VIETNAM TODAY

The chairman of Hanoi People's Committee has approved plans to build a high-rise complex building near Hoan Kiem Lake.

A strong earthquake shook buildings in the Taiwanese capital Taipei, injuring at least 20 people and sparking a fire, emergency officials said.

The Vietnam Institute of Geodesy and Cartography and the National University of Economics have amended their logos to include the Paracel and Spratly islands.

The Ministry of Education and Training is planning to waive exams for first graders to reduce pressure on them and to stop kids being given private reading and writing lessons before they enter school.

The Ministry of Health has just announced 10 diseases that recorded the highest mortality rates in 2012.

As much as 50% of foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam have reported losses, the Ministry of Finance said.

Vietnam is expected to achieve a GDP growth rate of 4.89 percent in the first quarter of this year, a bit higher than last year’s corresponding figure of 4.75 percent.

Deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan has suggested the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining continue to help victims of bombs and mines in Vietnam so that they can better integrate into society.

Gymnast Nguyen Ha Thanh has won a gold medal in the men’s parallel bars event at the Challenge Cup in Germany.

More than 450 enterprises from 18 countries will join the 2013 VIETBUILD Construction Fair, the largest of its kind in the country, which is slated to take place from March 28 to April 1.

Import taxes on used cars of nine seats or fewer and an engine displacement of less than 1,500cc will increase by up to 20 per cent on April 28.

The death toll from recent communal violence in Myanmar has risen to 40 after eight more bodies were pulled from the wreckage of a riot-hit town, state media reported on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Public Security has decided to stand firm on the controversial punishment for the non-transfer of vehicle ownership.

BigC The Garden have disciplined a worker who mistakenly stamped a Chinese flag on Vietnamese grapes, one official said.

A draft regulation by the SBV that allows low-income households an annual preferential loan rate of 6% has not gained much traction among the public.

An international conference themed “Sustainable Built Environment For Now and the Future” opened in Hanoi on March 26 as part of activities to mark 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the UK.

58 local players and 211 opponents from India, Brunei, Hong Kong, the US, etc. are taking part in the 2013 Hanoi Vietnam Challenge International Badminton Championships from March 26-31.

Children with autism require intensive attention which is best provided by family member, an expert has said.

Arts play a significant role in education by improving academic success and attendance at school, a British educator told a conference themed “Leading Generation for Creativity” in HCM City .