VIETNAM TODAY

The HCM City Ballet and Symphony Orchestra will play one of Beethoven's most famous compositions, Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op. 67, or the Symphony of Destiny, at the HCM City Opera House this Saturday.

Australia's prime minister said on Thursday those responsible for shooting down the Malaysian airliner over Ukraine will face judgment, as his nation marked a day of mourning for the 38 Australian citizens and residents who died in the crash.

Fourteen archaeological sites in the northernmost province of Ha Giang have been excavated in the past fortnight, revealing hundreds of relics believed to appear in the prehistoric and protohistoric times, an expert said.

Many Vietnamese airlines firms have asked for help from the government because of the losses they have been taking as a result of tensions over the East Sea.

The National Wage Council on August 6 adopted a proposal on a 15.1% rise in region-based monthly minimum wage in 2015, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh held talks with FM Ri Su Yong of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on August 6 in Hanoi, seeking ways to beef up bilateral ties.

The Vietnam Design Association has announced establishment of an institute of comic books and cartoons in Ho Chi Minh City with an aim to carry out research projects and develop human resources for this sector.

A rare and endangered sea turtle that caught in a fishing net off the coast of Quang Binh Province has been released to the sea.

A police investigation has concluded that lax management at Bo De Pagoda created opportunities for individuals there to exploit orphans and abandoned children in their care.

A 250kg bomb left over from the war in Ha Tinh Province has been detonated in a controlled explosion on August 5.

Vietnam’s GPD will continue to grow despite low credit growth, according to recent HSBC’s report on Vietnam at a glance.

The Thai Commerce Ministry has been resolved to set up around 1,000 cheap restaurants across Bangkok in a bid to help ease rising costs of living for residents.

Recent tensions in the East Sea after China’s illegal placement of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf were the topic of a recent seminar of the Asian Commission of the Argentine

A bus ran into a cliff in the central highlands province of Lam Dam on August 5, killing three and seriously injuring 17 people.

A fund has been established, called "One Million Trees for Vietnam", that has gone to plant 40,000 trees around several historical sites at Dien Bien Phu.

President Truong Tan Sang has told US Senator and ranking member of the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker that Vietnam is ready to expand economic and trade ties with the US.

Japan is marking the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and Mayor Kazumi Matsui called on U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders to visit the city to see the scars of the atomic bombing first hand.

The draw for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup was held at the Sheraton hotel in Hanoi on August 5.

Many traditional craft villages in Vietnam have yet to create effective marketing strategies, making it difficult to broaden their markets.