Monsanto court ruling bolsters the hope for millions of Vietnamese Agent Orange victimsVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange have once again had their hopes for justice rekindled. The US chemical group Monsanto has long been associated with the Agent Orange devastation in Vietnam. The Government of Viet Nam estimates that around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic substance. The association is gearing up for the next legal endeavours on behalf of nearly 3 million Vietnamese victims. “No matter how difficult and prolonged this case might be, we won’t ever give up on it, for the sake of the millions of Vietnamese victims,” said Vinh of the Agent Orange Victims’ Association said.

South Korean investors buy more real estate in VietnamVietNamNet Bridge - A partner has registered to buy 250 condotels for South Korean buyers at a high-end resort in the central province of Quang Nam, sources said. However, a US standard real estate brokerage firm, which has been in the Vietnamese market for one year, has ordered 300 products. A US standard real estate brokerage firm, which has been in the Vietnamese market for one year, has ordered 300 products. The real estate transactions here are just like the way they appeared in Phu My Hung, airport area and Tan Binh IZ in HCMC,” Dang commented. RELATED NEWSReal estate market is ‘fragile’, could lead to another bubble, experts sayReal estate market to prosper thanks to stock upswingKim Chi

Second refresher course opens for Party Central Committee membersThe second refresher course for members of the Party Central Committee, 12th tenure, was opened in Hanoi on August 27 in the presence of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong attends the opening of the second refresher course for members of the Party Central Committee, 12th tenure, in HanoiDuring five days, 90 participants in the course will be updated on new and topical contents in nine subjects, in line with the spirit of the Resolution of the 12th Party Congress and resolutions of the Party Central Committee since the beginning of the tenure. Participants at the opening of the second refresher course for members of the Party Central Committee, 12th tenure, in HanoiThe Party Central Committee members will also study issues related to the great national unity and social democracy, directions for socio-economic development and the strategy for defence-security and external relations. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong urged the participants to take the occasion to share knowledge and experience during discussions to shed light on newly emerging issues, thus helping them to perform their tasks better. The first course was held from August 14-18.

A look back at John McCain’s activitiesSenator John McCain, who helped lay the foundation for a cooperative Vietnam-US relationship, passed away on August 25 (US time) at the age of 81.browser not support iframe. Senator John McCain (centre) visited Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi on October 19, 1992. Senator John McCain at a press conference in Hanoi on January 19, 2012 as part of his visit to Vietnam Senator John McCain ( R) at a meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong during Trong's US visit in July, 2015 President Tran Dai Quang (right) welcomed Senator John McCain who led a US Senate delegation on a working trip to Vietnam in June, 2017. Senator John McCain (centre) visited Cam Ranh International Port in Khanh Hoa province on June 2, 2017Vietnamese Ambassador to US Pham Quang Vinh and Senator John McCain Senator John McCain in a press conference at the US Embassy in Sarajevo in April, 2017. From those trips, Ngoc noticed the Senator’s strategic vision, leadership and high political determination for the normalisation of Vietnam-US relations despite very great internal obstacles.

French conductor Brendel to lead concert at HCM City Opera HouseClaude Brendel, director of the Conservatory of Rouen in France, will lead the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) in a concert at the Opera House on Wednesday. Claude Brendel, director of the Conservatory of Rouen, France, will lead the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) in a concert at the HCM City Opera House on Wednesday. Vietnamese-French guitarist Nguyen Thanh Hang, a graduate of the National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance, will perform at a concert at the HCM City Opera House on Wednesday. Conductor Brendel was the first guest conductor of the Lyric Festival of Luchon, France in 1991, and then became the event’s music director from 1994-1996. The concert will begin at 8pm on Wednesday at the Opera House, 7 Lam Sơn Square, District 1.

Event brings ASEAN families togetherVietNamNet Bridge – The ASEAN Family Day was held on Saturday in Hanoi with a range of fun activities to enhance cultural exchange and understanding among ASEAN member states. Hop to it: A participant joins múa sạp, a traditional dance of Viet Nam, at the ASEAN Family Day, held on Saturday in Hanoi. “ASEAN Family Day aims to promote the culture and tradition of ASEAN countries. I hope the event will help to strengthen unity and promote the ASEAN community spirit,” he added. Friendly competition: Staff of the Viet Nam Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ASEAN Embassies’ staff play tug of war.

Vietnam’s once-famous brands struggle to regain strengthVietNamNet Bridge - The brands were once ‘king’ in the market, but later lost their market share to foreign rivals. Chuong Duong was once a rival equal in strength with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, but has lost the competition with the two foreign giants. A report from BMI, a market analysis firm, showed the high growth rate of 7-12 percent of the Vietnam’s beverage market. Previously, Chuong Duong needed approval from Sabeco, a state-owned enterprise, for its investment plans, and sometimes it missed opportunities because of delays. RELATED NEWSDomestic fashion brands seek foothold in $3.5 billion marketVietnam's US$2 billion cosmetics market controlled by foreign brandsQuynh Mai

