VIETNAM TODAY

Nine Vietnamese fishermen are being detained in Brunei for alleged illegal fishing in the country’s waters, and will be tried by a Brunei court in a few days, local authorities reported.

Despite the severe cold weather, farmers in Phu Tho Province have returned to their fields to cultivate new crop.

Lanta Viet, a local branch of the suspended Russian tour operator Lanta-Tur Voyach, is VND10 billion in debt to their local partners, according to the Tourism Association in Binh Thuan.

Eight years after its launch, social networking giant Facebook is poised to file papers for an initial public offering seeking to raise at least $5 billion.

Traders occupied Bim Son Market throughout Tet in protest against a local authority decision to rent out the market to a private company.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has urged the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and relevant agencies to train 600,000 rural labourers this year.

Enterprises are facing labour shortages after Tet as many workers have yet to return to work following the break.

The famous citadel in the former imperial capital of Hue drew more than 50,000 tourists, including 30,000 foreigners, during the Tet holiday

While some foreigners left Vietnam for romantic beaches in Thailand or Bali during the lunar New Year holiday, many stayed in the country to welcome the traditional Tet.

A stone road dating back to the 14th century has been discovered at the remains of the Ho citadel complex in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

A painting featuring the Palace of Westminster drawn by an 8-year-old boy from HCM City won the first prize at an art contest held by the British Council for its worldwide learners.

People have been rushing to Ba Chua Kho Temple to pray for luck and wealth, sparking a sharp increase in service prices.

The UN Security Council braced for a showdown over Syria on Tuesday, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading a Western charge pressing Russia to back action to stop the violence.

The 19th English Premier League cup won by Manchester United will tour parts of Asia this year.

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue launched a year-long series of activities within the National Tourism Year in the northern central coastal area for 2012.

The Minister of Transport vowed to take drastic action to deal with traffic accidents and stagnant projects.

Though the Vietnamese payment card industry has posted impressive growth over the last 20 years, most local cardholders still use the cards for cash withdrawal, rather than conducting their payments with them.

The State Bank will submit a plan to the Gov't to mobilise gold from individual people who hold an estimated 300-500 tonnes.

Across southern Florida, rabbits, raccoons, bobcats and foxes have been disappearing at dramatic rates over the past decade, and invasive Burmese pythons are to blame, a US study said.