VIETNAM TODAY

Microsoft said it would take a $6.2 billion writedown to reflect the slump in value of its online services division.

An exhibition of photographs on Vietnam, its countryside and people, shot by Argentinean photographer Amanda Perez, is underway in Montevideo City in Uruguay.

Duong Thi Viet Anh will be the second representative of Vietnam's track-and-field team at the upcoming London Olympics after success on July 1 at the Asian All Star Athletics Meet.

The eurozone debt crisis delivered more bad news with data showing record high unemployment of 11.1% and a manufacturing outlook at its lowest levels for three years.

Despite a decrease of 0.6 percent in June, the retail sales value of goods and services in the first half of the year surged 6.5 percent against the same period last year, said the General Statistics Office.

More than 23,000 units of blood have been donated since the Red Spring festival was launched in 2008.

Visitors from overseas can now have the sum of the value added tax that they have paid on goods purchased in Vietnam refunded.

At least 79 people have died and 2.2 million forced to leave their homes over the last week as torrential monsoon rains triggered floods across India's northeast, officials said Monday.

The latest increase in electricity prices from July 1 is putting additional burden on small businesses.

University students in HCM City who have been chosen as envoys for an international programme have developed plans to improve primary-school students' awareness about sanitation and environmental protection.

In 2011 banks lent out a total of USD124 billion to businesses, 10% of them now being considered bad debts, half of which are considered insolvent.

Tiger Woods won the storm-hit AT&T National for his 74th career title to pass Jack Nicklaus for second place all-time on the PGA Tour list.

The jobless rate in Vietnam stood at 2.29 percent in the first six months of this year, compared to 2.58 percent in the same period last year, a senior official said.

229 out of 412 Chinese labourers at the Nghi Son Economic Zone (EZ) in central Thanh Hoa province do not have work permits.

The Ministry of Education and Training has encouraged any input that would lead to the uncovering of violations in the upcoming university entrance exam process.

The SBV will lower bank interest rates by another 1% beginning on July 1.

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Jeremy Browne will visit Vietnam from July 3-5 to promote the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Miss Vietnam 2010 runner-up Vu Hoang My will represent Vietnam at the Miss World 2012 pageant in Ordos, China, in August.

President Truong Tan Sang launched a campaign to promote hygienic practices for better public health, at a ceremony held in the northern province of Hai Duong.