Last update 10:40 | 11/03/2016 On March 9, a partial eclipse was observed in Ho Chi Minh City. In Hanoi, astronomy fans could not see the wonderful natural phenomenon because of dense clouds. According to previous information from NASA, the total eclipse would take place on March 9. The path of the total eclipse would go through part of the central Indonesia and the Pacific. Southeast Asia and northern Australia could observe partial eclipse. In Vietnam, all provinces and cities were able to observe the eclipse...

Last update 09:00 | 15/11/2015 Most people can’t stand the thought of their partners even talking to their exes, let alone socializing with them. But things are different in one small community of Vietnam. A yearly ‘love market’ of sorts is held in the hillside village in Khau Vai, 500km north of Hanoi, near the border with China. It takes place each year, on the 26th and the 27th of the third month of the lunar calendar. During these two days, hundreds of former lovers from various hill...

June 11, 2015 Vietnam has the most successful day at the ongoing 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore, racking up 15 gold medals, seven silvers and six bronzes to move up to second place in the medal tally. Vietnam now pocketed 48 gold medals, 23 silvers and 44 bronzes. Singapore topped the tally with 60 gold medals and Thailand was third with 45 gold medals. Superstar swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien continued their record-breaking performance with her seventh gold medal in the women’s 400m freestyle and got her...

June 15, 2015 Vietnam secured a 5-0 win over Indonesia on Monday in a third-place game to compete for the bronze medal of the men’s football event at the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore. The Vietnamese side, led by Japanese coach Toshiya Miura, fielded their best line-up, which had been planned for the final game but they lost 1-2 to Myanmar in the semifinals on Saturday, to take on Indonesia. A small change was made as hitman Cong Phuong played in midfield. He was replaced in the attacking...

Published: 23:24 GMT, 9 July 2014 | Updated: 07:31 GMT, 10 July 2014 Germany made a half-time pledge not to humiliate Brazil in their astonishing semi-final clash on Tuesday night. Joachim Low’s side led 5-0 after the first 45 minutes in Belo Horizonte before completing a 7-1 rout to reach Sunday’s final. But defender Mats Hummels said they were determined to be professional after the break. +7 Classy: Hummels looked comfortable throughout Germany's thumping win at Estadio Mineirao ...

Published: 00:26 GMT, 10 July 2014 | Updated: 08:32 GMT, 10 July 2014 Holland manager Louis van Gaal revealed two players had refused to take the first penalty after their shootout defeat by Argentina on Wednesday. The Dutch couldn't repeat their quarter-final shoot out heroics against Costa Rica as Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar missed Holland's first kick and Wesley Sneijder also failed to score. Drama: Goalkeeper Sergio Romero saves the penalty of Holland's Ron Vlaar during the shootout Argentina scored all four penalties to secure...

20 June 2014 Last updated at 01:02 GMT Uruguay match-winner Luis Suarez says his country's brought him retribution against his critics in England. The Liverpool striker, 27, scored in both halves to condemn England to their second successive loss in Group D and leave them close to a World Cup exit. "Before the game, too many people in England laughed about my attitude over the last few years," he said. "This is a very good time for me. I want to see what they think now." Suarez had...

20 June 2014 Last updated at 04:59 GMT England manager Roy Hodgson was not even in the mood to clutch at the straws being offered at the Arena de Sao Paulo. He carried the air of a man who knew the game was up. Hodgson needs a succession of cards to fall in England's favour over the remainder of Group D to stay in this World Cup - but after or more precisely Luis Suarez, the odds are stacked high. The equation is this. If Italy and Costa Rica...

14 Jun 2014 Colombia made an impressive start to their Group C campaign as an early Pablo Armero strike set them on the way to a comfortable win over Greece. The Napoli defender rolled in Juan Cuadrado's fifth-minute cut-back. Teofilo Gutierrez, leading Colombia's attack in the absence of the injured Radamel Falcao, then touched in from a James Rodriguez corner after the break. Theofanis Gekas headed Greece's best chance against the bar, before Rodriguez steered in a late third. Colombia's 3-0 win was their best result in World Cups,...

