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

Politics:

-- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is expected to make a 3-day official visit to Vietnam starting today at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. It will be the first visit made by a high-ranking Chinese leader since the country’s new leadership took office early this year, considered as a significant step forward in reinforcing political trust and promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.

-- Vietnamese embassies abroad are organizing memorial services in accordance with the current event held nationwide during the same period. Those events are held in memory of General Vo Nguyen Giap who died in Hanoi on October 4.

Society:

-- Ninh Thuan Eye Center in the central province of Ninh Thuan has been supplied with Phaco eye surgery equipment from the hands of Hida Harunitsu, Japanese Counsel General in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hattori Tadashi, Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Prevention of Blindness Association, as the as part of a non-refundable aid project offered by Japanese government after they clinched an agreement with the Vietnamese side early September last year.

-- As many as 20 people were killed and 23 others injured at an explosion triggered by powder inflammation at a firework factory under the Ministry of Defense in the northern mountainous province of Phu Tho.

Business:

-- Shares decreased slightly on both national stock bourses in the most recent trading session with the VN-Index and HNX-Index of Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and Hanoi Stock Exchange losing 0.06 percent and 0.17 percent to 494.53 points and to 60.63 points, respectively.

Sports:

-- Vietnam has beaten Qatar 2-1 in a recent friendly match in Doha with two goals being netted by Midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang in the first half, some 15 minutes after the first score from the hosts. The team will fly to Uzbekistan to face off with the host team in the 2015 Asian Cup qualifying third round for Group E on Tuesday.