493 deputies from all walks of life were elected to the 12th National Assembly following the country’s May 20 polls, said Elections Council Secretary General Bui Ngoc Thanh, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, announced the poll’s result at a press briefing on May 29, stating that tertiary educated deputies make up the backbone of the new legislature as virtually all hold either graduate or post graduate degrees (62.68 percent and 33.27 percent, respectively).

Speaking at a ceremony in honor of children who behave well toward their parents, President of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) Pham The Duyet applauded their good behavior, calling them model Vietnamese citizens.

Artist Huong Thanh, an overseas Vietnamese in France, has recently been awarded a traditional music by France Musique which has followed this Vietnamese native artist’s art road for 10 years now.

From August 2002 through January 2004, the Institute for Social Development Studies and the International Center for Research on Women conducted research on HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in two Vietnamese cities: Can Tho and Hai Phong.

Viet Nam’s Hue and Ha Long Bay have been included on a list of 130 World Heritage sites encountering critical preservation issues, the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has said.

Vietnam’s population growth is under control, Dr. Nguyen Ba Thuy, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Committee for Population, Family and Children announced at a press briefing in Hanoi, on July 5, to mark the World Population Day (July 11).

An official of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said the UN has praised the Vietnamese Government’s endeavors in completing legal safeguards toward eliminating discrimination against women.

The Ao Dai is the traditional attire of Vietnamese women – through the ups and downs of historical periods, the Ao Dai has seen many changes in materials and styles to meet the taste of the wearers.

Ten years ago, fashion designer Ngo Thai Uyen burst on the trend-making scene by winning an award at the fashion connections contest in Singapore.

The Vietnamese “Ao Dai”, or long dress, has become famous throughout the world through various cultural performances. Over the past 2 years, the dress has taken on a new duty, in a new adventure.