VIETNAM TODAY

Digital film has become the smart choice of film-makers around the world, in particular in Europe and the US, a seminar in Hanoi was told.

One-third of Vietnam’s population consider the Internet as an indispensable part of their daily life.

Around 90% of banks may not make their targets for profits this year, which will also affect their Tet bonuses.

There have been around 656,000 international tourists visiting Vietnam this month, raising the total number of tourist arrivals in the January-November to nearly 6.036 million.

Vietnam will start blending bio-fuels with petrol to power road vehicles from 2014, as the government seeks to push ahead with its commitment to establish green credentials.

A mobile phone that monitors the user's skin condition, checking for blemishes and colour, was unveiled in beauty-conscious Japan on Thursday.

Vietnam Air Petrol Company, a subsidiary of VNA, has been found to have committed frauds tax evasion worth billions of dong.

Gold bullion bearing the national brand SJC saw another decrease of its selling price to VND47.22 million, and the buying price to VND47.07 million per tael.

Hospitals in 18 cities and provinces will postpone the application of new hospital fees until the first quarter of next year to ease the financial burden on patients and help to curb inflation.

The US environmental agency has temporarily suspended oil giant BP from any new federal contracts.

Thousands of spectators cheered wildly as some 50 teams from several Mekong Delta provinces vied with each other to win the Ngo Boat Race held in Soc Trang Province.

Deputy Minister Hoang Xuan Luong led a delegation to the fifth session of the UN Human Rights Council on ethnic minorities held in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 27-28.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature has kicked off a project to help Thua Thien Hue Province adapt and mitigate climate change.

At least 34 people were killed after twin car bombs exploded in Jaramana, an eastern suburb of Damascus reportedly loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian media said.

It is essential to curtail over 70 weak securities companies, said the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, Tran Dac Sinh.

Around 9 million Vietnamese people, or 10% of the country’s population, suffer from mental problems, according to the WHO.

The WB approved a $6.4 million grant for water and sewage services in the Gaza Strip in the wake of an eight-day firefight between Israel and the territory's Hamas rulers.

Roughly 10,000 people are expected to join an event named “The Hanoi Run for Children 2012 (HRC)” on December 2 this year at Thien Quang Lake.

Director Peter Jackson and the cast of "The Hobbit" received a rock star reception at the Tolkien epic's world premiere in Wellington, cheered on by 100,000 screaming fans.