VIETNAM TODAY

United Overseas Bank has lifted its 2026 GDP growth forecast for Vietnam to 7.5 per cent, citing stronger-than-expected economic performance in 2025.

A resident in the central city of Hue has voluntarily handed over a rare black eagle to authorities for release back into the wild.

Hanoi’s state-run bus operator carried more than 240 million passengers in 2025, a year-on-year rise of 2.5 per cent, as services expanded and electrification gathered pace.

Police in Can Tho have dismantled a large operation producing and trading counterfeit perfumes bearing well-known international brands, seizing thousands of fake products and production materials.

Vietnamese police have arrested a Chinese national subject to an international arrest warrant as he attempted to flee from Vietnam into Laos.

Ho Chi Minh City plans to temporarily use vacant plots in its central wards as temporary parks and flower gardens during the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The Vietnam International Financial Centre (IFC) in Danang City was inaugurated on January 9, marking the official launch of Vietnam’s international financial centre model.

A new railway station has begun operations in the central city of Danang, adding capacity to the North-South railway route and supporting new passenger services.

The National Spring Fair 2026 will take place in early February in Hanoi, aiming to boost domestic consumption, promote Vietnamese products and welcome the new spring season.

Hanoi has begun piloting an early air quality forecasting system to trigger timely pollution control measures as the capital continues to face severe air pollution.

A man fled on foot and left his motorbike behind after coming face to face with an elephant on a road in Dong Nai Province.

Nestle Vietnam has announced a precautionary recall of 17 batches of NAN branded infant formula, advising consumers to check product details and batch numbers printed on the bottom of the cans.

Police in the southern province of Tay Ninh have dismantled a large dog-theft and trafficking ring, detaining nine suspects and seizing more than 1.5 tonnes of evidence.

Vietnam operated 275,246 flights in 2025, up 22,566 from 2024, but the on-time performance fell to 65.8 per cent, down 7.5 percentage points year on year.

Authorities in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa have dismantled five hand-shaped guard huts along Hai Tien Beach, citing severe storm damage.

Temperatures in high mountain areas of western Nghe An Province fell below zero early on January 9, dropping to minus 5 degrees Celcius and blanketing mountains and trees with thick frost.