Tuoitrenews briefs some of the main stories published today, April 13, in the Vietnamese press.

Politics -- Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s National Boundary Commission has demanded that China cancel its plan to bring tourists to Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands in the East Sea. Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. Such a plan is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty and goes against the spirit of the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Vietnam demands China to cancel the plan, the representative said.Society -- Vietnamese authorities will today hand over 11 Indonesian pirates, who hijacked the Malaysian vessel Zafirah on November 22, 2012, to the Indonesian side at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Tthe culprits will be punished in accordance with the laws of Indonesia,  Colonel Guntur Setyanto from the Indonesian Police High Command said. The Indonesian Consul General in HCM City, Rachmaida Ginting, thanked the Vietnamese agencies, especially the provincial border guards, for looking after the former pirates. -- Dead swallows infected with the H5N1 avian flu virus were found in one more swallow breeding center in Phan Rang-Thap Cham City in central Ninh Thuan Province yesterday. A few days ago, about 5,000 swallows raised by a city-based company died for unknown causes, but eight samples of them have been found contracting the H5N1 virus. Also yesterday, southern Kien Giang Province authorities have culled 1,600 poultry infected with the deadly virus. -- One passenger died and two others were severely injured when a fell into an abyss from a height of 100 meters when travelling on National Highway 20 in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province yesterday afternoon. The bus driver, who was injured in the accident, said he had lost control over the vehicle when he reached a bend in the road. -- The case in which a 35-year-old woman in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province forced her female employee to have a centipede tattooed on her face and chest after suspecting the victim had had an affair with her mistress’s husband has been suspended after the mistress agreed to compensate with the victim with about VND400 million (US$19,200), the local People’s Court said.    -- The number of smokers among young people in Vietnam is getting increasing and the smoking age has become younger, according to a recent study. About 17.6 percent of teen boys under 10 years old and 5.6 percent of teen girls experienced smoking before the age of 10. In addition, 10.3 percent of teens boy and 4 percent of girl teens say they intend to try smoking in the future.Business -- About 158,200 taels of gold bullion have been sold in the six auctions held so far by the State Bank of Vietnam. In the latest auction on Friday, the bank sold 40,000 taels at prices ranging from VND42.97 million and 42.98 million (US$2,066) per tael. The gold price in Vietnam is now $160 per tael higher than the international market price. One tael is approximately 1.2 ounces or 37.5 grams.

Lifestyle -- The “Day of Reading-2013” will be conducted in Ho Chi Minh City on April 20-21 at the Labor Cultural House at 55 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1. During the days, books will be displayed at the House and everybody can read books of their interest. The event, the first of its kind ever held in the city, will also include six seminars.

Sports

-- Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan yesterday received President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who is in Vietnam for inspecting preparations for the 5th Asian Beach Games and the 18th Asian Games to be held in Hanoi in 2016 and  2019 respectively.  Nhan thanked the OCA president for his support to sport development in Vietnam and affirmed Vietnam’s pledge to follow OCA requirements to host the two sports events.