VIETNAM TODAY

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.

A new pill to treat HIV infection has been approved for adults living with the virus that causes AIDS, US regulators said.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong received Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavath in Hanoi.

Some private colleges are flouting regulations to attract students for the new school year.

Taiwan charity agency Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzuchi handed over 381 scholarships worth over VND260 million to poor students in district 9 in HCM City.

Nguyen Huy Thanh brought Vietnam a third gold medal at the Asian Wushu Championships in Ho Chi Minh City.

Heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar have forced tens of thousands of people to seek shelter in emergency camps and submerged vast swathes of cropland, officials said.

Vietnam’s total export turnover of agro-forestry-aquatic products in the first eight months of 2012 is estimated at more than 18.1 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 9.7 percent.

Famous singer Monica Denise Brown will perform at the Hennessy Concert, scheduled to take place at My Dinh National Convention Centre in Hanoi on September 7.

Thousands of containers are stuck at Mong Cai Border Gate in the past six months, awaiting Chinese customs clearance permission.

A strong 7.3 earthquake shook an area in the Pacific Ocean off El Salvador, prompting a brief tsunami warning for the region that was later lifted, US officials said.

The HCMC People’s Committee chairman asked State officials to limit their overseas trips for annual leaves so that they have more time to work.

Hanoi authorities proposed to impose new taxes on abandoned villa projects as a punishment to investors.

The latest report by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC has claimed the record-high rhino poaching in South Africa is being fed by a surging demand from Vietnam.