VIETNAM TODAY

French-Vietnamese author Linda Le is among the four final candidates in the running for the prestigious 2012 Goncourt Prize.

An international conference has failed to agree on new marine sanctuaries to protect thousands of polar species across Antarctica.

Chinese authorities have busted what is reportedly the country's biggest online gambling ring, which allegedly handled bets of more than $11 billion, according to state media.

The plan by the Hanoi authorities to have 50 percent of nursery and general schools meeting the national standards by 2015 proves to be unfeasible for Hanoi.

Nearly 35,000 heads of educational institutions from kindergartens to universities nationwide will receive training courses to improve their awareness of climate change.

Loans in US dollars are in increasingly high demand thanks to low interest rates and stable foreign exchange rates.

International experts discussed the issue of the production and trading of fake medicines in many regions in the world at a conference held on October 29 and 30 in Hanoi.

Market management agencies in Danang City and Thua Thien Hue Province have found and seized hundreds of Chinese bras containing strange substances.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay an official three-day visit to Vietnam on November 2 at the invitation of her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung.

The iPad mini made its debut on Friday as Apple takes on rivals Amazon, Google and Samsung with a smaller version of its coveted tablet computer, but it was a low-key start as sales began in Australia.

The long delay on death row due to the lack of drugs has created huge pressure for prisoners.

HCM City has recommended the expansion of the use of mobile phone messages for warning natural disasters nationwide.

At least four people were wounded in an overnight shooting at a Halloween party on the campus of the University of Southern California, police said early on Thursday.

Negotiations on the establishment of a new regional free trade area under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will start at the upcoming 21 st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh.

Top Vietnamese player Ma Xuan Cuong has been invited to take part in the 2013 AGIPI Billiards Masters preliminary round on November 23-25 in Strasbourg, France.

Authorities must tighten management on the use of timber in handicraft furniture villages to avoid waste and the use of illegal or low-quality materials, an expert said.

Vietnamese wood processing factories are concerned about legally procured material from other countries, to meet the strict regulation demand of major markets.

The Asian Development Bank plans to lend Vietnam up to USD3.9 billion in the 2012-2015 period, said ADB's Country Director in Vietnam.

The State-owned Electricity of Vietnam is currently short of nearly VND20 trillion (USD958.77 million) for this year’s investment plans.