Society

Hanoi will pilot restrictions on heavy trucks as well as container trucks and tractor-trailers, on several key routes during peak hours as part of its effort to ease traffic congestion.

The Khanh Le mountain pass linking Nha Trang and Dalat reopened to traffic on December 24, more than a month after landslides killed six people and forced a full closure.

A cold air mass is set to bring scattered rain and sharply colder weather to northern Vietnam on December 24-25, with severe cold expected in mountainous areas.

A large fire tore through Xanh Dinh Cong Market in Hanoi early on Tuesday, destroying more than 10 stalls and causing heavy property damage, with no casualties reported.

Police scanning checked baggage at Cam Ranh Airport uncovered 24 gold bars and 32 iPhones without invoices, leading to charges over the illegal transport of more than 2.3kg of gold.

ESG Vietnam Forum 2026 has been officially launched, calling on businesses and policymakers to turn commitments into action.

Severe coastal erosion driven by storm surges and flood tides has devastated My Khe Beach in the central province of Quang Ngai, uprooting trees and threatening tourism infrastructure.

Many businesses were honoured for pioneering science, technology and innovation to create sustainable value at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025, held in Hanoi on December 22, 2025.

Ho Chi Minh City has approved adjustments to Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh-Tham Luong), extending the route by more than 200 metres to improve network connectivity.

Authorities in Tay Ninh Province on December 22 held a memorial, funeral and burial ceremony for 183 sets of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia.

Police in Thanh Hoa Province have detained a woman and her mother for allegedly faking her death in 2020 to fraudulently claim insurance payouts worth more than VND 1.28 billion.

More than 1,000 traffic violations were detected by Hanoi’s AI-powered camera system in its first seven days of operation, with red-light running accounting for the majority, police said.

Vietnam has rejected what it described as “biased and inaccurate” assessments contained in a recent update on religious freedom released by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Police in the central province of Quang Tri have seized a shipment of 149 gun components that was being transported illegally to Hanoi.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has proposed extending student fare discounts to metro and ferry services under a draft decree implementing the Education Law.

Hanoi plans to install an additional 2,460 AI-powered traffic cameras in 2026 at major intersections, bridges, hospitals and bus terminals, as part of efforts to modernise traffic management.

A Hanoi household owning a 421 sq m plot beside Hoan Kiem Lake is set to receive about USD 17.7 million in compensation as authorities prepare to build a major new square and park in the area.

Ho Chi Minh City police used an AI camera system to locate an iPhone lost by an Australian tourist, recovering the device within 10 minutes of receiving the report.

An unexploded 227-kilogramme bomb containing more than 87 kilogrammes of explosives has been found about 50 metres from a market and bus station in Hue, authorities said.