VIETNAM TODAY

Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo warned West African leaders any attempt to oust him could ruin the regional economy and trigger civil war.

The nation's export turnover in 2010 was US$71.629 billion, an increase of 25.5% against last year's figures.

Thirteen of 17 Vietnamese crew members were saved by a Chinese rescue team after strong winds sank their ship near Minjiang estuary in the East Sea.

Americans in the deep south were treated to a very rare white Christmas, and several hundred flights were cancelled amid foul weather.

Laos will preserve a section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in its territory as part of its project to upgrade Highway 15 linking Lao southern province of Saravan to Vietnam.

Vietnam’s world heritage Ha Long Bay ranks sixth among the world’s top ten destinations for sailing cruises by National Geographic book Journeys of a Lifetime.

Parents of Ro Ngao ethnic minority people hold an one-off birthday party for their children in life to show their love for them.

More than 80 were killed in a suicide bombing on a World Food Programme project and a series of helicopter raids against militant camps in northwestern Pakistan.

Temperature in the northern mountainous region will drop to 7-9 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

China plans to invest 30 billion dollars on water conservation projects in 2011 to reduce the impact of natural disasters on grain production, state media said Saturday.

Overseas investment liaison offices will offer  a significant boost to Vietnam wooing foreign direct investment.

The Vietnam Food Administration is testing locally available Chinese hot pot spices to confirm whether they contain a cancer-causing substance, said director Nguyen Cong Khan.

The Vietnam-Ukraine defence cooperation has been effectively carried out in various fields, said Lt. Gen. Nguyen Song Phi.

Thousands of travellers were stranded at the main Paris airport Friday after hundreds of Christmas flights were cancelled.

Foreign-owned banks are on a rush to increase the capital in accordance with the Law on Credit Institutions.

Danang will begin offering tourists a different view of the city as they prepare to launch first helicopter tours.

A German passenger was deplaned by Vietnam Airlines for using his mobile phone and laptop on a flight that was about to take off from HCM City to Shanghai.

Many western families have chosen Vietnam to celebrate a memorable Christmas.

Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese vowed to continue encouraging Catholic dignitaries and believers to follow the Party and State’s guidelines, policies and the law.