VIETNAM TODAY

Wearing a heavy bag to school everyday has become a fright for many primary pupils in Vietnam and proven to be a safety risk.

A forum set up to tackle tax fraud and bank secrecy said countries were taking their commitments seriously but urged greater transparency.

Thailand will continue its focus on developing strategic tourism areas, especially in labouring countries like Vietnam, a Thai official said.

A gathering to mark China’s 61 st National Day (October 1) was held in Hanoi on September 30.

Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is involved in an unfolding plot to launch attacks on European cities and may have even targeted the United States, NPR reported.

Hanoi is prepared to prevent and respond to flood situations in anticipation of its 1,000 year anniversary.

Business activities at markets in HCM City have become quieter during the rainy season.

A Vietnamese film week entitled New voices from Vietnam will take place in Beverly Hills, California in the US from November 5 to 14.

Nearly one in 10 Americans is depressed, and one in 30 meets the criteria for major depression, a study said.

The government will focus on implementing measures to control prices and deal with power shortage in the remaining months of this year, said PM Nguyen Tan Dung.

The General Director of the UNESCO, Irina Bokova, will start her official visit to Vietnam on October 1 and attend the capital’s millennial anniversary.

A large number of high-rise buildings in Hanoi fail to meet health and safety regulations, said an official.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh visited the US from September 26-29.

North Korea on Thursday published a photograph of the youngest son and heir apparent to the communist state's ailing leader Kim Jong-Il.

Some people have secretly dumped hundreds of tonnes of industrial waste into Thu Duc University Village in Binh Duong.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced plans for a global effort to provide clean and efficient cooking conditions in developing countries such as Vietnam.

Yemen's foreign minister acknowledged the United States has launched attacks on Al-Qaeda in his country in an interview published on Thursday.

The VN-Index fluctuated throughout most of today's session, but closed up 0.35 per cent to 454.52 on the HCM City Stock Exchange.

A joint venture between PetroVietnam and the Russian oil group of Zarubezhneft has pumped the first crude oil from well in Russia’s autonomous Nenesky region.