Tuoi Tre News briefs you on some of the leading stories published today in Vietnamese media:

Politics

-- State President Truong Tan Sang suggested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) continue to support to Vietnam in economic reform and high-quality workforce training, as the country is facing a number of challenges while integrating into the global economy,  when meeting IMF Deputy Managing Director Mitsuhiro Furusawa in Hanoi on Thursday.

-- Hanoi welcomes and supports any constructive, positive, and responsible contribution by countries within and outside the Asia-Pacific region for peace and stability in the East Vietnam Sea, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Hai Binh said at a regular press conference on Thursday. The current situation in the East Vietnam Sea is a cause for deep concern among the international community and is obviously not beneficial to peace and stability in the region, Binh added.

Society

-- Only 17 percent of bus stations in Hanoi have shelter with the majority of bus stop shelters found on busy streets only, Luong Duc Thinh, vice director of the Urban Transport Management Center under the Capital Department of Transport, said, blaming a lack of funding.

-- The Cho Ray-Phnom Penh general hospital, a Vietnam-Cambodia joint venture in Phnom Penh, posted an annual revenue increase of 36 percent in the first five months of this year, according to Director Nguyen Hoang Nam. After operating for one year, the hospital has so far treated more than 100,000 patients and performed approximately 500 successful surgeries.

-- Microsoft Vietnam and its partners introduced new technology trends and updated technological advancements for non-profit organizations in Vietnam at its annual NGO Connection Day in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

Business

-- Nearly 18,000 cars were sold in Vietnam in May, down one percent from the previous month, but up 47.69 percent year on year, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Total sales reached 84,806 vehicles in the first five months, surging 58 percent from the same period last year.

-- Japan's Nojima Electronics on Thursday finished buying another 3.7 million shares of Tran Anh Digital World JSC (TAG), increasing its total holding to 30.92 percent and making it the largest foreign shareholder of TAG, according to the Vietnam Securities Depository. TAG is one of the leading electronics firms in northern Vietnam with a chain of 15 stores, and it plans to open seven to nine more outlets in the coming time.

Sports

-- Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won a gold medal in the women’s 200m breaststroke event on Thursday, the last day of the swimming competition of the ongoing 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. This medal helped bring her haul to eight golds, one silver, and one bronze. The 19-year-old girl also set eight SEA Games records to go down in history as the best female swimmer at the 28^th sports tournament, the most successful Vietnamese swimmer at a single SEA Games, and the most successful Vietnamese athlete in the history of the SEA Games.