VIETNAM TODAY

As much as 99% of fishing ships owned by local fishermen have wooden hulls, posing high risk of accidents, one official said.

A commemorative ceremony for the victims of US bombings in December 1972 during the Vietnam war took place solemnly on December 26 at Kham Thien Memorial Site in Hanoi’s Dong Da district.

Ten laws that clarify the responsibilities of State agencies and the rights of both enterprises and individuals will go into effect in January.

Vietnam recorded a Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 5.03 percent in 2012, announced the General Statistics Office in a press briefing in Hanoi.

A Taliban suicide car bombing hit a US-run base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least three Afghans and wounding seven others, officials said.

Vietnam’s No. 1 badminton player will take part in the Korea Open Super Series Premier in Seoul, the Republic of Korea from January 8-13.

Japanese investors have seen the slump in the securities market as an opportunity to buy stocks on the cheap in Vietnamese banks.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong warmly welcomed his Lao counterpart Choummaly Sayasone who arrived in Hanoi on December 26 for an official visit to Vietnam.

Vietnam ranked second in the list of attractive destinations for foreign tourists in 2013, according to a recent survey conducted by the United States Tour Operators Association.

A lack of incentives has created a shortage of kindergarten teachers, so not all children can go to school by the age of five, a number of NA deputies said at a talk with the Education Minister.

China started service on the world's longest high-speed rail route, the latest milestone in the country's rapid super fast rail network.

Danang city maritime rescue forces and border guards in Thua Thien-Hue province have saved five Malaysian crew members from a ship that encountered trouble on December 25.

A military transport plane has crashed in southern Kazakhstan, killing all 27 people on board. The aircraft crashed 20 kilometres from Shymkent airport in the south of country.

A private company in Hanoi announced a Tet bonus of VND74.5 million, making it the highest bonus payer among local companies.

Both the number of newborn babies and the birth ratio between male and female continued to rise in the first 11 months in HCMC.

Vietnam might not fulfill this year’s FDI attraction target of $15 billion due to a recent decline.

Hanoi has been rated best destination in Vietnam for city life by Lonely Planet Traveller, the world’s leading tourist magazine.

The Ministry of Construction has passed a circular governing the minimum proportion of unbaked brick used in buildings to boost the production of green building materials.

"Mui Co Chay” (Scent of Burnt Grass) of Vietnam is not in the shortlist of the nominees for the Best Foreign Film category of the Oscar Awards 2013.