VIETNAM TODAY

In part 13 of the Ho Chi Minh series, Laura writes about his return to Asia from Russia in 1924.

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev forged a warmer relationship over burgers and a stroll.

Medicine prices in Vietnam are up to 40 times higher than many other countries, according to a World Health Organisation survey.

International arrivals in Vietnam were estimated at over 2.5 million in the first six months of the year, representing an increase of 32 percent over the same period last year.

The country's economy outlook continued its rapid recovery in the first half of this year, reported the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Vietnam has decried a Chinese plan to build and develop the Hainan international tourism island, covering the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos.

World leaders trickled into Toronto for global economic talks, but their resolve seemed less focused than at earlier meetings.

Nearly 70 petechial fever cases per week are being treated in Ho Chi Minh City since the rainy season started.

Vietnam is willing to collaborate with other countries and international organisations to protect the earth from being polluted, said Deputy PM Nhan.

Environmental police in Vietnam have seized a frozen tiger and the remains of another big cat, believed to be a panther, and arrested two people.

The central city of Da Nang has approved a project on conserving bio-diversity of the Son Tra natural reserve, the sanctuary of the Indochinese endemic species of Douc langur.

Welsh-born lawyer Julia Gillard became Australia's first woman prime minister Thursday after Kevin Rudd fell to a party coup.

President Obama placed the sapping Afghan war in the hands of Iraq hero General David Petraeus, after firing US commander Stanley McChrystal.

Roads in Hanoi are jammed and covered with dust due to the road work which is taking place for the city's 1,000th Anniversary.

A good understanding of European Union trade barriers and policy trends was necessary for Vietnamese exporters to stay in the game, said an EU official.

“Learn how to put on make-up” trends are spreading like wildfire amongst the young generation.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to build eight nuclear power plants in five central provinces over the next few decades.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni asserted Cambodia’s commitments to further promoting its friendship and long-term cooperation with Vietnam.

England and the United States qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup, but the US won the group with a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Algeria.