Pedagogical schools say they cannot find enough studentsVietNamNet Bridge - Many pedagogical schools complain that the numbers of students applying for admission was too modest after the first enrollment campaign. The decision was released after criticism about the low qualifications of teachers, attributed to the low quality of pedagogical schools’ input students. In the 2017-2018 academic year, some schools accepted to admit the students who got only 10 exam score. She affirmed that only some schools are meeting difficulties in seeking students, while prestigious schools are satisfied with their enrollment. RELATED NEWSEnrollment declines at pedagogy schools, education reform in dangerPedagogy school enrollment declines despite lax admission standardsMai Thanh

Forests sold within four to six years after plantingVietNamNet Bridge - Experts have voiced concern about the short life cycle of forests which are sold four to six years after planting. Vietnam has 3 million hectares of production forestsVietnam has three million hectares of production forests, 90 percent of which are acacia forests which provide materials to the woodwork industry. To have 8 million tons of woodchips for export, Vietnam needs 16 million cubic meters of timber. Also according to Hoai, foreign experts say that Vietnam is planting forests and selling young forests, not doing forestry. As the area for planting forests is limited, the only choice Vietnam can make is improving acacia plantation productivity to increase the timber output.

Producers of oil & gas firms see drop in profits, but distributors’ earnings riseVietNamNet Bridge - The oil price fluctuations have had a big impact on the business performance of Vietnam’s oil and gas firms. The oil price fluctuations have had a big impact on the business performance of Vietnam’s oil and gas firms. As the crude oil price is too low, oil & gas exploiters have suspend their drilling plans, which has led to low demand for drilling platform leasing. Collecting gas at oil fields and distributing gas in the market, the company doesn’t bear influences from the oil price fluctuations. US$1=VND22,000RELATED NEWSExperts warn about depletion of Vietnam’s largest oil fieldOil & gas loses the ‘throne’ as the biggest export itemKim Nam

Locals boycott thermal power projects as electricity shortages loomVietNamNet Bridge - The electricity outages that occurred in the dry season may return and become even more serious as provincial authorities do not want to build more thermal power plants in their localities. The biggest hindrance in developing power plants, according to Vuong, does not lie in the lack of capital, but in environmental problems. If the coal-fired power capacity increases by 2-4 times, the volume of ash and slag to be discharged would be even higher. According to Ma Khai Hien from Enerteam, the current electricity price is not high enough to encourage investors to build renewable power plants. RELATED NEWSCoal-fired power plants’ slag and ash cannot find outletsVietnam could generate all power via renewable energy by 2050: reportManh Hai

Developing airports: new playing field for billionairesVietNamNet Bridge - A series of new airport projects and upgrading of existing airports have been suggested with total investment capital of billions of dollars. A series of airport projects have been suggestedThe Cam Ranh complex, worth VND4 trillion, was developed under the BOT (build, operation, transfer0 mode by a joint venture of private investors. Many resort tourism projects, valued at billions of dollars, located 10-30 kilometers from the airport, have been implemented. Sun Group, a giant real estate developer, has inaugurated the Van Don International Airport, capitalized at VND7.2 trillion. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), 94 million passengers went through airports in 2017 in Vietnam and the number of air passengers may reach 142 million by 2020.

Hue city hosts int’l cycling tournament Coupe De HueThe I-on Health Cup Race was held in Hue City, the capital of the central province of Thua Thien Hue on August 25 to kick start the Coupe De Hue cycling tournament, which attracts over 700 local and foreign riders. Coupe De Hue cycling tournament takes place on August 25-26, attractting over 700 local and foreign riders. (Photo: coupedehuecyclerace.com)The I-on Health Cup Race includes two events stretching the two distances of 25.8 km and 43.7 km, starting from Phu Van Lau Park in Hue City. The tournament, running through August 26, also hosts the 138-km Gran Fondo Sportive Ride which centres around the historical Citadel. The Coupe De Hue has become the first Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – registered Gran Fondo Sportive event in Vietnam and only one of a limited number in Southeast Asia.

Painting exhibition focuses on Vietnam’s land, peopleAn exhibition of 44 paintings on Vietnam’s land and people by 22 artists from Asian countries was opened to the public in a ceremony in Hanoi on August 25. Through this, Asian artists will have a chance to explore and depict the beauty of the nature, culture, land and people of Vietnam, as well as to intensify their exchanges in this field of art. This kind of exhibition has been held over the recent years with a view to popularizing the image of Vietnam among foreign friends. This year’s exhibition saw the participation of artists from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam who just made a field trip to Hoa Lu ancient capital in the northern province of Ninh Binh. The exhibition will run through September 3 in both Hanoi and Ninh Binh province.-VNA

PM to chair Quang Binh investment promotion conferenceThe central province of Quang Binh’s investment promotion conference will take place on August 26-27 in Dong Hoi city under the chair of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to the provincial People’s Committee. Dinh Huu Thanh, Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment said that the conference aims to introduce the investment potential and opportunities in the province. This is also a chance for investors to meet and make dialogue with local authorities, seeking new cooperation opportunities and sketching out orientations and solutions to effectively exploit the potential and strengths of Quang Binh. According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Tien Dung, the conference is of significant importance to the locality. Earlier, Quang Binh held a number of sideline activities such as investment promotion conferences in the Philippines and Singapore, and a meeting with promising investors in Hanoi.-VNA