Breakfast @ Tuoitrenews – December 25

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

Politics:

-- The Vietnamese Government will create favorable conditions for foreign investors, especially those from Japan, said President Truong Tan Sang at a recent meeting with Japan-Vietnam Special Ambassador Sugi Ryotaro who comes to explore investment environment in Vietnam.

-- The parliaments of Vietnam and Thailand need to increase the exchange of legislative experience and information on economics, trade, investment and socio-culture, said National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung at his talks with President of the Senate of Thailand Teeradej Meepien in Hanoi.

Society:

-- The Ministry of Education and Training has planned to mobilize VND237.5 billion ($11.4 million) to combat HIV/AIDS in 2011-2020, of which around 58 percent is expected to source from the state budget while the rest will be mobilized from both domestic and foreign donors and other resources.

-- The number of new university and college students for 2012 has been proposed to be scaled down to 310,000, down 45.6 percent year on year, according to Pham Vu Luan, Minister of Education and Training, in a recent meeting in Hanoi.

-- Short circuit is the main cause for most car/motorbike fire/explosion in 2011, according to the Ministry of Public Security, adding that the remaining causes including external fire sources or accident-related factors.

Business:

-- Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Priscilla Chan have been reported to be in Hanoi for their Christmas holidays this year, said Huynh Kim Tuoc, spokesman of Facebook Vietnam. He may have a meeting with young enthusiasts and experts in information technology in Ho Chi Minh City later, said a source of Tuoi Tre.

-- The national consumer price index (CPI) for this year increased 18.58 percent against last year, said Nguyen Duc Thang, head of CPI Department under the General Statistics Office (GSO), adding that the increase was close to the Government's target after many policies to curb inflation and stabilize the macro economy were passed.

-- Vietnam's industrial production in 2011 has grown at 6.8 percent, lower than last year, due to global economic volatility, according to the GSO, adding that the growth was lower than previous years, including 2009, at the peak of the global financial crisis.

-- International arrivals to Vietnam hit 6 million in 2011, up 20 percent year on year, according to Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, adding that most of the foreign tourists to Vietnam were Asians and they tended to travel by air.

Sports:

-- Both the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and General Sports Department stated they were surprised at the decision of Vietnam Football Federation to fire German coach Goetz and did not approve the resignation of VFF general secretary Tran Quoc Tuan.

Updating...