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

Politics:

-- ASEAN Community, which is projected to be established by the end of next year, will have a direct impact on regional political security, socioeconomics, cultural issues and the development strategies of each member country, including Vietnam, according to a conference updating Vietnam’s commitments to the building of the ASEAN Community held by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade in the southern city on Tuesday.

-- The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) and the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) on Tuesday clinched an agreement in Hanoi to strengthen their friendship and cooperation in the presence of Cuban Ambassador Herminio Lopez Diaz and Vice President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association Nguyen Duy Cuong.

Society:

-- A Vietnamese female passenger claimed Tuesday that she had been drugged and had VND900 million (US$42,800) stolen while she was aboard a Jetstar Pacific airplane that landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City the same day.

The passenger was admitted to Trung Vuong Hospital in the city for further treatment, but the police said test results showed that there was no sign of anesthetic in her body.

-- About 10 stores hanging Chinese signs on Van Cao Street in Hai An District, Hai Phong City have been fined VND10 million (US$476) each for violating regulations on signboards and been required to dismantle their signs, Pham Van Luan, chief inspector of the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Tuesday.

Business:

-- The Market Surveillance Agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Korea (KIPO) on Tuesday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in intellectual property observation, allowing the two sides to share experience in preventing and combating trade fraud and fake commodities. Counterfeit goods remain a serious problem in Vietnam as well as many countries in the world, causing billions of dollars in economic losses, the ministry said.

-- Saigontourist Travel Service (STS) said Tuesday that the company welcomed more than 8,500 visitors and crew members from Europe, the U.S., and Australia aboard two cruise ships Voyager of The Seas and Celebrity Millennium the same day. Docking in Vung Tau City and Hue City, the ships are managed by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines of the United States, one of the largest cruise ship operators in the world.

Lifestyle:

-- A special art performance celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954) will be held at the National Convention Center in Hanoi on April 26 with the participation of dozens of domestic artists, many of whom used to perform on the battlefields to give encouragement to the Vietnamese soldiers.

-- Vietnam and 26 other member countries of the Asia-Pacific Ladies Friendship Society (ALFS) sold their typical dishes and handicrafts at the 38th ALFS Bazaar in Japan’s capital Tokyo on Tuesday to raise money for welfare activities and natural disaster victims.

-- The 11^th edition of the “One Heart – One World” charity art program will be held in Hanoi on Sunday to mark the Vietnam Day of People with Disabilities (April 18).

The annual event will be broadcast live on national TV channel VTV2 in order to mobilize the community’s financial aid for vocational training and job generation for disabled people and orphans, said Nguyen Dinh Lieu, president of the Association for the Support of Vietnamese Handicapped and Orphans.