VIETNAM TODAY

The number of young people diagnosed with mental health problems is on the rise in Vietnam.

An international workshop took place in Phu Quoc island district in Kien Giang province to seek measures to conserve and promote the values of Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve.

Libya has ordered the closure of its borders with four of its neighbours, as it declared the desert south of its territory a closed military zone in the face of mounting unrest, state media reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has exhorted the HCM City government to crack down on street crime, especially during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays.

Six provinces in the north central region (spanning from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue) have so far recorded 10.3 million tourist arrivals in 2012, up 12% against last year.

US school administrators have pledged to add police patrols, review security plans in their districts as students return to classes.

Construction of the Cancer Centre at Cho Ray Hospital began in Ho Chi Minh City on December 16.

Amid economic difficulties, many banks have proposed lowering their profit targets for this year.

Ecuador issued an orange alert -- the second-highest warning level -- for towns near the Tungurahua volcano on Sunday, as its level of activity rose, civil defense officials said.

A string of bombings against Shiite places of worship and a car bomb at a Kurdish political office have killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 75 on Sunday, officials said.

Late writer Vu Trong Phung's works have been made into a television series expected to be aired in Vietnam next year.

Japan goes to the polls on Sunday to vote in a general election that the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party is expected to win following a campaign marked by nationalistic rhetoric.

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Salvador Lamothe will pay an official visit to Vietnam from December 16-18 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Experts have held many meetings to find a solution to rescuing the failing housing market, but no real solutions have been found.

Vietnam Television and Tokyo Broadcasting System have consented to make a collaborative film about the renowned Vietnamese nationalist Phan Boi Chau.

The massacre of 26 children and adults at an US school elicited horror around the world even as it raised questions about why the gunman would have been driven to such a crime.

Eighteen migrants have died and nine are missing after their makeshift boat sank off the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea, police said.

Vietnam along with other ASEAN member states and India are actively preparing for the 2nd ASEAN-India Business Fair 2012 to herald the 20 th anniversary of ASEAN-India partnership.

Vietnam will host the France Year in 2013 and France will organise the Vietnam Year in 2014 to mark the 40 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1973-2013).