VIETNAM TODAY

The 2013 Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off Wednesday morning with a gust of wind, a rain shower, and a burst of 3D-enhanced colour at the press screening of this year’s opening film: Baz Luhrmann’s long-gestating adaptation of F.

Hanoi police continue to grapple with the problem of taxi drivers using different methods to cheat customers out of money.

A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticised China’s 2013 fishing ban in the East Sea, including some of the waters of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City will host the Southern Land Cuisine Festival and the Southern Fruit Festival as part of its strategy to stimulate tourism demand in 2013, according to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev have discussed a number of measures to enhance the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive partnership in all areas.

The government's policy to buy rice from farmers at the peak of the harvest season is inefficient as it only indirectly supports rice growers and their real benefits are modest.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino signed a law Wednesday giving children three extra years of schooling, one of his key reforms aimed at lifting the country out of poverty.

Shares of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group has dropped sharply after an NGO accused the firm of land grabbing of in Laos and Cambodia.

After a long delay due to lack of drugs, Vietnam will finally use lethal injection for prisoners with death sentences using local made drugs starting June 27.

Scientists and journalists should improve their relationships so the public can learn more about emerging science on nutrition, food safety and health, experts have said.

The World Bank has signed three credit agreements with Vietnam to finance a combined USD400 million for enhancing the country’s competitiveness and education.

Many citizens perceive bribery to be on the rise and still widespread in the public sector, according to the results of the Vietnam Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) 2012 released yesterday.

The 18th Annual World Electronics Forum has started in Hanoi, drawing the participation of the world’s leading electronics industries, including the US , India , Japan , the Republic of Korea , China and Israel .

The ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) convened its 12th meeting in Jakarta , Indonesia from May 6-10.

HCM City sets a target to double its average income by 2020, according to a master plan approved by the People’s Council.

HCM City only has 27.3 million square metres for road while its 5.5 million registered motorbikes and over 500,000 cars need 100 million square metres for traffic.

A hot low pressure is heading for the northern region of Vietnam from west, creating the first heat wave in the region this summer.

A contract for the construction of the main work of the Lai Chau hydropower plan worth more than 11 trillion VND was signed in Hanoi on May 13.

Vietnam attaches importance to strengthening cooperation with Iran at international forums.