vinh province.

Thousands of photographers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are expected to attend Canon PhotoMarathon – an annual Quick Photo Composing Competition –organized by Canon Marketing Vietnam Limited Company.

The Asian Book of Records recorded a new record for an 84-year-old Vietnamese man after he climbed Fansipan Mountain for the fourth time.

The Vietnamese film “Lua Phat” (Once Upon A Time in Vietnam) will be screened at the third ASEAN Film Festival scheduled to take place in Prague, the Czech Republic from September 9-13.

Bulldozers yesterday began clearing the 114-ha site for the construction of the US$575-million Dak Nong aluminium smelting plant in this Central Highland province.

The Ministry of Health has issued a new circular to tighten regulations on conduct of medical check-ups and treatment for charity.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the main pro-Russian rebel leader said they would both order ceasefires on Friday, provided that an agreement is signed on a new peace plan to end the five-month war in Ukraine's east.

Vietnam has jumped up two ranks to 68th place among 144 economies worldwide, according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15 which the World Economic Forum (WEF) released on Wednesday in Geneva.

The Department of Education and Training in Nghe An Province reported that 660 students did not re-register for classes in this new school year.

The northern border province of Lao Cai on September 4 gave 100 tonnes of rice to residents of Ludian county, Zhaotong city in the Chinese province of Yunnan to help them overcome the consequence of the earthquake in August.

There has been a trend among the rich in Hanoi and HCM City to buy push-bikes for prices riaching as much as VND560 million (USD26,660).

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong beat a drum on the occasion of the beginning of the new academic year on September 4 at Hanoi’s Nguyen Gia Thieu high school, which he attended nearly 60 years ago.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh has praised Vietnam–Japan special Ambassador Sugi Ryotaro’s practical contributions to developing cooperative relations between the two countries over the past 20 years.

The glitzy and glamorous Pham Thuy Vy Victoria was crowned Miss Vietnam Globe International 2014 at the finals competition held in Atlantic City, the US recently.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given his stamp of approval for an unprecedented renewable energy project utilising wind power, with funds mainly provided by the German Government.

Taliban insurgents detonated two powerful truck bombs outside the office of Afghanistan's spy agency and a police compound in the central town of Ghazni on Thursday, killing 18 people and wounding around 150, the provincial governor said.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh on September 4 criticised China’s recent decision to launch tours of the Paracel archipelago of Vietnam.

Over 600 ceramic antiques are on display at a two-month exhibition which opened at the beginning of September in the southern province of An Giang.