VIETNAM TODAY

Although usually consumers in the big cities of Vietnam tend to buy traditional toys for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese products have flooded the rural areas.

The rapid industrialisation and economic development of Vietnam over the last 25 years has created a negative impact on the environment, said a local official.

Republican Mitt Romney hits the campaign trail hard to try to inject some fresh momentum into his flagging presidential bid as polls show his path to the White House narrowing.

Hanoi has attracted more than 230 foreign direct investment projects since the beginning of this year, with a total capital of US$919 million, according to the city's Department of Statistics.

Tour boats in Ha Long Bay have been banned from stopping at floating fishing villages during tours, according to the provincial People's Committee.

The remains and ashes of 14 Vietnamese workers killed in a September 11 fire in Russian town of Yegoryevsk were handed over to their families.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 yesterday jolted the area of Song Tranh 2 Hydropower Plant in Quang Nam.

Britain, France and Germany have officially called for new European Union sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, diplomats said.

Lai Thanh Ha, a Vietnamese American writer, has won the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, a prestigious prize in the US.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamori’s State visit to Vietnam, scheduled to begin on September 24, is hoped to elevate further the two countries’ neighbourliness, traditional friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation.

The Mid-Autumn festival is traditionally a special occasion for children, but more and more young adults have joined in the festivities.

Vietnam has become China's largest coffee supplier as China has seen an increase in coffee import in recent years, according to a Chinese official.

Adoption links between Ireland and Vietnam will officially reopen next week after a new deal was struck between the two countries.

Banks wanting to list shares on the nation's stock exchange will be required to satisfy tighter requirements on bank management, under a Circular issued by the State Bank of Vietnam.

A number of innovative mapping projects are working to discover the few uncharted spaces left on Earth.

A man who posed as an airline pilot and traveled in the cockpit of at least one plane was arrested in Turin Airport using forged identity cards and wearing a pilot's uniform, Italian police said.

The Ministry of Public Security has officially issued new identification cards with parents' names in three districts.

The number of women working for the National Assembly in Vietnam has declined in the past ten years, proven by its falling to 44th in the world rankings, according to a new UNDP study.

The Vietnam Customs has announced a list of 16 export items surpassing $1billion in the past eight months.