VIETNAM TODAY

Industrial zones are destroying the environment, killing rivers and creating "cancer villages" in which many residents have become fatally ill, says an official.

Kofi Annan has resigned as UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, complaining that his April peace plan had not received the support it deserved from major powers.

Banks plan to expand credit in the second half by slashing interest rates and offering preferential loans to companies.

It remains difficult for petrol companies to compete although they have started to set their own prices.

More than 400 domestic and foreign delegates attended the Vietnam CEO Summit 2012 titled “Corporate restructuring: Case Studies and Good Practice for Vietnamese Enterprises” in Hanoi.

The early 20th century Chinese map that confirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagoes, is now on display at Vietnam National Museum of History.

The fourth International Vovinam (traditional Vietnamese martial arts) Festival has opened with an impressive show in the central province of Binh Dinh.

Donna, believed to be the world's oldest hippo, has died at the age of 62 after living more than two decades beyond the massive mammal's usual life expectancy, zoo officials said.

Illegal sand mining has encroached the safety corridor of the My Thuan Bridge linking Vinh Long and Tien Giang provinces, and poses a possible threat to the bridge itself.

Students from poor families will be able to delay paying tuition fees at the beginning of the new school year, while some graduates who have not been able to repay student debts will get loan extensions.

Even though it has not been particularly rainy in Hanoi, certain lanes and alleys in Cao Xa Ha Village are flooded.

Drilling of the seabed off Antarctica has revealed that rainforest grew on the frozen continent 52 million years ago, scientists said Thursday, warning it could be ice-free again within decades.

From August 3 to 5, many events will be held for homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals in Hanoi.

Well-known pop singer My Tam has recently become the first Vietnamese artist to be chosen as Youtube partner.

The Government has issued a decree on a 30% reduction in corporate income tax in 2012 for many SMEs.

Federal anti-terror agents joined local police in the western Indian city of Pune to probe a series of low-intensity blasts the night before when the new home minister had been due to visit.

Tax payers' joy fade away when the application date for the personal tax law amendment is exactly one year away.

The Hanoi City People’s Committee has unveiled a master plan on preserving the site of the ancient Thang Long Imperial Citadel and developing part of the area into a culture and history park.

Rescuers deployed rubber boats while doctors fanned across cramped evacuation centres in the Philippines as the death toll from five days of flooding reached 23.