VIETNAM TODAY

A couple, both age 36, along with their 10-year-old daughter, died when their house caught fire in southern An Giang Province's An Phu District early December 1 morning.

The 2013 Vietnam Business Forum, to be held in Hanoi on December 3, will focus on the restructuring of State-owned enterprises (SOEs), commercial banks, and the capital market, as well as corporate governance and transparency.

Eighty five Vietnamese students will attend the 18th World Festival of Youth and Students in Ecuador from December 7-12.

Elephants have been destroying crops in Dak Nong province, but traditional measures to deal with this problem seem to be ineffective.

Gas price was raised to higher than they have been in two years on December 1, worrying both consumers and traders.

One of China's top movie directors has admitted having three children with his current wife, according to a studio media posting, after months of speculation he broke the country's controversial family planning laws several times.

A 40-strong pack of wolves thought to be endangered Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpines) have come under attack from farmers in northern mountainous Son La Province's Muong Lan Commune trying to protect their livestock.

Deputy PM Vu Van Ninh will pay official visits to Canada, Bolivia and Uruguay from December 2-10 to foster ties with the three American countries.

Fresh policies shall come into force in December, 2013 including the level of vocational training support for employees, three-level development of electricity market; ceiling level of deposit and labor markets, and new regulations on registration fee.

As violence in Iraq has worsened with attacks hitting a wider array of targets, security officials have held an unusual seminar for cafe owners -- how to stop a suicide bomber.

Hanoi hosted an awards ceremony, on December 1, to honour 48 outstanding images chosen by the seventh International Artistic Photo Competition. The competition received 15,360 entries from 1,430 contestants from 51 countries and territories.

Vietnam report 2013 reveals the banking and telecoms sectors remain the greatest tax contributors in this year's list of 1,000 largest corporate income tax payers in Vietnam.

President Truong Tan Sang on December 1 joined with Ho Chi Minh City authorities and over 7,500 local residents at a charity walk to raise awareness for the International Day for People with Disabilities, which falls on three days later.

The United Nations in Vietnam calls for more effective investments in HIV/AIDS prevention and control to achieve the “three zeros” targets- zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths.

US actor Paul Walker, who starred in the Fast & Furious series of action films, has been killed in a car crash in California.

Vietnam and France have agreed to enhance defence cooperation, particularly in delegation exchanges, training, defence industry, and maritime security.

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, coordinating with HCM City’s Red Cross Association, held a November 30 launch for a fundraisinig campaign on behalf of Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines.

Vietnam and France have agreed to enhance defence cooperation, particularly in delegation exchanges, training, defence industry, and maritime security.

Anti-government protests in Thai capital Bangkok turned violent Saturday as demonstrators tried to force their way into Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's heavily guarded offices and attacked people they suspected of being supporters of the current regime.