VIETNAM TODAY

A new trend among well-to-do Vietnamese families is to gold plate favourite household items for luck or to show off their wealth.

South Korea's president apologized Tuesday for the government's inept initial response to a deadly ferry sinking as divers fought strong currents in their search for nearly 100 passengers still missing nearly two weeks after the accident.

Hanoi police have arrested four Chinese nationals for forging credit cards to withdraw cash, the Police Department for High-Tech Crime Prevention under the Hanoi Police said on April 28.

The Vietnamese Embassy to the UK on April 28 hosted an annual meeting of the Executive Board of the Medical and Scientific Aid for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (MSAVLC).

Hand, foot and mouth disease has affected more than 17,400 people nation-wide this year, while Vietnam still struggles with measles.

An exhibition showcasing autographs of famous personalities from all over the world will open to the public in Hanoi on Friday.

Vietnam is preparing to celebrate the United Nations Day of Vesak 2014 (the day of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death) at Bai Dinh Temple in the northern province of Ninh Binh from May 7-11.

North Korea said it will conduct live fire drills on Tuesday in two areas near a disputed sea border with South Korea, the South Korean ministry of defense said on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese Government will do its utmost to create optimum conditions for businesses to improve productivity, quality, operational efficiency and competitiveness.

Vietnam welcomed over 3 million foreign tourists in the first four months of 2014, a surge of 27.3 percent over the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office.

A bus route linking Dong Hoi railway station to General Giap’s tomb in Quang Binh Province will soon be open.

The Philippines and the US on April 28 signed a 10-year defence pact that will allow American forces to expand their rotational presence in the country and have greater access to Filipino bases.

Vietnam's public debt may be 25% more than the country’s total state revenues this year and it may climb to 30% in coming years, according to the head of the Vietnam Institute of Economics.

A fact-finding tour to film the city was made by reporters from the Thai Public Relations Department (PRD) from April 22-26 as part of its cooperation programme with the Vietnam News Agency.

An international conference in Hanoi on April 28 heard that the village has taken good care of war veterans and children suffering from impact of the chemical.

The chance of finding floating debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner has become highly unlikely, and a new phase of the search will focus on a far larger area of the Indian Ocean floor, Australian Prime Minister Tony

Parents in HCM City have begun their race to find the best primary schools for their children even though the new academic year is still months away.

The International Monetary Fund said Monday Hong Kong property prices are set to see adjustments following years of boom.

Many streets in Hanoi faced serious flooding even though the city spent thousands of billions of VND on infrastructure improvements.