VIETNAM TODAY

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong arrived in Seoul on October 1 afternoon, starting his four-day visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) at the invitation of President Park Geun-hye.

The inauguration of a direct Singapore-Phu Quoc air route provides the opportunity for further development of the economic possibilities between Vietnam and Singapore, particularly offering up opportunities to boost the region’s image as a top family holiday destination.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, has named the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology a Travelers’ Choice Museum and one of the top 25 most attractive museums in Asia.

The Vietnamese passport has been ranked the 81st in the world for travel, as its holders now have visa-free access to 45 countries around the globe.

Many Hanoi residents are facing water shortages for the past 20 days, making daily life very difficult.

A former judge of the People’s Supreme Procuracy has been charged for wrongly imprisoning a Bac Giang man for ten years.

The construction plan for Long Thanh International Airport, which is expected to cost USD6 billion in the first phase, will be submitted to the NA for consideration.

If the US lifted its ban on the sale of lethal arms to Vietnam it would mark a positive move in bilateral relations, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen said.

Vietnam is keen on attracting more investment from Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises to help develop the nation's support industries, President Truong Tan Sang said yesterday.

Resent inspections revealed that billions of VND have been misappropriated by officials in Quang Binh Province, known for its high rate of poor households.

ASEAN and Australia have reaffirmed their shared commitment to boost their comprehensive partnership during the fourth meeting of the ASEAN-Australia Joint Cooperation Committee (AAJCC) concluded in Jakarta recently.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters thronged the streets of Hong Kong early on Wednesday, ratcheting up pressure on the pro-Beijing government that has called the action illegal, with both sides marking uneasy National Day celebrations.

Kien Giang provincial authorities have announced that, not only would Phu Quoc Island become an economic zone, it would also welcome casinos.

The French Agency for Development (AFD) has pledged 20 million EUR (25.4 million USD) in loan for the fourth tranche of the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC) in Vietnam.

A recent report shows that consumption of products made from wild species is on the rise in Vietnam due to superstitions about the uses.

Nearly 55 delegates from 18 nations from Asian region and Hong Kong gathered in Yokohama, Japan on September 30 for the 10th Heads of Asian Coast Guards Agencies Meeting.

The unemployment rate among young people aged between 15 and 24 saw a sharp increase of 6.31% in the first nine months of 2014, three times higher than the country’s average figure (2.12%), according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

FIDE master Nguyen Anh Khoi of Vietnam beat Russian player Andrey Esipenko on September 29, taking the trophy of the U12 World Chess Championships in Durban, South Africa.