Vietnam, India hold 10th political consultation, 7th strategic dialogueThe 10th political consultation and 7th strategic dialogue at the deputy foreign ministerial level between Vietnam and India took place in New Delhi on April 9-10. They highlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in many fields, especially politics, defence-security, and economy-trade. Deputy FM Quy applauded India for successfully organising the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. Quy suggested the Indian side restrict trade barriers to Vietnam’s exports. Both sides agreed to organise the next political consultation and strategic dialogue in Vietnam in 2019.

Cold supply chain: burning issue for Vietnam’s farm productsVietNamNet Bridge - Farmers in Hanoi have had to throw away hundreds of tons of radishes because of slow sales, reflecting the weakness in Vietnam’s cold supply chain. A cold supply chain would allow harvested farm produce to be kept in cold storage for consumption. Dao The Anh, deputy director of the Vietnam Agriculture Science Institute, said cold supply market is underdeveloped with small cold storehouses run by households and cooperatives. Among cold supply chains, foreign investors, such as FM Logistics, CLK Cold Storage and Emergent Cold, own cold storehouses. RELATED NEWSValuable farm produce sold at low pricesFood exporters removed from US list as new regulations take effectMai Thanh

Uncontrolled development spoils environment at tourist attractionsVietNamNet Bridge - The dark sides of massive tourism development include damage to natural landscapes and local culture. The dark sides of massive tourism development include damage to natural landscapes and local culture. The further they went into the central area, the more terrible was the noise. A big café in the central area marred the landscape. On their hotel balconies enjoying Tam Dao’s mountainous landscapes, the reporters could see only dusty construction sites and houses close together.

Vietnamese parents more willing to talk to kids about sex, gender issuesVietNamNet Bridge - Instead of avoiding talking about sex and gender, Vietnamese parents are increasingly providing knowledge on these issues to their children. As a ‘friend’, the kids can ask for advice about issues in their lives, including sex and gender. According to Minh, the most important thing in conservations with children is not information, but parents’ attitudes towards the issues. Le Quynh Hoa, a parent in Cau Giay district in Hanoi, thinks it is better to have straight talk with children about sensitive issues. RELATED NEWSNew education program calls for reform in sex educationWhen should sex education be offered to Vietnamese children?

Earth's magnetic ocean tides mapped from spaceThis is the European Space Agency's spectacular new view of ocean tides as they sweep around the Earth. As the Moon pulls the salty seas through our planet's global magnetic field, electric currents are generated. The mission was sent into orbit in 2013 to bring fresh insight on Earth's magnetic behaviour. But there is one observation that will certainly have more general interest - that of the position of the north magnetic pole. The drift of the magnetic north pole is towards Russia -- Photo: ESAMost people know that it is not aligned with the geographic north pole and instead drifts around.

Artist runs free flute classes in HanoiAn artist in Hanoi has been operating a free flute class for seven years. Artist Le Thai SonArtist Le Thai Son, 69, was born in Thanh Oai District, now in Hanoi. Son's free flute classThe classes, which have run for seven years has attracted more than 300 learners. Son plans to open another free flute class in Nha Trang in the near future. His dream is how to open as many as free flute classes nationwide to help preserve traditional music instruments.

No photo, no phone: Customers may lose serviceVietNamNet Bridge – Mobile subscribers may have their SIM cards deactivated if they fail to submit profile photos following a new regulation. If they fail to register, the providers will block incoming calls after 15 days and stop providing services in the next 15 days. Viettel said that their only strategy for encouraging customers to comply with the regulation was providing sufficient information. Weighty responsibilitiesBy the end of March, there were 118.7 million mobile subscriptions in Vietnam, according to the General Statistics Office. Vo Do Thang, a cyber security expert, emphasised that besides tightening the management on mobile subscriptions, policies to protect customers against information leaks needed to be adopted.

VN-Index slightly down on southern bourseThe benchmark VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) decreased 6.21 points to close at 1,198.11 points on April 10. Nearly 286 million shares worth over 9.2 trillion VND (404.8 million USD) were traded on the southern bourse on the day. The VN30-Inex dropped 9.62 points to 1,168.06 points, with 78 million units valued at 4.3 trillion VND (189.2 million USD) changed hands. The UPCOM Index on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) decreased slightly 0.03 percent to settle at 60.42 points. Nearly 27 million units were sold at 746 billion VND (32.74 million USD).-VNA

Huge opportunities for expanded Vietnam-France relations: expertsVietnam and France see new opportunities to further strengthen their relationship, which witnessed strong development over the last 45 years, heard a conference held by the Asia Centre in Paris on April 9. According to Duong Van Quang, former Vietnamese Ambassador to France, the geopolitical factor has a great impact on bilateral relations. He stressed that the recent official visit to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong was a history trip that opens up new opportunities for the bilateral relations. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Thiep said France was among the first western countries to set up relations with Vietnam, and forgive debts for the war-torn country. However, participants said the economic ties between the two countries are not to match their good political relations.

