VIETNAM TODAY

The running event Sapa21 Challenge Race for charity purposes will be organised in the tourist hotspot Sapa in northern Vietnam in a bid to raise funds to offer free swimming classes to poor children in the central region.

Global miner BHP Billiton on Wednesday announced a 34.8 percent dive in annual net profit to $15.42 billion and delayed a key project, citing weakness in commodity prices and cost pressures.

Roads in Hanoi and HCMC face serious flooding after heavy rains are the result of loopholes in urban planning.

Hanoi will take thousands of metres of land in Thong Nhat Park to build parking facilities.

Hundreds of hectares of natural reforest in Quang Ninh province, the most beautiful forest in the locality, has been devastated simply because people need charcoal to do cooking.

Non-performing loans, which now account for some VND202.1 trillion, are at an alarming rate, but not a frightening one, said State Bank of Vietnam governor Nguyen Van Binh.

HCM City residents with average annual incomes of VND12-16 million will be listed in the group of people who live near the poverty line.

The family of arrested tycoon Nguyen Duc Kien took a VND164 billion hit to their share holding.

A little more than two weeks after its arrival on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover will on Wednesday make its first "test drive" before setting off on its Red Planet mission, the US space agency said.

The mammoth Apple-Samsung patent trial went to the jury, setting the stage for a verdict that could have huge implications for the hot market in smartphones and tablet computers.

Consumer price index in the country's two biggest cities in August increased again after two consecutive months of decline due to the soaring price of fuel, according to statistics office estimates.

The development of a family doctor system in Vietnam was handicapped by inadequate Government support, said a health expert at a recent workshop in the capital city.

There will be a high risk of fresh bird flu outbreaks from now till the end of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development warns.

The Ministry of Public Security announced that they will halt the implementation of the circular regarding adding parental information on new identity cards.

Permanent Secretary of the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bilahari Kausikan is on a two-day visit to Vietnam.

Company which manages Youth Park in Hanoi admits that due to financial difficulties, it has to lease space to service providers.

A Syrian minister held out the prospect that embattled President Bashar al-Assad could leave power as fighting rages.

The second “Central Highlands Cultural Days in Hanoi ” will be held in the capital city soon, featuring a wide range of activities that provide an insight into the region.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has proposed raising the monthly minimum wage by up to 35 per cent - the highest rise ever – to help employees tackle skyrocketing living costs.