Tuoitrenews briefs some of the main stories published in the Vietnamese press

Politics:

- A high-ranking delegation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee headed by President Huynh Dam paid a working visit to Germany from June 23-26 to boost strategic partnership between the two countries. During their stay in Germany, the delegation had working sessions with the Germany-Vietnam Friendship Association and the German federation of social equality. They also met with Secretary of State for Integration of Nordrhein Westfalen State, Zulfiye Kaykin, and visited a number of economic and cultural establishments in Germany.

- Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially announced the upgrade of Vietnam-Indonesia relations to a strategic partnership during their talks in Jakarta, Indonesia on June 27. The talks took place following a state welcome ceremony held the same day for the Vietnamese President on his official State visit to Indonesia at the invitation of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Society:

- A strange species of cicada has appeared and harmed 50 ha of coffee tree in Lam Ha District, Lam Dong Province. According to Lai The Hung, head of the province’s Department of Plant Protection in Lam Dong, there has been no specific solution for the cicada, local people mainly cut out the harmed part of tree to protect the whole tree.

- HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases informed it has recently received a serious A/H1N1 case. The patient has to use mechanical ventilation. From the beginning of this year, the city has had 3 case dead from H1N1.

- One person died and 10 injured after eating toad in the Central Highlands Province of Gia Lai until June 27. According to Doctor Dao Thi Yen Phi from Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University, toad is not only toxic, but also not more nutritious than pork and chicken like many people have thought.

Business:

- There have been nearly 7,900 enterprises with the registered capital in total of more than VND37,000 billion launched in Vietnam in June, announced by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

- The price of foods sold at HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport has been cut down after a series of articles complaining about the costly price of the dishes against with their quality published in Tuoi Tre Newspaper this month.

Lifestyle:

- The Vietnam – Europe Documentary Festival Is going to conclude on June 29. The event in Hanoi and HCMC has showcased more than 20 documentaries made by directors from Vietnam and Europe.

- 2,000 antiques related to Oc Eo Culture are being displayed at the 5th Quang Nam Heritage Festival in the central province.