Vietnamese veterinary officials say bird flu has infected chickens on two farms in the capital, Hanoi.

RealNetworks Announces Deals with Mobile Operators in The U.K., France, Turkey and Vietnam

A cleanup of an oil spill along Vietnam's central coast has nearly restored the region's beaches to their normal condition, but the source of the spill remains a mystery, authorities said Tuesday.

Vietnam has released its first government white paper on religious policy. The paper underscores Vietnam's growing religious freedom, and the resurgence of spiritual belief in the country since the 1990s. But some believers say communist hostility toward religion has not entirely disappeared.

Pope Benedict XVI's talks Thursday with Vietnam's prime minister mark an important step toward establishing diplomatic relations, the Vatican said after the highest-level meeting between the Holy See and the communist government following decades of tension.

Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization became official on Thursday. The event is a milestone in a long transition for Vietnam, which is shifting from a command to a market economy, and from isolation to international openness and globalization. Matt Steinglass has more from Hanoi.

Vietnam says that four of the country's state-owned banks will sell shares to private investors by the end of this year. The announcement is part of a drive to privatize state-owned companies and make them competitive with foreign rivals. Western investors say they are eager to buy in. In Hanoi, Matt Steinglass has more.

In December, avian influenza broke out in three southern Vietnamese provinces. Although Vietnam has a record of acting quickly to halt outbreaks of the virus, this time, farmers were reluctant to inform the government, slowing containment efforts. Matt Steinglass has more from Hanoi.

Authorities in Vietnam say four members of a family have been hospitalized with symptoms of bird flu, in the country's first suspected cases of the disease in more than a year.

Optibase Ltd. a leader in advanced digital video solutions today announced that it has been awarded an additional contract by FPT Telecom, a leading multimedia and Internet service provider in Vietnam.

In order to control and prevent the recurrence of bird flu in Vietnam and the eruption of influenza A (H5N1) in humans, PM Nguyen Tấn Dũng issued in the afternoon of December 12 Note 2119/CD-TTg ordering competent agencies to take urgent measures against bird flu.

President Bush has signed legislation normalizing U.S. trade relations with Vietnam. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House the provision was included in a wide-ranging tax bill.