Politics

-- The U.S. said it would be willing to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam and supply help to the latter’s Coast Guard force during a dialogue on defense policy between the two countries in Washington D.C. on Monday and Tuesday, according to the official Vietnam News Agency.

-- The Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Singaporean People’s Association met in Hanoi on Wednesday. The host suggested increasing delegation exchanges and sharing experiences in establishing lifestyles in residential areas, providing environmental protection, and ensuring the rights of industrial park workers.

-- A European Parliament delegation has arrived in Vietnam for a visit to foster its ties with the country, Franz Jessen, Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Vietnam, told a press conference in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Society

-- Tropical storm Krosa is set to hit Vietnam’s East Sea on Thursday evening, according to Vietnamese weather forecasters.   

-- Vietnam’s population will hit the 90-million milestone on November 1, the Ministry of Health has cited forecasts from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam as saying.

-- About 200,000 people suffer a stroke every year in Vietnam, a deputy health minister said Wednesday at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City.  

-- Three people were killed on the spot in a head-on motorbike collision on Wednesday in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Business

-- Authorities in the southern province of Binh Duong have scrapped a US$350 million horse race course project, expected to be developed by some Korean firms, following rejection by the central government.

-- Vietnam’s exports of telephones and their components to India reached $750 million in the first three quarters, a 40.2 percent year-on-year increase, the local Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced.

-- Foreign direct investment in Vietnam has topped $19.2 billion in the year to date, exceeding the 2013 target of $13-14 billion, investment and planning officials have said.

Lifestyle

-- Gifted Malaysian pianist Tengku Ahmad Irfan, 15, will feature in a performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday and Hanoi on Sunday. 

Sports

-- The Vietnam Football Federation suspended under-23 national team coach Hoang Van Phuc on Wednesday when his players seemed to slack off in a 3-3 draw against Brazil’s Bangu Atletico at an ongoing international tournament for young players, organized in the southern province of Binh Duong.

-- All of Vietnamese players suffered a loss on Wednesday at a badminton championship in Thailand.

Education

-- The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training signed an MOU with French mass retailer group Groupe Casino’s Big C supercenters operator on Wednesday in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese vocational school students will be admitted to Big C outlets nationwide for internship under this MOU.