Society

The northern region of Vietnam is witnessing a strong cold wave with temperatures dropping to as low as 4 degrees Celsius at Mau Son peak in Lang Son Province.

Four people were killed on Friday morning after a section of the Ba River embankment collapsed in Dak Lak Province.

A large unexploded bomb dating back to the American war was safely removed and destroyed in Ea Hiao Commune, Dak Lak Province, on January 2, 2026.

People using e cigarettes or heated tobacco products in Vietnam will face fines of VND 3-5 million and be required to destroy the products, under a new government decree.

A new tidal surge is forecast to hit Vietnam’s southeastern coast from the evening of January 1 to January 2, with peak levels of 3.95-4.05 metres at Vung Tau.

Eighteen people were killed and 41 injured in 49 traffic accidents nationwide on January 1, the first day of the New Year, according to the Traffic Police Department.

The Law on Teachers, comprising nine chapters and 42 articles, stipulates that teachers’ salaries will be ranked at the highest level within the public administrative and non-business pay scale.

Hanoi will run more than 69,000 bus and metro trips during the New Year holiday from January 1 to 4, 2026, to meet rising travel demand, the city’s Transport Management and Operations Centre said.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro route (Metro Line 1) was full of passengers in the early hours of New Year’s Day as large crowds returned home after fireworks celebrations.

Military and public security forces are working around the clock to complete construction before the Lunar New Year (Tet), which falls on middle February 2026.

Fireworks were set off simultaneously at five locations across Hanoi at 11.45 pm on December 31 to mark the New Year 2026.

Crowds poured into central areas of major cities across Vietnam, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to welcome the New Year 2026.

Vietnam has appointed four more army officers to serve in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and Europe, reinforcing its growing and increasingly professional role in global peace operations.

Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi will reopen to two way traffic on January 1, 2026, after nearly two months of repairs aimed at improving safety on the historic crossing over the Red River.

Doctors in Hanoi saved the life of a foreign man who suffered sudden cardiac arrest while playing pickleball, after he collapsed at a hospital gate and was resuscitated under an emergency protocol.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction has reaffirmed plans to break ground on the north-south high speed railway by the end of 2026, despite Vingroup’s decision to withdraw its investment proposal.

The northern city of Haiphong plans to expand its area by over 5,600 ha by 2030 through land reclamation to support industry, services, logistics and coastal tourism.

Vietnamese victims have lost nearly VND 40 trillion (about USD 1.6 billion) to more than 24,000 online scams since 2020.

Vietnam Airlines has adjusted flight routes to and from Taiwan and north-east Asia after authorities imposed temporary airspace restrictions over parts of Taiwan, to ensure flight safety.