VIETNAM TODAY

US software giant Microsoft is near to clinching a deal to buy Internet telephony pioneer Skype for USD7-8 billion.

The highly acclaimed Ballroom Dance company from the US’s Brigham Young University will make its first appearance in Vietnam on May 13.

When the local real estate market boomed and then peaked in 2007, it saw the birth of a series of real estate trading floors.

Private schools have become more attractive than state owned schools in the eyes of high income parents.

Vietnamese firms started building a USD95 million private hospital in Hanoi on May 10, the biggest of its kind in the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has decided to adjust the allocation of public investment into the agriculture sector.

Nearly 100 children with harelip and cleft palate in central provinces are being provided with free check-ups and operations from May 9-13.

The operator of Japan's ageing Hamaoka nuclear plant said Monday it would temporarily shut down its last two running reactors.

Quebec unveiled an USD80-billion plan to rev up forestry and mining development over the next 25 years in its vast northern region.

A NATO bombing blitz rocked Tripoli Tuesday while rebels in besieged Misrata said they are pushing back Moamer Kadhafi's forces.

The Truong Luy architectural relic was officially recognised as a national heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The National Assembly has turned down a proposal for changes in the personal income tax law this year.

More than VND53 billion (USD2.53 million) and 1,000 tonnes of cement was raised for natural disasters prevention in central Vietnam.

More than 7,200 private clinics, 322 medical centres and 4 major hospitals have no waste treatment facility for their medical wastewate.

German coach Falko Goetz is most likely to be the head coach of Vietnam’s national football squad.

Vietnam Airlines’ long-awaited direct air service to the United Kingdom will hopefully commence this fall.

Pakistan dismissed as "absurd" accusations that complicity or incompetence had allowed bin Laden to hide out in the country for years.

Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2010’s runner-up Tuyet Lan was presented with the top prize at the award ceremony for the Asian Model Talent Search.

Confronted with fresh US pressure over its currency policy, China appears more willing to let yuan strengthen at a faster pace to curb inflation.