A bomb and mine disposal company on April 13 safely removed a 225-kg bomb believed to be dropped by US planes in 1972 from the construction site of a highway in the northern province of Quang Ninh. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China launched a joint laboratory programme on April 12 in order to boost bilateral innovation cooperation.

VOV.VN - The Khmer ethnic minority people in southern localities are busy preparing for their traditional New Year festival, Chol Chnam Thmay.

The annual “One heart – One world” exchange programme is scheduled to take place on April 16, aiming to raise funds for people with disabilities, orphans and those in difficult circumstances nationwide. 

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh wished the Party, State and people of Laos happiness and a successful New Year when attending a ceremony to welcome their traditional Bun Pi May festival held by the Lao Embassy in Hanoi April 12.

The People’s Court in the central province of Ha Tinh on April 12 handed down a jail term of nine years, which will be followed by another five-year probation, to Tran Thi Xuan for attempt to overthrow the people’s administration.

More than 60 Vietnamese bamboo varieties have been planted in the Gao Giong eco-tourism site in Cao Lanh district, the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, as part of the site’s bamboo conservation project. 

Vietnam and Denmark are working on new cooperation in the health sector, aiming to improve the prevention, early detection and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Vietnam.

A secure electronic authentication mechanism is a must to popularise the use of e-signatures on mobile devices in Vietnam, said Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Thanh Hung at a workshop held in Hanoi on April 12.

A book discussing the green economy for sustainable development amdist climate change was launched in Hanoi on April 12, aiming to provide policymakers with theoretical and practical views of the issues.

Ho Chi Minh City is planning to transform three of its eastern districts into “innovative urban areas” as part of a master plan to become a "smart city" by 2020.

Truong Son Xanh (Green Annamites) Project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) with total investment of nearly US$10 million was launched in the central coastal province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 12.

Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark in the northern border province of Cao Bang was recognised as a global geopark by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council in Paris on April 12.

As many as 520 wheelchairs worth VND1.53 billion (US$67,100) donated by US organisation “Giving it back to kids” were presented to the disabled and orphans in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 12.

Leaders of southern Vinh Long province and Can Tho city on April 12 extended congratulations to local Khmer people on the ethnic group’s traditional New Year festival, Chol Chnam Thmay.

The Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap should further introduce the province’s advantages and potential to Russian partners, thus seeking more cooperation and investment, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Doan Tan Buu.

The General Association of Vietnamese-Cambodian People in Phnom Penh on April 12 raised nearly US$1,800 to support soldiers and local residents in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

 While the backbone of Vietnam’s electricity remains hydropower, the State-owned Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN) said power supply will be ensured for the coming dry season.

VOV.VN - Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has reiterated the Vietnamese government’s determination to begin construction of Long Thanh airport on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh city by the end of next year. 

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN, WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 11 led a delegation to visit and extend greetings to their Lao counterparts on Bunpimay Festival, the traditional New Year of Laos.

The General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health on April 12 launched a Japanese-funded project to provide preventive health care services to the elderly to cope with population aging in Vietnam.

Millions of working-age people with disabilities who have the ability to work are in need of help to access soft loans to pursue vocational training and employment but there is an absence of a source of soft loans exclusively designed for them.

A seminar took place in Hanoi on April 12 to introduce Japan’s Kosen model to vocational training establishments. 

Delegates at a seminar in Hanoi on April 12 suggested preferential loans should be accessible to people with disabilities as well as businesses employing the disabled. 

VOV.VN - An unexploded 150kg bomb which was dropped by the US troops during the war in Vietnam has been safely detonated in Vinh Long Province, Colonel Pham Van Be Tu, commander of the provincial Military High Command, said on April 12. 

In the context of booming socio-economic development, changing behavior and habits in daily life is seen as a way to improve the quality of life. That’s also the aim of the “Seven Day Challenge” campaign, launched on April 10 in Vietnam.

A seminar took place in the central province of Ninh Thuan on April 11 to share experience in educating disabled children.

The Vietnamese Embassy in France and French postal service firm La Poste issued a set of stamps to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties on April 12.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11 celebrated the Lao Bunpimay festival and the Cambodian Chol Chnam Thmay festival.

Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Huu Dung on April 11 visited the Patriotic United Buddhist Association in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on the occasion of Khmer people’s traditional New Year festival, Chol Chnam Thmay - which falls on April 14-16.