Vietnam on September 7 confirmed the country’s third death from the A/H1N1 flu after a female patient aged 56, who tested positive for the virus at the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute, died on September 4.

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An town, and several hotels and resorts in the country have won a number of Best Asian Travel Brands 2009 after a recent travel poll by the Hong Kong-based Smart Travel Asia online magazine.

A delegation from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) and followers arrived in Berlin on September 6 to organise a grand ceremony to mark the Vu Lan religious festival during their tour of four European countries.

The Central and Central Highland Centre for Storm and Flood Control announced on September 7 that 16 people have been killed, injured or still missing due to the effects of a tropical low pressure front in the region.

Amidst an increasing surge in the mass media, Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) has successfully adapted to a new era of modern technology and has expanded its radio transmission in order to bring the Voice of Vietnam – the nation’s hearts – to every corner of the country and the world.

Over the past 64 years, Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) has gone through substantial changes and has made a huge contribution to the cause of national construction and defence.

By the start of September, Thua Thien-Hue had received 943,400 tourists, equivalent to 94 percent of the same period last year and earned VND481.7 billion.

Vietnam confirmed 154 more cases of A/H1N1 influenza on September 6, bringing the total number of flu patients in the country to 3,636 with two deaths.

Over the past 8 months, the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu has raised nearly VND7.2 billion to support the poor.

The Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the southern province of Vinh Long held a requiem on September 5 for workers who died in a tragic bridge construction accident in 2007.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health confirmed on September 5 that another patient of the A/H1N1 influenza has died in the city.

More than 22 million students of all grades across the country began a new academic year on September 5.

Vietnam has actively contributed to international efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and protect the climatic system, said a Vietnamese senior environment official.

The French Bretagne-Vietnam Association will provide VND1 billion to the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to build a primary school in Phu Luong commune, Phu Vang district.

Rencontres du Vietnam (Meet Vietnam) on September 5 granted 350 Odon Vallet scholarships, worth VND4 million each, to outstanding students and young researchers of universities and institutes in Hanoi and northern provinces.

Doctors from Company No. 12 under the Ministry of Defence on September 4 presented gifts to 150 poor patients who are being treated at a hospital in Cambodia’s Santouk district.

Three foreigners have been rescued at sea by a Vietnamese fishing vessel and provided with care in Ben Tre province.

Torrential rains caused by a tropical low pressure system have flooded many parts of the central region, from Da Nang City to Binh Dinh province over the past two days, seriously damaging local property.

The Thai Binh Department of Health announced on September 4 that a pupil of the Luong The Vinh Secondary school had tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus.

The Vietnamese Embassy in London in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched a Vietnam tourism promotion programme in London on September 3 to introduce international friends to Vietnam’s land and people.

An additional 180 people tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus on September 3, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Vietnam to 3,201. Of the total, two patients have died from the disease.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has asked all provincial and municipal education departments to provide proper training for disadvantaged school children, including those from ethnic minority groups, street children and disabled pupils. 

The Meet Vietnam Organisation, the Nghe An provincial People’s Committee and the University of Vinh on August 3 granted 140 scholarships in the name of Professor Odon Vallet to outstanding pupils and students in the province.

Doctor Allen Hassan who is a US war veteran and an author of the book “the True Story of a Jungle Surgeon in Vietnam” met with Vietnamese readers in Ho Chi Minh City on September 2.

The Vietnam Association of Learning Promotion has granted scholarships to 14 top university applicants in the Northern region this year.

The 40th Worldskills International Competition kicked off on September 1 in the Canadian city of Calgary.

Vietnam has participated for the second time in an annual social forum which took place in the Swiss city of Geneva from August 31 to September 2. 

In the past two weeks, the foot-and-mouth disease has continued to spread in Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Dak Nong in the central and central highland regions.

The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will provide more funds for Vietnam’s efforts to prevent and combat the deadly disease HIV/AIDS.

The ancient town of Hoi An, a world heritage site, will host a “Day without plastic bags – The Nature Day” for the first time on Sept. 9.