Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang, a former police chief known as a tough politician and committed communist with little tolerance for dissent, died Friday at age 61 after a serious illness, state media reported.His death is not likely to dramatically alter politics in a country where the powerful communist government oversees almost every facet of society - although the death of a sitting leader is rare.

The coastal city of Danang in Vietnam, is famed for its white sandy beaches and idyllic resorts and is Vietnam’s fifth largest city. Home to more than a million residents, the city is rapidly urbanising and its population is set to more than double to 2.5 million by 2030.Danang joins 25 other pilot cities from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN).

Vietnam has denied entry to two prominent rights campaigners invited to attend this week's World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN 2018 in Hanoi, as the one-party communist state continues its hard line on critics of its dismal rights record.Leaders from Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) were both barred from entering Vietnam for the meeting, the campaign groups said.FIDH secretary general Debbie Stothard was held at Hanoi's airport for 15 ho

Southeast Asia has come a long way. ASEAN has evolved from an agrarian backwater that has been stricken by war and ravaged by colonialism to become a global economic powerhouse.

Pork is an important source of protein in Vietnam. It represents more than 72.6 percent of meat produced in the country and provides livelihoods on small farms for more than four million people. The country’s improving standards of living and lifestyle changes has driven the increase in demand for meat with pork production reaching 29 million tonnes in 2016.

Five moon bears were rescued in August from a bile farm near the city of My Tho, located 70 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam. The bears, likely captured from the wild, were rescued by the Animals Asia Foundation. They were found confined in barren concrete cells, displaying signs of severe stress after having been in captivity for more than 20 years.

Vietnam must be feeling high-speed-rail (HSR) envy as its neighbours move ahead with their respective HSR projects, propelled by China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The irony is, Vietnam had already planned for HSR ahead of everyone else, back in 2007. Having shelved the initial project in 2010, the government there is now looking into reviving it.

With electricity demand in Vietnam growing 12 percent annually, the Vietnamese government has set a goal to generate 265 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity by 2020 and 570 billion kWh of electricity by 2030. This is to meet the surging demand for power resulting from rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in the country.Currently, the country produces more than 170 billion kWh of electricity from fossil energy sources, such as coal and gas – which are speedily being exhausted.

Hanoi is a city rich in history and culture that has been occupied by foreign forces in the past. From being ruled by ancient Chinese dynasties and the French in the 19th century to surviving a war with the United States (US). Because of its chequered past, the city has unique characteristics – its buildings and food are influenced by the French while its culture has been influenced by the Chinese.Today, Hanoi is undergoing another major transformation.

A Vietnamese activist was put under house arrest and barred from leaving the country after she defaced the national flag, she told media on Friday, vowing to fight for democracy in the one-party state where dissent is swiftly stamped out.Authorities in the communist country show little tolerance for criticism of any kind, and desecrating national symbols such as the yellow-starred red flag is deemed particularly offensive.