VIETNAM TODAY

Quang Nam Province has declared an epidemic of the H5N1 avian flu in two communes after serious spread of the disease has led to the culling of more than 12,000 birds.

Small and medium-sized banks are tending to set expectations low for profits this year.

While world gas prices continue to rise, Vietnamese traders have actually increased their imports.

A communication campaign to promote the use of safe water and environmental sanitation was reviewed at a seminar in Hanoi.

A new strain of influenza A has been found in fruit bats, according to US health authorities.

Vietnam and Colombia have expressed a desire to promote cooperation in politics, diplomacy, trade, oil and gas, culture, education, tourism and poverty reduction in the near future.

Private schools in Hanoi are facing bankruptcy due to their overpriced tuition fees and inability to attract pupils.

Syria said almost 90 percent of voters approved a new constitution as more than 100 people were reportedly killed.

Dominante, one of the most famous Finnish choirs, will perform in Hanoi for the first time on March 6, according to the Embassy of Finland.

Some people-founded universities and junior colleges have been trying to lure learners by declaring low tuitions, but then collect more than declared.

The Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap has been recognised as the world's 2,000th Ramsar site, which lists wetlands of international importance.

A 30-km solar electric fencing system will be installed in southern Dong Nai Province's forest this year to minimise conflict between elephants from the Natural and Cultural Reserve and nearby villagers.

A 15-year-old glass-bone patient from Hanoi shook up the Vietnam’s Got Talent show with her vibrant singing of the song “Let’s Dance”.

The Ministry of Science and Technology honoured 96 outstanding enterprises with the National Quality 2011 Award, and two businesses with the Global Performance Excellence Award 2011.

China has reached a "turning point" in its economic development, with the pace of growth likely to nearly halve in the next two decades, World Bank and Chinese government researchers said.

Despite HCM City facing increased traffic jams, a number of transport projects are being carried out at a snail’s pace.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received his Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong in the central province of Binh Dinh on Saturday.

Russia's and Ukraine's secret services have arrested two men over a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after the March 4 presidential elections, Channel One state television said

Despite the recent cut imposed on lending interest rates, many banks still worry that there will not be many borrowers.