VIETNAM TODAY

HCM City’s Farmers Association is in the process of implementing a programme helping the poor enjoy the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival (Tet).

The Government has earmarked VND379 billion for two programmes this year to improve environment quality and the country's ability to cope with climate change.

Japan's Toyota Motor has decided to halt the construction of new factories for the next three years in a shift from its previous policy of building new plants almost annually, reports said.

A delegation from the Russian State Duma Committee for Energy arrived in Ninh Thuan province on January 5 to inspect the site where Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant is expected to be built.

The Taliban warned that they would continue waging war on any US troops remaining in Afghanistan after 2014.

Vietnam’s goals for 2013 are to strengthen its macroeconomic stability, cut level of bad debt, reduce inflation, and strive for GDP growth of 5.5 percent and a 10 percent increase in export turnover.

Several schools in HCM City have leased their land for shops and parking, facing protests from parents.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has urged the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai to define specific priorities in economic development to avoid over-stretching investment and reap the best results.

A gunman who barricaded himself inside a townhouse after killing three people in the home was shot to death by police on Saturday in Aurora, Colorado, the same Denver suburb where 12 people were slain in a movie house

From June 30, drivers who lack a stamp that proves they have paid the road maintenance fee, will be fined.

Vietnam expects to attract 13-14 billion USD in foreign direct investment this year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

China resumed construction on a "fourth generation" nuclear power plant which will be its biggest nuclear facility, media said.

Temperatures of around 10 Celsius degrees have been associated with a higher number of elderly people and children requiring treatment for respiratory and cardiovascular-related diseases in recent days, doctors say.

Three people were killed when a small plane crashed into a house while trying to land at a central Florida airport, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The People’s Procuracy of Hai Phong has announced a decision to prosecute several people involved in the land reclamation in Tien Lang district, on the charge of murder and resisting on-duty officers.

The Government Inspectorate should crack down on violations in key sectors, including finance, banking, management of State Budget funds, according to Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Thailand lost its three-decade-old position as the world’s top rice exporter to India and Vietnam in 2012, said President of the Thai Rice Exporters’ Association Chookiat Ophaswongse.

The National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre has announced the eye of 2013’s first storm reached the Spratly Islands at 4 am on January 5, bearing winds gusting between 75–88km per hour.

Despite the dangers in performing street shows such as sword swallowing, many poor performers in HCMC continue to earn a living from dangerous stunts.