VIETNAM TODAY

Purchasing power does not drastically increase in the month approaching Tet to reduce the pressure of inflation this January, Hanoi Statistics Office has said.

Hundreds of hectares of farmed oysters in Thanh Hoa Province died of unknown causes, leading to major losses for local farmers.

Hanoi’s Chairman Nguyen The Thao has assigned relevant agencies to research on the controversial circulation fee proposed by Transport Minister Dinh La Thang.

Vietnam will take part at the Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championship in Thailand without key member Doan Kien Quoc.

The next year of the dragon begins on 23 January, and lots of dragon babies are set to make an entrance.

Vietnamese movie “Khat Vong Thang Long” (Thang Long Aspiration) has been removed from the nominee list for the Best Foreign film category of Oscar 2012.

The G20 group of powerful economies agrees on the need to boost IMF resources but has not yet discussed figures, according to a meeting on Friday.

Petroleum traders have been requested to maintain petrol prices throughout the Tet holiday, and will increase the use of the petrol price stabilisation fund.

All domestic and foreign tourists will have the chance to visit Ha Long Bay without fees during the traditional Lunar New Year festival (Tet) from January 23 to February 5.

China’s unilateral promulgation of a ban on fishing in the East Sea violates Vietnam’s sovereignty, said the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson.

US military chief General Martin Dempsey urged Israel to keep the channels of communication open amid concerns the Jewish state could launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Thirty-two outstanding prisoners in the central province of Nghe An's prison have been granted amnesty on the occasion of Tet.

Every summer, volunteers from Cycle for Environment (C4E) club start to prepare for their annual long journey for environmental protection activities.

Labourers’ average salary reached VND3.84 million (USD182.54) per month in 2011, according to a new report.

An endangered monkey known as the Miller's Grizzled Langur has been discovered on the island of Borneo, international researchers said.

Domestic shrimp exporters will boost their shipments to Asian markets this year, said a local official.

The HCM City authorities have agreed on recruitment policy for foreign preschool teachers, in light of the current shortage.

Vietnam hopes to send 90,000 labourers abroad this year, nearly 2,000 more than last year's figure, said the Overseas Labour Management Department.

Rafael Nadal reeled off another straight-sets victory to reach the Australian Open's last 16, but he insisted everything was not as easy as it appeared.