Society

Nearly 190 companies from 36 countries have registered to exhibit at the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2026, scheduled to take place in Hanoi in December.

HCM City police launched a new emergency call-handling unit on October 20 to improve responses to incidents and prepare for the planned integration of emergency hotlines 113, 114 and 115.

Police in Gia Lai Province have charged a man accused of producing counterfeit ground coffee by mixing in soybeans and flavourings before selling it on the market.

Hanoi has banned the planting of 18 tree species in public areas over safety and environmental concerns, including toxic substances, brittle branches and sharp thorns.

A free car park covering thousands of square metres beside Nha Trang Beach in Khanh Hoa Province is proving popular with residents and tourists, offering a rare alternative to costly urban parking.

Market inspectors in Hanoi have seized 2,893 handbags suspected of bearing counterfeit labels from luxury brands including Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Authorities have recovered 14 more sets of remains believed to belong to fallen soldiers, along with four sets of associated artefacts, at Le Thi Rieng Park in Ho Chi Minh City.

Lam Dong Province plans a new park near Dalat Night Market, featuring green spaces, a proposed light tower and underground facilities to boost night-time tourism.

Forty people, including four primary school pupils, were hospitalised after a suspected toxic gas leak at a scrap collection site in Hanoi on October 19, with two patients in serious condition.

Traffic police in HCM City recorded more than 900 violations involving students in September, including 454 cases of riding without helmets and 321 involving underage drivers.

A 3,400-tonne steel span for HCM City's Saigon River pedestrian bridge approached the city centre by barge on October 19, drawing crowds along the riverbanks ahead of its planned installation.

Two men drowned at Dinh Cong Lake in Hanoi after a fishing boat capsized and one of them tried to rescue the other on the evening of October 18.

A passenger bus carrying 20 people caught fire on National Highway 4D in Lao Cai Province early on October 18, but all passengers escaped safely.

A 68-year-old man who went missing while climbing Viba Mountain in Vung Tau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, has been found dead in dense vegetation.

Rescue teams searched overnight for a 68-year-old man who went missing while hiking on Viba Mountain in HCM City's Vung Tau Ward on October 17.

Six women have been fined a total of VND 1.5 million (USD 57) for sitting in the middle of a road on Hai Van Pass in Da Nang to take photos, obstructing traffic and posing safety risks.

A 3,400-tonne steel span for HCM City's Saigon River pedestrian bridge began a 124-kilometre journey by water on October 18, ahead of its planned installation on October 21.

One student has died and two others have tested positive for meningococcal bacteria at a HCM City secondary school, prompting urgent disease control measures.

HCM City and southern Vietnam face heavier rain and thunderstorms in the coming days as strengthening easterly disturbances bring more widespread downpours.