A fishing boat carrying 25 Vietnamese fishermen seized by China returned safely to Ly Son district, Quang Ngai province, on August 14, according to the provincial borderguard command.

Thousands of Catholics from 26 dioceses across the country flocked to La Vang Church in Hai Phu commune, Hai Lang district in the central province of Quang Tri on August 14-15 to attend their annual festival.

The first Vietnamese people decided to settle in the Czech Republic nearly 25 years ago when the government had a policy of sending workers there to undergo training. Now, the Vietnamese community is considered more united and developed than other foreign communities living there.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will grant more than US$580,000 to help Vietnam establish a disaster management and mitigation fund.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) reported 63 new infections of the A/H1N1 influenza, bringing the total number of cases to 1,363 nationwide with two deaths as of 5pm on August 14.

A new species of geckos has been discovered in the Cat Tien National Park in south-central Vietnam by a group of German, Russian and Vietnamese scientists.

The aim of the meeting is to share experiences, strengthen understanding and devise solutions for enhancing labour cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in the coming years, said Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

The Vietnam Association for Protection of Children's Rights (VAPCR) held a conference in Hanoi on August 14 to discuss a development strategy till 2020 and an action plan for the 2009-2010 period.

An online seminar was held in Hanoi, Da Nang and HCM City on August 14 to discuss Israel's water treatment methods and guidelines to implement bilateral financial protocols.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has urged the Ministry of Health to provide guidelines to relevant Ministries, Departments, and People’s Committees of Cities and Provinces to step up the fight against the A/H1N1 epidemic.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan broke the ground on Eastern International University (EIU) in the southern province of Binh Duong on August 13.

A ceremony will be held at the Hanoi Opera House on August 16 to honour outstanding individuals and businesses in the medicine and pharmacy sector.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs on August 13 promulgated its administrative procedure code consisting of 281 articles on labour and social affairs.

Trade union members and legislators are gathering in the coal-mining province of Quang Ninh’s Ha Long city on August 13-14 to seek ways to draft a revised Labour Code and Trade Union Law.

How to build up a media ethics handbook topped the agenda of a seminar, which was organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications in the south central province of Khanh Hoa on August 13.

The 8th Asian Hospital Management Conference opened in Ho Chi Minh City on August 13, bringing together more than 700 doctors and specialists from 26 countries.

Vietnam’s population hit more than 85.78 million on April 1, 2009, an increase of 9.47 million from 1999, to become the third most populous country in Southeast Asia and the 13th most populous country in the world.

Construction of FPT (Finance and Promotion Technology) University began in Hanoi’s Hoa Lac high-tech park on August 13.

The Mayor of Washington will participate in a grand ceremony to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long Hanoi, Hanoi's Party Committee Secretary, Pham Quang Nghi announced while receiving the US ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak on August 12.

The Government has ratified a resettlement plan for people in 110 communes of 33 districts in provinces along the Vietnam-Cambodia border including Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang.

The Unilever Vietnam Fund has provided VND463.9 million (or nearly US$26,000) to carry out a project to improve community health in four communes in the northern province of Ha Nam.

Another 64 patients tested positive for the A (H1N1) flu on August 12, raising the total of confirmed cases in Vietnam to 1,275, including two reported deaths, as of 5pm the same day.

Construction of a pastoral centre for the Da Lat diocese in Da Lat city in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong started on August 12. 

The Angolan Minister of Science and Technology and Chairman of the Angola-Vietnam Intergovernmental Joint Committee, Maria Candida Pereira Teixeira, has been presented with Vietnam ’s Doctorate of Sciences. 

The women’s union in the southern province of An Giang on August 12 joined with women’s unions from Cambodia’s two Ta Keo and Can Dal provinces in launching an educational campaign to combat trafficking in women and children. 

Representatives from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have gathered at a conference in Vientiane, Laos to discuss measures to strengthen cooperation in developing the triangle region between the three countries.

Vietnam and the US will hold the fourth meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) on Argent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam from September 8-10.

The 2009 Games Show and VietGames Tournament will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from November 27-29.

The British Council on August 12 provided training workshops to improve English and other skills for key teachers from 65 schools in Vietnam with the aim of bringing international dimension into their schools. 

An international seminar on a project to prevent the illegal transport, trafficking and consumption of wild animals and plants in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue was held in Hue city on August 11.