Tuoitrenews briefs you on some of the main stories published today, January 3, on Vietnamese media

Politics:

- Under the the invitation of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly Heng Samrin will lead a delegation from the Cambodian legislature to pay an official visit to Vietnam from January 4-5

Business:

- During the last two days, local authorities have continously detected in local market 2 Chinese kinds of kid toys containing phthalates, a chemical which can cause cancer and infertility for men. Earlier, numerous batches of Chinese dolls with "fruit" heads were also detected containing the toxic.

- The Electricity of Viet Nam Southern Power Company is finishing the final steps of the project to install the Phu Quoc-Ha Tien 110 kV undersea cable to link Phu Quoc Island to the national power grid. The project is scheduled to be completed before the Lunar New Year which falls on January 31.

Society:

- According to the Ministry of Finance, more than VND32 billion (US$1.51 million) has been granted to numerous major hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City to support the technology transfer, equipments purchase as well as staff training.

- Tan Son Nhat Customs Branch has recently arrested 2 cases of drug trafficking. The arrested traffickers are a Filipino woman and and Australian man.

- Gardens across the country are in preparation for the upcoming Tet holiday. Besides adding many new kinds of ornamental plants and flowers, many gardens have also offered the flower-for-rent service.

- Tuoi Tre correspondents have recently detected that many facilities at home in HCMC have produced “suong sam” (a kind of dessert which is favored by many people) in a super dirty way without any standard of food hygiene and safety.

Lifestyle:

- On January 2, Lieutenant-colonel Nguyen Van Cao, from Cai Rang District Police informed that Nguyen Trung Hien, a member of a group making and releasing on the Internet a video clip titled ““Anh khong doi qua phien ban Can Tho” (I don’t want my gifts back – the Can Tho version),” has been fined VND750,000 for possession of banned dangerous toys, as he had a model gun while making the clip. Other members, who made the clip in which a girl strips almost naked while walking on the street, have also been warned for disrupting a civilized lifestyle.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism has recently approved the central province of Binh Thuan to organize the 2014 Miss Ocean pageant. The contest will be held within the framework of the project titled “ Blue Ocean World” launched by the Vietnam Environmental Protection Fund to help to protect the ocean environment. The competition will conclude in May.

Charity:

- On January 2, Vietnam Embassy in the Republic of Austria delivered 1,000 euro donated by Vietnamese community in Austria to the program “Vi hoc sinh Truong Sa than yeu” (For the beloved students in Truong Sa). The program is launched by the Central Youth Union’s Vu A Dinh Fund in collaboration with HCMC Phap Luat newspaper and HTV.