VIETNAM TODAY

As many as 16 clean water treatment plants in Hanoi's suburban districts have been left unused for four or five years due to a shortage of funds.

Small companies in Vietnam struggling with limited capital are facing difficulties in securing loans from banks due to the tight monetary policies.

A shortage of sign language materials and books is contributing to communication problems among hearing impaired people.

Authorities in Mexico's Chihuahua state along the US border announced preventive health measures to stanch a return of an H1N1 epidemic.

Experts have sounded a red alert about the quality of groundwater in HCM City, saying it was critically degraded and salinised.

Hanoi invested hundreds of thousands of USD to build travel information kiosks for tourists four years ago. Now all of them are left fallow.

It is a striking contrast from the cool, misty town of Dalat to the glittering seaside resort of Nha Trang, which is barely a three hour drive away.

The turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake has always been shrouded in misty green sludge of mystery, even as rescue efforts go forth.

Libyan rebels' westward push to Tripoli gathered momentum as Moamer Kadhafi's hometown was pounded by a coalition air raid.

Monster earthquakes are unlikely to trigger a large quake in distant regions of the world, experts said.

An exhibition of works by members of young artists clubs entitled ‘Energy’ opened this evening at the Exhibition House, No. 16 Ngo Quyen Street, Hanoi.

The Management Board of Urban Railways signed a cooperation and investment contract with Italian-Thai Development to build a monorail system in HCM City.

The Lane Xang Securities Company, a joint venture between a Vietnamese bank and a Laos bank, was inaugurated in Vientiane.

Dozens of children in some central provinces of Vietnam must help their families by performing hard labour.

Twelve people were killed in clashes Saturday in the northern city of Latakia, presidential adviser Buthaina Shaaban told AFP on Sunday.

High levels of radiation detected in water leaking from a reactor at a nuclear plant in Japan dealt a new setback to efforts to bring the stricken facility under control.

Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand have agreed to convene a special session on the prior consultation process for Laos’ controversial proposed Xayaburi hydropower dam.

National Assembly deputies discussed a supplement report on the implementation of socio-economic development and state budget plans in 2010.

The Hung Temple Festival will take place on April 7 to commemorate the Hung Kings in the northern province of Phu Tho.