VIETNAM TODAY

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked State economic groups to play the core role in stabilising the country’s macro-economy.

Many petrol stations have closed for dubious reasons, resulting in illegitimate gasoline vendors sprouting up.

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi will go on trial in April over allegations that he paid a 17-year-old girl for sex and used his status to spring her from police custody, a judge ruled.

On the morning of February 16, gold prices continued the upward trend.

The Asian Development Bank has pledged a loan of USD1 billion for Vietnam's water development programme over the 2011-2020 period.

Oil prices climbed in Asian trade Tuesday, bolstered by continued unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and robust Chinese demand.

Vietnam will create more opportunities for children to access information, voice their opinions and be part of decision making processes.

Rising food prices have pushed about 44 million people into poverty in developing countries since last June, the World Bank warned.

The departments of education and training are working to provide material support for students not to drop out of school after Tet.

University graduates of less than 30 years old will have an opportunity to become vice chairs of 600 communes in Vietnam.

Fewer than 92,000 couples married in or around Sin City last year. The last time the city of drive-through wedding chapels married fewer people, it was 1993.

India has stopped corn and soymeal exports to Vietnam after Hanoi rejected cargoes totaling 50,000 tons over fumigation issues.

Exports to South Africa are seeing favourable conditions to increase this year, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Africa, Western and South Asia Department.

Vietnam always attaches importance to expanding the strategic partnership with Japan, said Deputy PM and FM Phạm Gia Khiem.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has made a proposal to the Government to raise electricity prices by 18% this year.

The Lim Festival officially opened in northern Bac Ninh province on Feb. 14, drawing around 30,000 visitors.

Egypt on Tuesday called for international support to speed its recovery after its military rulers urged an end to labour strikes that have erupted.

Pagodas and temples are sacred places, but many visitors behave as if they were not.

Notwithstanding much higher prices than usual, most hotel rooms in HCMC were overbooked on the night of Valentine’s Day.