19 Jun 2014 Japan and 10-man Greece played out a stalemate that keeps alive both teams' chances of progressing from Group C. Greece captain Konstantinos Katsouranis was sent off for two bookable offences before the break in Natal. The Greeks went close with a second-half header from Theofanis Gekas, which was saved by Eiji Kawashima. Yoshito Okubo missed from just a couple of yards and Atsuto Uchida also prodded wide from a good position as Japan were left frustrated. The draw leaves both teams on one point heading into the...

18/05/2014 | 18:10:00 More than 300 Vietnamese living in Belgium along with Belgians who support Vietnam on May 17 staged a demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy in Brussels to protest against China’s illegal placement of the Haiyang Shiyou -981 oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the East Sea. Vietnamese people living in Belgium stage a demonstration to protest China's illegal placement (Source: VNA) On behalf of the French-speaking Belgian Community, Count Baudouimd de Crombrugghe affirmed...

22/05/2014 | 20:52:59 Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has underscored that Vietnam will resolutely defend its sovereignty and legitimate interests because territorial sovereignty, including over its maritime zones and islands, is sacred. PM Dung speaks at a press conference in the Philippines (Photo: VNA) The PM made the affirmation in his response to questions from the Associated Press of the US and Reuters of the UK on current developments in the East Sea, and Vietnam’s measures following China’s illegal deployment of an oil...

23/05/2014 | 22:22:00 An international press conference was organised on May 23 in Hanoi to update reporters on information of the East Sea situation. According to Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh, since the previous press conference on May 7 on China ’s illegal placement of Haiyang Shiyou- 981 in Vietnam ’s waters, Vietnam has showed utmost restraint and exhausted all peaceful measures, opportunity and dialogue channels to settle the issue in a peaceful manner. Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh at the conference. Photo:...

Last update 09:40 | 27/04/2014 The market is about 30 km north of Qui Nhon city, Binh Dinh province and it opens from 3-4am. A special feature of the Go Gang market is that it opens from 3am and closes at about 4-5am. The second special point is that it only sells conical hats and materials to make conical hats. The transactions take place under the lights of oil lamps. The market is not noisy or bustling as ordinary markets. After making 10-20 conical hats, local women take their products...

Today, 8 February, 18:24 Places *Adler Arena Skating Center Sports *Speed Skating Athletes *NED Countries * Speed skater Sven Kramer retained his Olympic 5,000m title at the Sochi Games on Saturday, destroying the field to win by nearly five seconds as the Netherlands swept the podium. Kramer's time of 6min 10.76sec at the Adler Arena was a new Olympic record. Compatriot...

Last update 13:22 | 24/01/2014 In the hard times, many businesses give their employees special Tet gifts like sedge mats, doormats, chili sauce, shorts, incense and even screws. Workers of a sedge mat enterprise in Thanh Hoa brought their Tet gifts – sedge mats - to sell at the market. Many people are very surprised knowing that some companies give the above things to their employees as Tet gifts. However, it is a sad fact this year and such Tet bonuses have discouraged both the employers and...

Last update 09:16 | 16/12/2013 The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has unexpectedly announced the application of the new university enrolment mechanism to be applied from 2014. A lot of students complain the decision has made them feel dizzy. It is expected that from 2014, universities would have the right to follow their ways to enroll students instead of depending on MOET’s plans. They would be able to apply one of the three solutions to find students, either organizing university entrance exams themselves, admitting students twice a year;...

Last update 10:05 | 17/12/2013 Vietnam has been consistent with its policy on teaching many different languages at general schools. However, it meets a lot of big difficulties that hinder the program implementation. 98 percent of students prefer learning English Under the current regulations, the foreign languages taught at general schools are English and some other languages including French, German, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. However, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), 98 percent of students want to learn English. Vu Thi Tu...