VIETNAM TODAY

While the publishing of textbooks is monopolised by the Education Publishing House, the reference books market is lucrative.

Vietnam’s exports to Japan in the first half of this year reached around US$7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 45 percent.

Vietnam has welcomed almost 4.4 million visitors in the first eight months of 2012, a year-on-year increase of 9.4 percent, according to the General Statistics Office.

The G7 industrial countries called on oil producers to increase output, saying higher prices posed "substantial risks" to the global economy.

Lai Huong Thao, who was crowned at the Miss Sports 2012 beauty pageant, will represent Vietnam at this year’s Miss Supranational in Warsaw.

S. Korea's Samsung Electronics vowed to take "all necessary measures" to keep its products on US store shelves, in response to Apple's request for a ban on sales of some smartphones.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has quashed rumours that Vietnam is running short of petrol for domestic use and said any hoard of this product will be strictly dealt with by relevant agencies.

The Hanoi People’s Council expressed their discontent about the decision by the Hanoi People’s Committee on licensing to set up six car parks in the Thong Nhat Park.

Low-roofed terraced wooden house in Hanoi’s Chuong Duong Ward pose a major fire risk to local households.

Professor Vu Ha Van of Yale University, who is also a member of the Scientific Council of Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics, has been awarded the prestigious Fulkerson Prize 2012.

VNCERT suggests to prohibit to email compressed files or the compressed files comprising “.exe” files inside in order to minimize the risks of having email system hacked.

Japanese companies pledged to invest a total USD4.33 billion in Vietnam in the first eight months of this year.

The number of foreign tourists who visited Vietnam reached 4.38 million in the first eight months of this year, up 9.4% against the same period last year.

Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith MP will pay an official visit to Vietnam from 29 to 30 August 2012, says the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.

The sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has melted to its smallest point ever in a milestone that may show that worst-case forecasts on climate change are coming true.

Eight former executives of the troubled Vinashin have been convened for an appeal held at Hai Phong People's Court.

Some enterprises have asked for a delay on the planned adjustment to basic salaries, citing tough economic times as the reason.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon demanded an independent inquiry into the killings of hundreds of civilians in Syria as world outrage mounted over the "massacre" by pro-government forces.

The second conference for overseas Vietnamese will be held in HCM City from September 26-29.