VIETNAM TODAY

Vietnam follows with keen interest recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and persists in supporting peace, stability and denuclearisation on the peninsula.

The Ministry of Health's Preventive Medicine Department has warned eight provinces near the border with Cambodia to step up their prevention and control measures against avian influenza H5N1.

The Vietnamese Government has confirmed its support for speeding up the site clearance for construction projects to avoid delays which may cause losses to contractors.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is seeking opinions from different agencies concerning a USD27 billion oil refinery project by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand.

Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to start talks for its departure from power and save the country from greater ruin after almost two years of bloodshed.

Private sector company Masan Group has announced that its consumer goods arm - Masan Consumer - would purchase 24.9 per cent of bottled beverage company Vinh Hao.

Thousands of young people flocked to Hanoi's Old Quarter yesterday afternoon to get a glimpse of some Korean artists.

Cong Tri, one of Vietnam's leading fashion designers, will this month present his creations at the International Fashion Showcase – a highlight of the prestigious London Fashion Week 2013.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has called on citizens not to consume endangered wildlife ahead of Tet, when the practice is particularly widespread.

The US remained Vietnam’s top seafood market in January although it has raised a number of trade barriers against the country’s exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Universities are attempting to attract students for the 2013 academic year by lowering fees, opening new faculties, or scholarships.

Women in Paris have been officially banned from wearing trousers since 1799. However, France’s Minister for Women’s Rights (pictured, wearing trousers) has revoked the law calling it a “museum piece."

The Central Steering Committee for Corruption Prevention and Control debuted with its first session in Hanoi on February 4.

On 2 Feb, Vingroup issued an official document reporting on the publicity of false information about Vingroup.

President Truong Tan Sang has applauded the contributions of overseas Vietnamese towards social and business activities as well as humanitarian aid in the homeland.

The Ministry of Health has submitted a national policy on preventing alcohol abuse to the PM for approval as health experts warn that alcohol abuse could take a devastating toll on future generations.

The suffocating smog that blanketed swathes of China is now hitting parts of Japan, sparking warnings Monday of health fears for the young and the sick.

The National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Center has said that river level is quickly receding due to dry weather in the northern and central regions.

Enterprises claim lowering the lending interest rate can help the economy, but banks have stated that this would be a difficult task.