Students are required to spend at least 30 minutes a day studying English on their own, with support from their teachers.

Plans are being drawn up to stockpile medicines in hospitals and a disease control center in Hanoi.

Hanoi has the largest education network in the country, with 2,913 schools, 2.3 million students, and nearly 130,000 teachers

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) will accelerate education reform, including designing new textbooks, revitalizing examinations, and reassessing test-driven education, giving priority to the students’ interest, MoET Minister Pham Vu Luan has said.

Recent research shows that Vietnamese students suffering from anxiety and depression has increased in recent years.

From August 15, medical declaration has been applied to those entering Vietnam from the four West African countries of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, where nearly 1,500 deaths from Ebola have been recorded so far.

No cases of Ebola infections have been detected in Vietnam so far and the health sector is keeping a close watch on 128 people who have entered the country from Ebola-infected nations from August 11-26.

Private hospitals could help reduce overcrowding at State-owned hospitals. However, many were still struggling to attract patients due to financial problems and the availability of qualified health staff.

About 30,000 doses of "five-in-one" vaccine and 200,000 doses of "six-in-one" vaccine will be imported next month to use in the nation`s immunisation programme, said Nguyen Tran Hien, director of the programme.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday urged the education sector to accelerate granting autonomy to State-run universities, a move he described would be a breakthrough in improving tertiary education quality.

“This was the 12th consecutive year Hanoi has honoured its outstanding graduates”, Pham Quang Nghi, Politburo member and secretary of Hanoi City said.

President of the European Commission (EC) José Manuel Durão Barroso was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree by the Hanoi-based National Economics University (NEU) on August 25.

Almost 23,000 tourists, including one from Liberia – the country most affected by the Ebola virus in West Africa - were recorded at the Vietnamese-Cambodian border crossings at Moc Bai and Xa Mat in southern Tay Ninh province between August 12-25.

HCM City authorities have decided that e-textbooks will be used at schools in the city instead of print textbooks, as part of its education modernization program.

The Ministry of Health is keeping a close watch on 83 airline passengers who came from Ebola-hit regions recently, affirmed Tran Dac Phu, head of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department on August 22.

Viral encephalitis has spread across Vietnam at an alarming 15% higher rate than last year, with a devastating 170% increase in the number of reported deaths.

The Program was launched by the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in May 2014, and has received roughly VND42 billion (USD2 million) from readers at home as well as abroad.

The 2014 edition of the fun and exciting educational competition, titled “Explore Canada from A to Z” was officially launched by the Embassy of Canada in Hanoi and the Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh city.

The National Council of Education and Human Resources Development has supported the importance of educational reforms and international integration.

After several hours of isolation and three times of examination, he showed no sign of fever or other typical symptoms that could be tied to the virus. However, the man went to the Tropical Diseases Hospital appealing for isolation in fear of any possible exposure to the virus.

The Ha Noi Cooking Centre will host a children`s cooking class on Saturday where kids can try their hand at cooking up something other than trouble.

The competition which runs until September 30 is open to all Vietnamese high school students.

American Oil and Gas giant Exxon Mobil has funded Operation Smile Vietnam with US$75,000 to provide free surgeries for 300 congenital harelip and cleft palate children across the country.