Politics

-- The recent visit of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to China has a crucial importance in reaffirming the Vietnamese Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification of relations, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh remarked at a press briefing on Sunday.

-- Vietnam will seek to raise the relationship with Thailand to a new height when Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visits the country from June 25-27.

-- President Truong Tan Sang will visit Indonesia from June 27-28 under invitation of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Business

-- Besides potatoes, a number of other agricultural produce originating from China have been ‘laundered’ to bear Vietnamese origins to dupe local consumers.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment has granted license to some 10,000 newly-established businesses in the year to date.

-- Vietnamese automaker Thaco Group has recently demanded to be allowed to enjoy a tax deferral for the VND1.2 trillion worth of import taxes it has to pay, with the company chairman asserting that the move is to help it have money to invest in the automobile-making industry.

-- Number One Hau Giang, a subsidiary of the local well-known beverage maker Tan Hiep Phat, has been granted the license to start work on its VND4 trillion manufacturing plant in Hau Giang province.

-- A new style of café, typical known for its small area and the coffee beans that are roasted and grounded on-the-spot, have recently mushroomed in Ho Chi Minh City, replacing the traditional sidewalk café.

Society

-- Hanoi authorities have considered setting up six more walking streets around its iconic Hoan Kiem Lake.

-- A forest ranger officer in Lam Dong Sunday opened fire and killed one out of the two illegal loggers at the Cat Tien National Park after his team was attacked by the two men.

-- The Bebinca storm hit the northern province of Hai Phong on Sunday, causing high tides that broke down a dam in Do Son District.

-- A joint inspectorate team Sunday busted the Sin Lounge in HCMC’s District 1 and caught a number of customers smoking the shisha tobacco that have been illicitly imported to Vietnam.

Education

-- Many students of the American International School have won full scholarships from the US’s renowned university such as Pacific University, Mount Holyoke College, University of Evansville, and Augustana College, with the scholarship value ranging from $80,000 to $92,000.

Sports

-- The Binh Duong – XMXT Saigon match during the V-League 13^th round has come under public scrutiny under suspicion of match-fixing. XMXT Saigon was beaten 0 – 3 while it was rumored that the score had been fixed at 0 – 4.