VIETNAM TODAY

International donors have pledged 7.38 billion USD in official development assistance to Vietnam in 2012.

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang has decided to take on stricter measures to tackle fraud at petrol stations.

Twin blasts at Afghan shrines left at least 59 people dead, with most killed in a massive suicide attack in Kabul which ripped through a crowd of worshippers.

Russian riot police arrested hundreds of activists in central Moscow to stop a new protest alleging that elections were rigged in favour of Vladimir Putin's ruling party.

The EVN Group may have to spend as much as USD856.7 million on oil-fuelled power generation next year.

Hanoi authorities have issued an anti-illiteracy and educational development plan which aims to reach national standards on anti-illiteracy.

France and Germany called for Europe's leaders to agree strict rules for fiscal discipline at their summit this week, as Standard and Poor's threatened the region with sweeping ratings downgrades.

A new career guidance programme will help students between the 9th and 12th grades gain better access to information about career paths.

Vietnam is forecast to achieve a per capita income of VND27 million (USD1,300) this year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The charitable agency is offering free surgeries to children suffering from childhood facial deformities in Hanoi in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ministry of Transport has decided to withdraw the business license of Trai Thien Air Cargo due to its failure to ensure operations.

Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the Central Tourism Department, said now is not the right time to hike the ticket price for excursion tours in Ha Long Bay.

A Lady Gaga dress and photos of a young Marilyn Monroe were among items sold at an LA auction worth over $4 million, organizers said.

Three Vietnamese banks facing a liquidity crunch have decided to merge to form a larger bank, said State Bank Governor Nguyen Van Binh.

Lac Hong Vien is a new cemetery at the end of a "Highway to Eternity" where Vietnam's rising middle class is dying to flaunt its bling.

Vietnamese people and astronomers will have the chance to see the second lunar eclipse on the night of December 10.

Next year will be a tough time for Vietnam's rice exports with stiff competition from cheap rice sources, the Vietnam Food Association said.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung arrived in Brussels, beginning his official visit to Belgium and the European Parliament.

Financial investors has proposed that the Government apply preferential policies for low-income housing projects.