VIETNAM TODAY

The eighth Senior Officials’ Meeting on fighting human trafficking in the Mekong sub-regional countries opened in Hanoi on February 14, drawing the participation of 150 delegates.

Eurozone finance ministers put a new Greek bailout on hold after Athens failed to meet conditions set by lenders.

A garden in Long An province that was rumored 7 years ago to have an ability to treat various diseases, has been crowded again recently, with hundreds of people coming everyday, authorities reported.

In a country where dating has normally been governed by traditional guidelines, companies now serve the new wave of young professionals who have little time to find their romantic partners.

Travel firms and linguistic experts commented that the new tourism logo of Vietnam is colorful and vague, which is not very connected to Vietnamese tourism.

By April 15 this year it will take only five days, instead of the former seven for overseas Vietnamese to receive a visa waiver.

The Bank of Japan further eased monetary policy, increasing its asset purchase programme by 10 trillion yen ($130 billion) to about 65 trillion yen, as it looks to end deflation.

The Supreme People’s Court protested the verdict by Tien Lang District Court and Haiphong City People’s Court’s decision to suspend the appeal hearing of a farmer’s complaints against the forcible land reoccupation.

Almost all hourly-rate hotels in Hanoi have taken advantage of Valentine’s Day demand to raise their rates.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has stated that it had never announced to withdraw the Miss Vietnam title of Mai Phuong Thuy.

The wastewater from the Dung Quat Bio-Ethanol Plant is being blamed for killing thousands of fish in Quang Ngai Province.

Three Vietnamese students competing at the second Asia Pacific Open Electronic Organ Competition held in Hong Kong all won top prizes, one official has said.

Vietnamese young chess star Le Quang Liem has failed to defend his champion title at the 2012 Open Aeroflot in Russia after his latest defeat on February 12.

Two more officials involved in the controversial forced relocation of residents from their land have been suspended.

Syrian troops pounded the protest hub of Homs, as an Arab League peacekeeping plan for the country went ignored.

China attaches great importance to developing relations with Vietnam, which benefit not only both peoples, but also peace, stability and development in the region and the world as a whole.

More extensive research should be conducted to determine whether poor quality petrol was responsible for the recent spate of vehicle fires, an expert said.

The PM has called for faster construction of the Hoa Lac high-tech park during his working session with its management board on Hanoi’s outlying district of Thach That.

The Ministries of Health, Finance, and Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs expect to raise the prices of nearly 400 of the current 3,000 plus medical technical services at hospitals.