VIETNAM TODAY

Declassified tapes of President Lyndon Johnson's telephone calls provide a fresh insight. He caught Richard Nixon sabotaging the Vietnam peace talks... but said nothing.

Some 73 foreign-funded businesses were conferred the prestigious Golden Dragon Awards for their excellent performance in 2012, in a ceremony held in Hanoi on Saturday.

Japan's weather agency has announced the official beginning of cherry blossom season in Tokyo.

Foot-and-mouth disease has been detected in the northern province of Bac Ninh from February 23-March 14.

The Directorate of Fisheries of Vietnam is considering suing the US Department of Commerce in a US federal court for its unfair calculation of anti-dumping margins on Vietnamese frozen fish fillets.

A small truck loaded with fireworks for a religious event exploded in central Mexico, killing at least nine people and injuring up to 70 others, an official said.

Nguyen Duc Kien was arrested on August 20, 2012 on charges of fraud in connection with three companies he owned. He is alleged to have taken billions of VND.

Hanoi has six casinos, containing over 350 machines open to foreign customers, according to a recent report.

A night requiem was held at Son My village, Quang Ngai province, to commemorate 504 innocent victims of the bloody massacre caused by the US military more than four decades ago.

After weeks of political deadlock, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has formally signed a deal with the centrist Yesh Atid and the pro-settler Jewish Home parties to form a coalition government, a spokesman said Friday.

An NA official said that the reclamation of land for projects should be changed to buy back land from owners instead of the coercive methods currently used.

The two Prime Ministers have affirmed their determination to create favourable conditions for businesses to boost economic, trade and investment cooperation.

Economists and policy makers have gathered at a CEO forum in Hanoi, discussing approaches to economic crisis control and macroeconomic solutions to difficulties burdening businesses.

Football superstar David Beckham will begin his highly-anticipated role as ambassador for the Chinese Super League next week, with domestic media saying he will visit three cities on a five day trip.

The Ministry of Education and Training, UNESCO Office and Samsung launched the Education Initiative for Sustainable Development in Hanoi on March 15.

The Vietnamese men’s football team has moved up to 129th position in the latest International Federation of Association Football rankings.

Foreign direct investment projects have made important contributions to Vietnam’s socio-economic development despite several shortcomings in the slow capital disbursement process.

The SBV is planning to force incompetent banks to accept outside "special control" in a push toward restructuring and mergers and acquisitions.

The Khmer Rouge’s former foreign minister, Ieng Sary, died on Thursday as he stood trial for crimes against humanity over his role in the regime, which killed an estimated 1.7 million people in Cambodia from 1975-1979.