VIETNAM TODAY

Using stones to make special tattoos has become a fashion for young people in Vietnam.

Faced with financial challenges and uninspiring scripts, private drama troupes in HCMC have been too passive in developing their business.

The country's male-to-female sex ratio continued to widen early this year, reflecting a higher rate of abortions and a preference for sons.

Vietnamese-Australian singer Thanh Bui will open a music centre for children in Ho Chi Minh City on July 1.

Inspectors in Tien Giang Province initially concluded that Dong Tam Water Corporation violated three laws and caused losses of at least USD7.92 million.

Syrian troops have tortured, executed and used children as young as eight as "human shields" during military raids against rebels, reported UN.

The state of Florida announced it was suing the federal government in a growing row over voter registration just five months before the US presidential vote.

Hand-foot-mouth disease and dengue fever has developed quickly and unexpectedly across Dong Nai Province.

A man who was given a key political role in China after claiming he bought a US bank that was later found not to exist has been detained for alleged separate fraud scheme.

Many of the more than 300 coach operators worry they may be forced into bankruptcy if Hanoi's Luong Yen Bus Station is closed.

Every year, Vietnam has thousands of students finishing universities, and many become redundant. The race for jobs become stiffer when a lot of businesses got bankrupted.

Wastewater from millions of households in HCMC is the major cause of pollution of the Sai Gon River, a study carried out by Spanish experts has found.

The low yields of traditional investment channels have left Vietnamese people looking for a place to keep their money.

A huge colony of fruit bats that in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens are such a pest that desperate officials had to blare industrial noise and bang sounds to scare them off.

The prize money given to Nobel laureates is to be cut by a fifth, the foundation behind the prestigious awards said, after a decade of overspending that has stretched its finances.

While UEFA EURO 2012 are taking place, police prosecuted the vice head of the international affairs department of Bong Da Newspaper, for leading an illegal football betting ring.

Between 20-30% of tra fish processing and exporting companies are on verge of bankruptcy due to a shortage of capital.

Thanh Toan Bridge, with its tiled roof, in the central province of Thua Thien Hue will be turn into a destination for community based tourism.

A ceremony to mark the centenary anniversary of the birth of Pham Hung, the late Chairman of the Council of Ministers, took place in the southern province of Vinh Long.