VIETNAM TODAY

Customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport seized 12.3 kilogrammes of suspected gold from four passengers arriving from Taiwan on March 3, with the case transferred to police for investigation.

Prime minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for macroeconomic stability and tighter inflation control as Vietnam pushes to achieve growth of at least 10 per cent this year.

Vietnam has issued a high-level maritime security alert after eight cargo vessels carrying about 160 Vietnamese seafarers were reported operating near conflict hotspots in the Middle East.

Obesity is rising rapidly in Vietnam, with nearly 20 million people overweight or obese, raising mounting health, economic and social concerns, experts warned on March 4.

A VND 1.032 trillion (about USD 41 million) upgrade of Lien Khuong International Airport in Lam Dong Province began on March 4 and is scheduled for completion by late August.

A nearly two-metre oarfish weighing about 10 kilogrammes washed ashore in Danang on Wednesday, attracting crowds of residents who stopped to watch and take photographs.

Conscription ceremonies began nationwide on March 4 as tens of thousands of young people started their military service in a three day recruitment drive.

The number of suspected food poisoning cases linked to banh mi sold in Vung Tau Ward in Ho Chi Minh City has increased to 54, health authorities said.

Four local youths were killed when two motorbikes collided on National Highway 4B in Lang Son Province late on March 3, authorities said.

A resident in Quy Nhon Nam Ward, Gia Lai Province, found a 1.7-kilogramme striped-neck turtle in his garden and handed the rare animal over to authorities on March 3.

Skywatchers worldwide, including in Vietnam, observed a total lunar eclipse known as a blood moon on the 15th day of the first lunar month, corresponding to March 3, 2026.

A fishing boat overturned near Nhat Le estuary in Quang Tri Province on March 4, leaving one young fisherman dead despite rescue efforts.

Maely Praud, 18, plans to return to Vietnam this year with her French family in the hope of tracing her birth mother and reconnecting with her roots.

A cold front is set to bring heavy rain to northern Vietnam on March 4, with temperatures in some areas forecast to fall by 7-8 degrees Celsius to 15-18 degrees.

A 20-minute whirlwind in Quang Ngai Province ripped roofs off 116 homes and caused widespread structural damage, local authorities said.

Washington’s move to ease export controls could transform Vietnam from a chip assembly hub into a manufacturing partner and a strategic alternative to China, Rest of World reported.