VIETNAM TODAY

The State Bank of Vietnam is drafting a plan to set up a national debt trading company.

Out of 2,500 student applications, the Vietnam Circus and Variety Arts College only selected 33 for their 2012-2016 intake. However half of the new students have decided to quit.

Top Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh has climbed one notch up in the latest Badminton World Federation rankings to return to world’s top ten.

The annual year-end spike in demand for foreign currency has set in, but it is unlikely that foreign currency loans by banks will expand sharply as a result.

Microsoft took a big step into mobile, unveiling a revamped version of its flagship Windows system and offering a closer look at Surface, its entry into the hot tablet market.

Dong Nai police are investigating a suspected ring of beggars after receiving information and photos about them from reporters.

Hurricane Sandy claimed 11 lives as it tore across Cuba, leaving a path of destruction on the eastern end of the island, officials said.

Foreign journalists and news organisations will be allowed to continue press activities providing they comply with Vietnamese laws, according to a new Government decree.

Paediatrics Hospitals 1 and 2 in HCM City are at bursting point, treating over 13,000 children a day.

A tropical storm named Son Tinh has entered the East Sea and is forecast to gain strength in the coming hours.

President Truong Tan Sang affirmed that Vietnam always treasures the friendship with the Republic of Panama during his talks with President of Alberto Martinelli in Hanoi.

More foreigners should be allowed to buy apartments and more small apartments should be built in order to save the real estate market, experts said.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Syria's main rebel force have agreed to a ceasefire beginning Friday morning to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

The municipal authorities of Hanoi issued the Renewable Energy Development Program to boost the application of advanced technologies in exploiting renewable energies.

Ancient lime pots, lime tubes, spittoons of royal families and the unique betel chewing sets of ordinary people are currently exhibited at the Vietnam National History Museum.

In order to maintain market stability, the State Bank of Viet Nam will not remove the current cap on deposit interest rates.

The Ministry of Health and Vietnam Social Insurance have been instructed to issue health insurance cards to families whose economic condition is close to poverty and provide support to such people.

President Bashar al-Assad's forces fired heavy tank and rocket barrages at a Damascus suburb a day before a UN-brokered ceasefire is due to come into force.

A recent inspection has fined several education institutions while some others have had to stop operations for unlicensed joint training.