Vietnamese, Japanese defence ministers hold talksVietnamese Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and his Japanese counterpart Onodera Itsunori reiterated the importance of building a stable, free and open order in line with law in the Indo-Pacific region during their talks in Tokyo on April 10. He said the maintenance of peace and stability, maritime and overflight freedom in line with law in the region is of significance. The two ministers spoke highly of thriving Vietnam – Japan ties in diverse areas, especially between the armies. The Vietnamese minister suggested promoting army medical cooperation, including scientific training and research, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and maritime security. At the talks, host and guest signed a Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam – Japan Defence Relationship towards the next decade.

$3.5b needed for expansion of Noi Bai AirportVietNamNet Bridge – The Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV) has said that it will need close to VND80 trillion (US$3.5 billion) for the proposed expansion project of Noi Bai International Airport. The expansion project is being carried out in order to brace against overloading that is expected in just a few years. US$3.5 billion is needed for the proposed expansion project of Noi Bai International Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam. At the meeting, transport minister Nguyen Van The stressed the importance of Noi Bai Airport as the central airport of the country and the front door from which to welcome domestic and international tourists. Noi Bai Airport now has a capacity of 25 million passengers per year, with two terminals and two runways.

Deputy PM leads Hai Phong customs bribe probeDeputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh will oversee an urgent investigation into bribes to speed up customs clearance procedures at ports in the northern city of Hai Phong. A group of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters played the role of being apprentices at a company in Hai Phong which specializes on rapid customs clearance. The reporters' investigation showed that more than 300 companies provide customs services in Hai Phong. Dung said that he always had to pay bribes twice for customs fees and for customs procedures. According to statistics from the General Customs Department, Hai Phong customs officers receive and deal with around 7,600 customs declaration forms with the colour categories being 60%, 35% and 5% respectively.

Soc Trang: Primary school headmaster resigns as many pupils can’t readThe headmaster of a primary school in the southern province of Soc Trang Province has just resigned because many grade 2 pupils at his school still can’t read. Lich Hoi Thuong A Town Primary SchoolHuynh Ha Thang, headmaster of Lich Hoi Thuong A Town Primary School in Tran De District, on April 9 submitted his resignation to the district Department of Education and Training. Thang said that he resigned for failing to be a good headmaster, so he wanted to return to work as a teacher. The Tran De District’s Department of Education and Training has agreed and are completing procedures for his resignation. An earlier a check by the provincial Department of Education and Training at Lich Hoi Thuong A Town Primary School under Thang’s management showed that many grade 2 pupils couldn’t read.

Traders protest over Dong Xuan Market rumourHundreds of traders in Hanoi gathered on Monday to protest against the proposal to turn the Dong Xuan Market into a shopping centre. Hundreds of traders in Hanoi gathered to protest against the proposal to turn the Dong Xuan Market into a shopping centre on April 9. Hoan Kiem District People's Committee held an urgent meeting with nearly 100 traders yesterday afternoon to announce that they will not build a shopping centre to replace Dong Xuan Market. "We had recently held a discussion to consult opinions on how to keep traditional trading at Dong Xuan Market," vice chairman of the committee, Pham Tuan Long told traders at the meeting. Dong Xuan Market was opened in 1889 and it used to be the biggest trading place in the north.

Comedy drama a top-grossing Vietnam filmVietNamNet Bridge – Now showing in cinemas, Nhung Thang Nam Ruc Ro (Go-Go Sister) is one of two movies released this year that have been included in the five top grossing Vietnamese films. Go-go sisters: A still from Thang Nam Ruc Ro which ranks among the top five highest grossing Vietnamese films. Thang Nam Ruc Ro is a Vietnamese adaption of the Korean blockbuster, Sunny. Thang Nam Ruc Ro is still on showing with English subtitles in cinemas across the country. The movie turnover reached VND106 billion becoming the second highest grossing film in the country.