VIETNAM TODAY

Vietnam gives top priority to developing bilateral ties with Japan to bring mutual benefits and meet the two people’s expectations, President Truong Tan Sang has told Japanese Emperor Akihito in Tokyo on March 17.

The protection forest along the coast of Tien Giang Province's Go Cong Dong District has become seriously eroded, endangering the lives of local residents and damaging farmland.

Over 300 delegates from around the globe gathered in Hue city for a March 15-16 dialogue addressing global standards for education reform.

South Korea called Monday for the North to stop its "provocative" rocket tests, after the launch of dozens of rockets in recent weeks -- most recently Sunday -- that Seoul says threaten regional security.

The State Bank of Vietnam will set aside VND8 trillion in preferential credit to buy rice from farmers under a state-backed rice storage programme, said one official.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht is scheduled to arrive in Vietnam on March 17 as part of his Southeast Asian tour to strengthen trade cooperation with these countries.

The 46th anniversary of the Son My massacre (1968-2013) was commemorated at the Son My relics site in the central province of Quang Ngai on March 16.

Fireworks exploded and Russian flags fluttered above jubilant crowds Sunday after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. The United States and Europe condemned the ballot as illegal and destabilizing and were expected to

Many banks have been trying to boost lending to customers, focusing on those who have a demand for accommodation, in the context of their abundant capital.

President Truong Tan Sang and his entourage visited Ibaraki prefecture on March 16, the first day of his four-day State visit to Japan.

A group of young people in Hanoi have devised an idea for having a local goldsmith make a golden Flappy Bird with the proceeds going to finance charity operations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on March 15 presided over a conference in Can Tho addressing pressing matters to provide adequate funding for agricultural rice production and consumption.

A representative from the Search and Rescue Agency under the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said on March 15 that Vietnam ceased all search activities for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane.

A Vietnam search team has found a 20km oil slick near Ca Mau Cape after seventh day of fruitless searches for the missing Malaysian airliner.

The Hue Festival, a biannual cultural event to be held next month, will feature contemporary pop, rock and flamenco music in order to attract young audiences.

Meteorologists are predicting the number of storms and tropical low pressures the East Sea this year to drop to nine or ten, lower than the annual average, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecast.

A investigation into the missing flight MH370 has concluded that one or more people with flying experience switched off communications devices and steered it off-course in what a Malaysian government official called a ‘hijack’ on Saturday.

Foreigners are from now on able to register and fill in visa application forms provided at the website http://visa.mofa.gov.vn.

Van Phuc village on the outskirts of Hanoi has been recognized as the oldest silk village that has maintained the trade in Vietnam for more than 1,000 years.