Tuoitrenews briefs some of the leading stories published today on Vietnamese media:

Politics:

-- Multi-sectoral cooperation and cultural exchanges between Vietnam and the Philippines have been flourishing since the two nations established their diplomatic ties in 1976, said Le Manh Ha, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee at a ceremony to celebrate the 115 th anniversary of the Philippines’ Independent Day in Ho Chi Minh City.

Society:

-- The government of Japan has signed an agreement to offer US$243,000 to the expansion of a secondary school in central Thanh Hoa province and the building of a new primary school in northern Nam Dinh province.

-- Drug traffickers arrested in the central city of Da Nang have shifted their focus from opium and marijuana to methamphetamine and heroin over the past two years, said senior lieutenant colonel Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Deputy Head of Counter Narcotics Office (PC47) under the city's Public Security Department, at a recent conference on drug prevention.

-- Vietnamese national TV channel VTV1 has confirmed that prisoner Cu Huy Ha Vu did not go on a hunger strike as rumored, and aired a short clip showing Vu having a normal health and being examined by doctors.

-- Nguyen Huu Khai, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City-based herbal medicine maker Bao Long Company, will be kept in custody for 3 months for allegedly using sold properties following a decision and arrest warrant recently approved by Hanoi City People’s Procuracy.

Business:

-- Saigontourist will collaborate with Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture to plan an investment project for Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to turn it into a park. The project also aims at clearing unauthorized street vendors and motorbike parking services in the area.

-- The unclear future picture of the local economy, which is under debate at the ongoing National Assembly meetings, cannot stop local customers from buying new cars, as the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA) has announced that local car sales in May reached 9,731 vehicles, up 11 percent compared with the previous month and 42 percent compared with same period last year.

-- About 2,200 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Vietnam have been provided with information and legal knowledge to become more competitive over the past two years with the support of a project, jointly organised by the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Science Institute for SMEs and the Beyond WTO Program, to enhance the capacity of SMEs, especially those in rural areas, after Vietnam joined WTO six years ago.

-- As of the May 31, there were 104 social housing projects nationwide, 47 of which were converted from commercial ones, according to the Ministry of Construction.

-- A steel radial vehicle tire factory with an annual capacity of 600,000 tires in Da Nang central city, the first of its kind in Vietnam, is expected to be in full operation on June 29.

Lifestyle:

-- The top 3 Vietnamese fashion designers from the Project Runway Vietnamese edition, Minh Ha, Chan Hung and Gia Khang who have been to Paris to find inspiration and materials for the final collection “Inspired by Paris”,  will vie with one another for the crown in the final contest tonight.

Sports:

-- The Southeast Asia qualifying round of the 2014 Women’s Volleyball World Championship is being held in central Quang Tri Province with dour teams - the Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia and the host Vietnam playing in a round-robin format. The top team will compete in the Asian qualifying round scheduled for this September in Japan.