(VOVWORLD) - In April, reporters from newspapers and other news media across Vietnam visited soldiers and residents of the Truong Sa (Spratly) island district and the DK1 Platform. One of their most memorable experiences was producing a special news bulletin on ship KN 490 of the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance. Without professional broadcast equipment, the bulletin, conveying love from the mainlanders to Truong Sa, made the 200 people onboard eagle to listen every day.

(VOVWORLD) - In today’s That’s life edition, follow our reporter Ha Ngan to Maison Marou – “a café, patisserie, and bean-to-bar factory in Hanoi’s diplomatic quarter”. “Marou” is the combination of the names of two founders Samuel Maruta and Vincent Mourou. 2 French guys quit their jobs after they met during a trip to Nam Cat Tien National Park, where they tasted Vietnamese cacao for the very first time in 2010. Though their experience in food industry was zero, the pair were determined to bring out the best of locally sourced chocolate in Vietnam. Their efforts paid off with worldwide recognition including the New York Times which dubbed Marou “the best chocolate you’ve never tasted.”

(VOVWORLD) -Vietnam is listed among the five worst polluters of ocean plastic waste, discharging between 280,000 and 730,000 tons of plastic waste every year into the ocean, according to the United Nations. Campaigns to reduce plastic waste are trending big at the moment. The recent photo exhibition ‘Save our seas’ by photographer Lekima Hung is one example.

(VOVWORLD) - On a summer morning just before Vietnam’s Reunification Day, April 30, an elderly American lady showed up at VOV’s office. All we knew about her was that she used to work for VOV’s English service at Radio Havana, Cuba, in the early 70s. But a quick chat revealed a surprising fact. She was much more than a VOV news announcer who reported the war in Vietnam to the American audience daily. She was part of one of the most significant moments in Vietnam’s history.

(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam’s traditional martial arts include martial arts sects created and developed through generations, like Nhat Nam, Vovinam, and Tay Son Binh Dinh. These martial arts sects have played a significant role in building and defending the Vietnamese nation. Traditional martial arts have been developed in most of the provinces and cities of Vietnam. Of all the martial arts schools, Nhat Nam has one of the longest histories.

(VOVWORLD) - Ever since the Trashtag Challenge became viral in Vietnam, lots of groups and organizations have been organizing cleanups all over the country to promote a cleaner and safer image of Vietnam.

(VOVWORLD) - The bear bile trade has been banned in Vietnam since 2005. However, due to a lack of animal-friendly facilities, a number of Asian black bears and Sun bears remain on farms where they are still used for illegal extraction of bile. Recently, a bear sanctuary in Ninh Binh province operated by the wildlife welfare organization Four Paws Vietnam opened to the public.

(VOVWORLD) - Do you know that Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for 2 years in a row? Vietnamese student Ngo Hanh Quyen has been living in Tampere, a city in Pirkanmaa, southern Finland since 2016. As a Tampere ambassador, she will give us fascinating insight into Vietnamese student life in this happiest country on earth.

(VOVWORLD) - After 18 days of hard work, 40 young people completed a set of murals in Dong Ngac ward, Bac Tu Liem district, Hanoi. With vivid watercolor paintings depicting characteristic local features, the murals help residents recall the rich past of Dong Ngac.

(VOVWORLD) - An exhibit of 30 paintings, mostly oil, by Vietnamese couple living in the US Nguyen Viet Nang and Bui Van Anh were on display last week in Hanoi. The exhibit, titled “Love will keep us alive” celebrated 30 years the couple has been in love and showed the couple’s love for Washington DC, their second home. VOV’s Viet Anh reports: